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June 2016 e-news
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Welcome to the June 2016 edition of CfTW e-news.  Please pass this on to those in your congregation or network, or encourage them to sign up to receive this e-letter direct.  This month we are giving thanks for:
  • God’s provision of Church leaders recently appointed to St Philip’s, St Thomas’s and King Charles the Martyr.  Please pray for these congregations as they welcome their new clergy over the coming months.    
We are looking forward to:
  • Picnic in the Park on Sunday 19 June from 1-5pm in the Calverley Grounds.  This is a great opportunity for churches to invite friends and neighbours along to a free family event which is aimed at blessing our community. 
May you be encouraged in all you do and may Jesus receive all the glory, honour and praise.   Please note that the deadline for getting information to me for the July 2016 e-letter is Monday 13 June.
 

June Dates:

  • Saturday 28 MAY: Ladies’ Breakfast - ‘She is Priceless’ -- stories of rescue and hope among victims of human trafficking, 8.30 – 10.30am at Bidborough School Hall, Spring Lane, Bidborough. The speaker is Jessica Gunjal who works with Oasis in India.  Come and enjoy a light breakfast and be inspired and encouraged by hearing from Jessica.  To reserve a place, please contact Elizabeth Hills:  01892 528081 (liz.hills@yahoo.co.uk). No charge but donations welcomed. 
  • Wednesday 1 June: Beautiful Burrswood Launch.  Be the first to see a range of paintings and photographs depicting Burrswood in varying seasons by local artists.  Burrswood Orangery, 6.30-8.30pm.  Tickets £20, includes drinks and canapes.  To book call 01892 865985 or email events@burrswood.org.uk
  • Thursday 2 – Thursday 30 June: Beautiful Burrswood Art Exhibition.  Photographs and paintings celebrating the beauty of Burrswood.  See how the gardens and the sense of peace and tranquillity have inspired local artists.  Entry Free.  Donations welcome.
  • Fridays 3 & 17 June:  Youth Leader Prayer Meetings – 9am at TWYFC and Life & Soul Offices, 28 Church Road. 
  • Saturday 4 June: Townwide Ladies’ Day at TW Baptist Church: 9.30am – 4pm.  Cost is £10.  The day will include worship, activities, craft, quizzes and beauty time, culminating in afternoon tea with scones, jam and cream.  To register, please contact Maureen Chasely,  01892 527549 or mamachaseley@hotmail.com
  • Saturday 4 June: Townwide Burn at TW Baptist Church, 8-11pm (also Sat 2 July at Tonbridge Baptist Church).
  • Saturdays 4, 11, 18, 25 June: ‘Fight Club’ - Men’s Prayer Group - 8-9am at The Gatehouse (formerly Calvary Church) in the Market Square.  Men from all churches are welcome to come and pray for one another and for the transformation of our town. 
  • Tuesdays 7, 14, 21, 28 June: Lunchtime services at TW United Reformed Church: 12.15 - 12.45pm.  The theme for the month is ‘Praying to God.’
  • Saturday 11 June: Pilgrimage – walking the Camino de Santiago, St Mary’s Church, Speldhurst, 7.30pm.  Author Tony Collins (Taking My God for a Walk) and Vicar Douglas Wren reflect on the life-changing experience of walking The Way.  Wine and tapas will help the evening go with a swing! All welcome.
  • Wednesday 15 June: Prayer Meeting for the Persecuted Church, 11.30am–12.30pm at St Augustine’s Church, Crescent Road. This is an ecumenical prayer group which meets on the third Wednesday of every month. Also Wednesday 20 July.
  • Friday 17 June: Central Burn at TW Gatehouse (formerly Calvary Church), 8pm–2am: a time of worship and prayer.  The Burn will also take place on 15 July.
  • Sunday 19 June 2016:  Picnic in the Park in the Calverley Grounds, 1-5pm: This event is offered by a variety of churches and mission agencies in the town with the aim of blessing our local community with free food, free music and family fun.  Bring your ‘not-yet-Christian’ friends to enjoy the afternoon, and pray for opportunities to speak to them about your own faith.  If you can help with setting up on the day (from 9.30am) or with face painting, please contact cllyallen@aol.com.
  • Sunday 19 June: UNITE Youth Service – 7-9pm at TW Christian Fellowship with guest speaker Ash Barker. Also on 17 July.
  • Saturday 25 June: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Burrswood.  Gardens open for picnics at 5pm, performance at 7pm.  Tickets £17.50 for adults; £10 for children.  To book call 01892 865985 or email events@burrswood.org.uk

Local Mission: Parent–Toddler Network

The Parent-Toddler Network in Tunbridge Wells has been active for many years.  It is an opportunity for leaders of groups across the town to come together to pray with and for each another, to share ideas and to support and encourage one another.  Please contact Claire Wells: wells.claire@googlemail.com for more information.  Claire says, ‘I really appreciate prayers for our network. It makes such a difference to know we have prayer support from others.’ 

Below is a Press Release regarding the National Prayer Month for toddler groups – June 2016
'Keep praying...new families came along this morning including one who saw an article in the local paper, also new church member offered to join the team, and a couple of mums offered to help set up. I like this month of prayer.'
 
