Dear Lightwave Community Friends,

As we approach August, many will be taking their summer holidays and we pray for rest, refreshment and relaxation for those having a break.  There are a number of things to give thanks for over the past month within the Lightwave Community;

• In Red Lodge, the Lightwave Café which offers unique styled cafés focused on youth, toddlers and families is going from strength to strength.  Some of the benefits and opportunities experienced through this ministry are creating community in rural villages, creating opportunities for evangelism, access to Christian literature, a 5-10 min faith chat, an invitation to a Lightwave small group or Sunday Breakfast Chat to explore faith.  The café has seen a steady growth of over 150 people regularly using it, which includes children and youth.  

• Zoom family worship which was initiated by the Archdeacon for Rural Mission, Sally Gaze, as leader of the Lightwave Project in Suffolk and has been taking place online, since lockdown, twice each Sunday morning, with two groups of families from East and Mid Suffolk.  Some were regular worshippers before and others are attending regularly for the first time. Zoom has allowed everyone to participate in worship, with lively songs (on mute!) a thought for the day and activities for families together (making bouncy paper sheep or a bicarbonate of soda volcano…) We even had a local farming couple join us with one of their lambs for Lambing Sunday.  We give thanks that the group have been able to develop online, to the point where it’s now planning to meet outside – socially distanced of course.  

• The Lightwave small group leader training is taking place on 3 consecutive Wednesday evenings and started on the 15th of July 2020, between 7.30pm and 9.00pm, via Zoom.  The training is aimed for anyone interested in small groups and will enable them to experience and model the life of a Lightwave group. 

• We give thanks for Graham Miles, Licensed Lay Evangelist and Rural Chaplin with the Lightwave Community Suffolk who has recently been out to Bungay in Suffolk to visit Fen Farm Dairy, to see the farmer there.  He was shown round the dairy cows being milked and then the milk being turned into cheese, butter and yoghurts on the farm. He has been having regular phone conversations with farmers in Suffolk, since lock down, building up relationships between the church and the local farming communities.

• We give thanks for the 3 coaching sessions which were led by Tim Lea, Coaching Consultant who is part of the National Fresh Expressions network.  The 3 sessions were attended by 15 people from across the Diocese, including the Lightwave and Inspiring Ipswich teams and looked at the GROW model of coaching.

Please pray for; 

• The work of Red Lodge Rural Resourcing Church  and the launch of a permanent food bank in Red Lodge at the end of July 2020 and for two additional paid staff, one to manage the food and baby bank and one to work with youth and young families across 4 rural villages in the Red Lodge area.

• The Farm by the Water is taking some time over the summer months to seek God's will for how He wants the Christian community at the Farm to grow and develop coming out of lockdown. Please pray as the Farm looks at ways to create a safe space for its visitors, plus ways to continue growing its online community. God has to be central to this and prayers are required for clear direction for future teaching, fellowship and outreach events.

• For the Rural Resourcing Church Lead Otley role which has been re-advertised and God's wisdom and discernment that the right candidate(s) be appointed.

• Prayers for the Lightwave project team, Archdeacon Sally Gaze, Andrew Gosden, Nina Seaman, Kathy Wilson, Diane Grano, Becky Leutchford, Peter Plummer, Andrew Jarrold and Graham Miles, for God's protection, safety and encouragement, as they go about their work for the Rural Mission project.

• The development of "Suffolk in Prayer" - a cross denominational prayer movement in Suffolk; as plans and ideas come together to move this forward.

If you have any prayer requests please email Nina.Seaman@cofesuffolk.organd the Lightwave team will be happy to pray for you.

Have a great summer and thanks for your prayer support! 

Peace and blessings
Sally Gaze (Archdeacon for Rural Mission) - 07746 933129
Nina Seaman (Lightwave Prayer Coordinator) - 07394 559889