All photos show activities taking place before the current restrictions.
‘They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.’ This passage speaks of personal and societal renewal. Our primary focus is serving the community by connecting with children, young people and families from different cultures, faiths and backgrounds. We take a grassroots approach, listening to the young people and their communities about what they want the centre to be. This means we can react to needs within the community, evaluating our activities regularly and adapting as required. We aim to build a relational, loving, safe and caring atmosphere at Aston 614 – a peaceful place where young people can come and leave their worries at the door. Those doing the work are ones God has met with in his healing, freeing,
enlivening work – and those from the broken places are then the ones bringing healing, freedom and full life to their communities. We want to be a part of this work – we feel called to it – and we desire to bring about change and transformation in the community and the lives of individuals and families in Aston who, for whatever reason, have lost hope. Our mission is to continue joining with others in reaching people with the message of God’s love, whether that be serving with other Christian believers in the churches of Aston, partnering community groups or working alongside nearby corps, such as Birmingham Citadel. It is exciting to think of different expressions of The Salvation Army across the city serving the communities in which they are placed in relevant ways – supporting one another and working together in mission.
We would really appreciate prayers for volunteers and for Aston as a whole community to know and experience the love of God. We ask for prayers for continued funding and that new initiatives – such as our community café – will be effective in generating income. We ask for prayers for young people who are experiencing mental health difficulties, families who are facing financial struggles and young people who are drawn into gang culture, youth violence and county lines drug trafficking. We ask for prayers for the team – that we would continue to listen to God and be guided by the Holy Spirit. Finally, we ask people to join in a prayer that we have used since 2019: ‘Lord, help us to love you, to love each other and to love Aston with all our hearts.’ Salvationist 8 January 2022
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