The Besom in Witney Newsletter - January 2023

 

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."

Hebrews 12 v2

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Welcome to our Newsletter!

 

Our previous Newsletter celebrated the generous giving at Harvest Festivals across the region.  Just to recap - we received amazing volumes of food, along with other household essentials, and the photos below are a quick reminder of just how much we received!

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Thanks to all of those individuals, churches and schools who gave so generously, we've been able to provide a massive 75 Christmas hampers this December - up from 63 in December 2021.  

 

Each of those hampers included a copy of the booklet "Christmas in Three Words" which was written by Vaughan Roberts, Rector of St Ebbe's Church, Oxford and takes the reader to the heart of the Christian message.

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Here's a photo of two of our time-givers busy assembling some hampers, plus a shot of "Santa's little helper"!!

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Some Messages from Recipients

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Here are two messages sent to us from recipients.

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• "Thank you so much for all the support.  It helped me so much, and I absolutely love the Christmas hamper that I was given today."

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• "I've just unpacked the groceries, and I'm blown away with your generosity.  We've donated groceries in the past, but never thought that we would be on the receiving end. We are truly grateful."

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And here's a message sent by a care professional after speaking to a recipient ("AA"):

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• "AA told me that her hamper had all the Christmas treats and gifts for her family, and was brilliant. Her daughter was particularly touched by the gift bag for her baby, and AA listed all the lovely things that were in it!"

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Finally, here's a message from a Besom time-giver after she had delivered a hamper to a lady ("BB") who had suffered domestic abuse.

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• "I was able to see BB today.  When I opened the boot of my car and she saw the bags of clothes, food, bed linen and a suitcase she was overjoyed. She immediately gave me a big hug and asked me to give everyone a big hug from her! It was wonderful to be able to pass on to her your generosity, whether that was clothes, food, money or thoughts and prayers."

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So yes, thanks to God's grace, your prayers and generous support can make a real difference to the lives of people in very difficult circumstances. 

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Prayer Requests​

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• Please join us as we offer grateful thanks for abundant giving during 2022 which meant we could provide not just 75 Christmas hampers but also over 400 food parcels during the year.

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• Echoing the previous Newsletter, please continue to uphold all those affected by energy price rises and spiralling inflation, along with others who find themselves in difficult circumstances, for one reason or another.  Also, please pray that ongoing donations of food, household items, toiletries and furniture will allow us to help these people through the months ahead.​

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• Since none of our current time-givers possess the necessary skills, we've had to suspend our project management service - e.g. when a group of individuals take on say a gardening or decorating task. Please pray that someone with the skills will step forward to help with this work.

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• Please pray for us as we seek God's guidance and plan for the years ahead. Please pray that God would place the mission of the Besom on the hearts of those He will call into new roles in the future.

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​And here's a final thought. Do you think that the members of your church congregation would like to learn more about our work?  If so, we'd be very happy to come along and give a brief talk at a service or other meeting. Please just email us at contact@witneybesom.org

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"Whatever you did for one of the least of

these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Matthew 25 v40

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From the team at The Besom in Witney

email: contact@witneybesom.org