Birmingham Vineyard’s compassion ministries seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus to people in need in our community. We do this by equipping the church community with opportunities to reach out compassionately in their local areas, as well as create a safe space for individuals in Birmingham to connect, play and to receive generous support.
We want to share with you some of the ways that has been happening in over the last several months, as well as what’s ahead.
What’s been happening
Growbaby
The Growbaby storeroom has served 111 families so far in 2021!
A really encouraging story from the Growbaby ministry is about Yasmin who first used Growbaby in the spring of 2020 for her newborn daughter. She was also the first client we served last April during the first lockdown. She was so blessed by the quality of clothing she received and reached out to Growbaby again just a few weeks ago requesting clothing now that her daughter is bigger. When she came to collect her items she shared with us that her son had gotten into law school and her daughter had been accepted into two universities. As a way to celebrate these occasions asked her wider family to donate items to be given to our Foodbank!
Foodbank
The “Foodbank Champion” role was established as a way to meet emergency food needs. We have eighteen people from the church who have been trained and stocked up with food bags at their homes, ready to deliver to people in need across the city.
The Birmingham Solihull Women’s Aid Drive throughout May saw over £1,300 donated online from our church community. The funds were used to provide fifty women with supermarket vouchers and Foodbank bags, which include a handmade card from someone within the church. We are praying that these women feel loved and valued as they re-establish like after domestic violence.
Safe Families
Safe Families is a charity that works primarily with churches, matching volunteers with families who are isolated to offer care, support and friendship. There are eight people from Birmingham Vineyard who have signed up to be volunteers with Safe Families. This summer the team is getting established with the families we are working with and generating stories that we can share with the wider church in the autumn. If you want to learn more about Safe Families, head to our website: bvc.so/safe-families
What’s Ahead
Growbaby Storeroom and Stay & Play
Prior to lockdown the GrowBaby storeroom was open at the same time as a Stay & Play group, and they functioned almost as one ministry. While we’ve been able to operate the Storeroom during lockdown, the Stay & Play has not been able to operate. We’re excited to be re-launching Stay & Play in September but separating it from GrowBaby Storeroom.
We believe that hosting these two ministries on different days will allow us to better serve people in the community and have more intentional relationship-building opportunities, especially for those in the Highgate area. The new vision for Stay & Play is to be a structured group with termly focuses and set activities, with the purpose of helping parents learn to play with their children, as well as develop relationships with other parents in the local area. The GrowBaby Storeroom will continue to operate on a different day of the week, so that agency workers or people collecting items that aren’t interested in the Stay & Play can do so in a swift and convenient manner. More details will be available shortly on our website: bvc.so/growbaby
Foodbank
The Foodbank team is using this season to discern God’s leading on where we’re meant to partner strategically and proactively, with local organisations to provide food to the most vulnerable. We’d appreciate your prayers!
As in years past we’ll have a Harvest Drive in September and we’ll be having the Christmas Hamper Drive like we did last Christmas, launching at the beginning of November. Financial donations help us to purchase food and toiletry items in bulk at a lower cost, but if you prefer to pick up a shopping list and drop items at church you can feel free to do so. Shopping lists are available on the website: bvc.so/foodbank
Local Focus
Compassion is to recognize the suffering of others and then take action to help. This invitation is for each of us, for our whole lives, to be servants of God, partnering with him to bring His Kingdom here on earth through living compassionate lives.
What could it look like for our church’s expression of compassion to go beyond centralised ministries or programmes, rather it be a way of living that is embraced and championed by every person in the church? We encourage you to take a look around your local area, pray and see the people who God might be asking you to reach with practical help and relationship.
Looking for somewhere to start? Check out our list of 52 Ways to Make A Difference - one activity for each week of the year: 52 Ways To Make A Difference