Malc & Penny’s News Update

December 2003

 

 

Family

  

 
 

First off we had the excitement this year of Steve graduating from the University of East Anglia (Cambrdge) with a 2:1 Degree in Graphic Design. Mum Dad and Beck’s made do with 2:2’s, but Steve topped us all!

 Becky has been discovering that she is the outdoor type.

She’s also just bought a flat in

East London

 

 

 

Holidays

Early in the year we went on holiday with Kristy to Cornwall

 

 
   

In October Penny and Malc got away to the South of France

 

 

 

 
Boiler Room

You are probably already well aware of developments at the Boiler Room. Sadly the overriding factor at the moment is having lost the building, finally, to the demolition crews! Without a venue it is impossible to do most of what we were. So the most pressing need is for you to pray that we find somewhere. General news about the Boiler Room can be followed on www.readingprayer.com/247

 

SPLASH

We were able to do SPLASH again this year although on a slightly smaller scale due to much reduced funding. Government initiatives tend unfortunately to be one year wonders! We were very grateful to River church for a generous gift of £5000 toward the scheme. We mainly did daytime drop in but we also had trips to Thorpe Park and Bowling.

 

 

Penny is still employed for 14 hours a week by the Local Authority as a “Detached Youth Worker” in recognition of the valuable contact she has with the “Forburyites”. However her funding is likely to end in March due to a change in policy. There are apparently no young people in the centre of town as far as the authorities are concerned.—Don’t ask!

 

O

 <   Our last day at the Vaults saw around 200 young people come to say a sad goodbye to the much loved building.

Junction 12  >

( Rushall Youth Camp ) happened before SPLASH this year which meant that we were unable to capitalise on it quite so much as last year. Penny and I were privileged to be asked to take pastoral responsibility for the camp.

 
     
With a short break over the summer Malc has continued to take the Cross to the Town Centre each Wednesday lunchtime.

The team still show no signs of wishing to stop, believing that the job is not yet done.

 

F.A.I.T.H.

Malc continues to be a trustee of F.A.I.T.H. although he wishes that he could spend more time on the street with them and has missed a few trustee meetings due to other commitments.

 

 

 

First Steps

Penny’s part-time work as Project Manager of “First Steps in the Community” in Whitley Wood continues. It is Counseling and Advocacy Service with plans to develop Parenting classes. This is very much front-line work and spiritually demanding. South Reading is seeing some positive developments and change so do keep praying for Penny, for Vernon Orr ( Vicar of St. Agnes ), for finance for the project, for the volunteer counselors, for Whitley and for wisdom for the Executive Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

Malc began made the first of many visits to Sweden

 

 

 

 

 

 

Malc also spent some time in Brazil - Rio, Sao Paulo and Brasilia

Tough life!

 

  

 

 

 

 

Perhaps he shouldn't go on about speaking to M P's in the Brasilian Parliament.

No really!