Introducing... Edinburgh City Mission 2024

Introducing...

In our city, for

for our city.

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EdCiMi

EdinburghCityMission

Edinburgh City Mission

Edinburgh City Mission

If you want to understand Edinburgh

City Mission, a good place to start is to look at who we are and what we do.

We have a small staff team who work with a larger group of volunteers who demonstrate God’s love in action and share the hope that we have in our hearts, just as Jesus did. In partnership with churches and agencies across the city, we bring the good news of Jesus by sharing our faith in him as we help people who are experiencing deprivation, exclusion and isolation.

Much of our work is characterised by sharing whatever we have with those who are not managing to make ends meet, as we read about God’s people doing so throughout the bible. For example, God spoke through the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, urging the Jewish people to be generous. They were to “spend themselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed” (Isaiah 58) and “maintain justice and do what is right, for my

Word from the CEO

salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed” (Isaiah 56).

Another example of the call to love in action is a moment in the ministry of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. He was an eccentric, dynamic and confrontational figure who preceded Jesus. He burst onto the scene, spreading the knowledge of salvation and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People weren’t sure what this meant. What did it look like? When they asked John, he gave a profound answer:

“Anyone who has two tunics should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same” (John 3: 11).

John the Baptist’s response echoed the inter-connected themes that were taught by the prophet Isaiah: justice, salvation, righteousness and generosity. The character of God is revealed and people’s needs are met when those of us who have “two tunics” and food to share go out of our way to care for people who need our love.

Jesus embodied this throughout His ministry: he taught about righteousness and salvation, and He was compassionate towards “the sick and the poor”. He was powerful in word and deed before God and all the people (Luke 24).

Through these pages you will learn about how we are following Jesus and showing God’s love to those who are experiencing deprivation, exclusion and isolation.

- Duncan Cuthill, CEO

Vision & Values

Edinburgh City Mission’s vision is to help create an unstoppable mission movement across Edinburgh by supporting churches across the city as they pray for and serve their local communities, and share their faith in Jesus with their neighbours.

Our mission is to stimulate and strengthen the church’s mission in Edinburgh. As we help to create momentum, we are praying in faith to grow by more than 30 Mission Strengtheners… and God is answering!

Our values are love, generosity, unity, justice and pioneering.

Love

When we talk about love, we focus on self-sacrificial love for others as modelled by Jesus when He touched lepers and, ultimately, died on the cross on our behalf. We are to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”.

Love is a high calling: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres”.

Generosity

Our commitment to generosity flows from the generosity that God has shown us: He has lavished the riches of His grace on us with all wisdom and understanding.

We show God’s generosity in various ways:

• The amount of food we place in people’s bags in our Foodbank+ locations

• The quality of hampers given to refugees and asylum seekers and of food served at Soul Food

• The amount of time we invest in people who want our input

• The kind words we say about others as we all seek to play our part in our interconnected relationships

• The generosity of spirit that is displayed in the prayers we pray in churches over the city.

Unity

God is one and so are we in the church. And yet, God is diverse, having revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the same way, there is unity and diversity in the church, as can be seen in Romans 12.

Unity exists amongst all Christians because we call on the same Father, we have all been adopted into the same family through Jesus, who is the head of His church and every church, and we all have the same Spirit who has given us faith and prompts us to pray.

Living out our unity requires humility, love, effort and prayer. While we each have our own convictions and distinctive church traditions and cultures, we actively recognise and affirm the diversity of other Christians’ beliefs, experiences, worship styles, gifts, practices and viewpoints, wherever they differ from our own. And we rejoice when the good news is shared by whoever, wherever and whenever, regardless of what motivates sharing of faith.

Justice

God is just. This is at the very core of who He is. We trust that He will bring justice to the nations. Jesus underlines the centrality of justice:

demonstrating that justice and love, what Jesus called the weightier matters of the law, are more important than religious practice. We express our commitment to justice by praying God’s kingdom rule and influence will come in Edinburgh and by showing compassion and care for those who lack housing, money or foodreferred to as ‘the poor’ in the Bible - and those who are disadvantaged in other ways such as widows, orphans, prisoners and outsiders or because of their ethnicity, gender, education, health, abilities, sexuality and/or age.

