Prayer Walking Stanford & Corringham

Join us on our mission to pray and walk every street in Stanford-le-Hope and Corringham.

The MADE Course 22-23

New Year, New MADE Course

We are very excited to begin a new MADE course, with six Year 9 students from ORTU Gable Hall School.

MADE is a 10-week programme helping young people to realise that they are made unique and made with a purpose. Through the course, students grow in confidence, motivation and develop aspirations for their future.

The programme consists of engaging and interactive workshops in the morning. We’ll cover topics such as teamwork, determination, communication, and power of choice, amongst others.

In the afternoon the students get to visit a workplace and find out more about that career choice and how people got into that role, often they get to experience what it would be like to work there first hand.

This Term’s work place visits

On our current course we will be visiting IKEA, Hovis, Bluprint UK, Thurrock Food Bank, Mears Group, Tangent International, and Orsett Fire Station, plus others. We are very grateful for local business partnering with us and taking time to talk to and inspire the young people, it real does make a difference.

MADE students visiting Bluprint UK, Stanford-le-Hope

Where did MADE start?

The MADE course was created by Proximity Church in response to the profound pressures, strains, and difficulties that young people face in an ever-changing world. We have run over 20 MADE courses with more than 100+ children.

In these years, MADE has proven to consistently support and engage the most vulnerable. With a wide impact, its effects have also been felt in school, at home and in our community as young people begin the journey of discovering their identity and purpose, and how to relate better to the world around them.

Five by Five: Daily Prayers

A Prayer for Gable Hall School

Today we pray for Gable Hall School, and schools in our area.

For all that it takes to be a school

For young people, teachers, parents, administrators, staff, and volunteers.

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God of hope, build futures that shine and strives for the best. Builds homes-from-home in safe classrooms.

God of peace, settle minds with anxiety, knit together friendships that go the distance.

God of grace, plant desires for truth and justice; let us see the shoots of skills and the fruit of character. We pray for hearts of kindness, integrity, and humility.

God of love, we pray that the shared love and care for the youngest among us, will bind us together in unity. A unity that strengthens society.

God of wisdom, show us the way ahead.

+ For leadership and governance, bring clarity of vision in planning for the future.

+ For parents, build community that serves one another in the present.

Teach us all how to lead lives that fit our children for leadership.

We pray for the peace and prosperity of our schools; for if they prosper, so do we.

Amen.

MADE Course Honoured by Mayor

The Mayor of Thurrock, James Halden, has nominated MADE to be inducted into the Mayoral Roll of Honour for its services to young people.

Our team will be one of the first inductees to the the Mayoral Roll of Honour, after its launch in 2022. Cllr Halden initiated the Roll of Honour to shine a light on businesses, community groups, charities and individuals who have worked hard to serve Thurrock in extraordinary ways.

MADE was designed by Proximity Church in 2016, as a response to the profound pressures, strains and hurdles that young people face.

Mayor of Thurrock James Halden (right) at a MADE Celebration in March 2022, alongside students, parents, MADE team and local businesses.

The course is a 10-week programme helping young people to realise that they are made unique and made with a purpose. Through the course, students grow in confidence, motivation and develop aspirations for their future.

Since then, MADE has proven to consistently support and engage the most vulnerable. The impact has been felt in school, at home and in our community as young people have begun the journey of discovering their identity and purpose and how to relate better to the world around them.

Thank you!

The news came at the perfect time to be announced at the School’s Summer Party, as we celebrated the efforts of staff, volunteers and Hope Givers.

Joyce Gjoni, Director of Proximity Schools, says: “We are very grateful for the support of Mr Mayor, ever since he hosted one of our first workplace visits to the Council Chambers. His nomination for the Roll of Honour confirms that we are serving a need in our community, and encourages our team and volunteers to keep going.”

If you would like to give to the work of Proximity Schools to run projects like MADE, become a Hope Giver by choosing to give a monthly. How can I give to the work of Proximity Schools?

Summer House Meals

Enjoying summer evenings together.

In August, as many of us take the opportunity to holiday and take breaks from work, we are pausing our usual House Church rhythms. Instead we’ll enjoy the summer together across six evenings.

The six hosts will create a relaxed environment to eat together and be family together.

You are welcome to join in.

For each night you would like to attend, you will be required to book in, including each member of your household and any dietary requirements.

Please see the event pages for locations, booking in, and sign-up deadlines.

On booking, your host may contact you with more information or ways you can contribute.

Justice Week

A global response to local issues.

Addressing the Cost of Living Crisis

We have a problem with money in this country.

Petrol prices are up by 80% in the last two years. Grocery bills have increased 8.5% - UK inflation rates are at a 40 year high…

But we have problem with money in this country.

The news may be full of talk about money, but our culture still struggles to find a balance between flashy-consumeristic materliasm, to silently struggling from month to month, and intense guilt with our privilege in a world rife with poverty.

“If you earn half of the average UK wage, you are still richer than 90% of the world.”

So we asked Phil Anderson to help us take this on and explore what the Bible says about money. If we can capture some of this, we can approach our relationship with money in a way that takes us away from the cultural battles of our time.

He also shares from his own testimony and journey from when he first began to give as a university student, up to trying to teach his own children to give.

Proximity Church Podcast

Delve deeper into your own relationship with Money by reflecting on other Proximity Church podcasts, including:

• Neither Poverty nor Riches - Steve Morris
  Listen on Spotify

• Consumerism - Dr Lucie Shuker
  Listen on Spotify

• Money and Wealth - Rosemary & Christie
  Listen on Spotify

• More Money Matters - Roger Ellis
  Listen on Spotify

Questions to Go Further

We believe this is a prophetic message for the now, with a key set of questions:

• Cost of living crisis - coming in the opposite spirit

• Church as a prophetic sign to the world

• What does it mean to be discrete, yet visible?

• What is God’s word to us as a church?

• What is God saying to me as an individual?

Giving to Proximity Church

If you feel led to give to Proximity Church, you can find out more on how to do that here.

Prayer Walking Stanford & Corringham

Join us on our mission to pray and walk every street in Stanford-le-Hope and Corringham.