Autumn 2010 Newsletter

God has been reminding me recently about His commitment to being with us in everything we journey through. And how His perspective in this sometimes looks different to mine. Often I place high value on speed in the things I am facing or learning; the quicker I deal with a struggle or achieve a result, the more mature and developed a person I am. God challenged me that for Him slow or fast can be just as precious, powerful and significant. He can move in an instant or He can walk us through a process that requires time and patience. Both are valid and both can be miraculous. He is committed to reaching the finish line with us. This is part of the vision at the ECCP - willingness to walk alongside people in their personal journey whether they find quick and obvious 'success' or fall many times along the way. God's message is that there is always hope and we are never alone.

In terms of our journey here at the ECCP, the great news has been finally completing the move into new premises...

Our first location - St. Luke's, Redcliffe Gardens - is home to the Women's Drop-In and Counselling Training courses, as well as a new prayer and evangelism ministry called 'Treasure Hunting' on the streets of the local area. Their website is: http://www.stlukeschurch.co.uk/

The second location is St. Barnabas, Kensington where we have set up two porta-cabins to house the offices. From this church we are running the Coffee Bar (along with the parallel ministries of the art workshop, food distribution programme, Bible Study) and the Counselling Service. Check out their website at: http://www.stbk.org.uk/

We also continue to have a branch of the counselling service located at the flat in Clapham Junction, with a focus on Family Therapy. See our website for more details: http://www.eccp-ywam.org.uk/

This solution is on a temporary basis for approximately two years. After that we will see how God leads us! In the meantime we have been blessed in many ways through the welcome we have received from both these places. It is wonderful for the ministries to be based somewhere where there is an active church life that we can invite our visitors to. It is also a privilege to partner with them in some areas of outreach and spend time praying together for the local community. In September we had a week of mission headed up by St. Luke's and the ECCP called 'God Loves Earls Court' (GLEC). As part of this there was a special Coffee Bar party, and International Food Fair and an Art Cafe.

In the summer Nancy and I swapped the city for a field with a few thousand people and a week of camping down in Somerset to run the YWAM England stand at the New Wine festival (pic). It was great to have a change from our normal routine and the chance to connect with all kinds of folk - young people interested in doing some short-term mission, youth leaders looking for programmes to recommend to those in their groups, and former YWAMers who are excited to re-engage with the organisation.

Back in London I have been focusing on completing some key areas of admin, including developing a food safety management system. Meals are an important part of ECCP life so this is to ensure that we are taking good care of everyone eating with us, as well as complying with regulations. As a detail-orientated person there are elements of this that I enjoy, however it has also been frustrating and sometimes feels overwhelming so I would appreciate some prayer!

Personally this has been a year of weddings and the important task of being a bridesmaid! First for a close friend of mine who was married in the USA on New Year's Day; followed by two of my sisters, with the third sister going to tie the knot this month. Suddenly I get three brothers-in-law and the family grows by half again! The spin-off has been a lot of fun-filled gatherings, travelling and investing into new relationships. Overall it's wonderful seeing my sisters choosing to share their lives with some great guys!

The last few months have been quite exhausting, mainly due to the ECCP transition - working through the logistics of the move's different stages as well as the emotional impact of change and helping our visitors to adjust. My typical year has a rhythm of more intense weeks of busyness followed by some at a regular tempo. With the consistently heavy work-load this year my stress levels have been on a long-term high which has left me feeling quite worn-down. Please pray for finding a place of being settled, rested and refocused again.

Thank-you so much for standing with me in your support and encouragement.

Love
Rebecca

Update on the Move

(Article from the latest ECCP Newsletter)

Thank-you for your prayers and support over these last few months in regard to the ECCP premises situation. The exciting news is that we have finally completed our relocation! The move has been happening stage-by-stage since the beginning of this year, with the ministry activities changing over in February. The final part of the process was completed in June - transferring the office into porta-cabins.

So we are now running from two local churches - St. Barnabas and St. Luke's - each within a mile of our old building. Both church families have been incredibly welcoming and it will be exciting to see how we can work together in reaching out to the community.

The past 8 months have been a challenge for the team, dealing with the practicalities of moving alongside still running a full programme of activities. It has also been emotionally tough working through the change - both for us and all our contacts. However the time has been marked by God's provision in many ways; ranging from a generous team of builders who went out of their way to help us as we packed up in the old building, to a problem-free planning application for the office cabins.

Please pray for grace over these next few months for all who are part of the ECCP community as we continue to settle into life in our new home!

Goodbye St. Jude's!

