1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,360 Growbaby Sunday. I'm Pip, I'm one of the team 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:06,680 here and also one of the part of the team at Growbaby. 3 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:10,560 We wanted to give you a bit of an update of what's going on at 4 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:13,680 Growbaby, also tell you about it if you're newish and you've not 5 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,720 heard about it before. Growbaby is one of the ways that 6 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:21,160 we as a church love our city. We're nine years into the 7 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,680 journey and it's grown from a couple in church and collecting 8 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,600 a few bags of children's clothes to give to families who needed 9 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,400 them, to having our base at Moulton St. like you've seen on 10 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:33,480 the video where lots of families come through the door every 11 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:36,640 week. Our vision is that no child in 12 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,000 childhood would be without the clothes that they need. 13 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,400 And we know that that's a really big vision, and it's one that we 14 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:46,360 can't even begin to meet without a God who is bigger than us. 15 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:49,920 But every year see God's faithfulness and provision of 16 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,440 stuff, of stuff that people need time and time again. 17 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,760 And people in the local community are so generous. 18 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,200 They are outrageously generous. And they give us children's 19 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,080 clothes, baby equipment, and baby essentials that we can then 20 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:08,000 give away to people who need it. A little while ago, Caroline and 21 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:11,200 I put our heads together and we spent some time just thinking 22 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,680 and praying about Growbaby and what it looks like at the 23 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:15,760 moment. And we asked ourselves three 24 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:18,200 simple questions. So we just want to share with 25 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,560 you some of our thinking around those three questions this 26 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:23,600 morning. And the first was this. 27 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,480 If we were to use one word to describe Growbaby, what would it 28 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:32,960 be? And the sense that we had was 29 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:40,360 this, that it would be home. OK, This is sorry. 30 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:45,040 This is my my brother's attempt at our home. 31 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:47,560 Anyway, there we go. Home. 32 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,520 That's what we thought. We thought grow baby is like 33 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:50,960 home. Yeah. 34 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,560 That's the overwhelming sense we've had this year. 35 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,240 Home for people. And I don't know what you think 36 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,760 about when you hear the word home, but we mean when we talk 37 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,480 about home, we mean it in the very best sense of the word. 38 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,840 We mean it as a place where you belong, a place where you are 39 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,080 known, where you feel seen, where you feel safe, where you 40 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:16,320 can be soothed, and where you can connect and be connected. 41 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,040 There are so many people who come along to grow Baby. 42 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,120 People who just want to connect with other families or catch up 43 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:26,960 with friends that they've made. Expectant moms, new moms, young 44 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:31,040 moms, parents, grandparents, people who are finding it hard 45 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:34,360 to make ends meet. Families living in hotels and in 46 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:37,760 temporary accommodation. People who for one reason or 47 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:41,200 another, have had to uproot and find themselves in a place where 48 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:44,840 they're on their own. People who maybe are refugees or 49 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:48,920 who are seeking asylum. All sorts of people gather in 50 00:02:48,920 --> 00:02:50,640 the space that we call Grow Baby. 51 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:53,320 It is a wonderful, diverse family. 52 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,320 We have a whole host of different languages that's 53 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,480 spoken by people who have come. We are very thankful for Google 54 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,680 Translate and also for all the team. 55 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,120 Lots of the team speak different languages as well. 56 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:09,560 We're so thankful for everybody doing their bit. 57 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,880 So nowadays our sessions are usually quite busy with anything 58 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,600 from 50 to 90 families through the door each week. 59 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:19,480 Jesus gives us this picture of what it's like to feel at home 60 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:21,160 with God. And he says this, if you've got 61 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:23,880 a Bible, turn to it. You can turn to it in Matthew 62 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:26,400 chapter 13. It'll also appeal on the screen. 63 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:28,880 We're just going to literally read a couple of verses. 