fernhillheathbaptist.org.uk

Welcome to this new-look Harvest Newsletter

Harvest Newsletter 2019

Fernhill Heath Baptist Church (FHBC)

Harvest Thanksgiving Services Sunday 6th October

11am Morning Worship With crèche and Junior Church Activities

6.30pm Evening Worship

Harvest Coffee Morning Saturday 5th October 10.30am – 12.30pm

Read about

FHBC’s work in

Africa

Also read about

Creation Care and FHBC’s

recent

ECO Award

Supporting refugees in

Bidi Bidi one of the

largest refugee

settlements in the world

Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement, Uganda

The conflict in South Sudan and its refugee crisis are having a

huge impact on Northern Uganda. In March 2017 and June 2018,

teams from Fernhill Heath Baptist Church (FHBC) along with

friends from Emmanuel Cathedral (Arua) were given the

opportunity to visit Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement. This is the

biggest of many refugee settlements in Uganda with nearly

300,000 refugees and one of the largest in the world.

Emmanuel Cathedral supports the work of a Ugandan Christian

charity, Here is Life, which works at the refugee camps building

latrines, houses for people with special needs, and training in

trauma counselling. FHBC has been able to support the work that

they do by funding latrines and special needs housing.

This work was completed efficiently by

Here is Life, and FHBC decided to raise

funds for semi-permanent latrines.

When the money reached Here is Life

though, the priority had changed to

housing people with special needs.

In 2017, the priority

was the provision

of sanitation, and

we funded the

construction of a

toilet and wash

block to be used by

50 refugees.

Therefore, this money

was used to fund a

house for a family of 7.

Jane Tabu is a widow

with six children and both

she and one of her

children are HIV positive.

Her health problems

made it impossible for

her to build her own

house. In 2018, a team

from FHBC visited Jane and her family in their new two-bedroom

home. They were incredibly grateful and called their new home a

‘dream house’.

Having seen the difference

that this house made to

Jane and her family, FHBC

decided our 2019 Easter

appeal would be to raise

funds for a further house.

This was completed in

August for a man called

Scopas Lokang who is 74

years old and has chronic

pain in his legs. Scopas is

seen standing in front of

his old house and sitting

outside his new home with

his grand-children.

We continue to support the refugees in Bidi Bidi as our Harvest Appeal will support the work of BMS World Mission.

Details are found on the next page.

Thank you for supporting our Easter appeal and raising £835 to build Scopas a new home.

2019 Harvest Appeal

Over 1 million refugees have fled South Sudan,

with many arriving at Bidi Bidi Refugee

Settlement in N.Uganda with almost no means to support themselves.

100,000 refugees are thought to be at substantial risk and this includes widows, pregnant women and those with disabilities. BMS World Mission is

working to supporting 100 of these vulnerable families.

640 health workers have been equipped with blood

pressure monitors, which are especially important to help pregnant women. £18 would buy a solar-battery bank to

enable these to be recharged regularly.

It’s hard to imagine fleeing a war zone when you can’t walk. Or to be like Modi who has learning difficulties and was once lost for 3 days because he’d run off to

search for food – in desperation, his mother tied him to a tree to keep him safe.

If you’d like to help us to support this ongoing ministry amongst the most vulnerable refugees in North Uganda, please come to our Harvest Services or to the Harvest Coffee Morning or make out a cheque to Fernhill Heath Baptist Church, put it in an envelope clearly marked ‘Harvest’ & put it in the church letter box in O’Keys Lane.

Seeds, tools & training will help families to grow the food they need...

A wheelchair improves a person’s mobility... £39 supports a community

disability helper for a month; £60 feeds a family for a year.

My young nephew recently paid a visit to a

friend’s farm as they were harvesting. Seeing up close the hard work, dedication and the

technology being used left a big impression. In this

Newsletter there is a story of our work in a refugee

settlement in Uganda. The refugees are each given a small plot to grow their

own food. Two very different situations, but they both remind me to be more thankful for the food I eat and not take it

for granted.

Many centuries ago, a

prophet called Isaiah said “Why spend your money on food

that does not give you strength?

Why pay for food that does you

no good? Listen, and I will tell

you where to get food that is

good for the soul!”

We all need to eat to

survive, but the prophet is

talking about food for the

soul. Yet where can you get

such food? Where can you

find such a source of hope,

contentment and new life?

Well here is food for

thought, because

Jesus said “I am the bread

of life.”

