Christ Church West Green blog

Hello and welcome to the Christ Church West Green blog.

Here you will find the Christ Church West Green Blog, plus blogs from our Vicar Revd Gita Bond.

Catch up with the Christ Church family, our events, services and celebrations.

HARINGEY CHURCHES GROUP LAUNCHES DEBT MANAGEMENT CENTRE

CAP Logohttps://capuk.org/

According to StepChange, residents in Haringey have a higher proportion of debt than average in London. Council Tax arrears, payday loans and essential bills have been cited as the main causes of debt for residents in Haringey.

That is why September 2018 marked a major milestone for both the Church in Haringey and the community. Haringey Churches Group in partnership with Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is launched a Debt Management Centre (DMC) in Haringey. Hosted by Christ Church (West Green), this will be the first centre of its kind.  Pray Haringey communications team spoke to the debt centre manager, Sharon Howard, to hear how the centre will make a difference for the community.

Sharon has personal experience of being in debt. As a young single mother, Sharon experienced the toll that debt brings. Fortunately, Sharon’s faith and supportive family helped her come through that time but she has never forgotten what it felt like. However, this is only one of the reasons that motivated her to take on this role.  The second reason is connected to her desire to minister. Initially, she was considering going to bible college to study. But after being healed from a stroke in 2017, and then hearing a speech from a CAP representative seeking help, Sharon believed that God was calling her to this particular role.

Sharon has a real passion for the debt centre because it’s about helping people to be free from debt. “There is no fee, just love. Being free from debt means that people can make better decisions and can bring them closer to Christ” says Sharon.

Sharon offers this advice; “Debt makes people feel ashamed. Pride may prevent people from calling the debt management centre. Have no shame. Pick up the phone. The DMC is there to help in practical ways and spiritually.”

Reverend Gita Bond, Minister of Christ Church, believes that the Debt Management Centre is showing God love: “We as Haringey Churches Group will work together to make this a success. We’re taking a leap of faith. It’s not about one church or one person….it’s about God’s Kingdom. It’s about God’s heart”

So how can churches support the debt management centre/manager?

  1. Become a befriender and walk with the family through their debt management journey. Following training, their role is to observe and be sensitive to what is happening.  They can also act as a signpost to services that can support the family in various ways. For example, If the home is cold, they can contact the supplier to try and get some emergency heating.
  2. Pray /Intercede for the centre and families
  3. Part of a network of church ’welcomers’ – should anyone using the centre decide to attend a local church, be a point of contact for them 
  4. Make a donation

For more information, contact Rev. Gita Bond gitabond@hotmail.com.

Rev Gita Bond with colleagues at the launch event

Thought for the Day

Reverend Gita delivered the following address at the Civic Centre. Multi-faith Forum on April 2nd on the theme of “Faith Leaders and Social Media.” As faith leaders we all believe in ‘Loving God and loving our neighbours, regardless of colour, faith, culture, gender. A few weeks ago, a minute of silence was held in our…

Easter at Christ church

We are now in the season of Lent, which prepares us for Easter, where we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. We celebrate the Good News of Easter, that Jesus has overcome the darkness of sin and death. Everybody is welcome to our Easter Day services. Saturday 20 April 9pm, Easter Vigil Sunday 21 April,…

TIME OF RENEWAL

The Bishop of Edmonton, the Rt Revd Rob Wickham was a guest speaker at the First Friday meeting on Friday 1st March 2019.  He shared passionately about the church being in a time of renewal. “There is some extraordinary renewal stuff that’s going on. There is something very profound of the ministry of the Holy…

Toddler Church

Toddler Church runs every Thursday from 10.30am – 11.30am. We have songs, drama, play musical instruments, craft activities, games, treasure hunts with drinks and snacks. Toddler Church is a very important part of our outreach work to mums / carers, babies and pre-schoolers. We use children’s stories including Bible stories to create an atmosphere of…

Christmas and Advent at Christ Church

We are now in the season of Advent – the time of year when we get ready on the inside to welcome Jesus at Christmas.

Our calendar page has been updated with details of Advent and Christmas services., also note some regular events and services will not be occurring if they clash with festive events and services. These are noted in the calendar page.

Here is quick summary of our festive timetable:

Christ Church Summer Concert 2017 Roundup

Over 150 people, including the Mayor of Haringey, attended this event, which was universally enthusiastically received. Comments from attendees included: “This concert gets better each year” “Such a classy event” “This is a lovely warm church” “I wasn’t sure what to expect – it is a bit church but I really enjoyed it” “Invite me…

Bible Classes Starting

We are now well into Eastertide and are looking forward to commemorating and celebrating the Ascension of our Lord. We have started bible classes on Saturday afternoons from 12.00 – 1pm and will cover various topics, for example: human nature, who is Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Church, the Bible and prayer and worship. Everyone…