Throughout the Bible there are many examples of those on the margins being cared for and drawn in by the wider community. We are warned of the danger of ignoring justice and there are clear exhortations to come alongside and lift up the weak and bring justice.

Pioneering

Jesus was a pioneer - He pioneered our salvation. The early believers were so full of passion for spreading the good news about the resurrection that they were accused of turning the world upside down! Edinburgh City Mission is not content with the status quo in our city. We are constantly seeking the direction and dynamic power of the Holy Spirit to help us love our neighbours and lead us into mission across the city. We are committed to helping churches who want to engage in their local community by getting involved in starting new church-based outreach projects.

We do this through envisioning, praying, connecting, planning, training and supporting them as they get started and beyond.

In 2019 we helped to pioneer a Soul Food meal with City of Edinburgh Methodist Church in Newington; Salaam refugee and asylum seeker

support work; a new Foodbank+ with Lighthouse Central Church in Prestonpans; a Clothesbank+ with Central Church in Tollcross; and Nations.

In 2021 we launched An Open Hand, a toy delivery service for families who are struggling, in partnership with Greenbank Parish Church.

In summer 2022, we launched a befriending service for older people in partnership with Linking Lives UK, called Two’s Company!

These values shape our culture. As we humbly seek to live them out and serve the church, we aim to help individuals flourish and trust they will find forgiveness and hope in Jesus.

Please get in touch with us if you are considering starting new community work through your church. We would love to hear about it and support you as you seek to love your neighbours.

Foodbank+

Foodbank+ is the Edinburgh City Mission network of Foodbanks. We are Edinburgh’s largest independent foodbank network and have been operating for 18 years. We partner with local churches, supporting them to run 7 Foodbank+ locations across the city. We want to empower the church to care for those in crisis by supporting their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

Edinburgh City Mission provides the system for professionals to refer those in need and volunteers from local churches organise the collection of fresh food from Fareshare as well as donations of tinned food to pack and give out to those referred. The ‘+’ in Foodbank+ is significant because the support provided throughout our network has always been about more than food. The “+” can also be seen as a cross signifying our belief that Jesus gives fullness of life to those who trust in

Him. In every Foodbank+ we have a team of people who sit down to have a cuppa and lend a listening ear to those who need help. We work with other organisations to facilitate advice for benefits, debt, housing and budgeting. Additionally, the church has a unique role to play in providing genuine community and support as people’s lives transform. Here is a quote from a guest at one of our Foodbank+ locations:

“All the staff and volunteers have been wonderful. The care and attention which each and every person has given has made coming along a good experience - I felt very scared and unsure at my first visit, but the staff and volunteers put me at ease. They all do a brilliant job!”

Soul Food

We run a weekly Soul Food meal in partnership with Soul Food Edinburgh and The City of Edinburgh Methodist Church for those experiencing homelessness and isolation. Our staff and volunteers work hard to prepare a delicious two-course meal, before joining our guests at the table to eat together in a warm and safe space.

Practical care, generosity and hospitality is part of the heart of Soul Food, reflecting the heart of Christianity, yet it is always more than a meal! As we sit around a table and eat as equals, Soul Food offers a place of safety and security where people feel accepted, respected, valued, loved and heard. This context of equality creates a space for genuine relationships to grow, and for the community to walk alongside each other to help and support those experiencing homelessness, deprivation and

isolation, and to break free of the cycle of poverty.

We seek to share Jesus in word and deed, demonstrating the gospel and bringing encouragement. The gospel is fundamentally relational as it tells of the dividing wall between us and God being broken down. We want to mirror this through the relationships we build and the invitation to join the upside down family of God. We love to share stories and testimonies of God’s goodness round the table, and when we do, He changes lives.

Clothesbank+

The Clothesbank+ is a partnership between Edinburgh City Mission and Central Church which opened in 2020. We operate a weekly service for those unable to afford their own clothing.

During the winter months, we provide for numerous people without adequate clothing to keep them warm, some owning only the clothes they are standing up in.

Clothes are very personal and as such we try to bless people with good quality items that they can choose for themselves to suit their own style and size. We often see the immediate impact of providing good clothes to wear - most guests leave with a smile on their faces, ‘lifted’ by the experience.

