Clubs, HUBS and Weddings!!

It's hard to believe it's already the end of April and my third month here on the Bethel team! It's been a great month at the centre as we welcomed our newest team member, Jayne, and kicked off our new kids club ministry with a Holiday Bible Club( think VBS) at the beginning of the month.

Our Holiday Club, and our newest ministry, is for kids ages 5-10. Over the three day Holiday Club we explored the bible with the kids, from creation to resurrection. Each day more kids showed up and by the end of the week we had over 20 kids! On May 11 we will officially kick off our weekly Kids Club and are hoping for lots of the same kids to join and bring friends so please keep this new ministry in your prayers! Here are a few shots from the Holiday Club!

 

April also brought another two week half term break which meant I was able to join in on the weekly Thursday Community Lounge that we do for the community! Although I love lectures, it was so nice to be able and meet new people and see what a Thursday at Bethel looks like. One of the most exciting happenings in April for me so far was my opportunity to share some of my testimony with the kids at The HUB. We had the largest turn out the HUB has seen in quite a while with 35 kids there! I'd love for you all to join me in prayer and ask God to use that small 5 minutes of my story for His glory and that it would speak to some of the kids that were there that night. Here are a few pictures from my talk at the HUB.

On a personal note, April 16 I was able to live stream and watch my sister get married!!! It was a beautiful day filled with lots of family and friends! Not only was my sister a beautiful bride, but my nephew was definitely a lady killer in his little tux!! :-) Enjoy this pic of my sister, brother and nephew!

April was definitely a whirlwind and I'm excited for all the Lord has in store for May!! Thank you all again for your love, encouragement and prayer as I walk this beautiful and wonderful journey God allows me to be a part of!! 

xx

Jenn 

Introducing. . .

It's hard to believe it's already March! Last month I was able to share with you guys a little about what our weeks look like here at Bethel and this month I wanted to take some time to introduce you to the team here at Bethel that makes it possible to do all of those events. It's been such a blessing to be part of such an amazing team that loves, respects and honors each other so well, all while working as the hands and feet of Jesus to reach the community of Dagenham together!

First up is our center director Jeff. Jeff has been with LCM for 25 years and just took over at Bethel about a year ago. He's the backbone of the centre and is amazing at empowering us as a team to step out in new ministries and areas of Dagenham and encouraging us as a team. It's great to sit and listen to his stories of railroad chaplaincy with LCM over the last 25 years and all that God has done through him!
My line supervisor at the centre, who is also the lead in our youth ministries, is Brandon. Brandon has been with LCM for 8 years and started with their homeless ministry and had never even given youth work a thought, but you know how God likes to pull us out of our comfort zone! He also oversees day to day items at the centre as Jeff's right hand man. The youth have a real connection with him and although it's not what he started out thinking he would do, God is really using him to impact the youth here in Dagenham.
Our Tuesday morning Community Tots, and our soon to be kids club for kids ages 5-10, is headed up by the lovely Wendy! Wendy has been with LCM for 15 years and has such a gift for connecting with the moms that come in and just has such a warm and welcoming spirit. It's such a joy to get to work with her on those projects and we're looking forward to starting a women's ministry at Bethel after Easter!
On Wednesday mornings I get a chance to get out into the community by doing doors with Neil, a LCM missionary attached to St. Elisabeth's Church here in Dagenham and just around the corner from Bethel. Neil has been with LCM for 21 years and is a wealth of knowledge! I love walking the streets of Dagenham with him and learning more about his time with LCM and all that God has done in his life. Neil also runs the Friday morning drop in that I help with at St. Elisabeth's with Ray, who is still in his first year with LCM. It's been such a great ministry and I'm making some really strong connections! I'm so thankful for Neil and Ray's leadership at the drop in!
Friday nights we have our Deeper bible study with the youth at Bethel and that is headed up by Jaime. Jaime is in his second year with LCM and is an amazing leader who is able to break down and explain the gospel to the kids in fun and creative ways that really connect with them. It's been such a blessing to work with and watch Jaime's strong leadership!
The rest of the team is made up of Dan, a 13 year LCM missionary who coordinates our doors ministry, helps at Community tots and is even willing to step into youth work when needed! He's always got a song and a firm handshake waiting for you! Andy has been with LCM for just about 2 years and is the cook who prepares the meals each Thursday for our Community Lounge. It's not an easy job feeding so many people on a weekly basis but Andy makes it look that way! Peter has also been with LCM for about 2 years and is the centre's IT guru! If it's not working, he can fix it! Peter has an amazing heart for the Lord and on top of working on all our IT needs, also goes out on doors with us occasionally and is always finding new verses to hang on the walls around the centre to encourage everyone who enters!
The other LCM 'interns' (there are different intern programs available at LCM and we are all on different programs at the moment) are Mishael, Lawrence and Jan. Mishael has an incredible graphic design talent, one of his many, and makes most of the fliers and posters for events happening at the centre. Mishael is also passionate about ministering to the Muslim community in Dagenham. Lawrence is a jack of all trades! In his short time at Bethel he has started several one on one bible studies with youth and young adults in the area, a monthly men's breakfast as well as helping with Community Tots, The Hub (our Tuesday night youth gathering), doors and Deeper. Jan is our German LCM intern and has been awesome to get to know! Unfortunately for us, Jan was just here for a six month program and so we sadly say goodbye to him this month! :-(  He's been such a blessing to all of us and a huge help with Community Tots, The Hub, doors and Deeper. We will miss him greatly! Last but certainly not least is our amazing volunteer Jackie!! Jackie is married to Ray but doesn't work for LCM officially but you can always find her here helping out on Tuesday and Friday nights when we are having youth activities! The kids love her, as do we, and she is always willing and ready to sit and chat with the kids about God, life and even give some homework help!

