One of my earliest duties as Director of FSW was to go to Pulborough to meet a soon to be retiring headteacher, Alyson Heath, as the Bishop of Chichester was proposing her as our next Chair. Alyson didn't take a lot of encouraging to take on the role and I have been very fortunate to work with her for the last nine years.Without Alyson's support and expertise FSW would not have achieved all that we have during this period. Although Alyson still has four months left to go, we are very pleased that the Bishop has appointed Mr Richard Bickersteth as our new Chair and I know over the next few months he and Alyson will work well together to ensure a smooth transition.We are also looking for other trustees as we have three who have now served their six-year terms and will be standing down - Peter Baker, Lesley Lynn and Sharon Phillips. If anyone reading this news is interested in learning about the role of trustee please do contact me. I would be very happy to explain what it means to be a part of the team that drives FSW forward.With many thanks for your continued supportMartin and the FSW team
Update from Kevin and Jen in Israel May 2024 Dear FriendsMuch has happened since we last wrote. Thank you foryour prayers surrounding our visas which were onceagain, renewed at the last minute for another year. Westarted to plan a much-needed break to the UK, andhaving booked our flights, it became apparent that Kevinneeded surgery that we were advised should not wait untilwe returned. You will have heard us talk in newslettersabout the relationships we have built since we have beenin Jaffa, and we are so thankful to the Lord for providing uswith friends and contacts that enabled us to be put intouch with the head of surgery at our local hospital. Hewas able to operate a week later after we accessedvarious tests that even by Israeli standards, wereperformed, reported on, and found to be satisfactory inrecord time. Kevin has a new cardiologist, who kindly gaveup his time and saw us out of clinic hours in order to certifyhim fit for surgery. This was a great testimony aseverything fell into place and many friends and neighboursacknowledged the work of the Lord in the situation. Wewere blessed by two dear ladies in our congregation whohelped transport us to appointments and stayed with Jenwhile Kevin had surgery, when they were able to praytogether, read scripture, and offer support for Jen. Oncedischarged home, Kevin started a week of enforced rest,hoping to be fit to fly one week after surgery.As we waited to see the surgeon on the day before weflew, the Iranian missile attack took place and we spentthat Saturday night, and the early hours of Sundaymorning, once again in our bomb shelter in our apartment.It was a different yet familiar atmosphere as we waited andprayed together, aware of the time frame from missilesbeing sent to reaching their target and seriously wonderingif this was to be our last night in Jaffa. Many of you willknow how much we needed a rest, and especially nowpost-surgery, how much more so. We felt sure that theLord wanted us out of Israel for a while to pray and seefamily and spend time reflecting and discerning, and yetwe watched the news as flights were cancelled and theairport was shut. We thank the Lord that he provided awindow for us to travel and, having got the all clear fromthe surgeon, were able to continue with our plans.We have just returned from three weeks in the UK wherewe were able to spend time with family, friends, andvisiting familiar places that were important to us. We arereally thankful for a mixture of people’s hospitality andgood Airbnb’s, and were able to enjoy the Englishcountryside, sunshine and rain. It took about three daysfor Jen to warm up after we arrived!We are sorry that we were not able to see as many of youas we would have liked. Those we did meet up with, thankyou for your kindness and love, and for the support youshowed for the ministry here in Jaffa. It was a privilege tobe able to share first-hand what the Lord is doing here andto know you will pray directly into the situation here.On our return, we have a further two weeks to settle backinto life here. Kevin managed the trip very well but is stilltaking things slowly. We have time to reflect on the timeaway and pray about the next steps. There are plans forthe renovation and extensions of the Beit Immanuelbuilding in Jaffa that we hope to be involved in, and welook forward to sharing with you how those plansprogress.In the meantime, thank you for your prayers and we will bein touch with more news very soon.Blessings,Kevin and Jen
Many thanks go to our Coffee Break Team for welcoming so many of our Pantry users this week. Our friend Steve from Southern Water was on hand to help another six people reduce their bills. If you are able to help us restock we are very short of tinned meat, tuna, tinned fruit, cereals and rice. Please save your egg boxes for us (6's). Thank you so much for your support. The Pantry Team