64 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:32,560 But this is what he says feeling at home in God feels like. 65 00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:35,920 He says the Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a 66 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:39,200 field. It's the smallest of all seeds, 67 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:41,800 but it becomes the largest of garden plants. 68 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:47,040 It grows into a tree and the birds come and make nests in its 69 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:51,040 branches. Now, probably back then when 70 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,320 Jesus was talking, that was quite a familiar kind of 71 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,040 analogy. Right now you might just think 72 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:58,760 of if you're, you know, know your herbs and spices, you might 73 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:01,240 just think of the little mustard seeds that you get in a herb 74 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:03,640 pot. So if it's easier, think of 75 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:07,640 maybe like an acorn and then a huge, massive oak tree. 76 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,080 OK. The picture talks about things 77 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,600 growing from very, very small beginnings and growing for the 78 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:17,880 good of the world around them. And the sense that we get with 79 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:22,079 these birds perching, coming and nesting in the tree is that it 80 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:25,480 represents all kinds of people. God's Kingdom. 81 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,960 This invitation to be at home with God is like that. 82 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:31,600 It's open to everyone, no matter who you are. 83 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,960 And the invitation is don't just come and you know, perch for a 84 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:40,840 bit and then fly off. Come, stay, settle, nest, rest 85 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:42,760 with me. Let me be your home. 86 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,200 That's what Jesus is saying. Let me be your safe place. 87 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,960 I'll be everything you need. That's what he says to each of 88 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,280 us. And at the same time, when we do 89 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,080 life with Jesus, he is with us and we can offer that safe 90 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:58,320 place, that safe space to other people. 91 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:02,000 And I think that's something of what happens at Growbaby. 92 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:05,400 We often use this phrase, and you'll hear it all the time if 93 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,600 you're a part of the team. Growbaby is for everyone, 94 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:11,520 because it really is. And many of the families we 95 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:15,120 support, for one reason or another, don't feel safe. 96 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:18,560 Maybe they feel a bit disoriented or adrift for all 97 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:21,400 sorts of reasons. And if you've been here for the 98 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,560 last few weeks, you'll know that we've been thinking about what 99 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:28,440 it is to be family, to be connected to each other as a 100 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,120 people. You know, there's a lot going on 101 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,280 in our world right now. And at Growbaby, we're called to 102 00:05:34,280 --> 00:05:38,760 be this place, to be this safe space, A community where people 103 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:43,320 can come and can find that they belong, where they can feel some 104 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,800 sense of grounding when they can feel at home. 105 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:50,160 And for those of us who know Jesus on the team, we hope that 106 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,880 part of what people experience when they walk through the doors 107 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:57,960 is him, something of Jesus. So Caroline and I, as we were 108 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:03,200 kind of thinking we Caroline's arty, anyone who doesn't know 109 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,360 that, like, yeah, you need to this is Caroline's work of art 110 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:08,360 here. But what we did was we we were 111 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:12,080 thinking about this word home and thinking about what? 112 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:13,640 What does that mean? And what does that look like at 113 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:16,560 Grow Baby? We've got a picture of it up on 114 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:18,840 the screen. So I just want to walk you 115 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:22,520 through the poster if you like. So any given Wednesday people 116 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:28,480 come and we we listen to them. We play, you know, the kids 117 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:33,480 play, we eat, we get through shed loads of biscuits and other 118 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:36,720 treats that people bring. We chat, we choose and give out 119 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,800 clothes, we laugh sometimes we cry together, we pray. 120 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,160 People share about themselves and they tell their stories, 121 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:48,600 sometimes in little snippets, sometimes in big chunks, and we 122 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:50,040 listen. And in the doing of all those 123 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:54,200 really normal everyday things, time and time again, something 124 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,480 godly happens, something of the Kingdom of God grows. 