Dear Friend,
Our God works powerfully through all things and His love for all people is boundless, so it's not surprising that He has worked despite the COVID-19 pandemic to bring good to those who love Him!
We praise Him for his generous provision through people just like yourself. Our June 2020 EOFY Appeal results have come in, and we have received over $24,000 (!) to help Jesus Club continue helping churches minister to people with intellectual disabilities. Included in this amount are six new monthly partners who chose to put in a recurring amount every month. The monthly partners really help us, as good stewards, to budget effectively.
Just like you, our new supporters have recognised the need for a ministry like Jesus Club. When we asked people why they chose to donate, many pointed to Jesus Club's vision and ministry as the main reason. Some were moved by our gospel-driven mission, with a program uniquely designed to share the gospel in an accessible way. Other people chose to donate because of our unwavering commitment to reaching this unreached people group – with people just like Taylor.
OTHER NEWS
As our clubs continue to consider their reopening plan carefully, one club has discovered that an online delivery can have many benefits, some unexpected!
Jesus Club in Castle Hill was one of the clubs which moved its program online during the pandemic. From the beginning, their fortnightly Zoom meeting proved a hit with its members:
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"They are messaging me two days ahead of time, saying I am all ready, I am waiting… so they are very excited about it."
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The members have been enjoying the session of games, Bible teaching and devotion and opportunity to catch up. Out of their regular group of 20, 16 members, have been joining regularly - one from a group home assisted by the group home manager and others have joined with their parents.
The ease of online delivery also gave their coordinator, Julie, a brainwave to begin a weekly Bible study with her members.
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"I thought why don't we do a weekly [meeting], because it's not nearly as much preparation as doing [a face-to-face] Jesus Club, and they are stuck at home. So, we [now] do a weekly Bible study, and we are going through Mark, and it seems to be working very well."
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Other Jesus Clubs have also been prayerfully considering their reopening, and one has reopened their doors in the last week of June to some very delighted members.
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"They played games & activities with full-on enthusiasm. Everyone was so focused and engaged with the story. [It was] one of the best nights at Jesus Club! You could tell they all appreciated getting together again," beamed Stephen, a leader at Kings Park Jesus Club.
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Another heartening moment happened when Ross, another leader, asked for a song about love, and Alison and Faith, two of their members, began singing together, "Wide Wide As The Ocean" and "Jesus Loves Me".
How wonderful it is to see our members reveling in the relationships with each other and with God, only made possible by the grace and love of Jesus Christ, who paved the way with His death and resurrection.
Thank you again for your partnership with Jesus Club as we work to help churches share the good news in an accessible way to people with intellectual disabilities.
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Your brother in Christ,
Josh Reid MBA, Operations Manager, Jesus Club
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P.S. You can visit our website for updates on how we're progressing. Or follow us on Facebook for the latest news about our members and volunteers.
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Pray With Us
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Praise God for His faithful and generous provision through our June 2020 EOFY Appeal, including the six new monthly partners.
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Pray for our clubs and churches as they carefully consider when and how to safely reopen when the time comes.
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Give thanks to our leaders for their love and creativity and may God continue to sustain them for His work.
- Pray that God will continue to look after our members and will bring them back to Jesus Club when meetings resume.
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Pray that God will continue to look after our members and will bring them back to Jesus Club when meetings clubs resume.
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Praise Him for the new relationships that have come about as a result of sharing the remote club meetings in group homes. May God soften their hearts so they will want to come learn of Him at Jesus Club.
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