Found UK Missions Project
Donation protected
Hello! Thanks so much for checking out our page. We are currently raising funds to support our England missions project/adventure, called Found.
Why are we moving to England?
We have have a heart for England, and want to live there and do long-term missions. After years of knowing we wanted to move there, praying, researching, exploring potential cities, and talking to many mission agencies and ministers, we have decided to move to Brighton & Hove.
Brighton & Hove is a coastal area about an hour south of London. It's vibrant, quirky, and colorful. We feel it more than meets every one of our criteria for both our ministry and family. God has connected us with Martin and Sally Poole, who live and work in this area. Martin is the minister at St. Luke's Prestonville Church, and created an art ministry called Beyond. His church is currently applying to become our sponsors. If granted, we can apply for visas and move to the UK. I'll work with Martin in both his church and Beyond, and Ben is looking for a full time job in the area. I'm so thrilled for the opportunity to work with Martin. He is truly someone I admire and respect. Serving with him, I could do a variety of things, from planning a music or art event, helping with a community food project, or assisting with groups who work with refugees.
Our long-term goal is to re-claim an unused or underused old church building, creating in it an open free space that can serve as a music venue, art gallery, and place where people of all ages can encounter communtity, beauty, and the presence of a hugely loving God. Many of these churches exist, and are being sold and turned into lofts, stores, cafes, etc.
One way that we aim to provide this is through using the space as a music venue. We would love to have a punk band from London play one week, and a classical strings ensemble from Oxford the next. We believe God is consistently speaking and revealing himself through the beauty around us, in music, art, film, literature, nature, etc. We also believe that God calls us to be co-creators of beauty, so we will provide space to create and to display it. The halls will be rotating art galleries for local artists. We'll have spaces to study and hang out and take classes. We hope to show films and have guest lecturers from a vairety of fields. This will be a place where questions and discussion are welcomed. Found will be a place that is open and accessible.
We seek to connect and minister to students, creating small groups and a place to feel home away from home. We think that university is a pivotal point in life. It's a time of self-discovery and when journeys of faith can really take shape. Personally, college was a central part in owning my faith and discovering what I really believed. University Baptist Church, and namely my pastors, Kyle Lake and Dave Crowder, introduced me to a new way of doing church. They created an atmosphere of embracing beauty and tearing down the perceived walls between the sacred and secular.
For some context, the UK census has identified that the number of Christians born in the UK has decreased by 5.3 million in the past recorded 10 years, and only 2% of people polled say they attend church regularly. At the same time, we have been encouraged by the emergence of both new and established congregations that are alive and relevant.
We believe cultural context, senstivity and relationship with people of all beliefs is huge. We value the history and diversity of this country, and seek to humbly learn from their tradition and wisdom. We believe the way to share God's love is not through judgment and condemnation, but through positive, transformative relationships and service.
Quarry Kingdom Development, a nonprofit started by pastors and leaders in our church family, will be our sending/support agency.
All donations made will be tax deductible.
Your support will help with -
* Passport (passport fees raised as of 10/14)
* Visa application fees - $1,460
* Healthcare fees (part of vis app.) -
*Mandatory savings for visa app -
* An exploratory trip with our family in 2014, to check out prospective church contacts, schools for our boys, and neighborhoods to live and potentially create the future church. Airfare for our family of 5 typically runs between $6,500-9,000 for one trip. (Lodging and train tickets raised as of 11/14, the rest of the trip paid for in 3/15)
* a trip to Brighton in the spring of 2016
* The costs of airfare and moving to the UK
* My mission salary for the first year in England
* Please also note that this total includes the currency conversion of these funds to British pounds sterling. We also forfeit a percentage of each donation made online, for processing.
We so appreciate any contribution you make! We're currently looking for some donors to partner with us in monthly giving. That could mean $100 a month, $40 a month, or $10 a moth, whatever fits your budget!
Every dollar helps make this dream a reality. If if you'd like to give through check, please make checks out to Quarry Kingdome Development, and put UK Mission Fund in the memo line.
We would love your prayer over the whole project, and for our family as we make a huge leap into another culture. To read more about our story, and connect with us throughout the journey, visit www.foundacrossthepond.wordpress.com
Love,
Heather
Why are we moving to England?
