Interact issue 2, 2023

INTeRACT

Living Out Good News

On the ground in Ukraine

The Gift of Hope

Reaching people in prisons

Little Books for Real Life

Sharing the Bible with young people

Issue 84 / 2–2023

Editorial team

Jess Bee

Kris Calver

Steve Bassett

Living

The latest news from the Lifewords global family

The

Reaching people in prisons

Little

Cover photograph

Hope Lebedyn

Photographs Lifewords unless otherwise stated

Design

S2 design and advertising Ltd

Print Yeomans Creative

Lifewords is the operating name of Scripture Gift Mission (Inc), registered charity in England and Wales, 219055

Registered office 1A The Chandlery, 50 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7QY Interact is free, available three times a year from your nearest member of the Lifewords global family of organisations (see page 15).

WELCOME

“Christ makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)

When we work together for the gospel, we use our unique gifts and characteristics to build the Kingdom of God. Each of us has something special to bring, which is one of the reasons we love working in partnership with others to help people all over the world discover God’s Word.

In this issue of Interact you can read about how we are partnering with others to do just this. From resourcing Hope Lebedyn to bring the Bible to those in need of practical and spiritual support in Ukraine, to organisations going into prisons to bring Jesus’ hope and light, we are part of a wider body who are living and sharing good news. We also want to resource you to do your part in helping others explore the Bible – from helping your church discover and use our Bible resources, to supporting you as you connect with young people.

Thank you to all of you who are partnering with us as we help people engage with the Bible. As we work together, we are more able to serve people holistically – helping them with practical needs, showing love through building relationships, and offering them a way to read about and discover God through the Bible. We hope you enjoy reading about how we are playing our part in the body of Christ in this issue of Interact.

Living LivingGoodOutNews GoodOutNews

When Russia declared war on Ukraine on 24 February 2022, cities, houses, and lives embarked on a new reality, shaped by the conflict. While many people fled to other countries, others have stayed, fighting and surviving in dire circumstances. In the midst of the turmoil, one Lifewords partner is on the ground bringing practical and spiritual support to many.

When war broke out Hope Lebedyn’s mission to serve those in severe need became even more vital. For over 20 years, this churchled charity has been sharing the love of Jesus and living out good news to the people of the Ukrainian town with which it shares its name. Lebedyn is situated in the oblast of

Sumy in the east of Ukraine, about 100 kilometres from the Russian border. Before the war started, 85% of those eligible to work were unemployed and the town was experiencing extreme poverty and high levels of crime. The conflict with Russia has made the situation deteriorate further.

At the start of the war many from the town fled the area to go to other countries, and the church where the charity is based was left with around 20 people. Over a year later, through evangelistic and faithful work, there are between 250–350 people meeting each week.

Many are new converts, some still seeking, while others were part of other churches before they were displaced. And the gospel work of serving those in need has continued. The Hope Lebedyn centre and church is being used for all kinds of aid distribution, and nothing is given out without also including a Bible or a Lifewords resource: Finding Hope, An Invitation, The Way to Life, Words for the Journey, all in Ukrainian. “When anybody wants something – some clothes or food – they get a Bible resource or a Gospel too, something that shows them about Christian faith,” says Peter Martin, founding director of Hope Lebedyn. “The Lifewords Ukrainian resources have been such a help to the work and ministry.”

“For over 20 years, this church-led charity has been sharing the love of Jesus and living out good news”

Making clothes to give to those in need; sharing Bible resources

A COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS

SERVING THE VULNERABLE

“The Lifewords Ukrainian resources have been such a help to the work and ministry”

The work of Hope Lebedyn reaches into all corners of society, serving the poor, displaced, vulnerable, and bringing the light of Jesus to those living through the darkest of times. The aid they give is largely out of the activities they run at the church where they hold services for the displaced and new arrivals in the town. “The work has become a catalyst for providing help, community regeneration, aid provision, and spreading the gospel. The hunger for seeking God is greater than could ever be imagined,” says Peter. “Everything we do is done with the gospel. We want people to know that spiritual wellbeing, and having a faith and hope in God, is as important as their physical wellbeing.”

At the beginning of the war, Hope Lebedyn sourced food from nearby cities which was distributed to families and individuals in need within the area. They have delivered huge amounts of aid across the region despite the road infrastructure being destroyed and fuel being scarce. They have also partnered with Mission Eurasia to provide 1,500 food boxes – each feeding a family of four for a week. These boxes also include Bible resources and a New Testament. When power supplies allow, Hope Lebedyn bake over 100 loaves of bread a day for the needy.

