Pray for Livability

January – April 2013

Livability is the new face of John Grooms and the Shaftesbury Society

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Who we are

At Livability, we are passionate about creating opportunities for disabled people and supporting those who want to make a difference in their communities.

We offer a wide range of services to support and empower disabled people throughout their lives, from our colleges and school to residential care and supported living. We also provide many other specialist services including brain injury rehabilitation and accessible holidays.

Livability also works with churches and community organisations. We provide them with advice, training and resources to transform their neighbourhoods.

Our organisations were started by passionate Christians whose faith compelled them to act when they saw poverty and social challenges on the streets of Victorian Britain. Inspired by their legacy, we continue to keep a clear Christian ethos at the heart of all we do.

By sharing our joys and challenges, and bringing them to God on our behalf, you are truly a part of what God is doing through Livability – transforming communities and individuals.

Livability was created from the merger of two well-respected organisations, John Grooms and the Shaftesbury Society.

Our founders John Groom (left) and Lord Shaftesbury

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Dear friends,

Livability’s Community Mission team is currently developing a new resource for churches to reach out to their local community. It’s called The Happiness Course, and over four sessions it explores the tricky subject of how to be happy. It’s grounded in both Biblical wisdom and the latest scientific research.

One of the most interesting sessions covers three different types of happiness. Pleasure can be gained from stimulating the senses – things like gazing over a stunning view. Engagement is the happiness that comes from hard work, like finishing a gardening project. The deepest and longest lasting form of happiness is called Meaning; when we invest our time and energies in line with our deepest beliefs. This third level is one that many people today are struggling with. But it’s here that we as Christians have so much to share.

As we start a new year, it’s right to think about happiness. But while adverts insist that pleasure is the most important thing in life, let’s tell an alternative story. True, long-lasting happiness comes from a life of meaning: of showing God’s love to others, especially the disabled and disadvantaged people we serve.

I wish you a truly happy New Year!

Adam Bonner Director Community Mission

Cover photo: Livability’s Enterprise Agency is helping people like Tony set up their own businesses.

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January

Week beginning 13 JanuaryDid you know that Livability helps church leaders become better equipped to reach out to their local community? This month we will be holding our popular management skills course in Leeds. Please pray that everyone who comes on the course will learn valuable new approaches to leadership.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.Psalm 51:10

Week beginning 6 January Happy New Year! Please start the year by praying for all the disabled people Livability supports. Our prayer is that for every individual, the coming year will be one full of opportunities; opportunities to develop new skills, to deepen relationships and to live life to the full.

Pray that disabled people will feel more involved in community life in 2013

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Week beginning 20 JanuaryChristian Resource Exhibition (CRE) events are held around the country and are a great opportunity for Livability to meet church leaders and speak to them about our work. The CRE West event is being held this week in Bristol; please pray for fruitful conversations and connections.

A recent report shows that 6.1 million

people in the UK

are living in poverty, even though they have a job.

Week beginning 27 JanuaryStaff nurse Adriana Abakah was a valued member of the team at New Court Place in Hertfordshire until her unexpected death in November. Please remember her in your prayers and pray also that her family and colleagues find comfort and strength at this difficult time.

Events like CRE allow us to communicate face-to-face with other Christians who may benefit from our services

God loves people with dementia

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It is estimated that there are currently 800,000 people with dementia in the UK and that number is expected to rise to 1.5 million by 2040. One in three people aged over 65 will develop dementia.

Dementia is the name given to a collection of diseases that impair people’s ability to remember, think and make choices. This means that seemingly straightforward tasks such as using the bus, paying for things, or talking in social groups, can feel strange and incredibly challenging.

One of the biggest impacts of dementia is isolation. 61% of people with dementia say they feel lonely all or some of the time. 44% feel that they have lost friends since their diagnosis.

We believe that Jesus loves all people – including those who are unwell and feeling isolated. In following Him, we need to think how we too can reach out to those who desperately need our friendship.

Livability has recently partnered with Passionate Dementia care – an organisation that wants to see churches become places of safety and comfort for people with dementia. And more than that, give people with dementia the opportunity to use their skills and wisdom to benefit the rest of the church family.

If you would like more information on how your church could become more ‘dementia friendly’, please get in touch with us – help. You may also like to consider becoming part of the government’s new Dementia Friends campaign – visit www.dementiafriends.org.uk

2012800,000 people

20211,000,000 people

20511,700,000 people

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Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7: 37-39

Pause for thought

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February

Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Week beginning 3 FebruaryThe London Marathon in April is one of Livability’s most important fundraising events of the year. With two months to go, please pray for our brave, generous (and perhaps foolhardy!) runners – that they will know endurance and passion to keep up their training on cold dark evenings.

Pray for our marathon runners who will be training all winter to run for us in April

Week beginning 10 FebruaryThe government is currently making huge changes to the way that post-16 special education is paid for. As our colleges rely on that funding, we are very concerned about what these developments will mean for Livability. Please pray for our college principals as they grapple with new funding models.

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Week beginning 17 FebruaryThis term Nash College starts an exciting new project – taking over a local café to become a new teaching and learning centre. Please pray that this will enable students to learn in a new way, building up their confidence for adult life.

Week beginning 24 FebruaryThis year, Livability is making some changes in the way we organise our services. We will be placing much greater emphasis on using our local centres as hubs to reach out to disabled people. This will help us build closer links into the community, as well as be better stewards of our resources. New ways of working always bring challenges, so please pray for all involved.

Nash students learn skills and develop confidence for life

The abuse of disabled people rose by one third in 2011. According to research carried out by the charity Scope, 66% of disabled people have experienced aggression, hostility or name calling.

