Equipping for Life for a better future

Hello, Brothers and Sisters
I hope this email finds you well.  I have some good news to start with.  On Monday I emailed all Head Teachers in the Greater Shankill area, asking if we could start to make preparations for going back into schools in September.  Inside a matter of minutes seven out of the ten schools were back to me to say that they very much want us back in September, unless of course there is a setback in the meantime which we sincerely hope will not happen.  Some of the schools said that it would probably be the end of the month before we get in, to give them time to get things organised.  That is all right.  The good news is that we will almost certainly be in in September.  And we can start to make preparations now.  Hallelujah!
 
Cards from VTs to children
We are planning to send a card to all the children whom we were taking for reading.  I think your team leader will have contacted you about this.  The date we have picked for everyone to send the cards is Monday, June 14.  If you have forgotten the surname of your children I am sure your team leader will be able to provide it for you.  I hope everyone can send out the two cards as we do not want any of the children to be left out.
 
Places opening up a branch of EfL in September
Castledawson  -  Rev. Colin Welsh
Downpatrick  -  Rev. Adrian Dorrian
Portadown  -  Canon Terence Cadden
East Belfast  -  Canon Norman Jardine
Carrickfergus  -  Rev. Nigel Kirkpatrick
I really want to thank my clergy colleagues for their hard work and willingness to set up a branch of EfL in their area.
 
Ballyduff
In co-operation with Bryson Social Services we are now up and running in Ballyduff. The representatives of EfL, Heather Boyd and Dorothy McClean, are happy at the way the project is going.  Relationships with children, parents and Bryson representatives seem to be very good.  Please pray for Heather and Dorothy as they try to move the project forward.
 
Food Bank
The collection of food and baby basics at the Methodist Food Bank went very well last Thursday.  We collected a large amount of food.  Sincere thanks to all who were able to contribute.
 
Next Week of Prayer
We want to get off to a strong start after the summer break, so I am calling a Week of Prayer from Tuesday, August 31 to Friday, September 3.  People can take half hour slots.  And we normally encourage everyone, if they can, to take a slot every day.  I have not included Monday in that week because it is a Bank Holiday.
If it is appropriate and completely safe I may book the Argyle Business Centre for one day of prayer during that week.  We will know closer to the time what is possible.
 
Books to children
We have over 200 copies of that great children's book, Friends with God, in the Centre.  So we have decided to give one copy to each of the children whom we were taking for reading.  It is a wonderful book.
 
Article on Forgiveness
We have an attachment this week - an article that  I have written for the magazine Plain Truth.  Hope that you find it helpful.  Forgiveness is a very important subject.
 
Personal request for prayer
I mentioned before that I am having a hip operation on Friday, June 11, St. Barnabas Day.  I would be grateful if you could pray for this operation and also for my time of recovery.
 
Prayer for children
We have been given permission to say a prayer with children before they start to play tennis.  It is the same prayer which we use in the reading classes.  I will just remind you of it : 
 

                         A Blessing Prayer for the Children
 
                  I bless you in the name of Jesus that He will help
                  you to learn well, to play well and to make good 
                  friends, so that you will be happy at school every day.
 
                   I bless you that you will be fit and healthy, and that
                   your body will grow strong, knowing Jesus loves you 
                                           and protects you.
           
                   May the good Lord bless you and keep you.  Amen.
 
Tennis at Forth River school
This started today Wednesday.  I was not able to go because I am self isolating before the operation.  But Audrey Curry reported back to me and said that they got off to a great start.  Indeed the word she used was amazing.  So that is a great answer to prayer.
Tennis will continue every Wednesday this month in Forth River.
 
Thanks for hanging in there with Efl and for everything you do for this ministry.
 
