Hello, Besom family.
We hope you've had an enjoyable summer break, feeling refreshed and ready to serve your communities. But how do you preserve the inner peace you feel now while managing the pressures of returning to work and juggling various projects?
Well, we can rely on God and also take some practical advice. Rest when we can, do only what we can each day, and leave what we can't finish for the next day.
An insight from a CEO's profile I saw this week has helped me, so I'll share it in case it helps someone else too. She stated, "We are all running a marathon, not a sprint!" This mindset has helped her maintain inner peace amidst organisational responsibilities, post-summer break.
Besom family, whether your task lists are small or grand, remember that your daily effort contributes to the final goal and the larger vision God holds for Besom.
Please be assured that God has the power to fulfil His purposes for us and others, we just have to remain patient, trust in Him, and follow His guidance (Romans 4:18-22).
A journey of God’s mystery and wonder
Annie Emmins and the team at The Besom in Esher embarked on a whole new journey when they were offered a five-year rent-free lease for their first-ever premises to serve the community in Elmbridge better. But little did they know that God had His eye on the premises long before even their Besom came into being.
After years of praying, waiting, and trusting God, a prophetic word of encouragement and a picture were shared with Annie by Julia (Co-lead coordinator, Besom in Ashtead). The Since securing the premises and starting work on refurbishment, their journey has been marked by intriguing finds and triumphs.
These have included:
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Julia's prophetic scribbled drawing of Annie praising in a 'pointed roof with rafters' building that matches the interior of the premises they are moving into.
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A discovery that the Cemetery in which the two buildings are located were originally for paupers, unbaptised babies, and infants who were not permitted to be buried in the church's graveyard.
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A discovery that the Chapel was used in the 1980s as a worshipping community and ministry for the poor called 'Ministry of Care'.
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Hearing personal stories from a regular cemetery visitor tending family graves whose father had worshipped after returning from 'D-day' at Annie's current church!
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Provision of a builder who could start works immediately and also a member of one of their supporting Churches in the borough.
There is so much to be thankful for and evidence that when God speaks, He keeps His word!
Keep your eyes peeled, there's much more to be shared about these amazing findings in our next newsletter and social media.
Discover more about their incredible journey and get involved.
And one became two years!
One of my favourite scriptures is Philippians 1:6 which says, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.'
When I decided to apply for the Besom job rather than accept a corporate job I was offered, I had no idea how much Besom would impact my life in just a year! Neither did I know what a broad range I would cover in helping roll out the branding, initiate comms, marketing, media, and exhibitions/events.
My year has been filled with many amazing 'adventures' including the outward visible rebranding, development of our social media platforms, new marketing and comms strategies in place, and much more. But the best part of my year has been seeing and listening to many amazing testimonies from many Besom-ers all pointing to the power of prayer and reliance on God for all their needs. This has grown me heaps in my prayer life and faith in trusting God for all my needs - thank you!
As Roger and Annie celebrated my first year with cake and candles over Zoom, they could say God had again provided a financial gift to the Network to keep me on for another year! Praise the Lord for those funding my Comms Lead position, God richly bless you as I get to stay another year to help build the communications and marketing pillars for the Network.
I pray this new year sees us tell more stories of His goodness, and get more churches and young people engaging in giving through the Besom Network as we seek God for more growth in communities that currently lack a 'Besom'.
We enjoy recording, editing, and sharing your stories, please keep them coming, let's share the gospel of Jesus and get others excited about what God is doing through us.
All praise to our Father God who always knows what we need before we even ask. (Matthew 6:8).
Do we only do hampers at Christmas?
It's common knowledge that most Besoms receive donations and package Christmas hampers for families in need. But did you know that there are some Besoms that put together food parcels and small hampers for people in need throughout the year on ad-hoc basis?
The Besom in York recently received a generous donation of hampers for families in Heworth, Tang Hall and Bell Farm. Our gratitude goes out to Holy Trinity Church and the congregation for their generosity to the families in these areas.
Find out more about what each Besom has to offer and which Besoms can receive food donations or have offer food parcels to families in need, visit our Besom network website.
Share your Besom God-story
Have you got a Besom God-story, if so, we'd love to hear it! Please email media@thebesomnetwork.org and we'll get in touch with you.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to hear encouraging stories and share them with someone.
Till next time, may the joy of the Lord continue to be your strength!
Much love in Christ
Angelina (and the media team)
