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07/02/08 :: 17:11 :: Church on the Move

A New Year, and a new beginning for Kairos! We've been meeting in the Odeon cinema in Wimbledon for around 5 years, but believe that God is calling us to serve the area in a new way. The Odeon offered many opportunities, but also challenges as a meeting space. As has often been the case in the history of Kairos, just as it feels as if one location is coming to an end, another one comes along at just the right time, Kairos time infact! It helps us keep focused on what God is calling us to be to those around us, and means we can never get too comfortable or complacent in our surroundings. The John Innes youth centre will be our new meeting venue; so there's lots to think, pray and get excited about in terms seeing the opportunities to use our new home....

16/07/07 :: 21:29 :: John's Egypt trip feedback

As we reported in the last blog, John went to Egypt on a short mission trip, to build houses and befriend local people in Egypt and Sudanese refugees. Finally, we get round to finding out he got on ....

Day One:

Today was all about travelling; had to be at the airport for ‘stupid O’clock’ in morning though (7.15am), this meant getting up at 5am.

Day Two:

Today we went to see a doctor and the project he has dedicated his life to. It’s in a Milton Keynes-style town where the team look after people who are disabled. Those who have been sidelined by society are cared for at the centre,and they can then integrate back into society and be accepted. The school currently has 65 students, mainly boarding, who have an almost 1-2-1 tuition. This is very difficult to maintain because the training the staff receive means they are headhunted by other healthcare centres.

My impression of the doctor is that he has been able to give an incredible amount of aid while having very little income and support. He has dedicated 25 years of his life to the centre, when he could have chosen to have a more comfortable career as a private Doctor. This shows the amount an individual can get done with the support of a loving God.

Day Three:

It’s Sunday today, so we headed off to All Saints Church, which was completed in 1998, for the service. The church has a fantastic roof which shoots up into the sky as if to take our worship straight to God. The congregation is mainly ex-pats but they are beginning to integrate the Sudanese and make them part of the church. The church is directly supporting Refuge Egypt, an organisation which was set up to help the Sudanese refugees.

Day Four:

We travelled south of Cairo, to a town which will be our base while we are working in the villages.In each village a council, made up of village leaders, has been given guidelines by Habitat for Humanity (HFH) allowing them to choose those families who meet the criteria for an HFH loan.During the building process I've been able to see the Christians and Muslims working together to reach a common goal. It’s not uncommon for Muslim families to allow a Christian family to live with them while their house is being re-build and visa-versa.

Day Five:

This morning we visited a school and in the afternoon we put our hands to sieving sand and mixing plaster to put onto the walls. At some point a football came out and we started to have a knock about; ended up with a two on two situation with about 20 people just standing around watching. It was great fun and also let us all bond despite the language barrier.

Day Seven:

Today, the temperature reached almost 30oC. The blocks we're using at this village were also twice the size of normal because they're being used to build foundations and ground floor walls.There was much fun to be had when moving the blocks up hill in a big chain; this was made more enjoyable due to a man called Sayeed. He said something that really summed up the whole mood of the project, “I am a Muslim, you are a Christian, we are brothers”.

In the afternoon we had a brief chance to look around a Coptic Church where we were able to learn a little about the history and progression of the Church buildings.

Day Nine:

Our last full day in Egypt and we've been in Cairo with the opportunity to do a bit of sight seeing.
Please e-mail me on the address below if you would like to know more about the trip.

e-mail mejcburchell@hotmail.co.uk

Prayer points:

That the projects we saw will continue to receive the funding they need to keep helping those people who really need it.
The Muslim and Christian communities continue to work together and to trust one another.
That all the NGO’s, the government, Christian and Muslim groups all work together to improve the quality of life for the villagers.

24/03/07 :: 18:27 :: John's Bike Ride & Egypt trip

John Burchell is currently in Egypt. To fund his trip, he cycled all the way from London to Brighton and back. Before he left, he explained why he considers Egypt worth getting saddle sore for.

"I went on a three-day 150 mile sponsored cycle trip starting off in London, then
down to Brighton then back up to London on day two and finishing off with a ride round Richmond park. I probably covered about 153 miles with the help of two fellow cyclists and friends, Nick and Matt. The distance matched the travelling I will be doing in Egypt to the
village I'll be working in, El Minya.

I'm going to El Minya withHabitat for Humanity and Biblelands. These charities are working in the poorest communities in Egypt to raise the quality of life for the families
that live there. The money I have raised will go into a pot that's been
put aside for building projects in these communities.

I will be helping to build some of the houses in the village province of El
Minya. I'll be making mortar and cement, nailing on roofs and carrying building
materials. We hope to show the Egyptian people that the money has not just come from some nameless organisation but from people that care and want to help them. It also gives us the opportunity to interact with them.

Egypt has been on my mind since I travelled there two years ago with some friends. It was on this trip that I started asking questions about God again and it also allowed me to see some of the Bible stories come to life in front of my eyes."

The things to pray for are:

- for the health of the volunteers
-that language barriers can be overcome
-that there are enough building materials
-that the community welcomes the team
-for harmony between the team and the communities john is working with.

Meet the Blogger

Hi, I'm Joy Andrew, a member of Kairos, and responsible for both the blog, and press enquiries.

To get in touch, e-mail me, or contact the Kairos church office.