                                             David Jardine

David Jardine's email to Prayer Partners and VTs (May 4, 2021)

Hello, Brothers and Sisters
It is good that with the vaccine for Covid being widely rolled out we can look forward to lots of areas of life which have been closed for more than a year being opened up again. We need that good news because on the political front there is once again uncertainty in the Province, with the removal of Arlene Foster from her position as DUP leader and also First Minister. I was concerned about this when the news broke, but as I prayed about it I felt the Lord say to me, ' It's all right. I have the situation completely under control. '
My way of praying about situations like this, which are uncertain but also important to me, is to hand them over to the Lord and leave them with Him. That usually restores my peace, but also gives the Lord freedom to work and to bring healing.
I think the advice Paul gave to the Philippians 2000 years ago is very relevant here - ' The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. '

Portadown
Since my last email I have been down to Portadown to seal the arrangement to open up a branch of EfL there. The host church will be Seagoe Parish. They were having difficulty finding someone to take charge of administration, so one of our VTs, Julie Foy, kindly agreed to do it for them, to get them up and going. Julie came with me to meet Canon Terence Cadden, the Rector. It was a very good meeting and we hope that we will be able to begin in the local school there in September.

Week of Prayer ( May 17 - 21)
Our next Week of Prayer will soon be upon us, May 17 - 21. I am hoping that our supporters will agree to take a half hour slot every day of that week. Prayer is that important. Maybe you could start now to make your booking with Pat. It does not matter if more than one person takes the same slot, so long as prayer is going on.
At the last Week of Prayer during February 400 slots were filled. That was very good, but I would like more on this occasion.

I think one of the things we need to pray for is a deeper motivation amongst people in areas like the Shankill to take advantage of educational opportunities being offered. If that were to happen then things would really progress.

Zoom Prayer times
Tuesdays at 10am
Wednesdays at 10am
Fridays at 9.30am

Pat can give you the link.

Tennis in every school on the Shankill
We are making good progress in getting tennis established in Forth River School. Although it is short notice we are hoping to start in June. There are still some things to fall in to place, but we are hoping... We will start in the school playground, to get things going, but will eventually move to tennis courts. In the winter we may need to transport the children to covered courts on the other side of the city.

Audrey Curry has agreed to run this project for us. Audrey is a member of the Board of EfL. She has been teaching in Stranmillis College for more than 30 years, and is going to give one day per week voluntarily to work with us. We are very grateful to her.
We also have a number of very good people who have volunteered to work with us on this project, but if anyone else would like to be involved they will be very welcome.
Please pray that the children on the Shankill will enjoy playing tennis, and that this venture will be a great success.

Food Bank
We have arranged with Rev. Colin Duncan to invite members of the EfL family to make donations to the Food Bank at Shankill Methodist on Thursday, June 3. Donations can be left any time between 10am and 12 noon. Shankill Methodist is about 200 - 300 yards past the lights at Agnes St. and Northumberland St., on the right hand side of the Shankill Road ( on the corner of Berlin St.)
Baby Basics can also be left at Shankill Methodist. That would be a valuable donation.

The Challenge Ahead
We still need 50 - 70 Volunteer Tutors before September, to take advantage of the opportunities being given to us on the Shankill. Please continue to look for possible candidates.

This is a time in our country when anyone who can should be stepping forward to make their contribution. There is a role for everyone. I have found in the past that making general appeals does not get much of a response. What we need to do is to make a specific offer to people, such as becoming a VT or offering to help with tennis.

Thanks again for being part of EfL, and for everything you do for us.

May the good Lord continue to be with you.

David Jardine


Oasis Foodbank: what we need
Ambient Foodstuffs.
Tinned - meats, stews, soups, fish, potatoes, beans, fruit, tomatoes, vegetables, rice pudding.
Packets – breakfast cereal, pasta, noodles, dried peas, lentils etc, stock cubes, cuppa soups, dried milk.
Jars – jam, marmalade, preserves, peanut butter, pasta sauces.
Drinks – tea bags, instant coffee, UHT milk, long life fruit juices
Also – salt, sugar, biscuits, crisps.

Toiletries
toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel, soap, toilet paper.

For Babies and Small Children
Disposable nappies (various age ranges),
Jars of baby food various ages.

