Blog

FRIDAY, MAY 18

Foundations for Farming in India

Many of you will have heard of Foundations for Farming a project started by Brian Oldreive who is based in Zimbabwe. Please see below an excerpt from their latest enews.

Foundations for Farming in India

In recent years, Foundations for Farming has exploded into many different nations. At our Champions Conference in March 2011 we had visitors from many nations, and one such visitor was Mark Deveraj from India who heard of Foundations for Farming through the Newfrontiers family of churches of which he is a part in India.

Mark's Foundations for Farming Station
When Mark returned from the Champions Conference just over a year ago, he immediately put into practice what he had learnt. Mark was raised on a mission station in Pagadupattu, Karumandurai, Salem District, which has a school and hospital on site, and he and his brother now run the school on the station with Mark overseeing the agriculture at the site. Their vision is to share and replicate this in the communities around. The station itself is about 2 hectares in size and has been farmed, using Foundations for Farming priniciples, to a really high standard.

Brian Oldreive Visits India
Brian Oldreive, founder of Foundations for Farming, spent a few weeks in April traveling around India. He visited Mark during this time and was really impressed with the work that Mark had done. "Marks demonstration plots were the neatest thing I saw in the whole country! The plots in the village are a shining light to the people around." While Brian was visiting, some Newfrontiers leaders from churches around came to visit and see what Mark was doing and they now want to replicate what he is doing elsewhere...<read more>

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What is Foundations for Farming?

Foundations for Farming started many years ago when the farm which Brian Oldreive was managing in the north of Zimbabwe was nearing bankruptcy. Burning and deep soil inversion were common practice on the farm causing terrible sheet erosion to occur resulting in loss of seed and water. Increasing amounts of money were being spent on the machinery required for ploughing and double rollings of the lands, and yet the yields were declining.

Being a man of faith, Brian asked God to reveal a way for him to get out of the dire situation he found himself in. God began to reveal to him that in natural creation there is no deep soil inversion and that a thick "blanket" of fallen leaves and grass covers the surface of the soil. This led him to research how he could apply these ways of nature to his farming. He began to experiment with Zero-Tillage using a simple hoe on 2 Ha at the highest standards possible. The results were outstanding and so he had the faith to increase the hectarage under Zero-Tillage. Within six years the whole farm of 1,000 Ha was under minimum tillage and in subsequent years, due to the yearly profits from then on, other farms were bought and he oversaw the farming of 3,500 Ha. The success of the principles we advocate are undeniable in his lifes testimony.

The main priniciples are based upon the following:

Profitability is possible if you faithfully apply these management principles of doing everything:

1. On Time. Plan ahead. Prepare well. Start early. Never be late!

2. At a High Standard. Do every operation and detail as well as you can with no shortcuts. Be honest and honourable in all you do.

3. Without Wasting. Dont waste time, soil, water, sunlight, seed, nutrients, labour, energy, opportunity etc.

4. With Joy. If you do these first three things faithfully without self pity, complaining, blaming others, making excuses, but with thankfulness, there will be no need for fear and hopelessness and you will have hope and joy which gives you strength.

If Foundations for Farming is applied faithfully, Africa can feed itself.

For more information about Foundations for Farming visit:

www.foundationsforfarming.org

Posted by Foundations for Farming at 10:30 AM

TUESDAY, MAY 15

Faith, Hope & Enterprise - An Update

Faith, Hope & Enterprise Update

Hello again, I am sorry it has been so long since my last update. The challenges keep coming! I will start by saying thank you so much for your continued support. It makes such a difference to our residents and the communities we work with and is all the more important as the austerity measures begin to bite.

The financial challenge

The financial provision for the Supporting People programme in Derby has been cut by 2/3rds, from £9m to £3m. This is despite an acknowledgement that every £1 spent on the programme saves £3 across all services. For Faith Hope and Enterprise, this measure and similar changes in Derbyshire County Council, represents a sizeable decrease in income.

Changes to Housing Benefit system are also taking effect. We have seen a significant reduction in payments for new residents this year, which we are challenging. The system is very slow however and is affecting the level of support we are able to provide.

Furthermore, other benefits are also being affected. Currently, 1/3rd of our residents are not receiving benefits such as Job Seekers Allowance or Employment Support Allowance. The food parcels you continue to give have become a life-line for them. This is against the backdrop of The Trussell Trust giving out twice as many food parcels this year (120,000) as last, across 200 centres in the UK and demonstrates the widespread nature of the challenges people face.

