Just a thought........

In the days before I became a Christian, I recall working as a traffic patrol officer, when late one summers evening, I received a radio message to the effect that a young girl was attempting to commit suicide by jumping off the motorway bridge. I managed to arrive just in time to see her sailing downward onto the middle lane of the motorway. Fortunately, she did not die, though there was a price to pay by way of two broken legs. When I later visited her in the recovery room of a local hospital she told me that she thought no one cared for her!

It is a story that those in the police service are all too familiar with. Sadly, it is also a story that all too often those in the police service can find themselves in! Especially when nothing at work seems to be going right and nothing at home seems to be going right either!

But the fact is there is no need for anyone to feel unloved! While the bible makes a number of references to the subject of love, it was Paul the apostle, in his letter to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians chap.13) who reminds us that love is the greatest gift of all. The scripture also tells us (John 3:16) that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have life eternal!

Rev Bob Carroll – GMP Chaplain for the Bury Division

GMP Christian Police Association September 2014

Newsletter

1st

Donna Allen

2nd

Ian Shore

3rd

Michelle Morris

4th

Neil Wain

5th

Mike Russell

6th

Antonia Kinlan

7th

Daljit Singh

8th

Bob Collier

9th

Debbie Collier

10th

Mel Miles

11th

Bev Royle

12th

Dave Mellors

13th

Phil Gleave

14th

Sue Hanrahan

15th

John McNeil

16th

Michelle Foster

17th

Carolyn Jones

18th

Cath Stott

19th

Andrew Stott

20th

Kat

Borlase

21st

GMP Chaplaincy

22nd

Ross O’Brien

23rd

Tim Cockitt

24th

Billa Duggal

25th

Billa Duggal

25th

Janet Watson

26th

Greater Manchester

27th

National CPA

28th

National Police Memorial Day

29th

30th

PPrraayyeerr CCaalleennddaarr “But truly God has listened.

He h

as a

ttend

ed to th

e voice of my

pray

er.”

Psalm 66:19

Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone…..

…Remembering Our Heroes Two Years On

The 18th of this month marks the two year anniversary of the day two of our much loved colleagues, Fiona Bone and Nicola

Hughes, were so cruelly taken from their families and friends. It's one of those moments you probably remember exactly

where you were when you heard the news. I never met Fiona but, having joined GMP at the same time as Nicky I am

privileged to have known her beautiful, infectious smile, and chatted with her over cheese on toast at Sedgley Park many

times.

Grief and loss are probably the toughest experiences we go through as human beings. It's in these moments that God often feels most distant and we come to question everything that we've known to be true. What can we do but cling to the cross - the only place where we can go to see an absolute demonstration of the fact that we are loved by God, even when

we're not feeling it? (Louie Giglio, Hope when life hurts most, DVD, 2009)

Jesus, though fully God, was also fully human. He experienced every temptation and the full range of raw human emotions that we do. In John 11 Jesus went to Bethany after receiving the news that Lazarus was sick, but by the time he arrived Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. We all know the final outcome - Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead - and of course Jesus knew all along that the ending would be a happy one. In spite of this foreknowledge, the bible records that Jesus was deeply troubled when He saw Mary grieving. He wept when he was shown to the tomb. Jesus loved Lazarus, and experienced that depth of grief we have all known at some time on our lives, when we lose someone dear to us.

Jesus knew suffering well. In that moment at the end of his life, having been mocked, beaten, spat on, abandoned by his friends, had nails driven through his hands and feet, and the full weight of our sin placed upon him, he looked on those responsible for his agony and cried out to God the Father for their forgiveness (Luke 22&23).

In January 2003 Robin Oake took part in a press conference the day after his son, Stephen, was killed in the line of duty in Manchester. At the press conference he was asked what he thought of his son's killer and, after a few moments of silent prayer, he replied that he forgave him. What an incredible and Christ-like response! Robin Oake has since testified publicly to the importance of forgiveness in the healing process.

(www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/content/articles/2008/09/22/20080922_robin_oake_feature.shtml, 2008)

When 18th September comes round, let us all take a few minutes to remember Nicola and Fiona’s families in prayer. The National Police Memorial Day falls on the 28th September this year. Please do take the time on this day to remember the loved ones of all those who have lost their lives doing their duty. Let's pray for comfort, healing, and for the grace to forgive those by whom this suffering has been inflicted. May God reveal Himself and His love to all whose lives have been torn apart by the loss of those closest to them.

Kat Borlase

N-Gage is a Manchester based

Christian charity that gives young

people at risk of educational or

social exclusion the opportunities

and skills to achieve their full

potential. Working in partnership

with schools, the police and the

city council we provide highly

successful, flexible and targeted

approaches to anti-social

behaviour and educational

exclusion.

Founded by Christie Spurling in 2007

in response to his own experiences of

educational exclusion, N-Gage is now

staffed by a growing team of

passionate youth workers who

combine creative skills and a

commitment to young people with a

range of projects and programmes

across Greater Manchester.

Our central motivation is to see the

youth of today attain full benefit from

their education, take responsibility for

their behaviour and develop positive

citizenship.

CPA Meeting News

Our next meeting will be at 1800hrs (coffee from 1730hrs) on Monday 22nd September and we’ll be considering the

question “Should we fear God?” (Venue to be confirmed)

Meetings are an hour long and take the form of a discussion with no right or wrong answers. This format has

proven very popular over the past year and, hearing people talking about meetings afterwards, I know that our

discussions have been both useful and uplifting.

It would be great to see you there! If you don’t know anyone and would like to chat before the meeting so there’s

someone around who’s familiar to you then you can get in touch with Mike Russell (18533) ext. 62723, or have a

look on the intranet site where some of us have published our places of work so we can be tracked down!

We are passionate and committed to

growing and investing in the next

generation. We want to break the

cycle of aspirational poverty and

contribute to the prevention of young

people becoming another NEET

statistic.

N-Gage's heart beats for young people

who, for various reasons, find

themselves on the edge of social

exclusion both educationally and in

the community. We regularly run our

tailor-made programmes in schools, in

the evenings and school holidays

where we work with young people on

their self-confidence, self-esteem,

teamwork and leadership skills.

Over the last seven years we have

seen hundreds of young people

helped by the work of N-Gage.

Through our schools work we

encourage referred pupils back into

their classrooms with increased

respect for education and authority.

Through the deployment of our

mobile youth vehicle, our detached

evening youth work programme,

Catalyst, takes young people off the

streets at night; reducing incidents of

anti-social behaviour and increasing

respect for communities.

Furthermore, inspired by their

interaction with N-Gage, we are

training up youth workers of the

future as several young people have

opted to pursue a career in youth

work.

We are currently in talks with the city

council about taking on an empty

youth centre in south Manchester

which will enable us to further

positively impact more young people

and their families.

For more information on this and the

work of N-Gage please visit our

website www.n-gage.org.uk.

Helena Monck Operations Manager

N-Gage Benchill Community Centre

Benchill Road Wythenshawe

If you would like to contribute a testimony, book review, article, or details of local events or outreach projects for the

next newsletter, please get in touch with Kat Borlase (14831)