Urgently Needed
Tinned meats, all types.
UHT or powdered Milk.
‘Afters’ – tinned creamed rice, fruit, custard.
Breakfast cereals.

David Jardine's email to Volunteer Tutors and Prayer Partners - March 26, 2021
Hello Brothers and Sisters. I have been listening recently on the computer to Robin Mark's song, ' When it's all been said and done ' I first heard him sing this song at a funeral in the Christian Fellowship Church at Strandtown. The deceased was a young middle - aged woman who had taken her own life. She had come to our healing services on many occasions. She was a nice person, but she had also had a very hard life. Haunted by many demons she never quite got on top of them. And here she was now, at her funeral service. It may have seemed a tragedy, and large parts of her life were, but Robin Mark's song shone a different light -

When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for You?
When it's all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I've done for love's reward
Will stand the test of time

Lord, your mercy is so great
That you look beyond our weakness
And find purest gold in miry clay
Making sinners into saints

When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for You?

Some new profiles for the website
I am constantly telling people about the wonderful people whom the Lord has sent us in EfL. And that is absolutely true. If you have any doubts just go to the website and look at the profiles of team members, and you will see the talent in this team. Just recently we have been trying to put up some new profiles. If they are not up already they will be inside the next few days. Have a look. There are also bible readings up for children.

Incidentally we are approaching 10,000 viewings on the website. All credit to Alan Graham, who does a great job in looking after the website for us.

Easter eggs and scratch cards
Heather Boyd and Jenny Hurst gave out 500 scratch cards and 700 Easter eggs to the schools on the Shankill. They were very much appreciated.

Tennis
I have always had a vision of children on the Shankill having the opportunity to play tennis. So we are exploring the possibility of using the resources of a tennis club in another part of Belfast, combined with Forth River tennis club, to provide these opportunities. One school has already expressed their support, and I have no doubt that others will follow.
The Williams sisters grew up in a very tough part of Los Angeles. They learnt their tennis there, and grew up to be some of the greatest women tennis players the world has ever seen. I will be satisfied if the children of the Shankill just grow up enjoying the game.

Shankill Mirror
There is an article about EfL in the Shankill Mirror this month. Pat has already had an enquiry on the strength of this article.

Zoom Prayer times
Tuesdays at 10am
Wednesdays at 10am
Fridays at 9.30am

If you would like to join Pat will provide the link

Volunteer Tutors
We still need 50 - 70 new Volunteer Tutors to fulfil all the opportunities being given to us by the schools. Amongst your circle of friends and acquaintances please continue to try to find new VTs.

Day of Prayer on Maundy Thursday, for EfL
There will be a Day of Prayer for EfL on Thursday, April 1, from 8am to 8pm. This prayer is done at home in half hour slots. Please pick what slot you would like and let Pat know. It will give you an opportunity to spend extra time with the Lord on a very important day in the Christian calendar. And the children of the Shankill will be blessed.

A prayer on Forth River school website

This is our school
Let peace dwell here
Let the rooms be full of contentment
Let love abide here
Love of one another
Love of mankind
Love of life itself
And love of God.

Let us remember
As many hands build a house
So many hearts make a school.

This will probably be my last email before Easter. My prayer for you is that all of you may know the peace and power of the risen Lord Jesus over this Season.

David Jardine

Equipping for Life
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Hello, Brothers and Sisters.  I have been thinking again about the gift of forgiveness, surely one of the greatest gifts the Lord has given us. When we practice forgiveness our peace can be restored, no matter what anyone has done to us.  There is never any need to hold a grudge, possibly the heaviest burden any of us could bear.
R.T. Kendall has written a book on this subject, ' Total Forgiveness '.  He describes how when he was Minister of the Westminster Chapel in London he was hurt by a group in the congregation more deeply than he had ever been hurt in his life before.  He found this hard to handle and so he went to a friend Pastor Josif, seeking help.  As he poured out his heart, explaining what people had done to him, Josif listened carefully.  He waited, without interuption, until R.T. had finished, and then he said, ' R.T., you have got to forgive them. ‘This seemed to rouse something in R.T. and he started to explain other things that the people had done to him.  Pastor Josif jumped in immediately and said, ' R.T., you have got to forgive them.  Until you do you will be in chains.  But if you forgive them you yourself will be released. '
 
