New partnership at Christmas We’re delighted to announce that we are now officially partnered with the New Testament Assembly in Tooting (NTA) in their long-established programme to deliver food hampers to people in Wandsworth at Christmas. The Christmas Hamper Project was launched back in December 2008, by the late Amy Rose Powell MBE from the Women 2 Women ministry. She was concerned about members of the NTA Tooting Church, and people in the wider community, who were experiencing difficult times. Responding to hardship The project provides a box of food as a gift at Christmas to individuals or families in need – whatever their religious persuasion or ethnicity. Most of the boxes go to single parents, pensioners and households on a low income. The hampers – 2,914 of them in the past eight years – are delivered individually or via community groups. The scriptural reference for the project is taken from Matthew 25:35-46: “…for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me… “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” PCU sees this project as an important element of our corporate social responsibility programme. Corporate social responsibility is about contributing to the improvement of the community we are part of in some substantial way – and doing so in line with our ethics and values. We view the local Christmas hamper programme as an essential local social service to individuals and families in desperate need at Christmas and we are privileged to take part in this.

1. pcushares
Autumn 2017
Inside
Lauren on Loans 2
A busy summer for the
Youth Shadow Board 2
Black History Month and
the PCU 3
Youth Shadow Board
impresses the AGM 3
Focus on: Bringing Moneywise
in-house 4
Meet the Millionaire’s Club 4
News from the Pentecostal Credit Union
New partnership at Christmas
The Christmas Hamper Project was
launched back in December 2008, by
the late Amy Rose Powell MBE from
the Women 2 Women ministry. She
was concerned about members of
the NTA Tooting Church, and people
in the wider community, who were
experiencing difficult times.
Responding to hardship
The project provides a box of food as
a gift at Christmas to individuals or
families in need – whatever their
religious persuasion or ethnicity. Most
of the boxes go to single parents,
pensioners and households on a low
income. The hampers – 2,914 of them
in the past eight years – are delivered
individually or via community groups.
The scriptural reference for the project
is taken from Matthew 25:35-46:
“…for I was hungry and you gave Me
food; I was thirsty and you gave Me
drink; I was a stranger and you took
Me in; I was naked and you clothed
Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I
was in prison and you came to Me…
“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as
you did it to one of the least of these
My brethren, you did it to Me.”
PCU sees this project as an important
element of our corporate social
responsibility programme. Corporate
social responsibility is about
contributing to the improvement of
the community we are part of in
We’re delighted to announce that we are now officially partnered with the New
Testament Assembly Church in Tooting (NTA) in their long-established
programme to deliver food hampers to people in Wandsworth at Christmas.
some substantial way – and doing so
in line with our ethics and values.
We see the local Christmas hamper
programme as an essential local social
service to individuals and families in
desperate need at Christmas. We feel
privileged to take part in this.

