Peter* picks up Little Book of Faith and reads from Matthew 7: “Ask and you will receive; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive; everyone who searches will find; and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.”

“I chose this verse because I’m not very good at asking for help,” says Peter, “but recently I’ve been seeking and asking, and I have received, I’ve been searching and I have been finding, I’ve been knocking on doors, and they have been opening.”

After Peter shares his thoughts, others in the small group he is sitting with offer their reflections. They talk about how the Bible verses in the Little Books resonate with them and help them understand faith. Matt, the group leader, reads from Little Book of Chaos: “Chaos. Noise. Pressure. There’s so much of it. Telling us who we should be, what we should look like, how we should act. We hurt each other, we hurt ourselves. And God is with us through it all.” Many nod along with the words.

Little Book of Joy and Little Book of Chaos have been particularly popular at Genesis Trust’s faith group. “The Little Books really speak to our guests who are experiencing a wide range of chaos,” says Hilary Long, community manager for Genesis Trust. “I also love the theme of joy, and the Little Book of Joy reminds us that we do have reason to rejoice always.”

“The Little Books are so great for sharing with the people that we support,” say Matt. “They’re really accessible and manageable, and lots of people that come to faith group have found them really encouraging and helpful, and have taken their own copies home.”

The faith group is only a small part of what Genesis Trust do. Genesis Trust is a Christian charity which seeks to offer immediate practical help to people in Bath who are homeless and vulnerable, along with long term help and opportunities.

In the last year the charity has provided over 5,000 people with food parcels in partnership with Bath food bank. In the same time period, the charity provided 19 life skills courses and workshops, and offered crisis support to 439 people through their Lifeline day centre. They also run Life Recovery, an initiative that helps people recover from the causes and impact of addiction.

Hilary, who had previously used a variety of other Lifewords booklets, including Daily Strength, Finding Hope and One of Us, initially requested a Little Brick of Little Books after it launched in February alongside Little Book of Joy. Following your generosity/the generosity of our supporters, we had the opportunity to gift four Little Bricks to be used across a variety of Genesis Trust’s services. 

Grionne, who manages and oversees the food bank at Genesis trust, was excited to show us their “book bank” that offers donated new books for children, and good quality second hand books for adults. A Little Brick of Little Books is on offer too, and Grionne shares that many individuals had chosen to take a Little Book and had been encouraged by these resources: “They’re different to an ordinary book in that they’re something you really want to keep and something that you can carry around with you. One man spoke to me the other day about how special he found the resources and how much he was moved by them.” Including the Little Brick in the book bank provides an opportunity for Genesis Trust to gently provide an opportunity for those attending the food bank to engage with the words of the Bible through Lifewords' Little Books.

Sue Fourie, Life Projects Manager at Genesis Trust, is also involved in leading a bereavement support course, which coincidentally has the same name as our bereavement focused resource: Living with Loss. Lifewords pastoral range, as well as Little Book of Chaos, speak powerfully into the lives of those who are experiencing hardship and suffering.

Genesis Trust are one of a number of charities in Bath working together to better support and provide community for people across the city. Lifewords had the opportunity to meet a number of church leaders across this network, as well representatives from charities and ministries working with young people and vulnerable adults in Bath. Many were intrigued by the Little Books and delighted by their design and purpose.

Lifewords partners with churches, charities and ministries throughout the UK and across the world to help to bring words of life to people in every context, from hospitals to prisons, from churches communities to individuals sleeping rough, from vulnerable adults to children at risk. These partnerships are a key part of how Lifewords ministry works. “Genesis Trust has been bringing life and hope to people in the city of Bath for over 25 years,” says Matt Currey from Lifewords after a recent visit to Genesis Trust. “More recently they have been using Lifewords resources as part of their welcome and invitation, enabling our booklets to connect with and serve their mission in reaching out to the local community.”

If you would like to support our work, or gift a Little Brick of Little Books to a charity or ministry like Genesis Trust, head to our Get Involved page. 

*Name changed