Pause for Thought with Ray Dadswell: Read all about it!
It’s all coming together, it seems. Have a look at this …
Eastbourne Christian news and events can now be included in a Christian newspaper, HEART OF SUSSEX. Formerly HEART of WEST SUSSEX, it has shared Christian news, testimonies and events, jobs and trades for the past four years.
The call
“I want to celebrate Christians’ achievements, their work in the community, and the changed lives resulting from an encounter with God,” says publisher and editor Melanie Symonds.
HEART started in autumn 2007 after Melanie turned her back on a career as a languages teacher. Previously, though, she had also been an editor of ‘Woman Alive’ Christian magazine (1989-91) and had written five books commissioned by Christian publishers.
The concept, name and HEART logo first came to her in 1996 but she shelved it for ten years and focused on her teaching. However, six years into a busy full-time job she had a huge shock because she needed cancer surgery. Had she strayed from God’s path for her life? While convalescing she sought God in prayer and the vision for HEART returned. So she went part-time in teaching and step by step, with considerable distractions thrown on her path, the first eight-page issue of HEART of WORTHING came together and eventually published in October 2007. She paid her initial design and print bills with a small grant from a Christian trust which she’d ‘happened’ to hear about through a Christian school colleague. Advertisements were sold by her pensioner mother, who’d been the salesperson on ‘Woman Alive’ when Melanie was editor!
Expansion begins
A year later, partly in order to cover Bognor Bible Week, the paper became HEART of WEST SUSSEX.
How to get it to all the churches in a rambling county? Again prayer prevailed and a network of volunteer distributors grew up.
By mid-2010 Melanie knew it was time to give up school and start ‘living by faith’ in order to have more time to devote to HEART. “It’s challenging, but the work is more fulfilling than anything I’ve done previously.”
The paper also benefits from regular ‘prophetic’ articles on the state of the nation from Rev Dr Clifford Hill, a respected national minister who has joined the council of reference which helps oversee the paper.
Thank you, Melanie; we shall look forward to it!