It's the end of an era... the ECCP had been based at St. Jude's Church, Collingham Road for the last 25 years! We have been relocating the ministry over the past few months, whilst at the same time builders have been moving in to prepare the site for it's transformation into a Theology Centre. Here are a few photos of the transition state...

The front door of the church - we had moved the ministry activities but were still working from the offices downstairs as parts of the building were dismantled around us! It was definitely a little chilly as we lost walls and doors, and big holes started appearing...

The inside of the church as it looks now - this is where we used to run the Coffee Bar, and in the main sanctuary the Christmas Outreach.

The final phase of the move - packing up the office, hiring a van and shifting everything over to the porta-cabins in the backyard of St. Barnabas Church.

Summer 2009 Newsletter

Hello! I have enjoyed a quiet few days at the end of August – it’s been the first slower-paced week in a while, so a great chance to catch up on some admin, both ECCP and personal – which tends to get organised last. Putting things in order every so often is important for my overall sense of sanity!

A ‘sort-out’ theme has continued at the office - creatively making room in a small space for more team members who have arrived or are arriving soon. It has been very encouraging to see God leading new people to join us. Facing the challenge of the premises situation we have been praying to find God’s perspective on what is happening and how to move forward. He spoke to us clearly about two areas - that the project is the people not the premises, and that we are in a time of the tent (like the time during the reign of King David when the ark of the covenant did not yet have a permanent home). This has had several points of application, one of them being that we need to be flexible! So we are exploring various options for both temporary and more permanent space when we need to move out of this building, which looks likely to be early 2010. Please pray for the right opportunities to open up.

Throughout the past year my involvement in counselling has increased and I have topped up my training with a couple of day seminars focusing on specific topics. I must do a case study in order to complete the requirements for the next level of Association of Christian Counsellors (ACC) qualification, but it is difficult to find the time for tasks like this in the middle of the routine things that must happen in order for the project to function. However counselling is a skill that I can use in different ministry contexts both now and in the future, so it’s something that I would like to invest in. Please pray that I can prioritise and delegate well to enable me to make space to work on the case study.

Nancy and I have been leading the Women’s Drop-In together since she arrived last autumn (picture above). We have had a steady flow of volunteers to assist in running the group, but we would love to form a larger and more consistent long-term team that can share the responsibility for the pastoral care of the women. We are also in need of ideas and inspiration for the reflective and creative activities! Please pray for us as we share Jesus with the ladies, that as they encounter Him they can find healing in their different situations.

At the beginning of the month we had a lively 10 days hosting an outreach team of 14 – 18 year olds from Touch The World UK. With their help we were able to run a summer party at the Coffee Bar, including a BBQ with the team sharing testimonies and dramas (picture below). We are always hugely encouraged to have the support of visiting teams – it brings some variety and inspiration into our regular routine, and enables us to run these one-off events.

At church things have been quieter – in the spring I stepped down from leading one of the youth groups. It seemed the right moment to take a break – I felt my energy needed to be more focused into responsibilities at the ECCP. God spoke into a season of relationships – strengthening foundations with Him, and also more time for people in my life not just activities. This has included highlighting areas that I need to allow God to work on - particularly learning more about the grace He has for my weaknesses, and in turn growing in grace towards others instead of slipping into criticism and judgement. There have been plenty of opportunities for me to practise all this!

On a personal note, in the last couple of months I have had some fun/action at a wedding in Switzerland, ‘doing London’ with some friends, and five days in St. Ives with (almost all) the family. I still have holiday weeks to take and a list of potential things to do, but haven’t organised anything yet. However I am taking seriously the need for a good rhythm of work, rest, ministry, fun… so it is definitely a priority to get it sorted!

Thank you for taking the time to read this - your friendship and support is much appreciated.

Love

Rebecca

LDC Photos

Returning from the LDC with a suitcase full of manuals - it was heavy - worth it though!

The beach - a 5 minute walk from the base

Walking further down the coast - view of Arran

Looking out from my dorm bedroom window

Sunset beach!

View of the Isle of Arran from the base

The YWAM base at Seamill, Ayrshire on the south-west coast of Scotland

Autumn 2008 Newsletter

It’s been a busy few months since returning in June from the Leadership Development Course I attended in Scotland. God definitely went beyond my expectations throughout the time away, beginning with some miraculous financial provision. I felt He had told me He would provide the full amount I needed to pay before the course began – various donations came in during the last few days, but I travelled on the Saturday still not having the total figure. Amazingly on Sunday morning, with the LDC due to officially start that evening, my London housemate contacted to say a cheque had just been delivered for me - it covered the remaining amount needed! This was an affirmation that God was looking after things and I was definitely in the right place!

