Dear Supporters,
We send you greetings from the Acorn Chaplaincy Team and thank you for your continued support.
Team News
The whole team are getting together in April for a celebration party to thank Tricia for all she has done, growing and supporting the Acorn Chaplaincy during her special time with us. God has called Tricia to a new ministry and although we are sad to say goodbye, we are filled with joy that God is calling Tricia to develop the unique plan He has for her. We pray God’s richest blessings on her future ministry. We shall remain in close contact and continue to collaborate. We hope that God will bring us together again sometime in the future in our work in addiction ministry.
Delicious cakes (baked by Denise) and flowers to celebrate the start of Linda’s 3-month sabbatical. Have a wonderful time!
Ministries
The Recovery Course
We completed our first course in the first week of March. During the 15-weeks of the course we welcomed 13 guests and had the privilege to have some difficult, but life-giving, conversations. We are thankful for the hard work of the whole team, and thankful for St Mark’s Church Archers Road, for their generous offer for us to use their church as our venue. We are given the privilege to continue to journey forward with our guests on their recovery journey.
Drop-in
God is so good to us and, we believe, is strengthening His mission. Our Drop-in for people with addictions, held at 135 St Mary’s Street, every Wednesday morning and Thursday has grown, in terms of numbers guests and team confidence.
Attendance for our Drop-in has grown from 167 in the last quarter of 2021 to 259 for the first quarter of 2022. We believe, this gradual growth through God’s grace, is a result of the mutual trust and respect shared between the team and our guests.
So far, we have had 61 individual guests coming to the Drop-in. Indeed, some have become our regulars. We are thankful that there is a real sense of God’s presence in this space. We do feel that God is holding everyone lovingly and unconditionally. It is a real privilege to see relationships flourish and growing stronger.
We are immensely encouraged by what our guests say to us. The following are just some of their comments:
“I feel welcome and safe”,
“I feel welcome, and I don’t have to do anything or say anything.”,
“I can be myself.”
“I don’t feel judged.”
“I feel supported.”
We are thankful for the continual generous support and donation of refreshments from Greggs through ‘The Big Difference’ and Southampton Churches Mission (SCM).
Community Detoxification Programme
We have learnt much from the last 12-months’ experience, working in partnership with KEYS UK, to deliver this ministry. It has been an incredible privilege to take one guest through the programme and we have supported several others on their journey. On reflection, this part of the Acorn Chaplaincy’s journey has helped us understand that we can support our guests more effectively with the resource that God has provided.
Journeying forward from now and into the next stage of our mission, the trustees have decided to put this ministry on hold for now.
New Ministry
“Recovery Community”
With God’s grace, we feel that with growth in relationship and trust being forged with our guests, it is now the right season for us to introduce a new ministry, “Recovery Community”.
We shall meet every Monday afternoon starting from 9th of May. We are grateful for the generosity of Freemantle Baptist Church for letting us use their church for our meeting.
It is our plan that the Recovery Community is some-what like a home group, but with a focus on addiction recovery, where honest and trusting relationship are supported to grow.
It is our hope that this can help to meet our guests’ needs, particularly for those who are ready and wanting, to explore deeper and wider, in finding their relation to God and in exploring their identity, significance and purpose.
With God’s help, we hope that the Recovery Community will provide the time and a safe space where honest conversations can be had. That both guests and team members are blessed with spiritual growth, self-esteem and flourishing confidence. That with God’s grace, we will build a community of the liberated to be liberators.
We would love it if you could pray specially for the Recovery Community to have a smooth start and ongoing journey for all and please also pray God’s blessing for all who will be joining us.
Acorn Chaplaincy Guests
Massive thanks and gratitude from the Acorn Chaplaincy Team for your ongoing support and continuing to pray for our guests, our team and our mission.
Please continue to pray for all our guests who come to our Drop-in and those who are remaining in contact and in receipt of our support and care.
Please continue to pray for:
- Guests struggling with sobriety.
- Guests that have lapsed.
- Pray that all our guests can be encouraged, built up and be fully committed to their addiction recovery.
- Guests attending our Drop-in, that they continue to find support and fellowship.
- Guests seeking guidance, direction and encouragement.
- Guests attending Christian courses to grow in relationship with God and find faith.
- Guests who have been free from addiction for a period of time and are growing in faith and strength.
- Thanking God for guests who are able to pass on the word about our ministries and encourage others who need support to come and meet us.
- Pray for the whole team for physical, emotional and spiritual health that we have resilience in ministering to our guests and bear good fruit for God’s Kingdom.
- Praise God for His continual steadfast love for all at the Acorn Chaplaincy and thank Him for all that He is doing through the Acorn Chaplaincy.
- Pray God for His continual guidance, protection and provision that the team are enabled to serve Him through the delivery of our ministries.
- Pray God for more volunteers who have a passion to help people with addictions to Acorn Chaplaincy’s doors.
- Pray for those who have sobriety but don’t yet know Jesus; to discover and love Him.