With the Message Trust Community Grocery initiative expanding here in the North East, the team were really needing to recruit additional staff and in the autumn, they began looking for a new Warehouse assistant & delivery driver. It turned out that our very own Al Johnson was just the man for the job!
Al grew up in the family of Tees Valley Community Church and is now planted here with his wife and four children. You may recognise his face! As a core member of our Illuminate children’s team, Al played a big part in creating our ‘lightbulb moment’ videos throughout lockdown and he is still a key leader in our Sunday morning kids gatherings.
Now in the second week of his new Community Grocery job, we caught up with Al to ask how it is going and what stirred his heart to move into this new role:
“The Community Grocery is such great mission, to be in the heart of the community, helping families access food and supplies and sharing the good news of Jesus with them. It’s a really exciting time to join the team.”
The Community Grocerys are ran by The Message Trust and partner churches, their aim is to provide communities with affordable food whilst maintaining people’s dignity and freedom of choice. The Grocery then becomes a foundation where relationships are built and Jesus is shared.
Al believes the opportunity to join The Message team was God given and is trusting in God as he steps into this new role. Eden North East team leader, Terry Young would agree!
“The Message North East team are really excited about Al joining us. His love for God and willingness to get stuck in to all our mission activities is great to see. Tees Valley Community Church is a great partner church for The Message and we love adding its members of this church into our team.”
Join with us in praying for Al as he begins this new venture and if you see him about on a Sunday, grab him and ask him all about it, ask him how you can support him and the continued work of the Community Grocery here in Stockton and across the North East.
14 Jan 2022