125 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:00,920 People feel welcomed, they feel connected, they feel safe, they 126 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:05,360 feel heard, they feel valued, they feel known, they feel seen, 127 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,040 they feel cared for. And we hope we're a place where 128 00:07:09,280 --> 00:07:13,720 the displaced can feel placed, where the refugee can find 129 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:16,400 refuge. Where those who feel this sense 130 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:19,880 of unrest can actually feel a moment of rest. 131 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,480 Where the unsettled can feel settled. 132 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,440 Where people who feel disconnected can feel connected. 133 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:30,280 Where those who feel homeless can feel somehow homed. 134 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:34,200 Within that space. Where those who feel unsafe can 135 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:37,840 feel safe, and those who feel unseen can feel seen. 136 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:41,360 Where everyone who walks through the door can feel something of 137 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:45,160 what it is like to belong and that that gives them a glimpse 138 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:47,600 of what it feels like to be at home with God. 139 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,360 We say, you know, one of the things that we say people are 140 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,600 not a project. Grow Baby is about seeing people 141 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:57,840 and loving people. It's a place where we get to 142 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:02,560 show people what Jesus is like. And some of our values, I'm just 143 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:04,480 going to whiz through some of them because we think they're a 144 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,800 bit Jesusy. So we give value and dignity. 145 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:12,960 We give out good quality stuff. We do quite a lot of tip runs 146 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,800 for stuff that maybe is not the quiet quality that we want. 147 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:18,280 So we don't want to give out that stuff. 148 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,760 We want to give out good stuff because it communicates value 149 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:24,280 and dignity to people. We want to be a place of refuge 150 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:27,120 and safety. We want to be a place that where 151 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:29,480 we have no judgement. Anyone can walk in. 152 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:34,080 There's no criteria for having to be met to be able to use Grow 153 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,520 Baby. We want to be a warm welcome. 154 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:40,280 We always want to be kind. We always want to be generous, 155 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:45,400 we always want to be a listening ear, even when it's a crazy busy 156 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:50,120 session and we know that every contact leaves a trace. 157 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:53,520 And for those of us who are on the team who know Jesus, we want 158 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:58,480 that that trace to be Jesus. So that's our word to describe 159 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:00,160 growbaby. This year it would be home. 160 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,280 Second question was, what if Growbaby were an object? 161 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:10,240 What would we come up with? And what we come up with is the 162 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:15,760 humble jam sandwich. OK, let me tell you why. 163 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:20,720 OK, Because let me tell you about one of our friends who up 164 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:23,760 until recently was part of the team, and she'd been with us for 165 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:25,960 a couple of years. She was living in a hotel 166 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:28,680 locally and that meant she didn't have any access to any 167 00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:32,680 cooking facilities, but she loved to cook so it was really, 168 00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:35,440 really hard for her. She found it difficult to eat 169 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:38,880 the food that was provided by the hotel, so for months on end 170 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,080 she generally lived on jam sandwiches that she had made. 171 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,240 Last year she came along to grow baby Sunda here and we said 172 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,360 there'd be food afterwards and they'll be, we'll all stay on 173 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:51,880 and eat together like we're going to do today. 174 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,880 And on that day, she rocked up with some jam sandwiches to 175 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:59,320 share with everyone. It reminded me of a moment where 176 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:02,360 Jesus fed thousands of people with the only food that was 177 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:05,320 around, which was a little boy's packed lunch sandwiches. 178 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:09,120 Jesus took the very little that someone had and he blessed loads 179 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:11,760 and loads of people with it. If you want to read that story a 180 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:14,960 little bit more, you can find it in Matthew chapter 14. 181 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:17,400 If you've not got a Bible and you're like, where's that? 182 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:19,160 We've got some spare ones out there. 183 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:22,800 Please do grab one, take that away with you and have a read of 184 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:25,520 it. But when we were here and had 185 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:29,960 that Grobby sundae last last year, those jam sandwiches that 186 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:33,720 were made by this wonderful friend of ours was such a hit 187 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:35,840 with the kids that were here at church. 188 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,120 Some children who didn't really want to eat some of the other 189 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:42,080 foods that was here that day loved the jam sandwiches. 