COMPASSION
If we serve Jesus then every act and thought has meaning. Acts of kindness aren't niceties, they become acts of worship.
John Wimber
The act of demonstrating compassion and love towards others in our community, who may be impoverished, marginalised, or struggling, is an integral aspect of our identity, rather than a mere action we undertake.
We love to use our resources to provide aid and comfort to those who are facing hardships in life. At the same time, we are Kingdom-minded people and if another church is doing something well, we would rather support them than duplicate their efforts.
We truly believe that every single one of us can play a part in spreading compassion, both as individuals and as a church community. As individuals, we can be kind and giving, always on the lookout for ways to help others and support our church's initiatives. And as a church, we can team up with other organizations to make a real difference in people's lives. After all, as James 2:16 reminds us, it's not enough to simply wish someone well - we need to take action and meet their physical needs too!
'If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?'
For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
Deuteronomy, 15:11
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Matthew, 25:40
School Breakfasts
We realised that although schools provide a free lunch to kids whose parents can't afford one, many children we going without the most important meal of the day - breakfast - for the same reason.
Part of our vision for Medway is to see the whole area transformed by the extending of God's Kingdom, and this covers making sure children at school flourish and succeed. It is widely acknowledged that a lack of breakfast can negatively impact a child's ability to concentrate and reach their full potential.
That's why we've taken action to provide breakfast for every child in two schools - one in Chatham and another in Rochester. We're committed to making sure that no child goes hungry in our community and are eager to expand this program to more schools and are actively seeking opportunities to do so.
Food Bank
The Medway Foodbank is run by volunteers and overseen by the Trussell Trust. This is one of those things that is being done so well in Medway, there is not need for us to do our 'own' foodbank. So we support the Medway Foodbank by promoting what items are needed.
For more information about the Medway Foodbank, please visit the Trussell Trust website.
Prison Ministry
We support chaplaincies in Kent, working alongside other local churches.
Our vision is to bring hope, healing, and freedom by sharing the transforming message of Jesus with the local prison population. In partnership with Alpha in Prison UK, we run Alpha and we are also involved in post-Alpha follow up.
We have a Prison Pastor who coordinates our prison work.