The value of support

This week saw two residents move into a specifically sourced two-bedroom property in Derby. When they first came to us, these residents were rough sleeping and eating from skips outside restaurants. In the last two and a half years they have overcome the challenges of homelessness, alcoholism and drug addiction. They have successfully completed a period of probation and re-established contact with families, including a young child. Both of them are now working.

Without support, such life changes are not possible. Your help has made all the difference. From all of our residents - thank you.

How to help

It has been wonderful in the last few weeks to have people with a little time available to volunteer with different aspects of support. If you can recommend someone in this situation, or would like to help yourself, please contact me. In the meantime please encourage your groups and friends with donating food (£1 or 1 item per week), clothes and household goods. I promise you, every gift is valued.

Posted by Kevin Gill at 3:00 PM

MONDAY, MAY 14

Awake, Arise! - Saturday 30th June - 10am

Awake, Arise!

With Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali and Andrea Williams (from Christian Concern)

Saturday 30th June - 10am-3pm - Emmanuel Community Church, Duffield

The aim of this day-conference is to encourage Christians to engage with society robustly and relevantly at both the national and local level - and to provide the tools to do so.

We will be updated on the state of various Christian issues in our country and how to make a stand for Christian freedom and faith in a society which is increasingly against traditional Biblical values and belief.

A simple sandwich lunch and drinks will be provided.

To book a place email: lynda.greaves@googlemail.com

Posted by Jubilee Church Office at 10:00 AM

THURSDAY, MAY 10

The Torch Trust � Fellowship & Book Groups

The Torch Trust produces Christian resources and activities for blind and partially sighted people worldwide.

They are looking to start up a Fellowship Group for individuals with sight loss in and around Derby. They also hope to start an Audio Book Group in the city.

If you or someone you know has sight loss and would like to find out more about these opportunities to connect with others, why not go along to:

The Learning Suite, Derby Central Library on Tuesday 11th June at 10am

For further information please visit: www.torchtrust.org or contact David Palmer on 01858 438260.

Posted by Jubilee Church Office at 2:45 PM

WEDNESDAY, MAY 2

Knowing the Voice of God Prophetic School - 31st May to 2nd June 2012

Knowing the Voice of God with Marc Dupont

Thursday 31st May - Saturday 2nd June 2012

City Church Derby are hosting a Prophetic School over 2 evenings and a Saturday.

Subjects include:

Revelation is the childrens birthright
Differences between Old Covenant and New Covenant prophetic ministry
The varying ministries of the prophetic
How do we actually hear from God?
New Testament Prophetic protocol
Interpreting dreams and visions
Knowing the correct application of a prophetic word
The realm of revelation eyes to see and ears to hear

About Marc Dupont
Marc lives with his wife Kim and their three children in Dayton, Ohio. He is the founder of Mantle of Praise Ministries, which is concerned with revival and restoring the prophetic edge to the Body of Christ.

Marc travels all over the world to teach and encourage others in the gifting of the spirit, he also functions as an associate pastor with the Vineyard of Dayton, when he is not on the road.

For more information about Marc visit his website

www.marcdupontministries.org

More Details
The course costs £20 which includes participation in the whole event, course materials, refreshments and administration.

Please make cheques payable to Derby City Church

For more information download the flyer here.

Posted by Jubilee Church Office at 4:45 PM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27

Global Day of Prayer - 29th September

Global Day of Prayer - 29th September, Wembley Stadium

Derby City Vision are hiring 2 x 50 seater coaches for the Global Day of Prayer in London. The organisers are expecting over 80,000 Christians from across the nation to gather and pray for our nation.

This will be the largest prayer meeting our nation has ever known. It will be an historic opportunity for the church of the British Isles from every denomination, stream, and tradition to unite at Wembley Stadium to pray for our nation.

The programme will be full of praise, intercessory prayer for our nation, teaching, and spiritual impartation. The key focus of the day will be to jointly seek God’s Kingdom for our nation and release the church into mission, to share the Gospel with millions of people and pray for the transformation of all sectors of society.

For more information about the event please visit: www.gdoplondon.com or you can view the flyer here.

If you would like to go by coach please contact the church office: info@jubilee.org.uk

Click here to add this to your calendar (google)

Posted by Derby City Vision at 1:15 PM