190 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:44,960 And the whole thing really, really moved me. 191 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:46,400 I didn't know she was going to bring them. 192 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:49,240 She rocked up with them with a little that she had. 193 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:52,320 And Jesus does this time and a time again with grow baby. 194 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,240 He takes the sometimes little thing that someone else doesn't 195 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:59,920 want anymore or doesn't need. And that thing is that's about 196 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:03,560 to be thrown out or given away. And it comes our way and we're 197 00:11:03,560 --> 00:11:05,280 able to just say thank you for it. 198 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:07,800 And it's a blessing then to other people. 199 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:12,160 It's like it feeds people and he multiplies the works of our 200 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:14,760 hands. So this simple jam sandwich 201 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:18,720 means quite a lot to us here at Growbaby. 202 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:23,520 Third thing, if Growbaby were a flower, you might think these 203 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:25,520 are really random questions, but there you go. 204 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:30,040 If if Growbaby were a flower, what kind of flower would it be? 205 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:32,280 OK, you got to bear with me here. 206 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:36,280 This is sweet pea. That's not the flower I wanted. 207 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,760 I couldn't find honeysuckle. So and I have tried this already 208 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:42,040 just to make sure we don't set off any alarms, but I'm just 209 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:45,200 going to have a little spray. OK? 210 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,160 So hopefully that will waft your way. 211 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:51,960 If Grobe were a flower, we said it would be honeysuckle. 212 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:56,560 And again, you might wonder why, but if you Google a honeysuckle, 213 00:11:56,560 --> 00:12:01,200 for those of you who are not gardeners, it says it has this 214 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:04,360 special for its intoxicating fragrance. 215 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:08,120 OK, now, if you're part of the team, that might make you laugh 216 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:13,040 because sometimes in our leaky building when the rain has come, 217 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:15,080 you get a different kind of aroma. 218 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,120 And so it's like a bit of the damp kind of smell. 219 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:21,040 So, you know, in a couple of weeks ago, we invested in some 220 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:24,840 new plug in, you know, air fresheners just to, you know, 221 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:28,160 have the nice smell. Anyway, honeysuckle smells 222 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:30,680 lovely. And in the Bible, it talks about 223 00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:33,480 the scent of Jesus being something that people notice. 224 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,600 Paul, this person who wrote part of the letters in the Bible. 225 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:39,680 You can find it in Two Corinthians 2. 226 00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:44,920 It's referred to like knowing Jesus is referred to as a 227 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:48,040 fragrance, like the fragrance of life. 228 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:52,720 So it's like the senses, if you know Jesus, he sticks with you 229 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:55,560 wherever you go. And that smell, that fragrance 230 00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:58,440 goes with you wherever you go. And people might come and oh, 231 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:00,400 that smells nice. Some others might go, oh, I 232 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:02,880 don't like that smell, but other people will go. 233 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:06,520 I really like that smell. So honeysuckle is this 234 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:09,960 beautifully smelling plant. Has anyone got honeysuckle in 235 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,280 their in their garden? Oh, nice. 236 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:14,360 Oh, excellent. OK, brilliant. 237 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:16,200 Next time you smell it, think of grow baby. 238 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:21,480 OK, But something else that he says about honeysuckle is this 239 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,840 it's it's a it's a vigorous climbing plant. 240 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:28,000 I sound like AI was in the horticulturist. 241 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:29,840 Is that the right word? Is it OK? 242 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:33,920 Oh, well, there we go. It's a vigorous climbing plant. 243 00:13:34,560 --> 00:13:37,160 It spreads out. It is far reaching. 244 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:40,360 And in a sense, we see that a little bit grow, baby, like the 245 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:43,280 the sheer numbers of people that come through the door and the 246 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,840 variety of people that come through the door. 247 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:48,800 The definition goes on. It's often sorry, the 248 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:51,120 description. It's often found in hedges and 249 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:53,120 woods. And it's known for its ability 250 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:57,000 to transform unsightly structures into picturesque 251 00:13:57,000 --> 00:13:59,480 displays. Some might say our current 252 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:03,640 building is something of an unsightly structure in places. 