What does it mean to ‘finish well’?
‘And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ’. Philippians 1 v 6 (ESV)
Welcome to our ‘Faith in Later Life’ June newsletter, and thank you for your continued interest and support. As ever, please do invite others to sign up to receive our news, so we can share our mission more widely. Anyone can sign up to this newsletter by visiting our website here.
Finishing Well: A God’s eye view of ageing
Shortly after Faith in Later Life was launched in 2017 we commissioned London Seminary to work with us on a theology project relating to older age, and what the Bible has to say; and this led to a book being written by Revd Canon Ian Knox. We are delighted that this has finally come to fruition this month, with the publication of ‘Finishing Well: A God’s eye view of Ageing’. With commendations from Steve Clifford, Revd Dr Paul Goodliff, and others, this is hopefully a book that proves enjoyable and encouraging, as well as theologically stimulating.
If you are thinking about how to approach growing older, either yourself or as a church leader (thinking about your church membership), I would recommend reading this book. A recent review from a supporter said this:
“Very easy to read and totally to the point. Lots to think about, and challenging also. Left me more motivated and determined to encourage those given a gift of years to become even more fruitful in this precious season. A ‘must get’ book”.
You can read more about the book or order it, via our website here, or if you would like a ‘taster’ chapter do download this free PDF from our website or let me know and I will send a hard copy to you.
Churches re-opening?
There has some dissatisfaction as well as much debate, about religious institutions being closed, and this month has seen announcements allowing church buildings to open for private prayer and yesterday there was an announcement from the Government saying that church buildings can open for services next month. Different denominations and traditions will work differently of course and there are many challenges ahead. You can read our blog by clicking here, as we reflect on how the changes may affect you.
Amidst this a number of churches have started outdoor services, and one was given national (positive) coverage in the media this month. You can read more here about a drive-in church service in a car park in Newquay, Cornwall.
Of course even when church buildings slowly restart services, there will be many who will still be reluctant to attend, over their health concerns. This is why the free ‘Daily Hope’ phone line continues to provide an important service. There have now been over 160,000 calls made, totalling almost 1.9 million minutes. Have you told someone about the ‘Daily Hope’ phone line yet? It is available 24 hours a day and free to all UK landlines and mobiles. The number you need is 0800 804 8044
If you would like some more information about ‘Daily Hope’, or posters to promote ‘Daily Hope’, you can look on our website, or contact me on 0300 303 8405.
New website!
We recently commissioned a review of our website, and made a number of changes, which went live earlier this month. Feedback is most welcome, as we exist to seek to equip and encourage you, and our website is a focal point for our resources and information. To visit our website click here.
One revised area is that we have made it easier to watch our videos- and you can see a recent video where I speak on the Christian television channel, Revelation TV, about the impact of coronavirus, as well as about our work more generally. You can watch this video by clicking here.
Social media
For those of you who use Facebook (we have over 9000 Facebook ‘followers’ on our official page), we have also now created an additional private Facebook group for anyone involved with Seniors ministry or with a heart for this area of mission. This online community space has been created to enable conversation and encouragement, and networking- and it is also a space where we can share and highlight our resources so those in their churches can benefit. If you are interested, please click here and join this group.
Prayer points
If you are praying for us and our work, we would love to try and inform your prayers a bit more specifically. Below are three prayer points at this time:
- We thank God for all the people are benefiting from the ‘Daily Hope’ phone line.
- We pray for God’s provision of finances for Faith in Later Life, at a challenging time for small charities.
- We thank God for all our supporters who are “key workers” for the gospel, with older people.
Yours in Christ,
Carl Knightly
Chief Executive, Faith in Later Life