It was inspiring to see how the LDC staff worked together in running the course, modelling the skills they were teaching. There was plenty of time to receive prayer ministry and process applying things personally as well as within our ministry locations. God particularly challenged me through the creative worship and intercession that we experienced - this is an area we need to grow in at the ECCP and I felt He was asking me to take on responsibility for it. The time we spend together as a team worshipping, listening to the Lord and interceding as He leads has a direct impact on our ministry – it means we continually check that our focus and attitudes are in the right place and it gives us fresh vision for those we reach out to.

Through the LDC I have been given a treasure chest of tools that I can dip into and spend more time developing as God leads. So thank you to everyone who invested in enabling me to attend this course! Since coming back I have battled to find enough space to keep processing what I learnt, but I have also taken many positive steps forward. My role at the ECCP, though always flexible has shifted slightly. We have stopped the Family Ministry for various reasons including a lack of workers to make it viable and a need for more specialised training. So the key areas that I am currently involved with are:

· The ECCP leadership team
· Intercession, worship & prayer ministry
· Pastoral care – staff, students & volunteers
· Administration (including one-to-one support for our visitors)
· Running the Women’s Drop-In
· Home visits with a long-term contact
· Counselling
· Hosting outreach teams
· Planning special events e.g. Christmas & Easter outreach
· Linking with YWAM teams in London & England

The summer has been action-packed, including a YWAM England Strategy conference, the graduation of last years’ Community Counselling School (CCS) students, hosting a visiting mission team of 14 – 16 year olds, and the recent start of the new CCS, alongside all the usual outreach activities. I also managed to fit in a trip to Telford to see family and sort through various boxes of childhood memories, plus a week’s holiday with one of my sisters!

We currently have a major issue for prayer regarding the premises that the ECCP functions from. Our project has been based at St Jude’s since the 1980s, however the building is being taken over by a local church who plan in a few month’s time to refurbish it and create a Theology Training Centre. Unfortunately this means our future here is uncertain. We hope to be given some office space in the new building plans but they are reluctant to let us run any of our activities – this would leave our main ministries homeless! Ideally we need the whole project – admin, training and outreach – to be able to function from one location. We desperately need to see God’s hand move in this situation. We know His heart for our visitors is infinitely bigger than ours and we are trusting that He will make a way!

So we are asking the Lord for a home for the ECCP. Even where we are now there is need for better kitchen facilities and larger office space to accommodate the team, the work and our visitors. We have been praying too for more full-time long-term staff at the project, but we also need somewhere to put them!

As always, thank-you so much for standing with me in your prayers, support and care.

Love and blessings,

Rebecca

Women's Drop-In

Preparing dessert for the Women's Drop-In - always a favourite moment! We run the group from 11am to 1pm on Thursdays. It's a place where women can come for friendship, support, creative activities, eating together, chatting through issues of life and receiving prayer. The women who come are developing strong relationships with each other, as well as with members of the team who run the group. For many it is the highlight of their week - they know they can come and be themselves.

The Team

A recent photo of some of the team... Samy (ECCP Director) is sporting the new moustache he received for his birthday, after many prayers for God to increase his hair!

Back: Janelyse, Lindsey, Michael, Jen, Trudie, Margie, Nick

Front: Me, Samy, Joy

Prayer @ Christmas

This picture is one of the beautiful posters (created by Jen) that we had up during the Christmas Outreach.


We prayed for approximately 70 of our regular contacts before the outreach, asking the Lord for His words of encouragement for each individual. We wrote these out in cards, along with a Christmas message from the ECCP Team.


We invited people to come up for their card and also receive a prayer of blessing. Although some preferred just to be given their card, 7 to 10 people on each of the five days of the outreach came forward to receive prayer.


We were amazed by some of the responses to what had been written - God knew exactly what He wanted them to hear! Walls in people's lives are being broken down as they begin to hear God's heart for them. Some of our guests who are normally very antagonistic towards spiritual things actually allowed team members to pray with them! We are excited to see how God leads on from here...

Spring 2008 Newsletter

Easter Greetings to you! I am writing this while spending a few days' break visiting family and friends in Telford, after running our Easter Outreach last Wednesday at the ECCP. To share some highlights from Easter and also from the Christmas Outreach... the event includes a two-course meal, clothing store, food distribution, and a programme of entertainment with testimonies, drama, songs and a talk. Lots more visitors than expected came and we were definitely battling with having enough space for everyone! We also offered prayer ministry, with several people coming forward for prayer, and two guys giving their lives to Jesus! It was a blessing to be joined by different members of local churches who have involved with us for these days.