253 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:07,520 Yeah. But also sometimes people's life 254 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:13,000 experiences are not pretty, but these can be transformed in the 255 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,280 presence of Jesus and all the very normal things that we do at 256 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:18,920 Grow Baby. Back to the description of 257 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:23,040 honeysuckle, beyond this beauty and scent, it says honeysuckle 258 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:25,960 provides food. And again with that little bit 259 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:30,200 of kind of a bit of a leap, week after week our rails are 260 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:33,280 refilled with clothes for people in time for the following week. 261 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:40,280 Often the rails are are kind of emptied throughout a session and 262 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:42,680 then the follow up in the course of the following week we'll fill 263 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:43,200 them. Again. 264 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:46,800 We see provision time and time again and we're really, really 265 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:51,160 thankful for that. The description goes on. 266 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:53,320 It provides habitat which means home. 267 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,400 So again, harks back to that, that overall sense that we've 268 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:00,320 had habitat for various wildlife, including birds and 269 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:05,440 other living things, which harks back to that whole mustard tree 270 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:11,600 tree growth, birds living and resting in the trees. 271 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:15,080 I don't know if any of you have ever kind of, well, you've 272 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:19,880 obviously been awake early, but that idea of when you you hear 273 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,720 that kind of dawn chorus or if you've been somewhere where the 274 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,560 sound of birdsong is just like unbelievable. 275 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:31,480 It's totally spectacular. It speaks of like life and 276 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:36,080 community and celebration. And that's the kind of sense 277 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:40,680 that we have at Growbaby. So Growbaby, this year, the 278 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:46,280 three things that we felt are that it's home, jam sandwiches 279 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:49,320 and honeysuckle. So next time you get home and 280 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:53,160 you walk through your front door, think of us and pray for 281 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:55,360 us at Graybaby. Next time you tuck into a 282 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:59,280 sandwich, think of us and pray for us at Growbaby. 283 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:03,520 And next time you catch the smell of a nice fragrance, think 284 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:09,440 of us and pray for us at Growbaby that we will continue 285 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:12,120 to be this space that is home for people. 286 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:15,560 We're going to listen to a little clip now of one of our 287 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:18,480 wonderful team who is here this morning. 288 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:21,560 And I promise you, she didn't know what I was going to say 289 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:25,360 before she said what she said. So let's have a little look now, 290 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:29,160 so. If I talk about like from the 291 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:34,000 beginning, the crowbaby I was, I don't know what they are 292 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,560 actually doing. So I remember when somebody 293 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:43,000 recommended me and my first one, she was a two years old and we, 294 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:47,480 we due to the limited resources, I can't take them far anywhere. 295 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:51,840 So somebody recommended me to go come here and have a chit chat. 296 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,080 There are people are very nice. And when I entered into this 297 00:16:56,280 --> 00:17:01,280 girl baby, I met a very :) and I remember the first smile. 298 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:05,480 And from the first day they welcome us. 299 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:11,079 And till date, it's been almost two years and I always feel very 300 00:17:11,079 --> 00:17:15,160 happy, satisfied and feel like like home. 301 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:18,000 This organization gives me a lot. 302 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:23,000 I have a very sentimental emotions and feelings attached 303 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:27,560 to this and I wonder, I don't know throughout my life or even 304 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:30,880 my kids, they never forget what love she gives. 305 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:34,600 They get from here and everybody here is like a family. 306 00:17:35,960 --> 00:18:05,720 So if I talk about like from. I think I've turned it on. 307 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:07,240 I think I've turned it on. Thank you. 308 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:09,200 Thank you. So I'm going to do some stats, 309 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,160 but very broad stroke stats, so don't worry. 310 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,080 So like Pip said, we have between 50 and 90 families come 311 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:21,280 every week and there are nearly 3000 people in our Facebook 312 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:24,520 community, which is a very active community and those are 313 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:27,240 active participants within the within the community. 314 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:32,440 Last year we gave away lots of buggies, prams, double buggies, 315 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:37,280 rare as hen's teeth, cots, high chairs, baby bouncers, all 316 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:39,400 manner of baby essentials and equipment. 