The Christmas Story is on the way to the printers this morning. It will in the warehouse and ready to ship in a couple of weeks, but you can view the booklet online and order today.
As the title suggests, the booklet tells the story of the nativity in a simple and straightforward way for adult readers. It’s suitable for giving away at church events, carol services and the like, and we’ll be making matching posters and invites for downloading in the next few weeks.
If you’re a user of our Inspire range of resources, we have made some changes to the way you order. We’ve recently been investigating ways to make our supporter donations go further – every efficiency can make a difference in today’s economic climate.
One of the savings we’ve made is to switch our warehousing arrangements. By changing the way our resources are packed and sent out, we’ve been able to cut our costs significantly – and at the same time improve our service to you.
You will still be able to order resources and have them delivered to you, on a free / donation basis, as before. The biggest difference is that our booklet resources will now come in packs. (Most) English language titles will come in packs of ten, and foreign languages titles in packs of five. Please call us (020 7730 2155) if you have any questions.
It’s a small change, but one that makes a big difference to our costs. Every penny saved on administration frees up more funds for the important work of speaking, sharing and being life words together. And don’t forget that paying forward the value of any orders you make will also help us to continue providing resources free for those that need them most.
PS – orders made up until the first half of October may take a little longer than usual, as the new distribution system settles in. Once we’re up and running, you can still expect the same fast and friendly service that you’re used to, and all in good time for Christmas
Although the summer is not yet over, a lot of us already focus on the coming school term. It is a good opportunity to order The Little Book of Help to share with others (please see some screenshots of its content below). The Bible is full of wisdom, encouragement, and good advice about real life stuff. The Little Book of Help is a taster of what the Bible has to say.
The Bible resources are sent by economy mail – please allow between two and four weeks for delivery. A suggested donation for resources is € 0.5 (booklet). Such contribution covers postage and allows us to develop new products. Anything above the suggested amount enables us to equip Christians in poor countries.
When a Pavement Project worker takes a street child through a counselling session, one of the tools at their disposal are the pocket cards – four little cards with a picture and a verse, which remind the child of a key truth. One depicts welcoming hands, another the safety of knowing God. Children can choose the one that speaks to them the most. For some, that card becomes a treasured possession.
This week we heard of the cards being used in quite a different context, as a chaplain wrote to us, surprised to find they were intended for children. “We are all God’s children”, she wrote, “and if you knew how many old ladies I have visited in hospital who say ‘I’ve met you before and you gave me this’, and then extract from their purses one of the little cards… These cards have been such a blessing to so many, just when they needed reminding how precious and loved they are.”
We have a large supply of the four pocket cards, and are currently featuring them in our summer warehouse clearance. You can view and order them here.
If you haven’t browsed the other items in the clearance, the full list is here – including discontinued products, overstock, and old favourites.
Christian and Who Else Could? are two long-standing favourites from our Inspire range. Both have now been discontinued and are no longer in the current catalogue, but we still have large stocks in the warehouse.
For a limited time only, we’ve made both titles available for ordering. If you can use any copies, please come and order as many as you need – you’ll be getting resources for your ministry, and helping us clear some space on the shelves at the same time!
To order these titles, and to see what else is in our warehouse clearance, visit our online ordering page.
That’s the question raised recently by a research report from LICC and Spring Harvest. They surveyed 3,000 British Christians to see what kind of issues people faced in their lives, and the challenges they encountered in their faith. 55% of respondents replied that ‘fatigue’ was the main challenge to their walk with God.
The same number of people, 55%, reported that time pressure and stress were problems for them, 45% struggled with long working hours, and 47% wrestle with the so-called work/life balance.
The report was commissioned ahead of the annual Spring Harvest conference, and aimed to pin-point specific challenges to the church in the UK.
What should our response be to this? Perhaps we should be more aware of the pressures that people are under, and think carefully about whether the church lifts burdens or adds to them. We also need to ask some questions of ourselves – the gospel is a message of freedom, and Jesus calls us to rest in him and in his presence. Shouldn’t Christians in the UK be wary of kudos in busy-ness, and be confident enough to live at a slower pace? It is, after all, only when we slow down that we have time for others around us, and time for community.
It was with the issue of busyness and burnout that SGM Lifewords released the booklet Walking in the Desert. It uses the story of Elijah to tell a story of exhaustion and new strength found in God. You can order it here.
Since the launch of our church tour leaflet, Look Around You, we have had a number of people ask if they can use the words on posters. To save you the trouble of making your own, we’ve now released a downloadable version of Look Around You, ready to print and display in your church.
Just visit our historic churches site to download, or click here to order copies of the Look Around You leaflet.
SGM Lifewords Inspire resources are used by pastoral workers and chaplains around the world as they seek to bring words of hope, healing, comfort and peace to those they encounter. This week, join us in giving thanks for their partnership with us and in bringing them before God in prayer.
New this month in our Bible resources range: Inspiring Prayer. Find out more at www.sgmlifewords.com, or call us on 020 7730 2155 for a copy.
Despite many obstacles, the church in Vietnam has continued to grow since it was formed several hundred years ago, and now accounts for around 8% of the population. This week, join us in praying for partners in Vietnam and for the church in a wider context.