R.T. said it was not what he was looking for, but it was the most important piece of advice he had ever been given in his life.  I would agree entirely with that.  I learnt how to forgive more than 20 years ago, and this gift has on numerous occasions restored my peace, no matter what people have said or done to me. Indeed I keep in my prayer book a list of people who have upset me and I go through that list every day. I can honestly say that I have come to the point where I do not hold anything in my heart against any of them.  My way of forgiving is, when someone upsets or hurts me,  to start to bless the person as quickly as possible in the name of Jesus, and to keep it up for as long as it takes.  Sometimes my peace is restored very quickly.  On other occasions I have to work at it, but I can't think of an occasion in my life when my peace was not restored through forgiveness.
 
Week of Prayer (February 15 - 19 )
I want to thank all of you for taking part in this week of prayer.  400 half hour slots were filled, which I think is terrific.  Most people took a half hour slot every day.  Thank you very much.
Jenny Hurst, organising the bible stories on the website, said that a lot of things which had been causing difficulties, fell into place during that week.  Inside the next few days we should be able to let you know how to view these stories.
 
Possibly the biggest blessing was the huge amount of money that was donated to EfL during that week.  We now have enough funding to go out and look for the two new members of senior management whom we want to appoint.  What we have been praying for are two people who are passionate about the principles of EfL, who are competent to do the work, and who are easy to work with.
 
Next Week of Prayer
This will be held in the week before Pentecost Sunday (Monday, May 17 until Friday, May 21 ).
The next Day of Prayer, in half hour slots done at home, will be on Maundy Thursday in Holy Week ( 1st April )
 
Normally the hours of prayer are 8am to 8pm, but you can book outside those hours as well.  Please ring Pat and make your booking.
 
Weekly Zoom Prayer Meetings
There are three of these every week:
 
Tuesday at 10am
Wednesday at 10am
Friday at 9.30am
 
If you wish to join one of these groups contact Pat and she will give you the link.  It is very easy to get in.  The prayer meeting lasts just 40 minutes.  Even if you do not wish to pray out loud, but simply wish to participate quietly, you will be welcome.
 
Very important - finding new Volunteer Tutors
In order to take advantage of the opportunities given to us in the schools on the Shankill, with Homework Clubs and a new set of VTs going into almost every school, we need 50 - 70 new VTs.  I have suggested that if every VT could find one more VT that would do the job.  They need to be ready and cleared by September.  That does give some time, but we still need to be working quickly.  Please make a real effort to find one other potential VT each.  I have always said that the job we have to do when schools open will be a very big one.
 
Gifts to children for Easter
One VT has kindly agreed to buy 500 Easter eggs for children.  Another is supplying 500 scratch cards.  We will give 50 of each to each school.  All of this will go out in your name.
 
Ballyduff
There was a meeting on Wednesday, March 3 with Bryson House about the work in Ballyduff.  They want to begin work there at the end of April or beginning of May.  At the beginning we will not need many VTs, but if anyone would like to volunteer we would like to hear from you.  I am praying that this relationship with Bryson will be a fruitful one.
 
Food Bank
From money given to us we are able to pay for another substantial amount of food to be given to the Food Bank in the Methodist Church.  This will be delivered on March 10 by the Henderson Group, who are giving the food at cost price.
 