317 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:42,880 Clothes wise we gave out hundreds of bundles and where a 318 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:46,600 bundle might be for multiple children, we worked closely with 319 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:49,680 local food banks, children's centres and lots of other 320 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:52,680 agencies and organisations to support families. 321 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:56,800 The local community are so generous and the stats are 322 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,480 important, but more important than the stats are the stories 323 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,720 behind those stats. They're about numbers, but 324 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,640 stories are about people, and we want to tell you a few stories 325 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:08,920 this morning in the hope that it captures something of the work 326 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:14,880 that we're doing. So we had a lady come in who 327 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:18,880 donated us 2 bags of brand new clothes hadn't been worn and 328 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,320 still had their tags on. So we asked people, you know, 329 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:23,920 how do you hear about us when they come in? 330 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:26,800 How do you hear about us? And she said you pretty much 331 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:29,560 kitted out my friend's daughter with everything she needed for 332 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:34,120 her new baby. There's people will say, well, 333 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:36,880 we don't need this anymore. The other week we were giving a 334 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:41,600 given a flushing pink toilet to help children with their toilet 335 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:43,400 training. So it looked like a glorified 336 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:45,560 potty. It was a glorified potty. 337 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:49,200 It was a mini toilet and as you flushed it, it made a little 338 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:53,240 flushing noise. It was very exciting and we 339 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:55,120 needed some potties that week so we took it in. 340 00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:58,000 But we weren't really sure if anyone wanted a flashing pink 341 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,880 potty. But that same day somebody saw 342 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:02,680 it and said my daughter's going to love this. 343 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:06,160 We were able to give one of our mums a toddler bed. 344 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:08,160 She was so thankful and she cried out. 345 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,680 You save our families, you save our children, you save our 346 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:15,120 souls. One mum literally started 347 00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:18,400 singing and dancing and shouting thank you when we I'm not going 348 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,920 to do that but. We were able to give her a 349 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:23,440 beautiful double buggy for her newborn twins. 350 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:27,400 A young boy who loves dinosaurs came in a few weeks ago. 351 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,680 That morning a number of dinosaur themed clothes had come 352 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:35,000 in and fitted him perfectly and we don't take toys, we don't 353 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,720 take toys. But that day somehow one had got 354 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:41,760 tucked in at the bottom of a bag of clothes that had been donated 355 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:45,840 and it was an all singing, light up moving, roaring dinosaur toy. 356 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:49,040 There was so much joy in the room and the little boy took it 357 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:52,320 home with him. We were able to give a pregnant 358 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,880 mum everything she needed for her baby including a buggy, cot 359 00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:58,080 etcetera. She's brought us doughnuts and 360 00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:00,760 biscuits as a thank you and wrote a lovely message to us 361 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:04,000 saying how much it had meant to her and her family and how much 362 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:06,560 it had helped them. We were also able to pray for 363 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:11,680 that mum, whose partner had just become made redundant and was 364 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:14,960 out of work and through the course of her pregnancy. 365 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:17,360 He's now in work and she's in a much better position. 366 00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:19,120 But she wouldn't. She didn't know how she would 367 00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:22,280 have got to where she was without us and the support we 368 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:26,840 were able to offer her. So one of our moms recently says 369 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:29,480 that she knows that I would always give her a hug if she 370 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,200 needs one. She always comes in late at the 371 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:34,600 end of the session but if she sees me she'll always get a hug. 372 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:38,560 A family who came in regularly asked next time that they could 373 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:41,040 bring some balloons and cakes etcetera because it was their 374 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:44,240 son's birthday so we pretty much had a party together. 