We take every opportunity to listen to each visitor and hear a little of their story. For us the

Clothesbank+ is not just about handing out clothes but about addressing the needs of the whole person, physical, emotional and spiritual.

In 2023, we helped provide more than 534 people with clothing.

In our city, for

for our city.

A Day in the Life

Hollie, one of our Foodbank+ Mission Strengtheners, was inspired to join the team after hearing about the work of the Foodbank+ network, and how it bridges the gap between those on the margins and churches in Edinburgh.

Hollie has shared what a day in her life looks like:

“On a typical day as a Mission Strengthener, I find myself in one of our 7 foodbanks. We see people from many walks of life come through our doors: refugees, people with low-paid jobs whose bills are astronomical, those struggling with homelessness, single parents and people with chronic illness to name a few. When someone arrives at one of our Foodbank+ locations, I give them a warm welcome, offering a hot drink and a chat.

Self-esteem can often be low in our guests, and my aim is to make everyone feel valued and seen, and this comes from my belief that everyone is made in the image of God, and a dearly loved child of a good Father.

Prayer is a big part of my day in a Foodbank+, alongside the food. Through prayer, our guests come to know that we care deeply about them and their circumstances, and we are able to build trust as equals in a space that has historically held a stigma. People rarely say no when asked if they’d like prayer!

I believe in a God of family and belonging, and when we pray He shows up! I have had the privilege of building friendships with individuals over time, and often my afternoons are spent meeting with them to provide ongoing support and

encouragement. I love connecting people into existing communities where we can see them flourish when, just a few months ago, they were struggling with crippling loneliness and poverty.

As well as being as generous as we can with food items, I want to be as generous as possible in conversations with people who I have come to call friends. I laugh with those who laugh and I cry with those who cry, trying to be Jesuslike with everyone I meet. Jesus stops for the one who has been bypassed by society, and I believe that Foodbank+ is a place to find this kind of radical love.”

Grounded

Grounded is an employability project for ex-offenders, run in partnership with Junction 42 at Stenhouse Baptist church.

The programme is an 8-week barista training course, where trainees learn all aspects of coffee machine operation, the crafting of espresso-based drinks to international standards and are guided through some of their first steps into the hospitality industry.

After completing the programme, our trainees are offered a voluntary placement in a local café to gain more on-the-job experience, with assistance, to move towards employment. Additionally, trainees are also offered the opportunity to achieve an external qualification via the Scottish Barista Academy.

We praise God for the people

who have moved through the programme and that they have experienced marked increase in their skills and confidence. 100% of our trainees have moved on to voluntary placement and/or employment.

For more information, contact Miles: miles@edinburghcitymission.org.uk.

Rooted

A number of years ago Edinburgh City Mission was offered an allotment space at the Craigentinny and Telferton Allotments. The volunteer committee for the allotments were looking for local charities to use some of the plots to benefit more people in the community. The plot has been in the heart of the local community for over 100 years. It has been used by our Mission Strengtheners to invite individuals to share life and faith together and build community as we work in the allotment.

The Rooted Project is a community of volunteers from local churches and guests from our Foodbank+ network across the city. The project seeks to create a space for Christcentred community to grow, as individuals engage with each other in the allotment and share faith and life together. As a group, we are all

learning and reap the rewards of our hard work in bags of fruit and vegetables. Our prayer is that Rooted will continue to bring people together, from both local churches and our Foodbank+ network. We pray that the allotment will continue to be a place where we can all explore faith, grow in confidence and connect within a nurturing environment.

Care Van

The Care Van is a project we run in partnership with Bethany Christian Trust and 40 local churches.

The van is an important source of care and support for people who are homeless and vulnerable in the City of Edinburgh. Relying on volunteers, it goes out 7 days a week, 364 days a year, providing soup, food, hot drinks, blankets and clothes, friendship, encouragement and advice to up to 45 people a night who are rough sleeping or housed in homeless B&B accommodation by Edinburgh Council. Edinburgh City Mission coordinates the evening rota for 40 church teams from local churches across Edinburgh and the Lothians and includes over 750 volunteers.

We recently celebrated three decades since the Care Van first

took to the streets of Edinburgh to provide food and comfort to people in need.