Once, they found an abandoned care home for the elderly. The workers had fled leaving 26 elderly residents

Left: Reading Lifewords resources

Right: Children’s ministry

Delivering care packages to those in need

unable to care for themselves. They had not eaten for days, so the church and centre created a team who cooked meals, cared and ministered to these elderly people. Families from the church lived-in to help until the government found new workers.

The centre has links with a local orphanage, where they provide food, Christmas presents, run a summer camp, and regularly put on a puppet show. When the bombing around Sumy became more intense, Larisa, who runs the orphanage, told the children that they could take just one thing with them to the bunker. When they were all settled, she asked them what they brought with them. They all pulled out the same thing: a new Bible that Hope Lebedyn had given them for Christmas. They started to read the Bible, and then one by one all 55 children went on their knees to pray. “Larisa could not believe what she was witnessing

as she is not a Christian,” says Peter. “The children prayed for a long time. They remembered all that had been taught through the puppet ministry and it has stayed in their hearts. We all wept when we heard this.”

IMPACTING LIVES

In the midst of the enormity of war, small experiences and one-to-one meetings are lifelines for people who have no one else to support them. Natasha is one of these people. “We have known Natasha for some time,” says Peter. “As a teenager she was involved in a motor accident which severely damaged her spinal cord. She is bedridden and has to lie down constantly. There is no help other than her mother. There is little, if any, government aid and life is bleak.” This has been a terrible time for people like Natasha. She could not get medical supplies or food, but thanks to the team she is being helped.

“The hunger for seeking God is greater than could ever be imagined”

“For everyone Hope Lebedyn helps, they are showing them another way to live, reflecting the love and welcome of Jesus”

PRAY

Praise God for Hope Lebedyn, for their commitment, tenacity, and compassion for people in need.

Give thanks that alongside practical support, Hope Lebedyn are able to serve people’s spiritual needs. Pray that the conflict in Ukraine would end, and God would bring healing and restoration to those who have lost so much.

“A single donor has bought them a house near the church so we can help more easily,” says Peter. “This might seem quite a small thing, but Natasha’s story is replicated in many places throughout Ukraine. The ill, disabled, and the vulnerable are unable to flee, so who will look after them?”

The hope and love that Hope Lebedyn offers isn’t just for people they call friends. When Russian soldiers were captured, Hope Lebedyn’s mission director, Bohdan, visited them taking Lifewords resources and Gospels. One 16-year-old boy had been to a cadet camp for three days to see if he wanted to join the Russian army after his education, but the army took him and sent him to the front

line. His mother didn’t know where he was. The boy was in tears and Bohdan lent him his phone so he could speak to his mother.

LASTING CHANGE

For everyone Hope Lebedyn helps, they are showing them another way to live, reflecting the love and welcome of Jesus. “We have one family, a husband and wife,” says Peter, “he had his leg amputated from the knee after he was blown up by a landmine in the south, and they also lost their house. They were involved in crime; they were pretty desperate. They came to the centre and loved what we were doing. They have become Christians and want to get involved with our work. The change in their lives has just been incredible.”

Students at Hope Lebedyn’s Bible classes

Helping grieving young people

The Lifewords team in Brazil are adapting and translating Kid Talk, a faith-based curriculum that helps bereaved children. Working with Geração Elo Christian training centre and Rede Mãos Dadas who work with vulnerable young people, Lifewords hopes that Kid Talk will be used by God to restore children’s emotional wellbeing.

Marking International Women’s Day

In March, on social media, VerseFirst celebrated International Women’s Day by showcasing some of the women of the Bible to a younger, more digitallyled audience. “Often, the words, actions, and lives of the women of the Bible are, at best, skimmed over, and at worst, completely ignored. We wanted to centre their experiences and choices, telling their stories, and showing them as the main characters they are,” said Elizabeth King from Lifewords UK.

“As we travelled through the upheaval of the pandemic, one question stood out for us: what about the children?” says Clenir dos Santos from Lifewords Brazil. “They were considered a low-risk population for the more lethal manifestations of the infection, but childhood grief jumped to the forefront of our concerns.” An estimated 130,000 children lost one of their primary carers to Covid by the end of 2021. In addition, adds Clenir, “Most of the homicides in the troubled urban centres of Brazil involve young men between the ages of 14 and 24. Many of these men leave their children orphaned.”

