Faith in Action

At Church Army we’re on a mission. Called by God to reach out to people living under the crushing weight of poverty with the offer of support and a message of hope. A mission that will feel very familiar to you as part of the New Wine movement with your own call to make Jesus known in your communities.

The book of James gives clear instructions: “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”— but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?  So, you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. (James 2:14-17)

Our history, much like that of New Wine’s, is filled with stories of faith leading to transformative actions that change lives. Let me share the recent story of Matt (not his real name), connected to our Central Fife Centre of Mission (CoM). Gerry Dillon, Lead Evangelist at the CoM, recounts the tale:

We are led by the community through listening to them and their needs. Everything is about food because people are going hungry. Our volunteers run the Pantry and we prepare hot meals for folk every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Many different people come to our mid-week community meal with a core 30 who regularly attend. It’s a wonderful people focussed place to be.

One of the regulars, Matt, first arrived at my door in bits. Over the pandemic he’d become more and more isolated and was really struggling. He asked if he could talk. I said, of course, but why not come and have something to eat’? His eyes lit up. He was worried about the cost, as he had no money, but I told him to just bring himself.

He grabbed me a few weeks later. He said, ‘I was at the very end, I’d lost all hope and just happened to come to you because I saw your door open. There you were and there this group was, and it saved me. It’s literally saved my life.’

Matt is just one of the 24,900 people whose paths crossed with Church Army last year. These individuals had the opportunity to receive the support they needed while also finding a message of God’s love and grace. This support might have been safe accommodation through our Marylebone project, or one of the 23,700 meals distributed. Our CoMs are incredibly diverse, each tailored to meet the specific needs of the surrounding community.

We’re thrilled to be partnering with New Wine this year and looking forward to attending United 23. I invite you to visit our stand in the Exhibition Space, where you can learn more about how you can personally, or as a church, partner with us to see a world where everyone can encounter God’s love and transform their communities.

Peter Rouch (CEO)