KINDER KALSI - Lead Evangelist to Continue to Prioritise Our Rythem of Prayer, Stillness and Outreach

Our Prayer for 2020 KINDER KALSI - Lead Evangelist To continue to prioritise our rythem of prayer, stillness and outreach. GINA KALSI - Pioneer Evangelist. To be able to create deeper connections with people in Attercliffe and Darnall to help grow ATTERCLIFFE & DARNALL CENTRE OF MISSION the Christian community. August 2020 Bible verse Isaiah 43:19 Our last newsletter was at the beginning of the time we now call “lockdown”! And we were settling into our new home and the new roles in a new area of Sheffield. While it was strange and a potential challenge to start in such uncertain times, it has enabled us to establish some good rhythms of prayer and of rest. So we are now well settled in our new home, and have really got to know the local area – including the towpaths and river walks we discovered on those permitted one hour exercises! We continue to deliver 3 times a week for the local Foodbank, which has enabled us to get to know the area, and to meet people, albeit on their doorsteps. We have taken the opportunity, when delivering, to let people know who we are by putting fliers in the food deliveries and chatting when appropriate. It was good to dress up for VE day and deliver food We have continued our online activity – with meditations on Monday and Thursday, and Examen on Sunday and Wednesday – via Facebook Live and Instagram Live. We started a small group gathering on Zoom early on, Let’s Talk, where we watch a short video and talk about how it relates to our life and faith. People have joined us from Sheffield and London – and it has been a really helpful space to talk faith and to share our experiences together. We have also shared a couple of short services around the fire in our garden, and now that we can gather for services, we have held the first one of these in the gardens of St Albans House – where 7 of us gathered, socially distancing, for a short reflective service. The outside fence at St Albans House has continued to be a place for us to interact with the community. We have used it at VE day – with teddy bears picnic in the garden, and little wooden doves for people to take home. For Eid and Pentecost, we offered flowers for people to take home, and invited people to write blessings on sticks and to write on the pavement in chalk, greetings in different languages. And more recently, for Friendship Day, we created children’s activity packs – as we are aware that many children’s activities locally have been cancelled – and put them outside the church, alongside other interactive opportunities, and little wooden hearts for people to take and give to a friend. All these seem to have been well received by the community, and we had a lovely conversation with a lady with 2 children, who was really appreciating what we were doing. We also went into one of the local parks, with activity packs from us and from Darnall Forum (a local community group) and had some lovely conversations with local families. God has really blessed us and has drawn people to us, even during a time when we could not meet people. As lockdown has eased, we have met with another Christian family locally, and with a few other Christians in the area, and have started to see glimpses of how the community might develop, which is so exciting. It is so encouraging to recall the moments when we have glimpsed God’s timing, in connecting us with others and in the conversations we have had. We look forward with anticipation at who else God might connect us with, and how he might use this time to develop the community relationships. One of the things we have started as a group, is a Wood Walk each Tuesday afternoon, where we walk in local woods. We have started going along with a question as a focus – what surprises you or what makes you smile – and this has led us to see God in the beauty of creation and in our conversations and unexpected encounters. Kinder went along to the local cemetery, where there is a group of people working hard to clear lots of overgrowth and restore the area into a place of peace and beauty. He had some great conversations, was delighted when the organiser asked if he could play gospel music, and we are both planning to get involved with this wonderful group of enthusiastic people. We give thanks for: • Family news: Josh has continued to work for most of the time and is now back in the office. • Genesia was able to move into our house in Buxton during lockdown, when her lease on her flat ran out, but is now back in Manchester in a new flat with a friend, and is waiting to return to work. • We are getting to know our neighbours and the neighbourhood and discovering people of peace. • Thanks to Catherine, Dave Nicky and Kids who have joined the community. • The way God has been working in connecting us with community groups and with people who want to join us in the community here. • The people we have the privilege of meeting and the people we partner with, especially the team at Burngreave Foodbank The opportunity to resume Street Pastoring – albeit for a shorter time, and with limited activity. Online presence information can be found here. AttercliffeCOfM AttercliffeCofM AttercliffeCOfM Resourcing church army. We do this by issuing a prayer letter 3 times a year and doing fundraisers when we can, mostly around Bhangra dancing and food. We managed to get a few in before lockdown. As part of the churcharmy 9.6 challenge fundraising initiative in April, we did 26 minutes of Bhangra Dancing live on Facebook, and raised £250 for CA. Kinder also did a cooking session online on his birthday, which he plans to do again. We have regular monthly givers and are very thankful for them. What Next We are hoping to continue the short outdoor services in the garden, as well as the Wood Walks. And we will continue our online presence. We are also hoping to take some craft activities to help people process the past few months into community spaces, with opportunity for prayer. Hopefully this will be in partnership with community groups. And then to offer some prayer opportunities around All Souls time, for people to remember and grieve. We are hoping to start to make some inroads with the local schools. We will also start to work out how we can engage with people this christmas. As the core group of the community grows we will start to see how we can start looking at our values that we want to live by. Please pray for… o Our Children Josh and Genesia o opportunities to grow a Christian Community o The local Foodbank and our partnership with it o Partnerships within the local area o The core group of people forming as a community o We are aware and responsive to God’s Spirit o Breathe Deep – the diocesan Youth event – for wisdom in how to move forward for next year o Kinder’s 3 new words for 2020 – WAIT ADVENTURE AND REVEAL o For local churches as they work through the practicalities of opening up o Opportunities to connect and work with the local schools o The weekly woody walk Pray for the conversations as we give out blessing cards to all the businesses in Attercliffe Financial Support Thank you so much for your continued prayer and financial support. Each year we commit to raising £5,000 for Church Army, so your support really does make a difference. If you don’t currently financially support the work we are involved in, but would like to, please visit churcharmy.org/donate Or directly to… Acc. 80255491 Sort Code. 20-49-81 Reference No. 1182 2006KKA Please use this reference number so that your contribution is directed to my work. Or To donate £5, text KINDER to 70970 To donate £10, text KINDER to70191 We don’t take your support for granted, so thank you so much for standing with us. We want to pray for you so please let us know how we can. Thank you Kinder & Gina .

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