Several events online over the next month:
26 April - 2pm Paul is speaking on Gateway Church Kendal Facebook Live 28, 29, 30 April - 7.30 - 9pm supporting people through bereavement in these difficult times - to book email [email protected] 2 May - 10.30am Angels Coffee and Chat on Zoom (bring your own coffee, opportunity to catch up with other volunteers for a chat and catch up!) 6 May - 7pm Vulnerability Training (helping those who are vulnerable) hosted by Nighttimeeconomy.com - to book email [email protected] 8 May - 3pm Zoom Prayer Gathering (this is a Bank Holiday to hopefully allow those who work to join us) 14 May - 2.30pm Zoom Project Catch-Up 18 May - 3pm Zoom Prayer Gathering 26 May - 2.30pm Zoom Project Catch-Up More events and training will be added throughout the month! Watch our Facebook page for details of the links. Free training course (3 consecutive sessions) available online on Tuesday 28th, Wednesday 29th, and Thursday 30th April, 7.30 - 9pm to help you support people through bereavement in these difficult times, when grief is more complicated and traumatic. Some Street Angel projects are currently providing listening services by phone, and when we get back out on the streets, we expect people will need to talk about their experiences during lockdown, including sadly, bereavement. Led by Frances Novillo, Lead Chaplain of Watford Town Centre Chaplaincy (including Watford Street Angels), based on training she received from Professor Stephen Regel of the Centre for Trauma, Resilience, and Growth in Nottingham. To register or find out more, please email [email protected]
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A Christian group which works to reduce alcohol-related violence has warned that boredom during the UK coronavirus lockdown is triggering higher-alcohol consumption. The Christian Nightlife Initiatives (CNI) Network echoes research released from Alcohol Change UK which found one in five adults who drink alcohol are drinking more often since lockdown began on 23 March - around 8.6 million people. Paul Blakey, CEO of CNI Network told Premier he's not surprised by the statistics. "Having seen the empty shells of alcohol a few weeks ago as a lockdown came in my local supermarket, and increasingly empty shelves since, you realise that one of the things that people do in a time of crisis like this is drink alcohol. "If we're all isolated, we're all in lockdown, then it's very easy to kind of open the bottle of wine, open the can of beer very early. "There's not much else to do once you've done your daily walk and you've been to the supermarket once or twice a week. There's not much on TV, you kind of sit down and relax and drink alcohol. "Most people are doing it sensibly. But of course there will be those few, as the survey says that overindulge. That kind of increase comes all sorts of problems, which is very sad." The research also found 1 in 14 people - roughly 3.5 million adults - are living in households where alcohol is leading to greater tension or conflict. 1 in 7 people with children under 18 reported that alcohol had increased tension in the household. The research follows figures from global data analytics company Nielsen which suggest that the sale of alcohol has increased by 291 per cent during the pandemic. Blakey told Premier people who drink should put healthy habits in place such as having non-alcohol days and also having mixed alcoholic drinks instead of fully alcoholic drinks. "Also just ask family members to kind of be aware of amount that you're drinking," he said. "It's very easy just to kind of fall into that trap." Blakey expects there to be a spike in people enjoying nightlife when the country ends social distancing measures and said CNI Network is preparing on how to respond to that. He said the charity is also working on how to help those who work in the industry. "It's obviously a very volatile environment, anywhere that relies on weekends and peaks to keep going, especially the night-time economy. So we're thinking, what will the effect be and we're aiming to support those that we know who work within this industry to offer them our prayers, opportunity to chat, opportunity to get alongside them, and hopefully just to kind of weather the storm." Listen to the full interview here: Good Day,
I hope you are keeping well and had a good Easter. You may be aware, Spring Harvest decided to go online with YouTube this week. Here is a link to a short teaching video entitled ‘How Churches and the Police Can Work Together’ which summarises ‘Faith and Police Together’ and how churches can work with and support their local police: https://youtu.be/0a_fjyfpplE I really do believe that, post lockdown as we adjust, Faith and Police Together can be a key part of the ‘new normal’. Here in Norfolk we now have a dedicated officer tasked with engaging with all faith communities and is compiling a comprehensive contacts list and building some good relationships with churches. He has been impressed and surprised by the amount of great work that the churches are doing, and there is a real desire from our Citizens in Policing Team to ensure that the contacts they are making are not lost, and a desire to partner with churches and faith groups post Covid. A few prayer pointers for this time. Please pray for:-
Thank you for your ongoing support and prayers. May God keep you well. Marie Easter Newsletter from CNI Network - click here
Happy Easter from CNI Network. Whilst this is the most unusual Easter many of us will have encountered we can still celebrate the person of Jesus who offers love, life, forgiveness, hope, peace, freedom and purpose to each and every person even (or especially) in this time of worldwide pandemic. As I have shared in various radio interviews over the last few days, this weekend would be one of our busiest for Street Angels and Club Angels teams. The first Bank Holiday of the year, the warmer weather and longer days usually means pubs and clubs are full and our teams are busy helping those who are or could become vulnerable. Instead, as I have started to phone round project coordinators, I am hearing of our amazing volunteers responding in new ways: setting up phone numbers to offer shopping, meals on wheels or for people to chat and pray; people becoming NHS Volunteers; working with the local authority to set up community hubs; volunteering with Food Banks. One volunteer centre has had over 160 responses to a social media call out for new volunteers! We are not sure when or what our communities, especially at night and events such as festivals, will look like once this is over. CNI Network is encouraging our local projects to take this time to look at new ways of working, to be pioneering and innovative, to look at how we can support those who work within the industries we work alongside. This Easter weekend is a call to look to the hope beyond the now. To look for new life. To see the world through a different lens. Jesus is the one who, through his death and resurrection, offers a different way of doing things and a different perspective. Let us share this good news this Easter weekend! Happy Easter - Paul Blakey - CEO CNI Network Paul Blakey will be interviewed on Trans World Radio at midday on Wednesday 8th April - tune in via www.twr.org.uk
Listen to a preview here. Christian Nightlife Initiatives Network is inviting people to turn the Good Friday #BorisWalk into a prayer walk for their local community.
As part of the UK Government guidelines around the Co-Vid19 lockdown, people are encouraged to go out once a day for exercise. Founder of CNI Network, Paul Blakey MBE, was inspired to challenge people to use the Good Friday #BorisWalk to unite people across neighbourhoods by offering prayer for residents and communities as well as the nation and world at this difficult time. Paul comments, "Generally Easter is a busy time for our Street Angels and Club Angels projects as the first Bank Holiday weekend of the year would see thousands head to pubs and clubs in town and city centres. "Sadly in 2020 this will not be happening, but our heart and vision from Isaiah 58 of 'making city streets like new again' continues to be a needed declaration. Communities more than ever need prayer for God's Kingdom to come and God's will to be done in every home and business and on every street, community, town and city as well as around the world. "As we physically distance ourselves from others we can still be beacons of light and hope in our communities by praying as we carry out our daily walk." Points for prayer include:
People taking part are reminded of the need for physical distancing and to follow other safety guidelines. For more information on the work of CNI Network visit www.cninetwork.org |
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ROC Angels - an initiative of ROC (Redeeming Our Communities)
Charity - 1139817 / Registered Company - 7327258 Postal Address: ROC Angels, c/o The King's Centre, Park Rd, Halifax, HX1 2TS E-Mail: [email protected] (founder / CEO) / Phone: 07725501465 |