Rev Jeff Porter

Minister, Fernhill Heath Baptist Church

Jeff’s Page

Our church and Creation Care - respecting the environment

locally, nationally and worldwide, from a Christian perspective. In 2010 we had a bible study about creation care. In this we were reminded that “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” (Psalm 24 v.1).

Our world is a gift that we should cherish and protect. We are custodians for future generations, not owners to dispose of it as we wish. There are three strands by which we have tried to work this out in a practical way.

Locally, we seek to increase awareness of green issues at church through our

Green Notice Board and Creation Care services; we participate in the monthly Village Litter Pick and the annual Open

Gardens scheme.

We have had talks from similarly-minded local groups and arranged visits to our county recycling centres, gardens and other natural attractions to

better appreciate and look after the world around us.

Nationally, we have joined Eco Church, an award scheme for churches who want to demonstrate that they care for God’s earth in a variety of ways. We are proud to have achieved their Silver Award in 2016 – the first Baptist Church in the country to do so – and are actively working towards a Gold Award.

Globally, our support for Fairtrade helps third world farmers and growers to a better livelihood and includes the sale of their “Real Easter Eggs.” We have raised funds to “twin” the toilets in the church and manse to provide sanitary facilities in Africa. We have also collected tools for TWAM who refurbish unwanted tools, put them in tool kits and send them across the

world for livelihood creation.

You will appreciate that this has not been a sudden impulse but rather a continuing journey and we look forward to where the road may lead us…..

FHBC & Creation Care – Our Story

Rod, tell us what Transition Worcester is about, and when did it start?

Transition Worcester is a grass roots voluntary organisation which aims to inspire people to act to help tackle climate change and oil dependency and to improve local resilience. There are over 400 Transition Initiatives worldwide, many of them in the UK. Transition Worcester started in 2011. Why do you believe this is important?

Climate change is widely understood to be the single biggest threat to the survival of our species (and other species). A further challenge comes in the shape of reducing oil reserves. To address both of these, it means that we need to find different ways to live; ways which don’t depend on fossil fuels, but instead rely on thriving local economies and short supply chains. Essentially, our current lifestyle is unsustainable. What sort of things do you cover, and how many people are involved?

Transition Worcester has created a number of subgroups / initiatives each of which has a great deal of autonomy. Initiatives include Repair Cafe Worcester, Worcester Food Rescue (which distributes food to charities; food which would otherwise have been thrown away by supermarkets), Transition Worcester Gleaning group (which distributes food from local farmers), Zero Waste Worcestershire (which is very active and is currently applying for ‘Plastic Free’ status in the city), Worcester Orchard Workers (who maintain old orchards and run pruning courses and apple juicing days) and the Old North Stables community garden near the racecourse. If all of the various groups are included, then active participants in Transition Worcester activities is well in excess of 100.

If anyone would like more information about your group, and perhaps get involved, how can they get in touch?

We would love to hear from you. You can visit our website: www.transitionworcester.org.uk, find us on Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/transitionworcester/ email us: transitionworcester@gmail.com or phone the chair of Transition Worcester ,Tony Kennell, on 01905 424326

We have had two presentations at church from

Rod Howell from Transition Worcester, and we

thought you might be interested in who they are and

what they do. So, we did an interview with him.

There’s a warm invitation to join us for our regular activities

We hold services at 11am & 6.30pm every Sunday with Junior Church and a Creche for younger children in the mornings.

Prayer, Bible Study and discussion groups are held around the village on most Tuesday and/or Wednesday evenings.

The church is open once a month on Saturdays 10.30-12.30 for people to drop in and enjoy the opportunity to chat over a Coffee and a Snack

Harvest Coffee Morning: Saturday 5th October

Snack and Chat: Saturday 2nd November

Christmas Coffee Morning: Saturday 7th December

The church will also be serving light refreshments 10am to 4pm on the Friday and Saturday of this year’s Village Scarecrow Invasion during half-term week.

Look out for information nearer the time.

Wednesday Morning Ladies is held at 10.45-12.00 each week, usually for Keep Fit, but there’s always the opportunity for a cup of coffee & a chat.

The Grumpy Men’s Club meet fortnightly for activities & games on Fridays

7.30-9.00pm

Fernhill Heath Baptist Church Activities

Thursday Diners meet on the last Thursday of each

month for a 2-course lunch. Cost is £3.50.

Booking is essential. please contact Bronwyn on

01905 451293

Beetle Drive Look out for details

of this year’s Family Beetle Drive on

Saturday 23rd November 5.00-7.00pm