In 2022 our Care Van volunteers were awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

If you would like to find out more, contact us at carevan@ edinburghcitymission.org.uk.

Kids Matter

Kids Matter works with local churches and their community networks to run the evidenceinformed Kids Matter programmes in communities and in prisons, equipping mums, dads and carers with the confidence, competence and community they need to build strong relationships and strong families.

Our vision is to facilitate churches across Edinburgh to engage with the vision of Kids Matter to see every child in need raised in a strong family, where no child is written off simply because of the circumstances they are in. We want children to have the best chance to flourish in life.

We have provided training costs for three churches to

run programmes in partnership with Kids Matter and we can provide similar support for more churches in Edinburgh.

For more information, contact us: office@edinburghcitymission.org.uk.

An HandOpen

An Open Hand aims to provide parents in severe hardship with a present for their child’s birthday, along with books for each child in the family, games and stationery for everyone to share and play with together. Each parent chooses the gift for their child, so that the gift is specific to each child’s interests and tastes and one they will cherish and enjoy. Once the birthday parcel is packed, we deliver it to the family while the children are out at school. We want to give more parents the opportunity to provide a gift they know their child would love for their birthday without the financial burden it brings, therefore giving children the opportunity to celebrate each birthday. We want both children and parents to feel loved, special and supported within their

family. We aim to enable families to show their love for each other, strengthen bonds and to create happy, joy filled family memories of birthdays.

An Open Hand is a partnership between Edinburgh City Mission and Greenbank Parish Church. We accept referrals from organisations across the city to families who are eligible. We hope that by providing parents with the gift for their child, the door can be opened to celebrating their birthday.

“The gifts were awesome. It gave me some peace of mind he was able to get that gift and also something that he really wanted. It was great to see his face. Great work all round. Thank you so much.” - A Parent

Salaam

Salaam is our ministry to refugees, asylum seekers and other newcomers to the city, all known by us as ‘New Scots’. Since being formed in 2020, Salaam has seen a huge increase in the number of people from around the world making their home in Edinburgh, creating a wonderful opportunity for the Church to reach out in loving welcome.

Salaam is the Arabic for ‘peace,’ ‘hello,’ and ‘welcome’. The equivalent Hebrew word in the Bible, shalom, paints a picture of harmony, completion, and wholeness: the state of the world as the loving Creator intended it. Our prayer for our newcomer friends and neighbours is that they find safety, peace, and the wholeness that comes from knowing that they are loved by our Heavenly Father.

We seek to facilitate community, connection, and integration through our one-to-one Befriending Programme, Peaced Together Groups, weekly English Conversation Café, and The Weekend Club, a monthly event where New Scots are welcomed by a local church. Salaam Mission Strengtheners also support individuals and families, connecting them with our other ministries and relevant external agencies.

Every summer we run an online English class and festive in-person picnics for New Scot women and every Christmas we work with churches to distribute hundreds of hampers to recently arrived New Scots facing many challenges. In a world where people seeking refuge are often seen as a problem to be solved, we seek to stir up churches to look and act with compassion and to find that they are blessed and enriched as they do so.

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus

Peaced Together

Peaced Together is a creative arts course for women that Edinburgh City Mission delivers alongside Christian volunteers in different churches across the city.

The course is based on the idea that good can come from difficult experiences. Each craft helps participants to reflect on their lives and set out on a personal journey to hope, by exploring topics such as thankfulness, courage, peace with the past and positive choices.

It is a great first step to encourage women who have had negative or hurtful experiences to consider Christian values, reflect on beauty in the brokenness of life, and to connect with others.

by churches for women in their community who need a safe place to journey with others, grow in confidence and have fun.

The curriculum creates fantastic opportunities for meaningful conversations, and for some it may lead to faith in God.

Edinburgh City Mission facilitates two versions of the course, which we run seasonally. One version is for women experiencing deprivation, exclusion or isolation, and the other version is specifically for women who don’t speak English as a first language. Both are effective in bringing people together in friendship and mutual support.

For more information, contact Lydia: lydia@edinburghcitymission.org.uk.