We have have a heart for England, and want to live there and do long-term missions. After years of knowing we wanted to move there, praying, researching, exploring potential cities, and talking to many mission agencies and ministers, we have decided to move to Brighton & Hove.
Brighton & Hove is a coastal area about an hour south of London. It's vibrant, quirky, and colorful. We feel it more than meets every one of our criteria for both our ministry and family. God has connected us with Martin and Sally Poole, who live and work in this area. Martin is the minister at St. Luke's Prestonville Church, and created an art ministry called Beyond. His church is currently applying to become our sponsors. If granted, we can apply for visas and move to the UK. I'll work with Martin in both his church and Beyond, and Ben is looking for a full time job in the area. I'm so thrilled for the opportunity to work with Martin. He is truly someone I admire and respect. Serving with him, I could do a variety of things, from planning a music or art event, helping with a community food project, or assisting with groups who work with refugees.
Our long-term goal is to re-claim an unused or underused old church building, creating in it an open free space that can serve as a music venue, art gallery, and place where people of all ages can encounter communtity, beauty, and the presence of a hugely loving God. Many of these churches exist, and are being sold and turned into lofts, stores, cafes, etc.
One way that we aim to provide this is through using the space as a music venue. We would love to have a punk band from London play one week, and a classical strings ensemble from Oxford the next. We believe God is consistently speaking and revealing himself through the beauty around us, in music, art, film, literature, nature, etc. We also believe that God calls us to be co-creators of beauty, so we will provide space to create and to display it. The halls will be rotating art galleries for local artists. We'll have spaces to study and hang out and take classes. We hope to show films and have guest lecturers from a vairety of fields. This will be a place where questions and discussion are welcomed. Found will be a place that is open and accessible.
We seek to connect and minister to students, creating small groups and a place to feel home away from home. We think that university is a pivotal point in life. It's a time of self-discovery and when journeys of faith can really take shape. Personally, college was a central part in owning my faith and discovering what I really believed. University Baptist Church, and namely my pastors, Kyle Lake and Dave Crowder, introduced me to a new way of doing church. They created an atmosphere of embracing beauty and tearing down the perceived walls between the sacred and secular.
For some context, the UK census has identified that the number of Christians born in the UK has decreased by 5.3 million in the past recorded 10 years, and only 2% of people polled say they attend church regularly. At the same time, we have been encouraged by the emergence of both new and established congregations that are alive and relevant.
We believe cultural context, senstivity and relationship with people of all beliefs is huge. We value the history and diversity of this country, and seek to humbly learn from their tradition and wisdom. We believe the way to share God's love is not through judgment and condemnation, but through positive, transformative relationships and service.
Quarry Kingdom Development, a nonprofit started by pastors and leaders in our church family, will be our sending/support agency.
All donations made will be tax deductible.
Your support will help with -
* Passport (passport fees raised as of 10/14)
* Visa application fees - $1,460
* Healthcare fees (part of vis app.) -
*Mandatory savings for visa app -
* An exploratory trip with our family in 2014, to check out prospective church contacts, schools for our boys, and neighborhoods to live and potentially create the future church. Airfare for our family of 5 typically runs between $6,500-9,000 for one trip. (Lodging and train tickets raised as of 11/14, the rest of the trip paid for in 3/15)
* a trip to Brighton in the spring of 2016
* The costs of airfare and moving to the UK
* My mission salary for the first year in England
* Please also note that this total includes the currency conversion of these funds to British pounds sterling. We also forfeit a percentage of each donation made online, for processing.
We so appreciate any contribution you make! We're currently looking for some donors to partner with us in monthly giving. That could mean $100 a month, $40 a month, or $10 a moth, whatever fits your budget!
Every dollar helps make this dream a reality. If if you'd like to give through check, please make checks out to Quarry Kingdome Development, and put UK Mission Fund in the memo line.
We would love your prayer over the whole project, and for our family as we make a huge leap into another culture. To read more about our story, and connect with us throughout the journey, visit www.foundacrossthepond.wordpress.com
Love,
Heather
Organizer
Heather Harrison Keenan
Organizer
San Antonio, TX