Part of my role this year is to oversee how we are developing the prayer ministry alongside the existing outreach here at the Earls Court Community Project. There are several people with whom we have regular contact who are opening up to God. We want to provide the support they need and make this a place that facilitates them meeting with Him and knowing they are welcomed and loved. We are also praying into how we can bring more discipleship-focused times into the week.

I want to share a testimony about one of the ladies who comes to the Women’s Drop-In that we run every Thursday. She has been visiting the ECCP for many years, struggles with mental illness and for a long time has found it difficult to relate with other women. Over the last year or two and particularly in the last few months we have seen God bring changes into her life. She now comes to the Women’s Drop-In on a regular basis. When we gave all the ladies blessing cards with encouragement about how God sees each of them as individuals, she was overwhelmed with what was written inside - she had never had words like that spoken to her before.

We are able to keep on sharing Jesus with this lady, praying for her to know Him as a good God who wants to bless her and bring her to a place of experiencing fullness of life. Part of our ministry at the ECCP is to be speaking words of truth over the people we are working with, reflecting the heart of Jesus towards them.

Another recent development has been the starting up of a support group for addicts, run by Samy (Project Director) and some other members of staff. We are hoping to have people from within the Coffee Bar that we already have relationship with come to the group. The aim is that this group will allow them to move to the next level of support and begin working through the root issues behind their addictions.

I am excited to have heard that I have been accepted onto a Leadership Development Course. It will run for six weeks from the 20th April until the 30th May, and will be held in YWAM Scotland at their base in Ayrshire. The course will be led by the YWAM European Pastoral Co-ordinator and the Western European Director, plus other staff. Here is a quick overview:

‘Through the course you will be helped to develop your own potential as well as to develop the potential of those you lead. It is designed to be an interactive learning experience with a focus on mentoring and people oriented leadership. You will discover how God has shaped you as a leader and how he wants to develop you in the future. Through the assignments and projects you will develop tools to give you a clearer perspective of your future ministry as well as tools to help you develop the people you are called to lead’.

I am really looking forward to a time of receiving input and wisdom from experienced leaders that will challenge me and help me to grow in character and skills. I hope that as I return to the ECCP in June I will have some fresh vision and inspiration!

The youthwork with the 10 to 13 year olds at ChristChurch Fulham continues to grow. We took them on a weekend away in February which was great fun – teaching, small groups, activities, campfires etc! I love seeing each of the young people growing in their faith and stepping out in their giftings.

Thank you for all your support and prayer. I am privileged to have such an amazing group of friends standing with me!

Love and blessings,

Rebecca

CCF Youth trip to Tacoma

Last summer we took seven young people from ChristChurch to Tacoma, Washington State, U.S.A. for the Jesus Ministry Conference. I had the privilege of going as 'the female youth leader'!

The whole youth group fundraised together for the trip, with the aim being that it was an investment for all the young people - those who went would bring back what they learnt - sharing with and leading the group to walk through everything too.

It was an amazing time of teaching, outreach, prayer ministry and being inspired to live radically for the Lord - a lifestyle of repentance, walking out of strongholds and sin patterns that hold us back from living as the person God created us to be and in all He has for us...

We were really blessed in being given a great big house to stay in by one of the church families, complete with awesome view across the water, swimming pool, hot tub and lots of grounds for footie etc. We needed to hire two cars to transport everyone, but when we arrived to pick them up, one had been upgraded to an SUV, which unfortunately I had to drive ;)

It was never clear to me before, the deal with why some people get excited about driving certain kinds of car... I now understand fully!

Newsletter - Spring 2007

Happy New Year everyone! Last September marked 5 years in my work with YWAM. Looking back over the time I am grateful for the many opportunities and experiences that I have had and God’s faithful provision for me throughout it all. This summer of 2007 I will come to the end of a two-year commitment that I made to the ECCP, when I joined the leadership team. I am seeking God right now as to where He wants me as I reach this decision point. If I am to continue at the ECCP, I am praying that He will show me His vision and role for me in building on the work that has already been done here; if it is time for me to move on, either within YWAM or into something totally new, I pray that He will clearly open the door! So I will keep you posted and would also really appreciate your prayer support in this…

The atmosphere here at the ECCP has been decidedly different over the past few months! We have not run a Community Counselling School this year, which has meant a more spacious and quiet office (whether this is a plus depends on your personality type!). A positive point has been the chance to work on building a solid team with those of us who have been here as long-term staff. However, it has also meant a shortage of hands since the CCS students normally join us during the week as part of their placement.

