Greetings friends,

We are currently adapting to life with a baby, which has been pretty full on! Our lovely Caleb Francis was born on 12^th March and we’re enjoying lots of smiles from him and surviving the rather sleepless nights.

Other than the arrival of Caleb, our biggest piece of news is that we have recently taken the decision to close 8SC, the house for ex-offenders that we had been running since autumn 2021. You may remember reading in our update at the end of last year that we were beginning to consider bringing the project to a close for a number of reasons which you can read about here. In the intervening time, we continued to pray about and evaluate the situation, and discerned that it was the right time to close. Having initially thought we would do this in the summer of this year, the decision was made for us to close sooner after the premature departure of two residents, meaning that we were down to one resident. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us about this difficult decision.

Despite it feeling like the right thing to do, we naturally felt some disappointment that the project didn’t work out as we had envisaged. We were able to express some of these feelings during a simple closing service that we held at the house with our remaining resident and group of 8SC Companions. We had a time of thanksgiving, praising God for the good times in the community, as well as a time of lament, where we grieved together about some of our losses and disappointments. We expressed sadness about the fact that some of the men who we had grown to know and love are now back in prison or on the streets. We gave thanks for the precious times spent together – around the dining room table, in the garage-cum-chapel, and in the Shropshire hills. And we prayed for each resident who had spent time with us at 8SC by name, lifting them and their futures to the Lord who we trust has good plans for them.

Here are some photos from the final few weeks at 8SC:

So, we find ourselves in a time of transition and praying into what next. I (Rachel) am officially on maternity leave, but am starting to explore some ministry opportunities on Meole Brace council estate near our church, where a couple of pioneer community workers already have a base. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I began joining them on a Wednesday, where I helped at their weekly ‘Bacon Buddies’ morning and ‘Warm Spaces’ soup lunch and game of bingo for locals. I enjoyed this, and will be joining the team in praying about what else God might be calling us to in the area. It feels very in keeping with my Pioneer Mission Leadership training with CMS (from which I’m due to graduate in December), where I have felt particularly inspired by teaching and placements around local community-building missional activity. The teaching encourages us to consider mission in our own contexts and think about where God is moving within them, and how we can join in. Having Caleb has thrown me into a new context of ‘mums/parents’ which brings new opportunities. For example, I am exploring with a church friend the idea of starting a faith group for parents of babies or pre-school children, which we hope will be accessible to both Christians and those more on the margins or outside of church.

Alex has one remaining round of interviews in July for his discernment process into Church of England ordination. If he is accepted, he intends to start part-time theological training at Queen’s Theological Foundation in Birmingham in September. This will mean we are able to stay living in Shrewsbury where we feel very much at home, and continue with our local ministry endeavours. Alex will spend time ministering at and through a local church and gathering local Christians across various churches to pray for God’s kingdom to come here in the town of Shrewsbury. This will also leave him time to do 2 days a week at theological college and continue ministering in an intermittent capacity at HMP Stoke Heath, where he is currently preparing groups of men for release. For now, Alex is working on assignments for his Spiritual Direction course.

Finances

Regarding our finances, I plan to return to part-time employment in the new year after maternity leave, so that my earnings can supplement our financial support. We also anticipate that after Alex’s 3 years of unpaid ordination training, he will receive a stipend (salary) from the C of E. This will mean that, in three years’ time, we will no longer need to rely on your generous financial support. With these circumstances in mind, we would hugely appreciate your continued partnership in this way if you are able. Thank you so much for your faithfulness in journeying with us. And a particular thank you to all who responded to our last post about various large ministry costs we had incurred – God always provides for all our needs in amazing ways!

To finish, we were encouraged at a recent church service where we picked this image from a selection of pictures that had been put out in order to see how God might speak to us through them. It speaks of transition, risk and faith. We resonated with the sense of being up in the air, having left one thing behind, and not yet being 100% sure of where we’ll land – but reassured that there is a place for us to land that God has in store for us!

Prayer and Praise

• Thanks for the incredibly generous donations in response to our last blog post
• Thanks for the safe arrival of Caleb – prayers for better sleep would be appreciated!
• For the futures of all our 8SC residents – for seeds of love and hope to grow in them, wherever they find themselves
• For doors to open for Alex and me and that we’ll follow God’s leading into what next

Blessings and love,

Rachel and Alex