2. “Hi, I’m Lauren, the PCU’s
Business and Loans Officer.
“I’m just settling back into work after a
two-week break in Portugal, enjoying
the beach, swimming, eating, sleeping
and a beautiful road trip round the
island of Madeira. I've come back
really refreshed and raring to go.
“Many of you will be settling your
offspring back into school, college
and even university. I know the cost
of school uniforms, extracurricular
activities and tuition fees are
astonishing. Remember that PCU has
an Education Loan Fund to help you
spread the cost.
“As an ethical and responsible lender,
our lending makes sure that members
Lauren on loans
borrow wisely. I’m happy to report
that we will be soon be delivering
our Moneywise workshops here in
the office, to PCU members and
members of their churches.
“The workshops aim to improve your
financial intelligence and financial
position, and they are very interactive
– with case studies, role play and
group exercises.
“Sessions cover:
• your relationship with money –
understanding spending and
impulse buying
• budgeting and saving
• borrowing, interest rates and the
small print
• financial exclusion and taking care
Black History Month and the PCU
October is Black History Month in
the UK and this year it turns 30. In
America, the historian Carter G.
Woodson first introduced a week
to celebrate the achievements of
people of African descent back in
1926. Today, these events have
become an important way for the
history of African people to be
recognised in Western culture.
Finance before the PCU
The Windrush Generation and their
descendants experienced high
levels of financial exclusion. This
particularly affected their faith and
the growth of the churches they set
up as they settled.
Throughout the 1950s, 1960s and
1970s, many of the African and
Caribbean people arriving in the UK
faced financial struggles. Racial
discrimination was common
throughout the banking sector and
black people were more regularly
turned down for loans. Instead,
they often called on families and
friends for help, while many ended
up taking high-cost finance from
dubious loan companies, doorstep
salesmen and loan sharks.
But people also set up community
finance schemes, such as ‘Pardner’
– where a group of friends, families
or workers deposited regular sums
with someone picked as ‘banker’.
Each person in the group then took
turns to withdraw all the money.
This simple scheme, based on trust
and community, helped many to buy
homes and reunite their families. It
played a vital role in the lives of
Caribbean people.
Crucially, credit unions had also
been a key part of Caribbean life for
many years. In fact, the first British
credit union, Hornsey Co-operative
in north London (now London
Capital Credit Union) was set up in
1964 by Caribbean families. People
from the Caribbean had a significant
influence on the growth of the credit
union movement in the UK.
The launch of the PCU
The PCU began life in 1980, based in
a tiny room in Balham. Sixteen people
attended its first meeting in 1979. In
the same year it took its first official
payment – £1.20 for a Rule Book.
The PCU’s Founder, the Rev. Carmel
Jones, describes a ‘vision’ that fuelled
his passion and energy for developing
the PCU in those early years. Our
YouTube channel features a video
where he talks about the challenges.
(https://vimeo.com/235468739)
Hard work and dedication saw the
PCU grow quickly, as the news spread
to churches throughout south London.
The Pentecostal churches grew too and
remain a strong influence on our work.
of your credit report, and
• sharing and giving – which we
believe is an essential element of
your financial plan.
“But at the end of the day, we must
remember, there’s more to life than
money. Money is just a means to an
end. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said:
‘He who loses money, loses much; he
who loses a friend, loses much more;
he who loses faith, loses all.’ Food for
thought!”
Based at the fabulous meeting
facilities at Balham Seventh Day
Adventist Church, the group took
part in a host of activities, including
a confidence-building drama
workshop run by the Lifted and
Gifted educational company.
Led by RVS Realtime, the group also
developed their social media skills
and learned how to be safe online.
They were inspired by young role-
model entrepreneur mentors –
Diallo Williams and Kojo Marfo.
The group visited Viacom, which
hosts Nickelodeon, Channel 5 and
BET TV amongst others, and met
senior executives who shared their
own leadership stories and
encouraged our young people to
achieve their own ambitions.
The highlight of the programme was
a visit to the International Slavery
Museum in Liverpool, where our
teens took a guided tour and learned
about the history of the African
Diaspora in the UK.
The programme finale was a master
class with top black chocolatier,
Paul Wayne Gregory. He shared his
inspirational story and the challenges
he had to overcome due to dyslexia
and racial discrimination. Paul is
now a leader in his field, creating
bespoke chocolate artistry and
sculptures, as well as supplying
luxury hand-crafted chocolates to
West End stores. The master class
concluded with everyone making
their own bespoke chocolates.
We wish to thank: Romeo Effs and
his team; Cimani Jones our volunteer
student from Bournemouth
University, Pastor Michael Mbui and
the team at the Balham Seventh
Day Adventist Church for being
such great hosts; Viacom; Lifted
and Gifted; RVS Realtime; Diallo
Williams and Kojo Marfo; and Paul
Wayne Gregory. You all truly
motivated and inspired our Youth
Shadow Board members.
Pictured: The YSB visited the
International Slavery Museum in
Liverpool (left) and Viacom (right). Go
to https://youtu.be/rb2rry1ml6c for
our video on the Liverpool trip.
A busy summer for the Youth Shadow Board
The PCU Youth Shadow Board enjoyed eight days of fulfilling
leadership development activities during the August summer
break, jointly facilitated by the PCU and Romeo Effs.
The PCU has played an important role in the socio-economic development of
the African Diaspora in the UK. We’re proud to celebrate our achievements in
Black History Month.
Reasons to celebrate
In 2005, we celebrated our 25th
anniversary with a special booklet.
“Forward ever, backward never”
The Pentecostal Credit Union:
Celebrating 25 years – A brief
history.
At the time, the then-Mayor, Ken
Livingston, said: “The story of the
PCU… describes a vision about
social justice translated into action
– making a difference to many
people’s lives.”
Today, as we reach our 37th year,
we have plenty to celebrate. The
PCU is now one of the largest
credit unions in the UK and a credit
to all who have worked to make
this happen. We are still making a
difference in people’s lives and,
above all, we are doing so in ways
that reflect our faith and our
backgrounds as members of the
African Diaspora.
Rev. Carmel Jones

3. Pentecostal Credit Union Limited 15 Oldridge Road, Balham, London SW12 8PL
Phone 020 8673 2542 Email info@pcuuk.com Web www.pcuuk.com /pentecostalcreditunion @PentecostalCU
The Pentecostal Credit Union is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (FRN 213242).
down the country, as a promotional
road show. Our workshops have been
very well received and have increased
the PCU’s membership.
The PCU is accredited by the National
Skills Academy in Financial Services to
provide financial capability training.
The Moneywise workshops are
grounded in biblical principles and
the concept of Moneywise we have
developed is based on scripture.
We are now planning to deliver these
workshops in-house. From January
2018, we will be running a three-
week course, consisting of three,
weekly, 90-minute workshops.
The programme is free to PCU
members and people they know in
their church family who would
benefit from some straightforward
training in understanding and
managing their money.
To find out more about the
workshops, or put your name down
for the first series of sessions, please
contact Lauren on 020 8673 2542, or
email info@pcuuk.com
We will soon be offering Moneywise workshop sessions
free at our offices.
For the past 18 months or so we have
been delivering our Moneywise
financial capability workshops to
churches and church groups up and
Focus on: Bringing Moneywise in-house
The first cohort to take part in our sponsored
Moneywise Business Development programme
have set up a support group to encourage each
other, share ideas, research and attend business
conferences and promotional events.
Now calling themselves the ‘Millionaires’ Club’, our six
budding entrepreneurs have just completed the six
weeks of tutorials that make up the first phase of the
programme. They will soon start the second phase – a
year of one-to-one mentoring, coaching and support
from facilitator Claudine Reid.
Freddie Brown, Glynis Nathan, Shireen Morrison, Andrew
Morrison, Kayan Lindo and Tanya Aqaah are now
brimming with enthusiasm for the future. Describing the
programme as ‘life changing’, they say it has exposed
and shattered barriers to success that they had created
for themselves.
Meet the Millionaires’ Club
This project shows our commitment to promoting
economic empowerment among our members through
entrepreneurship and business ownership.
You can find out more about the Millionaires’ Club on
our YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/1pqcpe-zzgq