Now that you know a little more about the incredible team God has assembled here at Bethel, I'd love to ask you to remember all of them whenever you pray for me and all that God is doing here in Dagenham! Thank you again for all your encouragement, support and prayers as you journey with me on this beautiful, wonderful adventure!

Jenn

Hello from the other side!

It seems like forever since I've had the time to sit down and actually get a blog out, for that I am sorry and promise to get better! I've been in the UK now for 2 weeks! It's hard to believe so much has happened in such a short period of time! I've settled in nicely at my new flat (aka apartment!) in South London (Bermondsey for all of you familiar with this part of the world!) and have amazing flat mates! It takes me about 45 minutes (2 trains and 1 bus) to get to work in Dagenham each day but the commute feels shorter and shorter every day. God is doing amazing things in Dagenham and here at Bethel Christian Centre! There are lots of outreach activities going on geared at reaching the community. On a typical week we have staff bible study/prayer time on Mondays until lunch time, then we work on the craft and bible story for Community Tots that happens on Tuesday mornings. Community tots is similar to MOPS back in the states and is a great time for us to connect and share the gospel with the moms that come! Please be praying for the growing relationships we have with the moms and that more moms in the area would join us. Tuesday evenings is when we have a youth gathering called The Hub, it's a safe place for kids 11-16 to come and hang out and we share a 5-10 minute bible story with them. Please be praying for this activity as a majority of the teens who attend do not know the Lord, but we know His word never returns void, so even though they may not be coming specifically to hear the word, seeds are being planted! Wednesdays we do "Doors", this is when we walk through the community surrounding our Centre and knock on doors to tell people about the activities we offer at the Centre and begin to try and build relationships with our neighbors. We would love for you to be praying for all the contacts we meet on doors and that through relationship we might have the opportunity to share the gospel with them. Specifically I'd love for you to pray for "W" with me, he is a man I met while doing doors who is struggling with depression and a curiosity of the occult. He was open to talking about the gospel with us and we are hoping he will start joining us on Thursdays at our community lounge. Community lounge is a gathering on Thursdays that is a basic time of fellowship, we provide a meal and conversation to all our neighbors, as an LCM intern, I spend Thursdays at HQ having lectures. It's an amazing time of learning and growing in my faith. Friday mornings I attend a church drop in at a local church here in Dagenham. The drop in is basically just like our Community Lounge except we only have coffee, tea and biscuits. I love getting to know all the people here and was even taught a new card game, Whot!, last week by several of the ladies in attendance! Friday night it's back over to Bethel for Deeper, a bible study with any of the youth from Tuesday night who want to learn more about God, the bible and a personal relationship with Jesus.
I'm loving my time here already and can't wait for all that lies ahead! Thank you for all the love and support that was given to get me here! As you think of me in the coming days, please be praying for my health (my Texas body is still adjusting to a cold and wet climate!), the ministry and outreach at Bethel as we begin to brainstorm a new kid's club geared to engage kids ages 5-10 and finally for my family back home. Thank you again for walking this beautiful and wonderful journey alongside of me!

Jenn

As 2015 comes to a close and I prepare to head to Dagenham in just 3 short weeks, I wanted to share a little more about how I got here! Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!

Exactly seven years ago God began opening my eyes to the broken and hurting world around me that only He can redeem.  As I felt my heart breaking for people I had never met and places I had never seen, I also began to feel the tug to be a part of God’s plan. In 2008 God lead me to East London, South Africa where I was able to be a part of His work at First City Church, then in 2012 God allowed me to be a part of the amazing acts He is doing in Cochabamba Bolivia through the Casa De Amor orphanage. Since then I have been actively pursuing God here in Mckinney and seeking what He would have for me next and after much prayer and counsel, God has called me to Dagenham, England. 

Dagenham is a working class community in east London that, in the past, has had an average population of aging residents who found their way to Dagenham after the destruction of London at the end of WWII. However, over the past decade Dagenham has seen a huge influx of younger immigrant families from all over the world. This increase in families has boosted the population in Dagenham up to 180,000 residents. Bethel Christian Centre makes it a goal to visit 1500 homes throughout the course of the year to try and reach these families with the love of Christ. The changing demographic in the Dagenham area presents new obstacles to reaching the community. Over the years the area has become a somewhat impoverished area which has led to lower levels of education for the children, who in most cases don’t continue on into college and University, and as a result teen pregnancy, hopelessness and domestic violence are on the rise in this once thriving area.

