News Update October 2023

It has been encouraging to see God answering prayer and meeting our needs within the charity during this period. One of our biggest challenges has been finances. Before our financial year started on the 31st of August, our trustees met to set a budget for the year ahead. It meant taking a step of faith by prayerfully considering our needs and allocating amounts to spend that we didn't have. However, we thank God for His generous provision in different ways.



Firstly, a sponsored walk from Belfast to Bangor brought in numerous donations. Next, we approached different grant making Trusts to share with them about our ministry. It resulted in SLM receiving a number of grants, which have been a real blessing. As we have prayed and looked to our Heavenly Father to meet our needs, God has put it on people's hearts to give. The number of people giving monthly gifts has been slowly increasing, and we give thanks for these and several one-off gifts. While a shortfall remains in the budget, it is encouraging that the gap is gradually closing. Concerning our ongoing needs, we hold onto the promise from Matthew 6:33, that God will give us all that we need each day if we live for Him and make His Kingdom our primary concern.



In the summer, we organised a meal at a restaurant in Holywood, followed by a walk along the seafront. The food was delicious, and the staff in the restaurant were extremely helpful to our group. People enjoyed fellowship together, and the lovely sunny weather was a blessing. This was followed by a trip to the Ulster Folk Museum at the end of September. We met for lunch and then explored the exhibits. This visit provided insights into the daily lives and cultures of people from the past in a fun and interactive way. Our last lunch event took place on Saturday the 14th of October 2023 at Trinity Methodist Church, Lisburn. Following lunch, we had a service that included a time of worship, prayer, news updates from Torch Trust and Sight Loss Ministries. Our speaker was Marie McCarroll, who shared about God’s calling and provision in her in own life. This was an amazing testimony about God’s love and care for each one of us. We are planning an outreach event on Zoom in the New Year. More details about it will follow in due course. For more information about our events, including how to make a booking, you can visit the Events Page on our website.

The administration of the charity continues to take up a lot of time. Our financial year just ended, and the accounts are due to be examined. We need to obtain feedback from our service users, and we will begin work on a directors' report for submission to Companies House and the Charity Commission. In the New Year, we hope to launch a befriending service to befriend people with sight loss by telephone and locally in person. Torch Trust has also asked us to take over their befriending service. Over the coming weeks, we will put systems in place for volunteer recruitment, training, ongoing support and work through various aspects of how the scheme will work.



Prayer Points


1. Give thanks for God's financial provision and pray for our ongoing needs to be met in God's perfect way.


2. Pray for God's blessing on our events as people meet together for fellowship, in particular, for people to trust in Jesus and go deeper in their faith.


3. Pray for God's leading in recruiting volunteer befrienders and for progress with all of the administration.