This year King's Church is running 7 carol services, this includes 4 whole church evening events and 3 site based morning events. This is all running within the theme of Arms Wide Open which I think is such a strong theme that links the Message (preaching), the Moment (the carol services) and Mercy together. The 4 evening carol services will be of the usual very high standard including traditional carols, children or Youth performance, drama and readings. In fact this year we have asked some guests to do a reading at each service. Sir Steve Bullock, Heidi Alexander MP and Keiran Lang who is the Young Mayor of Lewisham (and also attends King's Church) have all agreed to doing a reading. As per previous years there will be short section near the end of the carol services that profiles the Jericho Road Project. This year I am excited that I will be bringing a prayer and a short explanation of the project. There will be a 'retiring' offering for the project as well.
So please do attend the carol services, Friday 7.30pm, Saturday 5pm and Sunday 5pm and 7.30pm.
Please look at the King's Church Arms Wide Open website which is looking great. (Ben and Brett have done a brilliant job on the promotion of Arms Wide Open!)
Today I am meeting Heidi Alexander MP, who is supporting our promotion of Caring Christmas Trees. We will send out a press release later today! I am very pleased with how the sales are progressing. The economic downturn is very real so I am delighted that we are on course to slightly improve our sales total of last year and I am hoping that we will raise about £4000 for the project. Lewisham Life have mentioned us in their latest edition and I understand that in their enewsletter next week there is another mention.
Finally the Arms Wide Open Hampers project has seen such a fantastic response. The community of King's Church has risen to this with arms wide open. We have given out about 230 boxes in the last 2 weeks and I am expecting that we will collect about that number of full hampers in the next 2 weeks. Boxes are to be returned by Sunday 11th December. I am loving the stories of people from King's going into their offices and explaining that their church is collecting hampers and then the staff are deciding which items they will bring in. I have increased the number of outlets for the boxes so now we are working with the social services teams working with at risk children, those on police protection and the young children teams, Lewisham Refugee Network, The Bridge School of English and the King's Church Pastoral care team.
This Christmas the arms of King's Church are reaching out further than ever before.
Showing posts with label Arms Wide Open. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arms Wide Open. Show all posts
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Friday, 25 November 2011
10 reasons to buy a Caring Christmas Tree in SE London
1. Christmas is a great time to be generous to those in need.
2. The trees we sell are fabulous real Scottish freshly cut Nordmann trees. These are the most popular selling trees in the UK. We offer very competitive pricing as well.
3. The profit goes to the Jericho Road Project which houses very vulnerable rough sleepers in safe supportive accommodation. We have 6 houses in the borough of Lewisham.
4. Volunteers, many who have previously experienced rough sleeping, are involved. This includes distributing postcards, on the vans helping deliver trees and at the sites helping customers.
5. The Jericho Road Project provides about 4500 meals (3 courses) a year to people in need through the Feast which is our weekly outreach meeting.
6. The publicity helps promote the work we do to a much wider audience.
7. We help people change but it takes time and commitment, let me tell you about one man who was referred to us about 4 years ago for support at the Feast and help with his benefits. For the first year or two he did nothing to help himself, it was always someone else's fault and he would sit around expecting others to sort out his problems for him! However in recent times at the Feast he has become a brilliant helper. He doesn't need to be asked he does jobs such as emptying the bins and taking them out to the main bin. As you can imagine, this is not a pleasant job. He is not doing it because he has been told to do it but he has chosen to do it. This story demonstrates that with time and a supportive environment people will change. He has moved from being the problem to becoming part of the solution.
8. Real Christmas Trees make a room and a house smell brilliantly Christmassy.
9. The Project creates opportunities for vulnerable people to go on holiday, we go to Chepstow in March and then to an event called Encounter Camp in June.
10. Finally, we even deliver the trees to your door for a small (ish) extra fee.
2. The trees we sell are fabulous real Scottish freshly cut Nordmann trees. These are the most popular selling trees in the UK. We offer very competitive pricing as well.
3. The profit goes to the Jericho Road Project which houses very vulnerable rough sleepers in safe supportive accommodation. We have 6 houses in the borough of Lewisham.
4. Volunteers, many who have previously experienced rough sleeping, are involved. This includes distributing postcards, on the vans helping deliver trees and at the sites helping customers.
5. The Jericho Road Project provides about 4500 meals (3 courses) a year to people in need through the Feast which is our weekly outreach meeting.
6. The publicity helps promote the work we do to a much wider audience.
7. We help people change but it takes time and commitment, let me tell you about one man who was referred to us about 4 years ago for support at the Feast and help with his benefits. For the first year or two he did nothing to help himself, it was always someone else's fault and he would sit around expecting others to sort out his problems for him! However in recent times at the Feast he has become a brilliant helper. He doesn't need to be asked he does jobs such as emptying the bins and taking them out to the main bin. As you can imagine, this is not a pleasant job. He is not doing it because he has been told to do it but he has chosen to do it. This story demonstrates that with time and a supportive environment people will change. He has moved from being the problem to becoming part of the solution.
8. Real Christmas Trees make a room and a house smell brilliantly Christmassy.
9. The Project creates opportunities for vulnerable people to go on holiday, we go to Chepstow in March and then to an event called Encounter Camp in June.
10. Finally, we even deliver the trees to your door for a small (ish) extra fee.
Friday, 11 November 2011
Who buys a real Christmas Tree?
