Families’ Weekend Away - 2nd-4th February, 2024
A weekend retreat of encouragement, envisioning, fun, friendship, food and reflection for those raising children and young people with Jesus, justice and Hands at Work on their hearts.
Who is this for?
The goal of the weekend is to bring together families and those raising children and young people who have either been out to Africa or are supporters of Hands at Work.
What’s the weekend about?
· Fun activities that engage our children and young people in what it’s like to be a child in Africa, and to gain some understanding of the day-to-day life of the Care Points.
· Eating together and building community
· Worshipping and unpacking the Bible to figure out how justice can fit into our parenting
· Quality time to reflect on God’s vision for our individual families and the communities we’re in at the moment
· Opportunities to build friendships with other families through games/walks
Why a whole weekend?
For many of us, our experience of visiting Hands at Work in Africa has challenged and changed our outlook on life; on the values that we hold, and on what justice and care for the poor means in practice. Visiting Africa with our children may be in the pipeline, or it may be a vision for the future, or it may not be possible and practicable, but we hold the desire to parent in a way that reflects Hands at Work’s values and enables our children to connect with a larger world. The pressures on parents are huge; there are so many voices inputting into what we do and the decisions we make, and not a lot of time to sift through the noise, reflect on what we want our families to look like, and remember what we cherish most. A weekend away as a community may provide opportunities for us to do some of this.
When and where will it be?
Friday 2nd-Sunday 4th February 2024
FRONTIER CENTRE
Addington Road
Irthlingborough
Northants
NN9 5UH
We’re aware that giving up a whole weekend is a challenge in our busy worlds, and that going away isn’t always easy with kids. We hope we’ve booked somewhere that will make this as easy as possible.
· All rooms are ensuite with bunk beds: Group Accommodation | Frontier Centre
· There is a communal living room and kitchenette for our group
· We will be fully catered for over the weekend
How much will it cost?
£120 per person, with under 6s free.
How do I sign up?
Please complete the Booking Form (one booking form per family).
In order to secure our booking at the Frontier Centre we need to send a deposit by the 18th of July. If you would like to join us for this weekend, please send a £50 deposit per family by bank transfer to:
TSB Bank plc
Halesowen Branch
Sort Code: 30-93-75
Account Number: 01054895
Please mark the transfer “Weekend Away”.
Full payment is due by 1st January, 2024.
Who is running the weekend?
Hi, I’m Hannah and I’m married to Mike and we have Eve (8) and Samuel (5). We live in St Albans and are worship leaders at a local church called St Luke’s that has been connected with Hands at Work for quite a few years. We first ventured to Africa with Katherine and Graham before we had a family when we felt called to do something “missional” with our summer holiday… I don’t think we were prepared for how this trip would change us, and not least our understanding of mission! We returned two years later to spend time with old and new friends, and subsequently began to develop our churches’ partnership with Msengeni in Eswatini.
As a teacher, I often find myself caught up in the cycle of day-to-day planning, marking, and crisis management. Likewise, as a mum, it is easy to be consumed by homework, clubs, and conflict resolution! But every time I connect with Hands at Work, I am reminded of the transformative power of real community, compassion, and vulnerability. Of values and priorities that cut through the noise and allow God’s voice to be heard loud and clear. Though we hope to visit Africa as a family soon, I have a real desire to see communities of care built here.
I’m Katherine, I’m married to Graham and we have three busy boys; Joshua (7), Ethan (4) and Benjamin (2). Graham and I both moved to Nottingham for university and then never left! We connected into a church as students, St Giles, and due to the community that we built, decided to stay a while. I’m a nurse, currently working as a Ward Sister on a busy admissions area. Life is chaotic, noisy, and always a bit of a juggle, and it is often our church community that means that we can survive!
Hannah and I first went to Africa together in 2011 - Hands at Work has been a part of both of our lives since. Graham and I have taken teams from St Giles, as well as taking Joshua when he was 18 months old. We would love in the future to visit Zambia with all our boys - we would love them to meet our friends in Malakota in Zambia, the Care Workers we speak of who give selflessly of themselves every day and the wonderful Hands at Work staff. However more than that, we would love for them to understand a little more of God’s heart for the poor, of His call to justice and that we all have a part to play. One day we will take them…but that time is not quite yet!
Please email Hannah if you have any questions.