66%

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“Livability has literally changed my life”, said one winner. Another said “After my head injury, bosses weren’t very sympathetic, but now I’ve got a great new boss - me!”

Just before Christmas, Livability hosted its first Entrepreneurs Celebration. Our Enterprise Agency has now been operating for a year, helping unemployed people set up their own businesses. We train, support and mentor people to turn their dreams into a livelihood. This year we worked with almost 100 people, many of whom have disabilities or serious health problems. Of that group, over half now run their own small business.

A number of graduates of the scheme were given awards for entrepreneurship. The winning businesses included vintage wedding dress sales, a new range of shower gels, an organic spray tan business, and a graphic designer. The award winners were all emotional and full of praise for our programme. But even though some won prizes, the real reward for our Enterprise clients is to have moved from unemployment into working for themselves.

We are tremendously proud of all our Enterprise clients who, through creativity and hard work, have set up businesses in tough economic times. Please keep praying for them - the first year of business is always full of challenges. And pray for our Enterprise team, that their support and encouragement will make a real difference in the lives of our next group of entrepreneurs.

Livability Enterprise has supported Dave as he launched his graphic design business

Focus on... Livability Enterprise

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March

Week beginning 3 MarchPlease remember in your prayers the work of Livability Overseas. We work right across Asia building relationships between medical practitioners in the field of spinal cord injury. We support them to swap knowledge, experience and practical advice, all with the aim of delivering better treatment for people with severe injuries.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Week beginning 10 MarchOur school and colleges each have their own school boards. Please pray for all our local governors, that God would bless them with wisdom, leadership and clear vision.

Asian medics learn together at a conference organised by Livability Overseas

5 million people

say they now consider the television to be their only source of company.

aged over

6012

March

Week beginning 17 MarchPlease pray for the plans to renew Ashley House in Bognor Regis. We want to be able to give residents their own bathrooms, instead of them having to share. There have been discussions about this for many years, and we really hope and pray for a breakthrough to resolve the delays soon.

We have a small team tasked with looking after Livability’s technology. They manage hundredes of computers in dozens of locations, as well as specialist software for primary school pupils, accountants, therapists and website managers. Please pray for them!

Pray for the future of our oldest care home, Ashley House

say they now consider the television to be their only source of company.

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Week beginning 24 MarchAs you plan your Easter weekend and decide which church services to attend, please pray for those disabled people who will be unable to get to church because they don’t have enough support.

Take action!Is there someone who will be missing out on your church celebrations this Easter? Why not ask them how you can help. It might be as simple as giving them a lift to church. Or if they are unwell, maybe you can visit them to read the Bible together.

Week beginning 31 MarchThis Easter, praise God that in the resurrected Christ, we see that there is nothing which God’s power cannot overcome. Not disability, debt, poverty, illness or even death. The God we serve is greater – Hallelujah!

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Focus on... Let Me In

Despite the huge progress made in the past 20 years, many disabled people still face difficulty with basic everyday activities. That’s why Livability is launching a new campaign called Let Me In.

We will be working with disabled people of all ages to remove unacceptable barriers they face. Talking to the disabled people with whom we work, we have identified three areas for action: lifelong learning, personal independence and taking part.

Lifelong learning – helping disabled people to develop knowledge, skills and confidence

Personal independence – making sure disabled people can make real choices about their lives

Taking part – ensuring that disabled people can play the part they choose to in society and their local community

Over the coming years, we will be developing each of these themes; campaigning for change by both engaging with government and trying to change hearts and minds of the general public. We will also be raising money so that we can do our part to open doors for disabled people.

If you would like to find out more, please visit www.livability.org.uk/let-me-in-campaign

Dave Webber at the launch of Let Me In

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April

Week beginning 4 AprilIt’s the start of the new financial year for Livability. Please join with us in praising God for his provision over the past year. We are grateful to Him – and to you who generously hold us up in your prayers.

Week beginning 14 AprilFrom iPads and speech machines to electric wheelchairs and hoists; thank God for amazing technology which allows disabled people to access more of life. Whether it’s physical access or communication aids, new devices can really open doors for disabled people.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.2 Corinthians 4:16

A student uses an interactive whiteboard to check her college timetable

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April

God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man.C.S. Lewis

Week beginning 21 AprilWith unemployment rising, it is harder than ever for people with learning disabilities to get a job. It’s estimated that only one in ten people with a learning disability is in employment. Please pray for tenacity and creativity for disabled job seekers.

Pray for Livability support workers, working to enable people to live their lives

Week beginning 28 AprilEvery day, Livability support workers enable service users to make choices and have more control over their lives. Please pray for our valuable staff - for energy, patience and wisdom, and for a passion to see all people living their lives to the full.

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Get in touch with Livability My details (PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS)

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Email:

Telephone:

Church name:

I’d like to find out about supporting Livability financially

I’d like to know more about how my church can welcome disabled people

Can Livability visit my church?

Please tell me about leaving a gift in my will

Please send me more copies of this prayer diary

Please visit our website www.livability.org.uk to find out more about our work

Thank you for your support

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Contact us:Mat RayPray for Livability editor50 Scrutton Street London EC2A 4XQTel: 020 7452 2000

mray@livability.org.ukwww.livability.org.uk

Registered charity no. 1116530Registered in England no. 5967087Livability is a company limited by guarantee

The new face of John Grooms and the Shaftesbury Society

Did you know you can download this prayer diary from our website? Go to www.livability.org.uk/prayerdiary

If you need this publication in an alternative format, please ring our communications team on 020 7452 2085

Pause for thought

By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be a purer, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green. The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.Thomas Merton