The impact Community Groceries are having on members’ lives goes far beyond helping them put food on the table. As they come into the stores our teams get to know them and use every opportunity to share the gospel. As they do this, God’s turning lives around.
Sarah met Ciara when she came into the Telford grocery during its opening week. ‘When we first met Ciara you could tell that she was weighed down with the concerns of life. As the team explained how the grocery worked and what was on offer in terms of affordable food, as well as wrap-around support, she became very defensive and abruptly left the store saying that she wouldn’t be back.
‘We knew it wasn’t anything we’d done that had upset Ciara, and felt that she needed to know she wasn’t alone. So, we decided to send her some flowers. This must have meant a lot to her as Ciara soon came back into the grocery. As we talked, she started sharing about the struggles she was having with her mental health and how this was causing her a lot of anxiety. We immediately understood what a huge step even coming into the grocery that first time had been.
‘As we talked, Ciara surprised us all by asking if she could become one of our grocery volunteers!
‘We jumped at the chance – not only because volunteers are desperately needed to keep each store running – but because we knew what a big step this was for Ciara. Days later, she was in store helping members pack their bags and labelling products to go on the shelves. As Ciara got more involved, we got to tell her how loved and valued she was by Jesus and invite her to church. Initially, she wasn’t interested but over time started to warm to the idea of coming along. So, when we invited her to a carol service at the grocery’s partner church, she said yes! There she heard the gospel again and was impacted by Jesus’ love for her and responded to it!
‘Since then, Ciara’s been going from strength to strength, coming along to an Alpha course being run at the grocery, as well as a faith discovery course. As she’s discovered how loved she is, the change in her has been astounding. She’s like a new person! Just the other day she told me that she’d been to the doctor and he’d said that he’d barely recognised her because her appearance and attitude had completely changed.’
‘I now realise I’m worth something, I only ever got dressed up to go the pub,’ Ciara said. ‘I’ve even found the strength to stop self-harming, as I know I’m not on my own and have the strength to battle the negative thoughts by praying and putting on worship music.’
Ciara’s just got baptised and is so excited to keep growing in her relationship with Jesus, whilst also being a familiar face in the grocery.
This is just one of many stories pouring out of the groceries. As demand grows rapidly, our need for food is escalating. If you know any food suppliers, or can stand with us as we keep families fed, get in touch at [email protected] or visit communitygrocery.org.uk
