calling/mission

Specific Calling
We believe as a group we are called to welcome the vulnerable and marginalised, providing them with family, resources and a place of safety in which to learn more of God and the healing He brings. We seek to reflect who He is in every aspect of our lives and ministry. The automatic overflow of knowing and enjoying fellowship with God is a desire to share Him with others.

Priorities
To accomplish this we will prioritise;
1.Modelling the welcome that underpins the love of God
2.Teach and keep reinforcing the big picture story of who God is
3.Teach and create an environment in which everyone learns to trust their ability to hear God
4.Teach and create an environment in which everyone understands the realities of the spiritual battle and develops their gifts as combatants in that.
5.Provide an environment in which people can have strongholds broken and establish healthy living patterns

Composition
We anticipate the group comprising a mix of backgrounds – diverse dysfunctionality is our favourite phrase! We are all broken in different ways, but we recognise that the nature of the group will predispose us to being attractive to some who will at least for a period require significant support. It would be our aim to have at least one couple who were not in that place for every individual who was. Essentially a two-thirds / one-third balance. We have no desire to hire premises so the limit to size will be the capacity of our homes. This would seem to indicate around 30 adults plus children, although we don’t by any means rule out the possibility of multiple versions of such a group developing over time.

Mission
We see ministry as a two-fold opportunity. Firstly it is to bless others, but a key secondary effect is to provide opportunities for individuals and the group as a whole to be dislocated from normal security structures. It is in this environment that the dross rises to the top most quickly and refining can take place.

In terms of specific ministry we envisage serving those who are at the edge of ‘normal’ life, be it through unemployment, housing problems, debt, mental health or a combination of these issues. We expect to become ‘expert’ in debt counseling and how to make the housing and health systems work to the best advantage. We may well explore micro-business opportunities to facilitate some of these areas.