Our Christmas Outreach (22nd - 26th December) was great. One of my roles is to organise the decorations, which I love as it’s an opportunity to be creative – something I enjoy but don’t always have the time to invest in! As we prayed for the outreach this year, God gave us a picture of it being like the party that the Father threw for his prodigal son. We are aware of the spiritual battle over the lives of many of the people who come and the importance of interceding for them during the outreach. We also made prayer ministry available for any visitors who requested it.

One thing we have been learning about is asking the Lord to give us pictures and words of encouragement about how He has created the person we are praying for– His design for them, their character and giftings. This is always an exciting way to pray! One guy who was prayed for broke down in tears when some of how God sees him was shared with him. What an amazing chance to speak words of life to people who have hardly received any affirmation or truth about their value and individuality!

The Family Support Work is still developing, but I am working alone in this since the two students who were on the team last year left in the summer. I have been supporting two families on a long-term basis and, from time to time, involved in one-off projects with other families, for example decorating or doing a clear-out in a home. One of the cases, which has been challenging from the outset, has become increasingly difficult in the last two or three months and I would appreciate your prayers for this family.

Counselling for me quietened down over the summer due to being overstretched with different things at the Project. However I am hoping to involve in the new Family Therapy Counselling that has been developed by one of our experienced counsellors. He is using a method which involves a reflection team in addition to the main counsellor. Though I have not had the chance to experience this yet, apparently it opens many fresh and dynamic perspectives to the counselling situation.

At ChristChurch Fulham life continues to be busy and exciting! The youth work is growing under the oversight of Andrew our youth pastor. We now have four different areas of ministry: LIFE for ages 13 to 18; OXYGEN for ages 10 to 12; SANCTUARY which is our outreach work with youth on a local estate; and a mentoring programme to provide some deeper one-to-one support. I am a mentor to one of the teenagers and on Friday evenings I run Oxygen along with two other leaders. It’s been encouraging to see the young people growing together as a group, owning their faith, asking honest questions and enthusiastically bringing their unsaved friends! The other area of church life with which I am involved is being part of a prayer ministry team. It is a huge privilege to be able to stand alongside people and see God working to bring restoration in their lives.

On a personal note, teaching in church recently has been focused on the Pharisees as the group most often rebuked by Jesus; frequently as Christians we can end up walking in these ways ourselves wherever we move into religious structures and methods and our hearts are not engaged. This is a danger for me, so it is a challenge to guard my heart against slipping into religion in whatever form - and to keep looking to God for His vision, plans, and voice in everything I am doing.

I am inspired by a book that I have just read called ‘Intercessor: Rees Howells’. It is incredible to hear what this man was led to intercede for and how God moved powerfully through his prayers. His absolute obedience to what God asked of Him is personally very challenging.

The website for the Earls Court Community Project has just been updated (please see the link to the left). This gives a great overview of the ministries of the Project and also has plenty of photos. On this blog I will continue to post these slightly edited versions of my newsletter, along with other updates, thoughts and pictures. Right now it is still in the early stages and I am learning about all the technicalities!

I am blessed to have such a great group of friends and supporters who stand alongside me in so many ways – through your prayers, conversations, emails, encouragements, and gifts. THANK YOU!

Love and blessings,

Rebecca

Christmas Party

An aerial shot of the Christmas Outreach in 2004 - running from the 22nd to 26th December each year, this is open to anyone who would like to come and join - we invite them to a party - a place where they can feel welcomed and part of a Christmas celebration - we have great food, music, entertainment, friendship, clothing, gifts, prayer and sharing the message of God's awesome love for each person there... God's provision is always amazing, with people from local churches both donating and coming to join us during the time. Many of the visitors would otherwise have no-one to share Christmas with, and for some they would be spending it on the streets.

Very serious discussions in the ECCP office!

Ok, continuing the tour of where I spend many hours of my week, this is the meeting/lecture room... it's a little bit claustrophobic - low ceiling, not much air transferance, underground... kind of cosy, hey! Recently we have been fitting in nearly twenty people - definitely tight. Of course we would love for the Lord to provide us with a BIG, light, airy room with lots of windows and space for more freedom and creativity in our worship times - we believe it is coming!

Home of ECCP

So... this is St Jude's Church in Earls Court where the ECCP runs from - we are able to rent some rooms in the crypt for our offices, counselling rooms, lecture room etc and then we use the church kitchen facilities to run our Coffee Bar drop-ins. If you ever feel like dropping by, everyone is welcome!

ECCP Art Workshop

Some of the work being done in our art section during the Coffee Bar on a Wednesday afternoon. For Christmas, many of our visitors worked together to create a painting of the Annunciation (when Angel Gabriel visited Mary) - it looked amazing and we displayed it on the wall in the front of the church during our outreach... hidden talents!

My wonderful family...

They have to be part of the introduction to me!