Posts

Our foodbank remains our busiest workstream and it seems to continue to be as busy as ever. We are sustained by your tremendous support and prayers and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our volunteering team, each Saturday, typically consists of 15 or so adults and 8 or 9 young people, representing a lovely mix from our community! The range of backgrounds, talents and skills is amazing, but we always do struggle with the variety of languages spoken by our clients. Are you able to add this little nugget to our blend? Are you able to converse in, say, Arabic, Polish, Romanian, Farsi, Hindi? If so, why not contact us and see if you can make a difference! We get by using Google Translate and hand signals, etc., but it would mean so much to our clients if they could speak with someone who understands their mother tongue!

Next Thursday is the World Day of Social Justice. This means that it is a big day for organisations, such as the SVP, which advocates on behalf of those suffering the tragic effects of social injustice.

There are too many examples in the daily news and no one person can solve this. But, if we all take a baby step in our local community, then all those baby steps will absolutely add up to change. Jesus taught us this message 2,000 years ago and we are still seeing this truth play out in front of our eyes.

In a recent SVP News item we referred to the four pillars of the SVP. As a reminder, these pillars are helping the lonely, the sick, the poor and the imprisoned.Addressing the first pillar, loneliness, is a real concern for many good hearted people, including those in the World Health Organisation (WHO) who have declared it to be a global public health concern.

The website is also a great source of information on an issue that appears to affect many people today, especially young people.

A ‘Thank You’ can come in many shapes and forms! A client to the food bank recently said thank you in the form of a poem, and it is really to all of you who support the SVP, day in and day out. We hope you like it:

On a frosty cold winter’s morning,
the darkness broken by warm festive lights above,
children singing carols, reminding of our Saviour’s love.
People rushing, tapping away on their phones,
all kinds people but most seem like clones.
Then someone stops to greet a neighbour or friend,
a warm smile, catch up or lending a hand.
A smile that carries through their day,
a little kindness goes a long way.
It reminds me that, even if there are ever-dark clouds above,
to be thankful the world is full of joy, beauty and love.
So, I look forward to a new year we start,
may God keep safe all those in my heart. ❤

Addressing loneliness is one of the four pillars of the SVP, along with caring for the sick, helping the poor and visiting the imprisoned. Given the cold spell of weather, and the darker evenings, we ask that all who can to please keep an eye out for your vulnerable neighbours.

Spending 24 hours a day indoors must be very lonely and watching people passing too and fro outside your window must be very isolating. It doesn’t take much time to just check up on your neighbour, even if it is just a quick phone call or a tap on the window. The smallest little act of human love can make a huge difference so please do consider if this appeal applies to you.