Four years ago, we set up a WhatsApp group for Re-Track so that when someone contacted King’s Arms Church needing practical help, we could easily share the request with people in church who had offered to help.
What started as a simple way to connect people has grown into something much bigger. We now receive requests not only from individuals, but from charities and social prescribers across Bedford. We’re becoming known as people who care, who respond, and who want to be GOOD NEWS to our town!
Someone who embodies this brilliantly is one of our Re-Track volunteers, John, who is often the first to respond when a request appears. He’ll drop off an emergency food parcel, take rubbish away for someone who can’t manage it themselves or help clear someone’s garden. He also serves meals every other week at FNM (Friday Night Ministry) and helps out with our prison ministry. He’ll simply do whatever is needed. He doesn’t make a big fuss. He just responds to a need and gets on with it.
Of course, John isn’t the only one. Others in our church serve faithfully and respond whenever they can, often quietly and behind the scenes. Every offer of help matters, whether it’s a regular commitment or a one-off act of kindness.
And here’s what’s amazing: it isn’t just the person receiving help who is changed. It changes us too! We start noticing people we might have otherwise walked past, and we begin to see the needs around us differently. We discover that we don’t have to be experts or have loads of time. Sometimes we just need to be willing to do the next small thing.
Last Saturday was a lovely example of this. Seven children came with their parents to join us in litter-picking around King’s House. They weren’t just being kept busy for an hour; they understood that doing something for someone else really is GOOD NEWS. They enjoyed it so much that they asked, “Can we do this every month?” How wonderful is that? Children discovering the joy of making a difference and wanting to do more!!
Just last Friday, we delivered an emergency food parcel to someone who was seriously unwell and needed food to take with her medication. We were able to spend a little time with her, pray with her and offer some encouragement. It was a simple delivery, but it became an opportunity to show care in a much deeper way.
Sometimes we get to see the difference these small acts make. Sometimes we never know the full story. But every time we choose to respond with kindness, we help build a community where people are seen, valued and loved.
Someone recently told us that seeing how King’s Arms supports people in our community had made her think about God again. She came along to Alpha and is now part of our church family! What a reminder that being Good News and sharing the Good News go hand in hand! Sometimes a simple act of kindness opens the door to something much bigger.
Recently, the Mayor of Bedford came to King’s House for an unrelated event. Before leaving, he specifically sought me (Isabel) out to say what a great job King’s Arms is doing. His words were, “You are GOOD NEWS for this town!” That meant a lot because that’s exactly what we want to be!! Re-Track is one small way we can all play our part. And perhaps the biggest change isn’t just what happens in Bedford when we help, it’s what happens in our own hearts when we start looking for opportunities to do so.
Much love, Isabel & Charlotte
To find out more about Re-Track, go to re-track.org