In 2007, paediatricians and Trent Vineyard members Cat and Mary moved to India to work with poor and orphaned children. In response to the needs of the poor, they set up a charity called Love The One, which aims to:

• provide a community paediatric service
• be an advocate for the children
• train and equip others to continue this work

There is a great need in India, but the motto of the charity is about:

“Making a difference… one child at a time.”

Recently, they have been thrilled to open their new clinic, giving free medical care to some of the poorest children in India.

If you’d like to find out more, just head to www.lovetheone.org.

Many more opportunities are opening up for people to become involved and bless what God is doing in India through short and longer term trips. 

For more information please contact Liz Gregson. 

Building Bridges

Partnering with the charity Bridges for Communities, we send short-term teams to the Middle East and help to host Arab students visiting the U.K.

These programs build relationships with people of other cultures and faiths, help to develop understanding and trust between Christians and Muslims, and provide a place to talk about faith in meaningful ways.

Trent has developed a link with a charity in Zimbabwe called Family Impact through Lynne Knight, who was previously a member of Trent Vineyard.

Family Impact works to strengthen families in response to the threat of HIV/AIDS and encourages churches to provide wholesome positive education and examples of strong family life. This helps them to care for the sick, provide shelter to the homeless and love to the fatherless.

Teams from Trent go out to visit Lynne and serve the vision of Family Impact. They get involved with practical projects, as well as training and equipping those working to transform communities in Africa. 

If you are interested in finding out more, please email Tracey & Graeme Guthrie  

Over the last few years, several teams have gone out from Trent to Romania to serve Little John's House, a privately owned orphanage. During the year Little John's House is home to 6 orphans with a variety of complex needs, but during the summer it opens it's doors to 400 children with special needs from local families, state-run orphanages and hospitals. 

During summer school the children enjoy all kinds of crafts and activities including jewellery making, face painting and sports. It is amazing to see the change in the children, as they learn through play and have fun.

Contact Jo Gresty for more details. 

Emily Raggett, a member of Trent Vineyard, moved to Ghana in 2010 to serve the network of Vineyard churches across Ghana.

Emily works with the leadership team to support the churches in developing and training leaders, outreach, teaching at youth groups, supporting church plants, preaching at services, and much more. She also supports the NGO Shepherd's Heart, which works with and through the Vineyard churches to care for the underprivileged and make a difference in in the community.

Emily has also founded the UK charity Lift Ghana in response to the needs of the poor in Ghana, in particular the urban poor living in the capital, Accra. Lift Ghana works in partnership with Shepherd's Heart and the Vineyard network to support vulnerable people caught in a cycle of poverty by seeking to provide means for them to improve their standard of living.

MADO: Ghana meets once a month at Trent Vineyard to catch up with Emily via Skype and pray for all that is going on in Ghana. Teams from the UK will also be going out to support Emily and the Vineyard churches. If you are interested in getting involved, please email Rosie Jefferson. 

Dave, Heidi and Kira Skipper are members of Trent who moved to Tokyo in Autumn 2010, with a vision to start and be involved in music ministries. They are actively involved in Tokorozawa Vineyard Christian Fellowship as their base church but also connect to other local churches.

Christians are a very small minority in Japan, and despite Japan's affluence and beautiful culture, there are widespread issues of stress, loneliness, fear, pressure to conform and, unfortunately, suicide.

The Skippers' heart is to support Japanese churches in bringing God's refreshment, hope and healing to people and places out of the churches' normal reach.

Heidi leads several adult and children's Gospel choirs connected to different churches, as well as a Mums & Toddlers music club and a small group.

Dave is connecting with underground electronic and jazz musicians and venues, as well as exploring how to reach and support young men who shut themselves off from society. You can listen to Dave's music here. 

MADO: Japan meetings meet monthly, usually on the 4th Saturday from 10-12 at Robby and Caroline's house (see the bulletin for details).

The meetings start with bacon butties. We always Skype with Dave and Heidi, so we can hear firsthand how things are going. We then pray for them, their friends/ministries and for the country as a whole. The group is open to all who have a heart for Japan. Contact Caroline and Robby for more information.

FRIENDS INTERNATIONAL

Friends International is a Christian organisation offering genuine friendship to international students (of any faith or none) during their time in the UK, by inviting them round for a meal.

Friends International Nottingham is based at Cornerstone Church. They help match international students with host families and individuals from churches throughout Nottingham.

It’s a great way to show hospitality, warmth and friendship and meet people from other parts of the world.

Trent also partner with the charity DCI. DCI is a network of friends, partners, projects and supporters that began in England in 1985 and today serves "the lost, the last and the least" on all five continents. It focuses mainly upon the poor within developing nations, empowering them through leadership training, micro-loans, business development and community-building projects.

The DCI Network revolves around the central hub of its global internet site, which has recorded over 53 million hits from over 100 nations and is presented, at least partially, in 17 languages.

The DCI Network has relationships with churches and individuals all round the world. For more information on DCI, please email Les & Pilar Norman.