CROSSING TOGETHER

Vision and Values

Our vision is:

With God’s help we will establish a new intergenerational Church in the south Irvine area reaching out to the local community and beyond. 

Intergenerational Church is defined in a quote found in “Intergenerational Christian Formation” by Holly Catterton Allen and Christine Lawton Ross as, 

“Intergenerational ministry occurs when a congregation intentionally brings the generations together in mutual serving, sharing or learning within the core activities of the church in order to live out being the body of Christ to each other and the greater community.”

Our values are:

• Keeping Jesus at the centre of everything we do.
• Committing to regular prayer and listening for God.
• Showing everyone God loves them through being like Jesus - sharing love, kindness and reaching out to all.
• Uncovering God’s healing and hope with the individuals, families, and community.
• Helping people follow Jesus and grow in faith.

CROSSING TOGETHER

Our outreach mission, Crossing Together has established a drop in for Tea and Toast (coffee and hot chocolate also available) on a Monday morning, 9.15-11.15 am at the Muir Relief Mission Building, Bourtreehill. We hope to appeal to people who are out and about at that time, dropping off the kids at school, collecting milk and the paper from the local shops, coming back from a doctor’s appointment. All are welcome to drop in and have a blether and a cuppa.

We also have ‘Walk and Talk’ on Wednesday mornings. Meet up and have a walk around the Bourtreehill Park and a blether whilst taking in God’s goodness in nature. You can talk about anything or not talk at all, just enjoy the company. We’ve had people who have suffered recent bereavement benefit from having someone to talk to, and it all ends with the ubiquitous cuppa!

But that is only a starter, we have so many ideas of how we can expand this mission to improve lives across all generations. A couple of other ideas is a book lending facility in light of the closure of the Bourtreehill Library, and a clothes exchange – we already have a supply of freshly laundered clothes which will be available for people to choose something from. We are not quite ready for further donations, but watch this space!

Of course, all this doesn’t happen by magic, it takes resources, both financial and human! It’s easy to read this and say that it all sounds a good idea, but I appeal to you, if you are reading this – please think about how YOU can be part of this mission. There are so many practical things to be done, but with many hands, the load on everyone is light, and we can safely leave the Evangelising to the experts!  Could you spare a couple of hours to wash and iron some clothes, could you come along and help with making tea and toast on Monday mornings, would you like a brief walk on a Wednesday morning, giving someone a bit of companionship and a listening ear. With enough people willing to give 2-3 hours a month, we can achieve so much in Jesus’ name for others. Please give it some thought, and, if you have served your church well, and are now in advanced years, perhaps not so mobile, but your spirit is strong, then you can do the most important of all thing to help, you can pray!

Heavenly Father,
We give thanks for the opportunity to reach out to people who do not know You. We pray that You will send Your Holy Spirit ahead of us, to work in the hearts and minds of people who need You in their lives to help them through. We pray for resilience, strength and Your guidance for those You have appointed to Your mission, and we ask that everyone who already knows You, will search their heart and see where they can be part of it, and give some of their time to help.

We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Saviour,
Amen

If you want to discuss how you might be able to assist in Crossing Together, please contact our Mission Pioneer, Alison Muir on 07562 634 385, or speak to the Minister, either in person, or by phone on 01294 211893

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A Prayer for Mission

Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times – Romans 12:12

Dear Heavenly Father

We come before You with joy and praise for all You do for us and all You have given us.

Father, at times we take You for granted, failing to recognise that without You, we are nothing, and that all we have comes from You.

Thank You, Father that we have heard Your call to mission within our community.  That You have brought together a group who are taking the steps You are guiding us on.  Thank You for all we have learned on the Forge Pioneer Course – that we need to be more Jesus-like, less passive and more active.  We pray that You help us to understand the teaching from this course and that we can apply that teaching in our everyday lives as we go ahead in our mission venture in Dreghorn & Springside, Bourtreehill and Broomlands.

Uphold us and support us, Father in the times when we are overwhelmed.  Guide us in our mission step by step.  Help us to remember to listen for your word, Father, to guide us in the right direction.

Father, we pray for all those to whom we will reach out in mission.  You know those within our community who are ready to have You in their lives.  Prepare the ground Father that we may plant the seeds of Your word in fertile soil, that it may grow and blossom.

Father we wait in Your presence; we listen patiently for Your guidance.  We ask Your blessing on all those in our congregations in Dreghorn & Springside and Mure Relief and that You will spark mission within all of us and that we will hear Your call and respond accordingly to plant our new church gathering.

We ask these things in Jesus’ name

Amen

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