These were the words shared by a toddler group leader during last year’s month of prayer. Some of the activities that took place in June 2015 included a prayer tent, services led by toddler group teams, prayer bubbles blown, and prayer activity bags prepared and taken home by every family in the toddler group. New prayer groups also sprung up in various areas – from Cardiff to Harrow – and there was a real sense of new life flowing through many toddler groups.
 
The National Month of Prayer for toddler group ministries will again take place in June. The aim is to encourage you to pray … and to get your church praying! ‘Living life to the full’ is the theme this year and John 10 v10 is the keynote scripture: ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’
 
With over 20,000 churches estimated to be running toddler groups in the UK, it is so important for groups, the leaders, the children and their families to be supported in prayer.
 
We recognise that for many, the local toddler group is a ‘lifeline’, and a place with a genuine warm welcome. It can simply be something that people do on a given day at a given time, but for most of us it is so much more. We would love to celebrate the ‘life giving potential’ of our groups and 1277 have put together some ideas, activities and articles that you can dip into doing the prayer month, They can be found on our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/1277makethemcount/ or our website: www.1277.org.uk/resources
 
What is 1277? It is the approximate number of days that a child in the UK has between birth and starting ‘nursery’. And it was from a desire to make each of those days count that the group 1277 was formed in 2009. It is an ecumenical group that is passionate about resourcing and supporting church-based toddler groups and the families with whom they work.  Contact the Facebook page or website above for more information.

Help Required...

  • Face Painters needed for Picnic in the Park – If you can give 30-60 minutes of your time to help with face painting on the afternoon of Sunday 19 June at Picnic in the Park in the Calverley Grounds, please contact Cliff at cllyallen@aol.com 
  • Explore is a Christian Charity that goes into schools to run workshops on relationships. These workshops help young people aged 15-18 to tackle issues surrounding lasting relationships and marriage, but they need married couples to go with them.  If you would like to find out more, then visit their website www.theexploreexperience.co.uk Over the 20 years of its existence Explore has gone into 71 schools and spoken to 8,000 students from all faiths and also from no-faith backgrounds.
  • Empathy Action www.empathyaction.org requires office space.  If you have, or know of space that can be loaned or used at minimal rent, please contact Ben Solanky - bsolanky@empathyaction.org
  • Domestic Abuse Volunteer Services (DAVSS) needs Volunteer Helpline Advisors to train to answer calls to the DAVSS Helpline, Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 2.30 pm. Helpline volunteers give a minimum of 5 hours a week. DAVSS is also seeking volunteer Domestic Abuse Advisors to meet with victims of domestic abuse in safe and convenient locations across West Kent, offering options and helping victims to make decisions to help ensure that they and their children are safe.  Domestic Abuse Advisors give a minimum of 10 hours a week. We provide intensive training and mentoring for both these positions. Our Volunteers receive case supervision by our experienced managers who, between them, have over 30 years’ experience in the area of domestic abuse. We also give personal support to volunteers in both these interesting roles. If you are interested in either of these essential posts, please email office@davss.org.uk or phone 01892 502074 for an application form, or to discuss either of these exciting roles.  Visit our website at www.davss.org.uk
  • Crossways Community is looking to expand the activities it offers to its residents and service users, and one of the activities it would like to include is carpentry and woodwork. Therefore we are on the lookout for someone with these skills who might have a couple of hours to spare each week to share them with our residents. Is there anyone among you with such abilities, or do you know of such a person in your family or church who might be able to help? If so, could you please contact me: Chris Munday, Chris.munday@crosswayscommunity.org.uk or 01892 543290.
  • Prayer Pastors needed: The Street Pastors Ministry needs people willing to serve as Prayer Pastors on Saturday nights from 10pm-1am and from 1-4am.  If you are interested or would like to find out more about this vital ministry, please email cdblackman@btinternet.com.  We’d love to hear from you.

Opportunities...


World In Need is looking for a Fundraising Manager with the following skills:
  • experienced in administration;
  • familiar with using IT;
  • working to a high level of accuracy;
  • a committed Christian, and
  • a good communicator and people-manager, experienced in achieving results through others.
For more information, please contact David Shamiri at david@worldinneed.co.uk or 01892 669834.
 

Save the Date

  • Sunday 17 July: West Kent YMCA Annual V4C Footy Tournament, 10am-4pm at St John’s Centre/Pagoda in aid of the homeless, housing projects and local football teams.  See www.WestKentYMCA.org.uk/V4C for more information.
  • Saturday 3 September: Summer Picnic at Crossways, Moxham House Garden; 12-3pm
  • Saturday 1 October: West Kent YMCA Sleep Easy – Raising awareness of homelessness at St John’s Centre/Pagoda.  From 7pm Saturday 1 Oct to 7am Sun 2 October.  For more information, see www.WestKentYMCA.org.uk/sleep.
  • Saturday 15 October: TW Youth for Christ Barn Dance.  More information to follow.
  • Monday 5 December: Crossways Christmas Carol Service, 7pm
 

Items on offer... 


Good Home Required for - IBICO Punching and Binding Machine – Contact Colin Stapleton at colin.stapleton894@btinternet.com  It is an as-new Swiss made IBICO Punching and binding machine, with scores of combs.  The link below shows an identical machine to the one being offered free of charge.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsAxldkmL3I
Copyright © 2016 Churches for Tunbridge Wells, All rights reserved.


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