375 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:47,560 There's a mum who picks up the Hoover and does the hoovering at 376 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,960 the end of the session saying thank you so much for everything 377 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:53,560 you do for us. It's the least I can do. 378 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:57,280 And we've got a mum who says we've got a wedding to go to in 379 00:21:57,280 --> 00:21:59,760 a few weeks time. Have you got a nice dress or 380 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:01,800 something my little girl might be able to wear? 381 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:05,080 We don't have anything in the right size for her at the time. 382 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:08,080 But one of the team over here is she has a daughter who's of a 383 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,840 similar age. So she says come back next week, 384 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:13,520 bring some beautiful dresses. And then she borrowed the 385 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:14,920 beautiful dresses for the wedding. 386 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:20,400 And a mum who says I suffer from anxiety, I really don't get out 387 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,440 much to meet people. It was hard for me to come in 388 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:27,520 but I'm so glad I did. And we've got a mum who's due to 389 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:31,920 have her baby in a in a week's time and she has nothing arrived 390 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:33,560 You to give birth in a week's time. 391 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:36,280 She has nothing. And we were able to give her 392 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:38,800 lots of what she needed. And Can you imagine you're 393 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:39,720 having? I can't. 394 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,000 Obviously you can't. You know, you're having a baby 395 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,600 next week and you've got nothing of everything you need. 396 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:50,640 My child wanted anything. There's lots of things children 397 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:52,320 want. There's no way I could afford 1. 398 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:54,760 And here it is, exactly in the right size. 399 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:57,040 That was dressing up clothing wasn't it? 400 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:00,840 A child who greets a friend that they meet at Grow Baby every 401 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:03,120 week and they hug, they give each other is so big. 402 00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:07,720 They both fall over. We have families move away but 403 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,160 some are able to come back and visit a month later and and 404 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,640 still are reflecting on how much we've done for them. 405 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:18,520 We have a mum who said again and again I'm so lucky today when 406 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:22,320 she found the things she needed, and a family who moved back into 407 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:25,320 the area recently after having a really tough time elsewhere. 408 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:29,440 They came back to Grow Baby and mum says I belong here. 409 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:32,840 A local MP visited a few weeks back. 410 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:35,960 She said she visited lots of places but what she noticed at 411 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:39,240 Grow Baby was that there was a lot of joy in the place. 412 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:42,920 She wrote to us after and said it's clear that Grow Baby is a 413 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:48,160 place where people meet and make friends and families who come on 414 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:52,600 team and then when they move area or are rehoused somewhere, 415 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:55,080 they say again and again how much they're going to miss Grow 416 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:56,880 Baby because it feels like a family. 417 00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:01,240 And there are countless stories like this of people saying just 418 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:04,120 this is just what I needed. I've been looking for something 419 00:24:04,120 --> 00:24:05,920 like this. Thank you so much for what 420 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:09,440 you're doing. So that's a few of the stories. 421 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,840 How can am I carrying on? OK, How can I get involved? 422 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:20,520 So give any collecting clothes baby items, spread the word, ask 423 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:24,440 for specific things we need. So there are little hubs around 424 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:26,720 the Chelmsford area that are gathering bits. 425 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:31,600 So Jenny will come home and find a packet of nappies on her front 426 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:34,840 doorstep. We live in Malden and people are 427 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:37,000 gathering things. So people know about Grow baby 428 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,160 in Malden. Piles of clothes, bags of 429 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:41,200 clothes. We often go through Hatfield 430 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:43,440 Peverel and pick up lots of other bags of clothes. 431 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,000 So spread the words amongst your connections and bring things to 432 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:51,440 us. So giving and collecting 433 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:53,680 clothes. Come and be part of the team. 434 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:56,880 If you can't get to us when we do our sessions you might be 435 00:24:56,880 --> 00:25:00,000 able to help with other things. Come and chat to us. 436 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,400 We've always got a long To Do List. 437 00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:05,600 Pray. We would love to get together a 438 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:07,320 group of people who would commit to pray. 439 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:12,040 Praying for Grow Baby regularly and so in terms of prayer, the 440 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:16,240 things we need prayer for people, for parents, families 441 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:20,520 and team that we've we are still a place of home for