Kid Talk was created by Mel Erickson, who has been working with bereaved children for many years in the USA. Visit www.kidtalkgrief.com to find out more about the original curriculum.

VerseFirst helps young people engage with the Bible in new and challenging ways as they navigate the ever-changing digital world. Visit www.instagram.com/versefirst to see how we are taking the life-changing words of the Bible to social media and encouraging a whole new generation to engage with them and share them.

©JOSEPH-GONZALEZ/UNSPLASH

The Gift of Hope

Words

Matt Currey

All over the UK, churches and organisations are sharing God’s message of welcome and inclusion with people in prison. At the end of last year, alongside programmes of visiting, education, and mentoring, Lifewords partners gave away over 28,000 Bible resources in UK prisons.

“The booklet got into thousands of cells!”

As part of its ministry to share the love of Jesus with young people and communities, The Message Trust spends time with some of the UK’s 90,000 prison inmates. They go into prisons to build relationships, and run chapel services and Bible study groups. They also provide space – through their Peacemaker courses and music classes – for people to develop skills to help them resolve conflicts, manage their emotions, and equip them for life outside prison.

MEANINGFUL GIFTS

At the end of last year, The Message shared 5,700 Bags of Hope gift packs with people in 10 prisons across the UK. The bags contained shampoo, soap, festive chocolate, and a copy of OUTSIDE/IN – a Lifewords resource that shares the Bible’s message of welcome and inclusion, and how everyone – no matter who they are – can take part in what God is doing. “It was incredible to be able to bless so many people practically and have

the opportunity to pray with them,” says Paul, an outreach worker from The Message. “The booklet got into thousands of cells! We’re praying that each person who received a gift bag would experience Jesus’ love and want to find out more about the gospel.”

The impact that these practical and thoughtful gifts have is huge. Amy*, who received a bag, had tears in her eyes: “I haven’t received a gift in 10 years, and I can’t believe you brought this to my door! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Freddie* is another person the team have built a relationship with: “Since 2003, Freddie had been stuck in cycles of drugs and violence, and was having a tough time when we met him,” says Paul. “As we got to know Freddie, we were able to share more about the hope and peace that Jesus offers and invited him along to chapel services. And he said yes! There, Freddie heard the gospel and accepted Jesus into his life. Freddie is going from strength to strength in his faith, he goes along to Bible studies and is sharing about Jesus with everyone he meets in prison.”

Sixty-One, another Lifewords partner based in Bristol, UK, also used OUTSIDE/IN last December. Their Christmas Gift Project offered a copy of the booklet as part of a gift bag to 1,400 people

in prison. “As we delivered the gift bags to each of the prisons, officers, chaplains, and serving prisoners alike expressed just how much the gifts mean to people,” says Elizabeth Preece, Sixty-One CEO. One of the chaplains said: “Thank you again for your kind donations ... Many of the prisoners (especially the new ones) were so thankful that someone, somewhere, cared enough about them to send gifts.”

NEW HOPE

The Lifewords team in Kenya also partner with several prison ministries who used OUTSIDE/ IN with 300 boys between 15 and 18 years old, 75 of whom accepted the invitation to find hope in the Christmas story. “Coming to prison broke my heart and shattered all my dreams,” said one. “I have been feeling unimportant, overlooked, and excluded. Thank you for sharing OUTSIDE/IN, I now realise that God welcomes me to his love. I have accepted the invitation to come in and now I have hope.”

“We were able to share more about the hope and peace that Jesus offers”

Give thanks for organisations, churches, and individuals who visit people in prison bringing the light and hope of Jesus.

Praise God for how practical and spiritual support is bringing restoration and rehabilitation to people in prison.

Pray for those who are in prison, that they would find healing and new life as they discover Jesus.

PRAY

Little Books for Real Life

“I think that having things that show how relevant the Bible is today is what we need. It’s not just a bunch of things from the past. It’s so powerful for the situations we face today.” Abigail

“There are some really encouraging Bible verses in there”

For many young people, school, the future, family life and friendships bring pressure, questions, and struggles with self-esteem and confidence. The Lifewords Little Book series is designed to help navigate these experiences using the wisdom and perspective of the Bible. Little Book of Help uses Bible verses to explore anger, success, friendship, and loneliness. Little Book of Chaos focuses more deeply on issues surrounding depression, anxiety, self-worth, and the tough times we sometimes face. The Bible verses in Little Book of Chaos show that God is with us through it all, and the accompanying text uses reallife quotes from young adults who have experienced mental health difficulties.

