August 2020 Prayer News

The Sannox Prayer

“Today I choose to stand in this place you have called me to,
And I declare that You are a Mighty God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
Your Kingdom shall endure and will never be shaken.
Open the windows of Heaven and pour out Your promised blessings in this generation.
Revive us, restore us and heal our land.
Thank you for going before us to open the way and remove all obstacles.
Increase our Faith, stir up Hope and keep us grounded and walking in Love.
Thank you that You are creating a dwelling place for God and man here; in Sannox, on Arran, for the nations.
Amen”

Summary Prayer Points

• Give thanks for our Friends of Sannox who support us in so many ways. We bless you and pray for you in the name of Jesus.
• Give thanks for the grant support from North Ayrshire Council to support our operational costs in the short term.
• Pray for the re-opening of the Centre on 1 September 2020. Pray that all the arrangements will go well, people will come and staff, guests and visitors will be blessed and protected.
• Pray for the re-set as the Directors plan for the future.
• Pray for wisdom as we plan for the future, supporting the churches and people on Arran and across the nations.
• Pray for John and his team, giving thanks for them, as they finish the church, new kitchen and toilets.
• Pray for our fund raisers – Ruth and Geraldine – as they look at applying for grants for the manse.

More details on Prayer Points:

1. Prayers for our Friends – We appreciate all of our Friends of Sannox who support us in so many ways. We are praying for each of you by name through this difficult time. Please contact us if you would like us to pray for specific things through Heidi, our administrator, at admin@sannox.org These will be kept confidential.

2. SCC Re-opening – The Directors of Sannox Christian Centre have decided to re-open Sannox Christian Centre (SCC) on the 1st September 2020.

This decision was taken after prayer and a full and detailed scrutiny of the current rules and regulations. It is important that we keep our staff, guests and visitors safe at all times, so the re-opening will be done in a phased way accompanied by a rigorous cleaning regime. The key points to note are as follows:

1. Initially, we will be taking one booking for Dundarroch Cottage and one booking for the Caravan at a time. So, there will only be one booking group in Dundarroch and one in the caravan at any given time. A booking can be a single person, a couple, a household, or an extended household. In line with the current regulations Dundarroch Cottage is able to sleep up to 8 people and the Caravan can sleep 4. The main reason for these arrangements is that sharing cooking and eating facilities is not possible at this stage. Contact Heidi at admin@sannox.org to make a booking.

2. Bookings will be staggered to allow for deep   cleaning.

3. Given the work and the extra costs involved, the bookings will be for a minimum of two nights but preferably 3 or more.

4. Initially, the church and Gatehouse will be closed to guests to maximise safety and minimise cleaning.

Having taken the decision to open, our costs will increase as we need to bring our Housekeeper back from furlough and purchase a range of cleaning materials and equipment. We therefore hope that our Friends of Sannox will come back to SCC sooner rather than later and tell others we are open. Please come!

3. SCC Re-set – The Trustees/Directors have received a good response to the discussion paper. The Trustees/Directors continue to ponder, pray and listen to what God is saying. Please pray that we hear clearly from God. We have made good progress with some exciting developments that we will feedback to you in the near future.

4. July Zoom Prayer Gathering – We held our fourth Zoom virtual prayer gathering on the 6th July which was great and again worked well. It was so good to see friends from so many areas and to share and pray together. Our fifth Sannox Zoom Prayer Gathering is on Monday 3rd August 2020 at 8 pm. As we did last month, we will circulate the Zoom link with instructions as a separate email to our Friends of Sannox, so watch out for that. Please join us. I will open the meeting at 7.45 so we can chat and welcome each other.

5. Restoration of the church and manse

a. Restoration of the church and provision of the new kitchen and toilets – The restoration of the church and new kitchen/toilets is progressing well. There has been a delay getting the materials for the electrician but that is now resolved and we think the works will be finished by mid-August.

b. Work Party – The work party we mentioned last month has not yet been finalised as we are waiting to see how the rules and regulations ease in the coming weeks. We will let you know as soon as we can about the dates.

c. Next phase – the Manse – As we said last month, we are now turning our attention to the funding of the manse. Stuart has revised the plans to provide four new bedrooms – two twin/double rooms and two singles. All rooms have access to toilet and shower facilities. Ruth and Geraldine, our fund raisers, have been working on a plan of action, identifying the right organisations for grant applications. Pray for them as they work on the plan.

6. Finances –
a. Small Business Coronavirus Grant – The North Ayrshire Councillor on Arran encouraged us, as a charity with business rates exemption, to apply for a grant from this fund to help us with our on-going costs in the short term. She even helped us fill in the form! We are delighted to say that we have now received £17,500 of grant funding. Give thanks for this support towards costs, such as paying our monthly loan to Stewardship and the additional costs associated with the re-opening of the Centre.

b. Monthly donations and guest donations – Thanks to all of you who are continuing to support us on a monthly basis during this difficult time. Our monthly regular giving has not declined which is so encouraging. With the re-opening, we are also hoping for an increase in income from guest donations to help us hit our income target for the coming year.

7. Events:
a. Confirmed dates: Midweek Retreat led by Roy Searle – Monday 23 November to Thursday 26 November 2020 – We have agreed these revised dates with Roy. If you want to attend then please contact Heidi on admin@sannox.org. We have already taken bookings so don’t delay! The details of the retreat are given below:

i. Theme – “Celtic Treasures – Light from the past to inspire and illumine our lives today”

ii. Content – Roy Searle, of the Northumbria Community and an advisor to SCC, will explore the riches to be found in the stories of the Celtic Saints and their relevance to life and faith today. The retreat will run from mid-afternoon on Monday through to after lunch on Thursday. A monastic rhythm of prayer will frame each day with Daily Offices, teaching sessions and lots of time to relax, reflect and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Arran and the Sannox Christian Centre.

iii. Accommodation – If you need accommodation, places are limited at the centre so book soon.

b. Bible Study Weekend – Friday 28 to Sunday 30 August 2020 – This has been postponed and we are looking at alternative dates.

c. Opening of the Church and Open Day – We are looking at arrangements and dates for this event and are monitoring the situation regarding COVID-19.

We bless you, in the name of Jesus, to receive all that the Father has for you and thank you for your continuing support of His work at SCC. Be blessed and protected in all you do for the Kingdom, in the mighty and beautiful name of Jesus.