The course is not explicitly Christian but is designed to be delivered

Nations

Nations is a project which recognises, engages with, and provides relief for communities who have suffered historic exclusion and isolation in Scotland due to their ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage. Our aim is to strengthen the mission of diverse Christian communities in Edinburgh as they share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word, deeds and actions with both local and global communities in the city.

We partner with Christian leaders from diverse ethnic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds in Edinburgh, along with Christian organisations that recognise the importance - and cherish the value - of diversity within the church.

There are at least 80 global Christian communities in the city of Edinburgh, taking the form of fellowships, (sub)congregations and worship services. These communities

are often not represented in the wider church context and are rarely given the opportunity to share their experiences, aims and needs. Through the Nations project, we seek to provide a platform for their voices to be heard and for engagement between these and local Christian communities in Edinburgh.

In partnership with global Christian leaders and groups in Edinburgh, we aim to organise and promote events which highlight the ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity of the church in Edinburgh. We do this, for example, through multilingual and intercultural prayer and worship events.

“AMONG THE NATIONS, FOR THE NATIONS.”

Alongside the groups and projects our Mission Strengtheners are involved in, they also take opportunities to meet with people one-to-one. Often after building positive relationships with the women and men who attend the Foodbank+ it can be appropriate to suggest meeting for coffee or going for a walk together as a way to continue providing emotional and spiritual support.

One-to-One Befriending

Sometimes this support is more practical, for example, helping someone with a housing issue and supporting them to make phone calls. When the person is open to praying, studying the bible or attending an Alpha course, the support becomes more spiritual. These individual relationships are so important for investing in long term change and transformation. Every person is valuable to God and in times of crisis we can be His hands and feet to show kindness and shine the light of Christ into their lives.

Two’s BefriendingCompany

“Improving quality of life through friendship.” - In partnership with Linking Lives UK, Two’s Company Befriending aims to help churches engage with older people facing loneliness, by establishing a befriending scheme within their community. The scheme helps those facing loneliness caused by bereavement, declining health and mobility, anxiety and depression amongst other causes.

We know that “God sets the lonely in families...” (Psalm 68) and we believe that He can use local churches to do just that. We hope that through Two’s Company we will be able to reach the most isolated, and bring hope and connection to older people experiencing loneliness.

To participate in Two’s Company or if you would like more information, please contact our Project Coordinator, Naomi:

naomi@edinburghcitymission.org.uk.

City Vision

There are few things, if any, more important than praying for our city. The goal of City Vision is to encourage us all to cry out to God for Edinburgh, starting with the mission of the local church.

Edinburgh City Mission believes that praying for the city needs to be rooted in local ministry, so the City Vision prayer gatherings are hosted by a local church and focus firstly on their mission. It is hugely encouraging when people from other churches join in by praying for your church’s ministry.

One person said: “There is something very wonderful about joining with people from so many different denominations and to know that they are praying for you and vice versa – the family of God becomes so much more real.”

These events also involve praying for our work, and for Edinburgh itself. These have been inspirational times, helping us see the breadth of God’s work in the city and giving us a longing to see more.

If your church would like to host a City Vision event, or you’d like to find out more, get in touch with us at: mail@edinburghcitymission.org.uk. We’d love to hear from you.

Open Table & Community Catalyst

Edinburgh City Mission has two other prayer meetings where we pray for people, churches, church leaders, other leaders and other organisations.

Open Table is a regular gathering for those who work in organisations involved in missional outreach across Edinburgh, such as Bethany Christian Trust, Safe Families and Junction 42.

Community Catalyst is a regular prayer meeting for church community development workers and for those who have other outreach roles in church ministry. We want to create a space for those in missional roles to connect with others in similar roles and to be supported and encouraged.

At Open Table and Community Catalyst, we meet to share breakfast together and pray for each other’s work, for the people we serve and for blessing over the church in Edinburgh.

If you would be interested in coming along to one of our regular prayer meetings, or you’d like to find out more, get in touch with us at: mail@edinburghcitymission.org.uk. We’d love you to join us.

In our city, for

for our city.

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.

Psalm 127:1

In our city, for our city.

edinburghcitymission.org.uk

Tel: 0131 225 9445

7 Washington Lane, Edinburgh, EH11 2HA

Registered Scottish Incorporated Charity No. SC050644