It is undeniable that darkness and despair have covered the landscape of Dagenham.   However, the Lord has begun to move powerfully in this region.  Bethel Christian Centre, through London City Mission, is working to share the hope of life found in Christ by offering children’s, teen and family programming in the community center weekly.

            I believe God has uniquely prepared me to join Bethel and London City Mission and I want to invite you to go with me on this journey. Even though this might feel like a calling specific to me, I would never be able to do it without the prayer and support of fellow believers who want to see the fire of Christ's salvation spread to all nations and to all people. Your prayers for me and for the people of Dagenham as I begin this journey are the heartbeat of this entire mission and your financial gift will become the feet that make this mission possible! I’d like to take this opportunity to ask you to prayerfully consider partnering with me financially at $25, $50 or $100 a month. You can make your tax deductible donations at https://secure-q.net/Donations/gemissionorg/9241 . You can also find my blog at http://thebeautyandwonderwithin.blogspot.com , I’d love for you to follow me as I work with LCM and Bethel over the next year.

Saved to serve,

Jenn

The days are long. . . .

Most parents know the saying, "The days are long but the years are short."
Well, I'm not a parent but in this season I feel like I'm learning the truth in that statement. As I prepare for my year in London with LCM and Bethel Christian Centre, as I watch more and more pics of gatherings and outings that they take I feel like January is a lifetime away! Then there are other days when I stop and think, 'Oh my gosh! It's already November!!!'
As I ready myself to join Bethel in January 2016 please continue to pray for the families in the Dagenham area and all the last minute details I have to take care of here before I leave, finances, visas, packing and trying to be present in the time I have left with my friends and family! Here are a few pics of some of the happenings at Bethel in the last few months and some of the things I'll be helping with upon my arrival!






Saved to serve
Jenn

Anticipation

As most of you know by now, my gap year internship with Greater Europe Mission has been moved to January 2016. As I use the extra time at home the Lord has given me to prepare for the year ahead, I continue to stay in touch with the staff of Bethel Christian Centre and grow more anxious by the day to join them in the incredible kingdom work they are doing there in Dagenham. If you don't already, I'd love for you to like their Facebook page so you can share in my excitement and journey next year! They have some great pictures up of recent outings and a picture I LOVE that illustrates the shared anticipation we have for my January 2016 arrival that I'm sharing in this post! If you'd like to know more about my internship or would be interested in partnering with me either financially or in prayer you can check out my GEM page at gemadventure.com/donate (ministry number 09955) or my TYW page at fbcmckinney.com/give TYW13. You can also comment here or email me directly at jmc2180@gmail.com! Can't wait to share this kingdom journey with you all in the coming year!!

  My inbox set up and waiting patiently for me at Bethel Christian Centre in Dagenham!!!!

A Match Made in Heaven!

Updates, updates, updates! Even though it's only been a few weeks since my last blog this one is full of all kinds of fun updates!! 

God continues to humble and bless me as I walk this journey with Him. On top of being a GEM intern, I'm excited to announce that my home church, FBC Mckinney, has re-activated my TYW missionary number with them! I am beyond ecstatic to prepare and leave for the next year with the full support and encouragement of my home church body! 

In my last blog I gave some background information on LCM, I'm thrilled to now be able and give everyone even more details about the specific ministry I've been matched with while in London! And as the title of this blog states, I truly believe it is a match made in Heaven! Bethel Christian Centre has been working in the Dagenham area of London for over 10 years with a wide range of established outreach activities. The ministry has recently been resourced with more team members who are excited with the possibilities of taking the ministry forward and I can not wait to join them! I was able to speak with Jeff, the team leader at Bethel this past week and throughout our conversation God showed Himself in amazing ways! As we talked about the needs they are looking to address and the strengths God has blessed me with, it was as if I was specifically made to fit into this ministry, which is probably more true than even I realize at this point! I'm excited to be able and use all the experience I've had over the past 11 years working with children's and youth ministry and apply them to the awesome work God is already doing at Bethel!

Thank you for praying for me, keep it up! God has blessed me beyond belief so far in this journey and I don't expect Him to stop anytime soon! I'd like to ask for continued prayer for funding, for preparations and Visa procedures and for the hearts and minds of all the people who have and will be affected by the ministry at Bethel and my time there. 

If you'd like to partner with me monthly at $25, $50 or $100 (or provide a one time gift) you can donate in 2 ways, both tax deductible,  either through GEM at www.gemadventure.com/donate and use my # 09955 or through FBC Mckinney at www.fbcmissionallife.com/missionaries and use my name or my TYW #, TYW13.

Thank you again to everyone who supports me in so many ways as I attempt to ". . .run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." -Hebrews 12:1b-2