Abigail told us that she used to borrow her friend’s Little Book of Chaos, but then she received her own copy: “I was so happy,” she said. “I was posting about it on Instagram, and then people started messaging me about it. They were like, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s so amazing, where can I get one from? I love it so much.’ So, I decided to order a few packs and started sending copies to my friends. And then more people wanted to know about it so I would give it to them as well. There were particular friends who I knew were struggling with their mental health or really needed encouragement. I would visit them and leave this as a gift. There are some really encouraging Bible verses in there. I just wanted to share it with them.”

Words Jess Bee

BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Other books in the range help us reflect on our relationship with God and our journey of faith. Little Book of Prayer inspires us in our prayer life. Whether we pray regularly or have never really tried it before, this resource combines prayers from the Bible with other written prayers and exercises as a starting point for a relationship with God. Little Book of Faith shows us that faith isn’t something we might quickly get our heads around, but it’s something we can explore, discuss, and live. The book opens up conversation around the questions we might have and asks what does faith mean to us? What does it feel like?

Linda is a prison chaplain in Australia who has been working in the juvenile justice system for more than a decade. The young men she works with are often isolated, lonely, and depressed. Linda reaches out to them with a kind, listening ear, supporting,

and encouraging each of them to begin a journey to rebuild their lives. Every week she shares Lifewords resources, including the Little Books. She uses some of the themes as a type of curriculum, sharing a different theme each week for how we can view faith, love, life, relationships, and reconciliation from God’s perspective.

“The book opens up conversation around the questions we might have”

CAN YOU USE THE LITTLE BOOKS?

HOW

As we head into the summer months, young people in the UK are facing exams, the end of the school year, and perhaps the next step after their formal education. The Little Books are perfect for use in schools, youth groups, festivals, and beyond.

We’d love to resource you to share the Bible with young people – visit www.lifewords. global/shop to browse the range. And watch this space for a brand-new Little Book based on the beatitudes coming later this year

Give thanks for the Little Books and for how they speak into the lives of young people.

Pray that over the summer we would find opportunities to share the Bible with the young people in our communities.

Pray that the words of the Bible would bring hope, perspective, and guidance to young people.

PRAY

GET INVOLVED

LIFEWORDS AND YOU

Big Church Festival

Are you going to Big Church Festival? We’d love to see you in West Sussex between 27–28 May. Come and visit us on our stand where we will be showcasing our latest resources and sharing how you can help engage people with the Bible. See you there!

Volunteer with us! Would you like to find out more about our work and meet some of the people who share our resources? If you are going to Big Church Festival and want to get involved with Lifewords, why not come and volunteer with us on our stand?

Visit www.lifewords.global/volunteer for more information.

Partnering with your church

Earlier this year we visited Christ Church Evangelical Fellowship in south London to talk about the mission and work of Lifewords, including a look back at the origins and history of our work. We also reflected on the beatitudes of Jesus through our Ninefold Path resource and prayed the Ninefold Path prayer together.

CONTACT US

Get in touch with the Lifewords global family. Find us online at www.lifewords.global, or contact your local office.

AUSTRALIA

australia@lifewords.global

BRAZIL

projectoc@lifewords.global

Matt Currey, from the Lifewords UK team, explains more:

“We were able to share a range of Lifewords resources, with many people responding positively to the designs and range of what we have to offer. The church ordered lots of our resources to use with children, teenagers, and parents at their youth club. Thanks to Christ Church Evangelical Fellowship for inviting us!”

If you’re in the UK, we’d love to talk to your congregation about Lifewords. It would be great to chat with you and explore how we can serve you better and equip you with Bible resources. Email us at uk@lifewords.global or call the UK office on 020 7730 2155 to book a visit or a video call.

CANADA

+1 905 683 6482 info@sgmcanada.ca

KENYA

+254 20 2730100

kenya@lifewords.global

INDONESIA

+62 81294210986

indonesia@lifewords.global

INDIA

+91-9538811181

india@lifewords.global

POLAND

europe@lifewords.global

UK & INTERNATIONAL OFFICE

+44 (0) 20 7730 2155

uk@lifewords.global