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Volume 7 Issue 1 January - February 2004 |
January - Februray 2004 News
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Our
youth group continues to be active. On
the 24th of January the group was invited to attend a quiz
night in Stokesley, North Yorkshire.
Everyone had a great time and on the 14th of February we
invited the group from Stokesley to a Murder Mystery night.
This night was totally organised by members of the youth group. Heather Thomas and Nicola Inness rewrote the script in order
to add additional characters and to remove certain more colourful aspects.
It made for a very interesting evening and we even had a couple of
visitors from Durham. On
the 21st of February, the youth group went to an Ice Hockey
match in Newcastle. Tickets
were donated by Northumbria police courtesy of our own Andrew Richardson.
Most of those who went on the evening enjoyed the match, but Nicola
was more than a bit shocked by the levels of violence on the ice. For
April the youth group is planning a trip to Norway.
All of the flurry of activity in the youth group has come about as
part of an initiative to grow leadership from within the youth group.
Thus far, it has proven to be extraordinarily successful as they
have worked shown themselves to be very capable and innovative in their
approach. We look forward to
continued growth in the youth group both of numbers and in depth of
spirituality. Asylum ProjectWork
with the Asylum Seekers continues to be both a challenge and a great
blessing. On the 26th
of January, we began a program called Fortress Europe.
This program is intended to give those participating in it a taste
of what it is like to be an Asylum Seeker.
It consists of a series of rooms that are designed to replicate the
journey that an Asylum Seeker would undergo in order to arrive in England.
While going through the various rooms the participants listen to a
taped recording that tells the true story of 2 Asylum Seekers.
They then watch a video that gives further information from actual
Asylum Seekers. At the conclusion of the exhibition, participants are asked how they felt during their experience. Most have expressed that they experienced fear, uncertainty, and disorientation. We have had a group from the Youth Offending Team, children that have been excluded from school, City Councilmen, teachers, Social Workers, workers from Sunderland Housing Group, teen-age mothers, drug addicts, school children, and other members of the general public. We will be running the program at various schools across the City up until Easter. It is hoped that this will help reduce racial attacks and prejudice across the city. Funding for this venture has been provided by the City of Sunderland and by a government funded organisation called Connexions. On
the 12th of February I was interviewed as part of a documentary
on Asylum Seekers being composed by the BBC.
It is to be aired sometime in March.
On the 24th of February Michele was interviewed by a
film crew from BBC News 24. The interview went out across the whole of the UK.
She did a great job. VisitOn
the 6th of February Stu Childre came to visit us for the
weekend. His visit was truly
a blessing to us and to the church here.
Our family and the church always look forward to his visits.
BaptismsOn Sunday the 8th of February Michael Dunn was baptised into Christ at the church building. He has been attending church here for a great many years and has become a dear friend to all who know him. It was truly an honour and a privilege to witness his birth into the kingdom of our Lord. Click on the small photos to see larger photos, but be aware that these photos are high resolution photos and may take considerable time to upload.
On Saturday the 28th of February Nicola Inness was baptised in the River Wear in front of Finchale Abbey. There was snow on the ground and snow still falling at the time of her baptism. Needless to say it was cold. Her commitment to Christ and to her decision were apparent for all to see as she went into the icy waters of the River Wear on this cold winters day.
Family NewsOn the 15th
of February Rodney was admitted to the Queen Elisabeth Hospital in
Gateshead, suffering from abdominal pains.
He was released on the afternoon of the 19th of February
and diagnosed as having a large Gall Stone and a Gall bladder with
thickened walls. He is due to
return to the hospital on the 26th of May for an Endoscopy.
In the interim, he is to maintain a low fat diet, and take pain
killers in order to manage the pain. Jonathan
graduates from Marine boot camp on the 5th of March.
He will then be coming to Lubbock for his leave before he returns
for additional training. We
are very proud of him, but we miss him a great deal. Joshua
is still working as a waiter at Lumley Castle.
Heather is still working hard on her As level exams.
Jared is learning to play the Cello and continuing to work hard
learning his spellings and to write stories. Michele
continues to work harder than anyone and keep everyone going.
She and Joshua have been taking a First-Aid course that being is
taught at the church building each Thursday night. We
want to thank all of you who continue to support us with your prayers,
your calls and your letters. God
continues to bless your prayers and your concerns in our lives.
We hope and pray that God will continue to bless of all of you as
we all journey toward our heavenly home. The Thomas Family
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