VES Team End of Week Update | Spotlight on Lesley
Dear wonderful VES team,
Hope you are well - a “short week” just gone, though the fullness of both Wednesday and Thursday felt like it made up for it somewhat!!
We had a brilliant start to the week at the Vineyard Leaders’ Gathering in Nottingham - you can catch a glimpse here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXuAHZrjLcM/
A particular joy was travelling with Karin, Dave, Jan, Fereshteh, Endy, Nimesh and Ran from VES - such a lovely snapshot of the breadth and life of this team!!
VLG dinner on Monday evening - how many VES team can you spot?
This coming week - another “short” one - Please Read Carefully
Just a reminder:
NO classes on:
● Monday 04/05 — Bank Holiday
● Tuesday 05/05 — VES Team Training Morning
Classes running as normal:
● Wednesday
● Thursday
VES Team Training Morning - This Tuesday 5th May
All team are warmly encouraged to come! 10am start at the ACH, Centrale, and we'll be done by around 12:15. We already have a good number signed up, which is great, but if you are coming and haven’t yet signed up, please do so here:
https://croydonvineyard.churchsuite.com/events/5gjwxfsm
These mornings are a key moment for us to invest into you as a team - your confidence, clarity, training, and sense of being part of what we’re building together.
Spotlight this week: Thank you Lesley
Yesterday we said goodbye, or hopefully “see you later”, to Lesley Pannell, who is stepping away from teaching for now in order to look after her husband, Nick.
Lesley has been part of VES from the very beginning (over 10 years ago!) and it is hard to overstate what she has given to this community over that time.
She has been an exemplary volunteer: faithful, kind, conscientious, and deeply committed to the people we serve. She has also been a fantastic teacher, and that was very clear yesterday as some of her long-term students were in tears saying goodbye.
She is also a wonderful person, serving faithfully for many years both here at VES and at Croydon Refugee Day Centre, quietly giving herself to welcome, care, hospitality and practical love for people seeking sanctuary in Croydon.
Lesley - thank you so much. You will be hugely missed. We are very much hoping this is a “see you later” rather than a goodbye!
VES Dashboard — “Short” Week at a Glance
● 9 classes delivered across 2 days
● Plus 2 creche sessions and 1 youth drop-in
● 148 student sessions enabled
● 34 team sessions given
● Weekly participation number: 220
● +88% increase on this time last year
Behind each of those numbers is a person being welcomed, taught, encouraged, and helped to take good next steps. Thank you for making that possible.
Have a great bank holiday weekend, and I look forward to seeing many of you next week!
Much love,
Andy Brims