hope centre update

We have had the privilege of being able to deliver food parcels throughout the city, and beyond, since April of 2020. No-one could have predicted the pandemic that enveloped the world, and the huge impact it would have on people’s health and well-being. We recognised that this was a moment where we as a church could demonstrate the biblical compassion that Jesus’ modelled to us, and meet the needs of those who found themselves in financial difficulty. 

We will now begin a new phase of our immediate response. Many people have been able to avail of the food parcel programme without any previous requirements or referrals. At this stage we are going to introduce a time-based limit on the amount of food parcels that each individual/household can receive.

We are calling this 3-in-3.

The food parcels will now almost double in size, so that each one will be able to feed a household for 2 weeks. These parcels can be collected or delivered three times within a three month period.

After receiving the third parcel, we will then invite you to enrol in the Renew Programme, where you will then have access to the services outlined below.

With this in mind, if you would like to begin the 3-in-3 programme, please fill out the simple form attached to this letter, and we look forward to supporting you on your journey.

The Renew programme is built on a foundation of equipping people to move towards becoming more financially independent. This programme will include:

    • A video based cooking course, which will teach participants how to cook well on a budget.

    • CAP Money Management - a short course developed by Christians Against Poverty, which will teach how to create a budge and manage finances well.

    • Enrolment will also provides access to a Social Supermarket, which gives access to groceries at vastly reduced cost.

We hope to roll this out before the end of 2020, and we will make sure to keep you up-to-date with the official launch date.

If you would like to talk further with us, the best way to currently do that is by sending us an email, using the live-chat feature here on our website, or messaging us through our Facebook account (www.facebook.com/cornerstonecity).

MORE ABOUT THE HOPE CENTRE

The Hope Centre was officially opened by Cornerstone City Church in November 2019, but God had been stirring it within the hearts of his people for over 25 years. The Father’s heart is to see people moving from a place of brokenness and crisis, to a place of wholeness and joy. It is the mandate of the church to be bringers of good news to the poor. The Gospel really is good news to the poor.

OUR MANDATE

FOR THE HOPE CENTRE IS ROOTED FIRMLY IN SCRIPTURE

Isaiah 61:1-4

RESCUE

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

RENEW

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour.

RESTORE

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

The Hope Centre currently facilitates a food bank, clothing bank and is a registered CAP Centre (Christians Against Poverty). We are also in the process of expanding the services, creating a second and third stage of the programme that encourages and supports users of the food/clothing bank to journey from crisis towards wholeness and restoration.

In the UK 1 in 5 people live below the poverty line. Local statistics indicate that in Derry City and Strabane, we have some of the highest levels of deprivation and health inequalities in the UK. Welfare reform is having a significant further impact locally and a significant level of food poverty with ‘heat or eat?’ being a real issue in our area.

The Hope Centre partner with some key service providers in the city, who currently work in the areas of addiction recovery, homelessness, domestic violence victims, amongst others.

David’s Story

When we made the announcement about The Hope Centre, David, a long standing member of Cornerstone, came to us with great excitement. When he shared his story with us, we were blown away by how God had been planning the Hope Centre for generations. Watch David tell his story below.

HOW can you support?

VOLUNTEERING

If you’re interested in volunteering with the Hope Centre, whether you would like to get involved with the construction of the the next stage of the centre, or if you would like to give a few hours a week, then send us a message with us by clicking HERE, and a member of the team will be in touch soon.

PARTNERING IN PRAYER

The Hope Centre started in the heart of the Father, and it will continue to respond to his voice. All that we do is built on the foundation of prayer. We would love for you to partner with us, as we seek the restoration of people towards wholeness in our city.

FINANCIALLY

 If you would like to donate to the work of the Hope Centre, then click the button below to give via PayPal.