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25 Years of Coventry City Mission Serving God - Serving People In NeedBy John Pither - Added 8th of October 2008
This presentation reflects and shares some of the ways that God has blessed and developed CCM over the past 25 years from an idea through to the multifaceted ministries it carries out today. To help us to remember how God has caused CCM to grow to what it is today and to touch on the future. It was Edwin Orton from Birmingham City Mission who identified a clear need for a City Misison in Coventry and this coincided with how a number of people had been praying in the city. In January 1983 the committee of CCM met for the first time with the official inauguration of CCM on 3rd December 1983. The Location of CCM
StaffingFor its early years CCM was entirely dependent on willing volunteers and none of what has and still is being achieved could be done without them. In 1987 one of the early volunteers, Neville Carpmail, was appointed as the first paid staff member and that began what was to be 21 years of gracious Godly service to this city he loved. At the end of 1988, Mike Stewart was employed as an Evangelist and in 1989, Rita Martin started coming in to do some admin on Wednesday mornings. The rest is history, but one of a growing number of paid staff and volunteers working together as a family to share the love of Jesus. Today we have 15 paid staff in some capacity and nearly 80 volunteers. I estimate that hundreds of people have been involved in some way on a regular basis as volunteers over the past 25 years. FinancesGod's provision and a dependence on God for it has always been at the heart of CCM. This has never stopped CCM stepping out in faith before the money was in the bank. For example when £33000 was needed to buy the 99 year lease on the building in Deedmore Road and the money was raised in just 12 months. Then again when £10000 was needed for building alterations to enable Skylight to open. The work was started in faith without all the money and by the time it was completed it had all come in. Not that it was always easy trusting God in these ways. Finances were often tight and I remember on two distinct occasions in the late 1990's when we prayed because there was not enough money to pay the wages that month and both times those prayers were answered almost immediately by someone walking into the mission and giving a gift for a four figure sum. We continue to look to God for provision in the future for a new Kitchen Manager and a new roof for Deedmore Road. MinistriesCCM has worked for 25 years in Evangelism and Caring. There has been 25 years of Evangelism through major outreach events from Billy Graham to J John, after school clubs, holiday clubs, door to door, START courses, one to one support - all building relationships and that opportunity to share the Gospel.
8 years of weekly family services at Deedmore Christian Fellowship, 1988 - 1996.
1992 was another significant year as 3 new things started. First of all the Turnaround Shop opened in Deedmore Road for secondhand clothing and furniture. This still flourishes today with the clothing at Deedmore and a separate warehouse dealing with furniture and white goods being opened in 2002. This continues to recycle and re-use many tons of goods that would otherwise go to landfill in order to meet the practical needs of people.
Finally 1992 saw the first collection of Christmas Gifts and distribution. This is now an established annual event that has gone from giving out good quality second-hand toys to just givng new toys. In 2007 over 800 children in Coventry received Christimas gifts.
1997 saw the Cafe open in the fully refurbished premises providing a place for people to relax and eat with their friends and for us to chat with them and share about Jesus.
In 2005 Skylight Baby Basics was launched to provide quality baby equipment and toys on a loan basis. This is now firmly established at Hall Green Methodist Church every Thursday and has benefited over 200 children. We would like to expand this service into other areas of the city in the future.
Alongside these ministries many people have been trained and equipped to Serve God- Serve People in Need. They have gone on to serve in their local churches, to serve God elsewhere in the country and indeed to serve God elsewhere in the world.
And what of the futureCCM faces new challenges through links with the Grace Academy (formerly Woodway Park School). This Academy has a Christian ethos and is keen to work with CCM and to enagage their students in Social Action in the Community.
There is the challenge posed by the changes in Wood End as it is redeveloped.
The demand for Eldercare is such that we wnat this to become a weekly event not a forntightly one.
It is our desire to develop CCM in to different areas of our City and so open up our services to more people. To do this we need Prayer, Volunteers and Finance. Do get in touch if you want to know more about how you can get involved with us. In a very real way a new Chapter of CCM has begun. To close I want to read some verses from 1 Corinthians 3 beginning at verse5. These words remind us of who has done the building and what we need to bear in mind as we go forward into the future. "Who do you think Paul is anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us - servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It's not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the centre of this process but God who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God's field in which we are working. Or to put it another way, you are God's house. using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ." 25 Years of Coventry City Mision - Serving God - Serving People In Need Credits & LinksArticle written by John Pither - www.covcitymission.org.uk.Information for PublishersThis article is copyrighted and you do not have consent to copy or redistribute it without written consent from the author.Add your own comments |
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Over the 25 years the actual location of CCM has gone from a flat in Whitley (1a Tonbridge Road) to occupying a few rooms in the present building in Deedmore Road, Wood End - to using what rooms were fit for use from 1989, to refurbishment of the whole building being completed in 1997. Then in addition having a warehouse for the furniture from 2002 as well as a base for 3 years at HMP Onley between 2004 & 2007,
1992 also saw the launch of the Crossline Telephone Listening Service. Today Crossline operates as a national service to facillitate call sharing amongst Christian helplines. 4 telephone listening services based in Coventry, Felixstowe, Hull & Scunthorpe receive 6000 calls per year. The Christian Helplines Association was formed in 2004 and its 8 members meet twice a year 
to enocurage and support each other. I have developed an accredited training course for telephone listening that has trained listeners on 5 Christian helplines in England.
In 1994 the Eldercare Lunch Clubs started. Today there is a waiting list to come to them and we also have established "Holiday at Home" - a week of outings over a week in the summer for the elderly; do home and hospital visits and have contacts into 5 local residential homes.
In 1998 the Skylight Prgenancy Counselling Centre opened offering counselling on pregnancy related issues. This work has continued to grow and develop as the needs have changed over the past 10 years.
In 2008 the Text Line service was launched to support young people in need of any sort within the city. This has already had a significant impact on a number of lives.
As one reflects on the past 25 years in 2008 it would be wrong not to mention Neville Carpmail again , who has contributed and done so much to make CCM what it is today. As we know he went to be with the Lord in March of this year. We give thanks for his life and all that he did under God for CCM. I am sure he will be looking down with interest on what happens at CCM in the future.