May I finish by blessing you with a collect which I recently find myself using with people when I pray with them;
 
                            Guide us, Lord, in all our doings
                            with your most gracious favour
                            and further us with your continual help:
                            that in all our works begun, continued,
                                          and ended in you
                            we may glorify your holy name,
                            and by your mercy attain everlasting life,
                             through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen
 
 
                                      The Lord be with you,
 
                                              David Jardine
 
 
For further information please contact:

pat@equippingforlife.org.uk
                                                                                                   
Pat Hutchinson MBE 
Development Officer
Equipping for Life
Days & Hours of work:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday ( Working from Home)
8.00 am to 3.30 pm
07889572800references or unsubscribe from this list.Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday ( Working from Home)

07889572800

8.00 am to 3.30 pm

Prayer leaflet Br David Jardine 13 January 2021

 
Give thanks that in spite of serious difficulties we have been able to keep EfL running over the past year.
--- that 25 new people have offered themselves as Volunteer Tutors
--- for the gifts of email, telephone, letters and zoom calls allowing us to keep in touch with our Volunteers and supporters
--- for the imaginative ways the Lord gave us over the past months to continue serving the people of the Shankill
 
Priorities
Efforts we are making to renew contact with the children on the internet
Protection of children and their families
That we will get back into schools safely in the Lord's timing
The development of work in Ballyduff in partnership with Bryson House / our ongoing relationship with Bryson House - Chief Executive Shane Logan
Supporting the Food Bank in Shankill Methodist
Finding a Regional Manager - getting the right person and the funding
 
Expansion
Plans to open in Rostrevor, Warrenpoint, Downpatrick and East Belfast
Team of 11 people being trained to take the ministry into other parts of Northern Ireland / that other towns will welcome us
That the Lord will give us other imaginative ways to serve people in areas where we are working
That people will volunteer to be involved with EfL just through reading the literature.
Finding a Director of Sport and Health on the Shankill
 
Prayer for the ministry

• That this leaflet will be well used
• The prayer meetings in Argyle Centre on Tuesday and Wednesdays (when allowed again)
• Day of Prayer done at home January 15
• Week of Prayer done at home - February 15 - 19
• Prayer meetings on Zoom on Tuesdays (10am) and Fridays (11am)

 
Other topics

• Restoration of family life in areas we are involved with
• That there will be a new motivation amongst our people to take advantage of educational opportunities
• That we will be well prepared when the lockdown is lifted
• Trying to provide a wider selection of prayers to be used with children before we read with them
• The Lord's guidance as to how we use £4,000 given to us to buy books for children
• Finances - that the Lord will provide everything needed

 
Vision for the whole country
That people who have will be prepared to share with those who have not.
 
For many years I have been trying to practice the presence of God, to stay in touch with God all of my waking hours.  The biggest difficulty is a wandering mind.  But when I manage to keep focused on the Lord it is a wonderful experience.  It gives me a peace and strength, and allows me to pray for a great number of people.  Just recently I have been practising the presence in a slightly different way.  When I think of someone I pray for them by just blessing them in the name of Jesus - ' Jean, I bless you in the name of Jesus. ‘I call these arrow prayers and they only take 5 seconds.
May I make some suggestions;
1.  Turn thoughts into prayers, wherever you are.  When someone's name comes into your mind throw up an arrow prayer on their behalf.  When you think of EfL, or some part of the ministry, pray on the spot.  It only takes a moment.  If we do this we will be praying for possibly hundreds of people, situations, and aspects of the ministry in the course of the day.  What a blessing this will be to those we are praying for, and also to ourselves as it helps keep our eyes focussed on the Lord.  An additional bonus is that it takes our eyes off ourselves.
 
2.  We can pray this way when we are with someone.  I know a man who said to me, ' I could be talking to you and praying for you at the same time. '
 
3.  In the middle of the night, if we cannot get back to sleep we can pray for all the people whose names come into our minds.  I pray for a lot of people if I am struggling a bit to get back to sleep.
 
4.  Don't be afraid to let people know you are praying for them.
 
Be strong and of good courage, be not afraid, for I the Lord your God am with you wherever you go.

David Jardine
 
                                         Wednesday and Friday ( Working from Home)
www.equippingforlife.org.uk

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