Crosscombes

Dear Friends,

I think the only way that we can truly understand what is happening in the church in Philadelphia is through relationships. Often when we see the extent of the needs on the street it can seem as though the church has abandoned the community. We read about the disastrous schools, the crime and the broken systems. But as Joyce and I both get out into the neighborhoods we see God at work through His people, amazing people doing amazing things.

Read more on December update…

We wanted to share the latest newsletter from a ministry that we have been incubating. Please take the time to read and see what God is doing….

Hello from Philadelphia,

You are receiving this second newsletter, because I want to report the progress God is leading in our community since my last newsletter.

A friend of mine from the Simple Way, a ministry partner here in Philadelphia, needed a bicycle. One of their neighbors and friends, Kareem, moved out of the community and found it difficult commuting to and fro. So they asked if Simple Cycle (SC) could find a bike for Kareem. I tuned up one of our donated bikes, a beautiful green Raliegh, and delivered it to Kareem. I typically don’t give away a bike. There is very little time to build a relationship in a quick exchange. However, Kareem belongs to a loving community and a bike would help him reconnect. So I was very happy to hear from our friend Shane that since Kareem received his bike he has be attending morning prayer regularly, participating in the community more frequently and in general enjoying the freedom of his bike.

Simple Cycle exists to use bicycling in an urban landscape as the means to promote the transforming power of Christ, employment opportunities, sustainable lifestyles based in community, and lasting relationships.

SC uses bikes to build bridges and overcome obstacles to Christ, community, and personal growth. We celebrate every mountain, hill, and fortified wall being made low before the Lord. (Isaiah 2:14, 15) We achieve this using the tool of bicycles. At times it seems foolish that bicycles could be used to change the tides of inactivity and isolation in our neighborhood. However, stories like Kareem give us hope and proof that God is moving through us according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13).

I hope that each newsletter encourages you to break cycles of inactivity and isolation in your community. Likewise, I hope we inspire you to join and support the work SC is doing in NorthPhiladelphia. As it says on the back of my business card:
Helping the city of brotherly love back on two wheels!

Read more on More from Simple Cycle…

Dear Friends and Family,

First off, I know you are most eager to hear how our support raising is coming along. Since our last newsletter we have added 2 new supporters and an existing supporting church has increased their monthly giving, taking us to 66% of our target. It is exciting to see God bringing more people to partner with us and moving us closer to the goal of 100%. We would like to get there by January, an ambitious goal I know, but one I think that, together with you, we can meet. It requires an additional $2200 a month in giving, which will then mean that we begin receiving our full monthly salary, instead of the stipend we have been living off of, and we can devote more time to working with people.

Read more on October Update…

Newsletter #1

Dear Friends, Family and Strangers,

You are receiving this newsletter either because we know you or because we thought you should know about us. We want you to tell you some of the great things God is up to around us and also share ways that you could become involved.

Read more on Introducing…Simple Cycle…

There are many reasons why some of you might already be supporting our ministry work in Philadelphia and Australia. It is an exciting thing to watch our support grow, edging closer to our 100% goal, knowing that we are part of a team and serving a God that makes this all possible. It can also be discouraging when a church or individual decides not to support us, which leaves us wondering if we will ever make full support and move from receiving a stipend to a full salary. Though I don’t think I ever “enjoy” the challenges of support-raising, I certainly appreciate the way it has shown God’s love for us in a tangible and unforgettable way! For those of you who have been supporting us, those thinking about it, and those who just love hearing some things God is up to, here are some highlights…

Read more on August update…

COZ’S RECENT TRIP TO AUSTRALIA
From BBC News, 22nd March 2011: “A study using census data from nine countries shows that religion is set for extinction, say researchers.” Australia was identified as one of those nine countries. With church attendance still in a decline, having a professing atheist as the Prime Minister, and knowing from church history that Christianity has almost entirely disappeared from some places that were formally centers of our church, this study would seem plausible. Unless of course, you were to come on a trip to Australia with me….
In March I spent two weeks in Australia. The first week I was invited to travel with Shane Claiborne, from “The Simple Way”, as he was asked to speak in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. We were honoured guests of an exciting Gospel- centered movement called, “Surrender”, and I was deeply moved by Shane’s passion for “my people”. Traveling with Shane opened up new opportunities for the ongoing ministry Joyce and I have been a part of in Australia. Shane and I met with many of the senior indigenous leaders (aboriginal) and were both pained and overjoyed to hear their struggles, and matchless grace. For a people persecuted so often, marginalised and discounted, separated both legally and illegally, their one desire of the “white leaders” was to kneel together, side by side, in front of the Throne of Christ. They weren’t asking for money, power or status, only that we be One in Christ.
Shane, Billy Williams,Coz, Goma Conlon

Read more on June 2011 Newsletter…

When I was in High School it was never a good thing to turn up at school in new sneakers. The shiny white color would attract immediate attention and your classmates would proceed to step on your feet, scuffing the shine. I never gave much thought to why this might be; it just was one of those things…. Fast forward not too many years and I find myself in Kensington, where shoes were perhaps the single strongest status symbol. You had to have “new sneaks.” I on the other hand would wear sneakers that kids were going to throw out; I didn’t care if I wore shiny shoes. I remember a kid one day while at camp, breaking down in tears. “How can they just run through the mud in their sneaks?” he asked. He was from one of the poorest communities in the US, and we were at a camp with mostly affluent white suburban youth. He couldn’t understand how someone could have so much money that they could treat their shoes in this way. It was then that I realised just how far apart certain cultures were. My good friend Hector recently confirmed this in one of our conversations saying that it didn’t matter so much what your house was like, or even if you had money for clothes and food, but you had to have nice sneaks.

Read more on April 2011 Newsletter- “Shiny Shoes”…

Dear Friends and Family,

I am in an angry phase right now. Not like angry at someone who just cut in front of me, or angry because my children left a mess in my room, but a deep, building anger. I think we all have phases we go through, like just being happy, or depressed, or hopeful. This month for me it is anger. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not walking around yelling at people. No, this comes from a deep sense of frustration and being weary of seeing certain things happen again and again.

Read more on February Newsletter…

The American Summer is over, our girls are back in school and it is time to tell you some of the great stuff we have seen God up to of late, as well as some of the challenges.

Read more on October Update…

Dear Friends and Family,

“The key to changing a dysfunctional community is to enter into that community and not become dysfunctional.” says Doug Hall, a friend and mentor who has been part of some remarkable work happening in Boston for about 40 years.  His quote seems pretty straight forward; you just move into a system and try and change it from within, all the while maintaining your posture of stability.  It is a bit like Douglas Adam’s teachings on how to fly, “Just throw yourself at the ground and miss” (from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy).

Read more on March Update…