The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5
The Collins dictionary has named ‘permacrisis’ as the word of 2022 meaning ‘an extended period of instability and insecurity.’ And in a sense this resonates with our experience over the past few years moving from the Covid pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis. This feels like a dark time for so many. Foodbank usage has gone up 46% this autumn, and donations have dropped dramatically.
Just this week a neighbour told us how she and a friend had found themselves shivering together under her duvet one evening to keep warm after the gas had run out again. ‘This is no way to live’ she said.
Yet with Christmas around the corner, we remember the scriptures that tell of the incarnation and the light that Jesus brings:
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
Our Eden teams take the incarnation as their inspiration – following a God who gave it all up to get alongside people, to walk through life with them experiencing their sorrows and their joys, offering hope and healing. A God who ultimately sacrificed all to defeat death and darkness forever and to shine light into the lives of countless people.
As we look back over 2022 we can see the blessing and hope that our teams have brought whether that be through providing a warm space where people can come when they can’t afford to keep their homes warm, or through partnership with a Community Grocery making fresh and affordable food available to their neighbours. Some teams have planted churches, others have run youth groups and activities helping young people access opportunities otherwise unavailable to them. They have knocked on doors, pounded the streets with prayer, served food and hope and shared the gospel wherever the can.
And we have grown! We have been able to launch Eden teams into five new areas this year which are:
- Orford (Warrington)
- Edmonton (Canada)
- Sharston (Manchester)
- Kensington (Liverpool)
- Dumbarton (Scotland)
In Orford our team have started new groups working with Mum’s and Tots in their café, a discipleship group for new Christians and an Alpha course in partnership with our new Community Grocery in the area.
In Edmonton our team leader Shem told us how his non-religious neighbour asked him to lead his mother’s funeral because of the care he had received and the relationship that they had built.
Our Sharston team have been running a mental health support group, a football chaplaincy and a bikers group amongst many other things. They hosted two gospel events this autumn seeing around 35 people, many with addictions. respond to the powerful testimonies they heard – choosing to follow God and receive his healing.
In Liverpool, team leader Josh shared this story:
‘Recently we put a leaflet through someone’s door, talking about ‘hope’ when they felt none. They invited us round to pray and eventually chose to give their life to Jesus. Every time we meet up for coffee, church, or a walk around the park, I’m reminded that it was worth moving to Kensington, Liverpool just to see him rejoicing in Jesus, and I’m excited for so much more!’
Finally, our team in Dumbarton are working from The Phoenix Centre – a community centre whose very name embodies the hope of the gospel! They ran a light party 31 October giving out over 100 bags to local young people with information about Jesus the light of the world, and they’ve also been distributing warm clothes to help people during this cold season. As we look forward to 2023 we will be celebrating 25 years of the Eden Network. We will keep our focus on John 1:5 ‘The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.’ We have a bunch more teams in development looking to launch and we’re always open to conversations about launching in new areas, or what it might mean for you to join Eden.
