Revd Helen Shannon, Estates Enabler at the Diocese of London, is bringing life in north London through welcoming, supporting and sharing the Bible with her local community.

In 2010, Helen and her team planted church@five – a church based on the estate where she lives in north London. More recently the team planted Families Church, aimed at school age children and their families which meets midweek on a nearby estate. Alongside leading church@five, Helen also leads development of estates mission for the Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication.

Helen and her team have found that Lifewords resources really suit their ministry and are a good fit for the people they are reaching out to locally with the good news of Jesus.

Lifewords resources are so great for us – we use them in services a lot. In our settings, some people don’t access online resources so easily, and others like stuff they can hold, something to take away and to read. The materials work for different ages and are great in our multicultural community – as they come in different languages.

Helen’s ministry also includes a local food bank where Lifewords booklets are made available. She shares: "We've noticed that they stand out and attract people’s attention. People pick them up and have a look … which often leads to a conversation, and sometimes a prayer."

Helen finds the format of resources offered by Lifewords is particularly suited to the team’s outreach into the community at Christmas and Easter: "The booklets are nice and small and very attractive – just perfect for the gift bags we put together and give out on our estates along with some chocolate and a decoration or two. People love to receive them. And during Lent, we found the video versions of the resources were fantastic. We distributed the booklets and then people could follow the same version online in the lead up to Easter."

As Helen continues to support, encourage and bring life to her church and community she reflects:

I’d recommend Lifewords to anyone who is looking for well produced and attractive materials to help them share the Bible in services, groups or in their community – my team is very grateful for these amazing resources.