REACHOUT!

Information from our recent welcome course <click here>

REACHOUT is a joint venture between St. Andrews and Church Army whereby teams of Christians reach out in practical ways into the Community of Starbeck with God’s love. Sister Sheelagh and Captain Paul Easby are trained Evangelists, working within the Church of England and since March 2007 they have been Community Outreach Workers, C. O. W.’s, based at St. Andrews. Their threefold brief is to train and enable Christians to reach out into the Community; to reach older people in the Community with the good news of Jesus; to reach out to different housing areas, cafes and on the streets of Starbeck.

1. Training and enabling.
Several Teams are now in existence including:- Prayer Visiting, Street Walking, Plus and Lunch Club, Holiday at Home, visiting Residential Homes, Healing on the Sstreets, resourcing Small Groups. New members are continually being added with individual and periodic team training sessions being available. Two Lent courses – ‘The Challenge of the 21st Century’ and ‘Blowing Your Cover’ have enabled many members of the Church to broaden their horizons regarding working outside the four walls of the Church. We are always looking for new team members.
Please email or phone if you are interested.

2. Working with older people.
Station View and Belmont House are the two Care Homes regularly visited by our Teams. There are monthly Communions in Station View and together with other Churches, a weekly Sunday Service. In Belmont monthly Communion and a monthly Sunday Service for residents with special needs form our regular input with the prospect of an ALPHA course in the future.

Wednesday is the big day for older residents in the area to join us in the halls at St. Andrews for Plus and Lunch Club. At 10:30 am, we gather for coffee, chat, quiz, keep-fit, monthly communion and other activities, followed at 12 pm by a 3 course meal (cost £2).

In August each year we offer the opportunity to enjoy a holiday without travelling far as they ‘Holiday at Home’. Each year has a different theme. 2009 saw the Church converted into a Cruise Ship as 60-plus guests supported by a team of 30 helpers visited The Caribbean, Greece, and returned to Scarborough for four days of fun, food, entertainment and activity.

3. Starbeck streets and housing areas.
Over the last 3 summers, we have visited around 1000 homes in the Parish with the offer of Prayer for those in need. Many people have responded; some are now visited regularly; some have joined Small Groups or attended ALPHA courses; many have declared, ‘Thank you for calling’ or ‘I am OK, thank you’. This visiting really only works in the summer months, but we shall continue to ‘target’ particular areas of Starbeck each year and hopefully set up a system or Area / Street Pastors to stay in touch with those who respond.

A couple of mornings each week a small team, walk the High Street greeting each person they pass, talking with those who stop, sometimes Praying with those in need. In the winter, more time is spent in the local cafes than on the park benches, but good conversations, building relationships and opportunities to share the Gospel are happening each week in the heart of the Community.

Each Saturday morning sees the ‘Healing on the Streets’ team with the large HEALING banner outside St. Andrews on the High Street. They offer the opportunity for talk and prayer to anyone who cares to stop. They are joined on special weekends by others offering ‘Give-aways’ as reminders of what is coming and what God has given us, e.g. Easter, Christmas, Mother’s Day, etc.

If you would like to know more about any of the activities outlined above or would be interested in joining any of the teams,
please ring 01423-889162 or email admin@andysonline.org