Caring Christmas Trees returns for it's 3rd year in South East London. We are aiming to raise over £4000 towards the work of the Jericho Road Project as well as increasing the profile of the project. We are selling trees to businesses with deliveries taking place on the 30th November and 1st December. Orders by the 21st November. Then individuals can order trees for pick up from a choice of 4 sites, prices start at £35 (delivery is extra). All the information is found at www.caringchristmastrees.org/selondon
Each year we want to increase our sales so we are asking the question "who buys a real tree"?
We have produced 25K 'Do you buy a real Christmas tree?' postcards and we are getting information into magazines, newspapers and online. However the best form of advertising is personal recommendation, so if you get a chance please put in a good word for Caring Christmas Trees.
This year Chris Rockall has joined the Trees team adding his considerable knowledge of promotion to help us get the message out.
Heidi Alexander MP has agreed to promote the Tree project and we will release a press release following a photo opportunity with Heidi on the 1st December.
We have planned for teams to go out on Tuesday's and Thursday's between 4-7 to hand out flyers at stations, to local businesses and to homes. If you are able to, please join us.
But if you can't make one of those teams, here are some other ways to help.
1. Buy a Tree
2. Promote Caring Christmas Trees at your work or school. Postcards, eflyers and posters available.
3. Help us get opportunities to promote Trees, for example book bags in schools, media outlets or link us to key people who will help promote the Trees.
4. Volunteer on the sites - great opportunity to help our customers and get you into the Christmas mood. Contact dave.barlow@kingschurchlondon.org to get involved.
Last year nearly 380 real trees were bought by families and businesses across South East London. This year we are reaching for more because we know that we can make a greater difference for vulnerable people. We help many rough sleepers but we also help prevent people become homeless. Your support helps us make a greater difference to those in need.
Each year we want to increase our sales so we are asking the question "who buys a real tree"?
We have produced 25K 'Do you buy a real Christmas tree?' postcards and we are getting information into magazines, newspapers and online. However the best form of advertising is personal recommendation, so if you get a chance please put in a good word for Caring Christmas Trees.
This year Chris Rockall has joined the Trees team adding his considerable knowledge of promotion to help us get the message out.
Heidi Alexander MP has agreed to promote the Tree project and we will release a press release following a photo opportunity with Heidi on the 1st December.
We have planned for teams to go out on Tuesday's and Thursday's between 4-7 to hand out flyers at stations, to local businesses and to homes. If you are able to, please join us.
But if you can't make one of those teams, here are some other ways to help.
1. Buy a Tree
2. Promote Caring Christmas Trees at your work or school. Postcards, eflyers and posters available.
3. Help us get opportunities to promote Trees, for example book bags in schools, media outlets or link us to key people who will help promote the Trees.
4. Volunteer on the sites - great opportunity to help our customers and get you into the Christmas mood. Contact dave.barlow@kingschurchlondon.org to get involved.
Last year nearly 380 real trees were bought by families and businesses across South East London. This year we are reaching for more because we know that we can make a greater difference for vulnerable people. We help many rough sleepers but we also help prevent people become homeless. Your support helps us make a greater difference to those in need.
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Arms Wide Open - Christmas Hampers
This year the theme of the Christmas services at King's Church London is 'Arms Wide Open' and as a practical demonstration of the theme we are going to be providing Hampers for families who are in need. The main distribution will be through the Lewisham social services teams who are working with children at risk and those on protection. One of the social services managers said "please thank the church for thinking of our families". Until I met with one of the staff I had no idea how many families are in this position. I know that the hampers will go to some very needy people.
Here is the plan for how people are going to provide hampers. Very shortly we will produce a 'shopping list' which will be a mixture of everyday essentials plus Christmas treats. And my dream is that groups of friends or families or people in community groups or perhaps in your work place will get together and buy the items so that they can fill a box and bring that to King's Church (Catford, Lee or Downham) on the 4th and 11th December. Perhaps you can tell me your story of how you get involved in producing a hamper, perhaps it is your football team or knitting group, your youth group or community group.
But you don't have to provide a whole hamper. It may be that people bring only a few items or part of a hamper and that will work great because people can bring their items to King's on the 4th and 11th December and add it together with other part hampers to make whole ones. It means everyone can get involved whether it is one tin or one whole hamper.
The Hampers will have a message that reads "Happy Christmas, with love from King's Church".
Look out for the information that is being given out in the next few weeks. This is going to be a brilliant way of demonstrating our Arms are Wide Open to people in need this Christmas.
Here is the plan for how people are going to provide hampers. Very shortly we will produce a 'shopping list' which will be a mixture of everyday essentials plus Christmas treats. And my dream is that groups of friends or families or people in community groups or perhaps in your work place will get together and buy the items so that they can fill a box and bring that to King's Church (Catford, Lee or Downham) on the 4th and 11th December. Perhaps you can tell me your story of how you get involved in producing a hamper, perhaps it is your football team or knitting group, your youth group or community group.
But you don't have to provide a whole hamper. It may be that people bring only a few items or part of a hamper and that will work great because people can bring their items to King's on the 4th and 11th December and add it together with other part hampers to make whole ones. It means everyone can get involved whether it is one tin or one whole hamper.
The Hampers will have a message that reads "Happy Christmas, with love from King's Church".
Look out for the information that is being given out in the next few weeks. This is going to be a brilliant way of demonstrating our Arms are Wide Open to people in need this Christmas.
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