people and 442 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:22,440 that people find peace when they're with us. 443 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:25,560 Provision. So next year Grow Baby will be 444 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:28,360 10. So we we need prayer for 445 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:32,080 continuing favour and generosity within the local community and 446 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:36,000 for specific needs to be met. So ongoing and new partnerships 447 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:39,960 with other local organizations, we need favour on funding 448 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:44,400 applications, grant applications that go in at the building and 449 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:46,120 venue. The current 1 is a great 450 00:25:46,120 --> 00:25:51,560 location but it is tired and lacks a few crucial things and 451 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:54,080 we would love at some point to have somewhere that is a great 452 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:56,960 location. But it's also a bright welcoming 453 00:25:56,960 --> 00:26:01,680 space that is warm, has hot water heating and parking which 454 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:03,320 are the things we lack at the moment. 455 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,480 So from the film that of Pip talking about Grove, it looks 456 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:09,760 beautiful, bright, glossy, lovely. 457 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:15,720 It's actually an old tired building that leaks in the rain. 458 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:19,040 We also need prayer for presence and power. 459 00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:22,280 That people who would who come to grow baby would experience 460 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:26,520 God's peace, his healing and his joy, that it would feel like 461 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:31,280 home to all who come. So yes, please pray. 462 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:37,440 Grand. Stay there. 463 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:42,600 Stay there. OK, So we just, yeah, we we kind 464 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,560 of want to say thank you for all those things. 465 00:26:47,360 --> 00:26:51,720 It's one, it's such a privilege to be a part of Growbaby every 466 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,440 time you talk about Growbaby with a neighbor or a colleague 467 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:56,840 and every time you give us a bag of clothes. 468 00:26:57,320 --> 00:26:58,760 Every time. Where's Johnson? 469 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:03,680 Every time you knit bubble hats and scarves, which you did for 470 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:08,160 yesterday's session and literally straight away, some 471 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:10,560 families like they're amazing and they took them. 472 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:15,360 Every time that you your doorstep is full of nappies and 473 00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:17,440 other things. Every time you help the tip 474 00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:20,840 trip. Every time you drop off plastic 475 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,640 bags to us or give a shout out on your street. 476 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,240 You're part of grow baby. Every time you Hoover up biscuit 477 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,760 crumbs, every time you change the nappy bin, every time you 478 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:32,720 clean buggies, all those kind of things. 479 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:36,240 Every time you you ask friends for this particular amount of 480 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,360 clothes that we need this this age range. 481 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:41,760 We, we want to thank all of you because you're all a part of 482 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:43,640 this. Thank you for helping to make 483 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:46,120 this happen. Whether you're on a team on a 484 00:27:46,120 --> 00:27:49,640 Tuesday or a Wednesday or a Saturday, or whether you can't 485 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:52,640 make those days, but you're still kind of helping behind the 486 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:55,280 scenes. Thank you for helping to make 487 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:59,800 that happen. There are some of our team are 488 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:03,280 here this morning, but this is look at them all. 489 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:08,160 Don't they look amazing? Whole host of people who helped 490 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:10,840 make it happen. We are so thankful for every 491 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:14,400 single one of them. Thank you for giving your time 492 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:17,880 and your energy and your resources and your expertise. 493 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:22,000 Every single week I feel quite emotional. 494 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:27,000 Big thank yous because it really doesn't happen without everyone 495 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:31,360 doing it together. If you, if you do stuff to do 496 00:28:31,360 --> 00:28:33,760 with grow baby, like specifically if you're part of 497 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,080 the team on a Tuesday or Wednesday or Saturday, would you 498 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:38,600 just stand up so that we can just say a big thank you to you? 499 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:41,040 That's a bit scary, isn't it? Sorry I didn't give you a pre 500 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:42,520 warning of that. You can hit me later. 501 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:44,960 OK. Do we just give them a big thank 502 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:50,960 you? Yeah, yeah. 503 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:55,280 Big thank yous to you, all your friends, your family and your 504 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:57,080 team. So big thank yous. 505 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:00,000 And we would just love to pray. Now, why don't you just stand 506 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:01,600 up? We'll pray and then we'll 507 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:02,240 finish.