CHRISTIAN VOLUNTEERING UK LISTENING AND PRAYER SUPPORT
HOW DOES LISTENING WORK?
HOW MUCH TIME DO I NEED TO COMMIT EACH WEEK?
Every Listener is asked to commit to just two hours of listening each week. We call this a 'watch' because we are on watch with the Lord. There is an online weekly rota that enables you to sign up for any watch that is convenient for you. With the helpline open every day between 3pm and 11pm, there are four watches each day. You don't have to do a regular slot; you can change your watch each week to suit your availability.
WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING ON WATCH?
The Listeners meet up on Zoom to pray together before each watch and invite the Lord into the watch. We believe that He is listening in on every call. Calls are forwarded to your home number (mobile or landline) via a Virtual Call Centre, which fully protects your confidentiality, and that of the callers. While on watch you are likely to receive 4-6 calls over the 2-hour period. A typical call lasts around 15 minutes. The Listener's task is to listen attentively and compassionately to the caller's situation and then encourage them gently to pray, so that they might receive and experience the Lord's mercy and grace.
HOW DIFFICULT IS THE TECHNOLOGY?
The Virtual Call Centre (VCC) is very simple and intuitive to use. You simply login, using your pc, tablet or mobile and make yourself available to receive calls. Use of the VCC is very well covered in the Listener Preparation Programme and almost all Listeners, whatever their technical experience, find it very easy to use. We also use Zoom for training, for meetings and for prayer times together. If you are unfamiliar with Zoom, we can help you master it.
WHAT KIND OF CALLS AM I LIKELY TO RECEIVE?
Our Christian Helpline receives a very wide variety of calls from people of all ages and backgrounds. Callers talk of bereavement, isolation and loneliness, anxiety and depression, their doubts and loss of faith, and sometimes even about taking their own life. Christians too suffer from all these problems. Some of these calls can be difficult - but the Lord is always present on the watch with us, and He shows us how best to respond to the feelings they express.
WHAT IF I GET A REALLY DIFFICULT OR DISTRESSING CALL?
When you are on watch you will always have access to a more experienced Watch Leader. They can be contacted easily via a chat box on the Virtual Call Centre. If you ask them to, they will listen in to a call, without the caller's knowledge, and offer you support and advice. Even though you will be taking calls from your own home, you will never feel alone and unsupported.
WHAT ARE THE REAL BENEFITS OF BEING A PART OF THIS MINISTRY?
New Kapporet is a Christian family. We will support and care for you as best we can, especially with our prayers in times of personal difficulty. We offer you genuine Christian fellowship. But the real benefit you will experience in joining us is the quality time that you will spend with the Lord when on watch. We are really conscious of His love and support in all we do. This truly is the Lord's Ministry and everything we do we do for Him.