Serve the City - Details

Members of St Thomas Crookes seek to Serve the City in a variety of ways... follow the links to find out more!

• Besom
• Older People
• Deaf Community
• Vulnerable People's Ministries
• Sheffield Churches Soup Run
• Traidcraft
• Simplicity Love & Justice course
• Charities
• Sheffield Volunteering

Older People

Crookes has a large elderly population and the community at St Thomas has a history of seeking to love and support this often vulnerable group.

Senior Citizens' Festival Services and Teas have run at festival times throughout the year, including Harvest, Advent, Whitsun and Easter for many years.  However, God has recently put this vital ministry on the heart of Alan and Stella Harrison, who have formed a new Cluster called Grace to develop this ministry over the next year or so.

There are several Nursing Homes and blocks of sheltered accommodation in the vicinity of the church and services are regularly given at Alexander Court and Moorend Place.

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Deaf Community

There are a number of deaf people at Crookes who are seeking to develop their ability to support and share God's love with this community.  A small team of signers interpret at the 11am Sunday Gathering and there is a deaf community group who meet regularly to support and encourage each other. Deaf awareness training events began in 2007 and are planned to happen more often in 2008.

For more information please contact Peter Ford via the church office.

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Vulnerable People's Ministries

St Thomas Crookes works in close relationship with St Thomas Philadelphia and the Kings Centre. Both churches have growing ministries working with the marginalised and vulnerable in the city, such as:

• Light of Hope - a group of Christians from across the city who go out regularly throughout the week into the ‘Red Light’ area to minister to prostitutes working on the street. More details...
• Streetwise - an informal church service, 11am each Sunday in the Training Centre at Philadelphia for people who are homeless, disadvantaged, or not used to church.  More details...
• Daytime discipleship - a befriending ministry aiming to support and equip disadvantaged people.  More details...
• Good News Café - hot food, friendship and an opportunity for prayer and ministry for homeless people.  Monday evenings and Saturday mornings at Hanover Methodist Church, Broomhall.  More details...
• Roxy Steps Soup Run - food, hot drinks, friendship and good news - all on the steps of the old Roxy nightclub on Arundel Gate in the city centre on Sunday evenings.  More details...

For more information see the links above or contact Andy Niblock at St Thomas Philadelphia on 0114 241 9560 or email mission@stthomaschurch.org.uk

A soup kitchen provided by a network of churches, who each provide the service on a different night, at Eldon Street Car Park (between West Street & Devonshire Green) every evening except Wednesday, until the food runs out and the conversations have finished!  For more information please contact Steve Spink: 0114 239 9059, office@kingscentreonline.com.  Also, Roots student cluster have recently started to go out regularly on a Saturday evening to link in with the soup run.

Traidcraft

Traidcraft is the UK's leading Fair Trade organisation and operates both as a trading company and a development charity as a Christian response to poverty.  The Crookes Traidcraft representatives hold stalls regularly at St Thomas and other local churches where you can purchase a range of fantastic fairly traded produce.  See Traidcraft's website or contact the church office for local information.

Simplicity, Love & Justice

“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Simplicity, Love & Justice is a 10 session discussion course on simpler living.  Its aims are to:

• explore the relationship between our faith & lifestyle
• gain Biblical understanding about justice & simplicity
• become more familiar with the social & global context within which we live
• develop community & support

Simplicity, Love & Justice has been running at St Thomas Crookes during autumn 2007.  It is also a great resource for cell groups.  You can find out more via www.besom.com/simplicity.htm or for more details please contact Lois Ovenden or Sara McKinley via the church office.

Charities

Look at our charities page for details of some of the charitable causes supported by members of St Thomas Crookes.

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Sheffield Volunteering

For those interested in exploring new ways in which you can give your time more directly to helping those in greatest need, you can find out about  a wide range of established projects and agencies through Voluntary Action Sheffield www.vas.org.uk.

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