With
Jesus’ command to love our neighbours (Luke 10-27)
ringing in our ears, Christian Aid Week is a great time
to show that love to our global neighbours and to our
neighbours down the street.
We believe that Jesus calls us to love our neighbours –
and not just the ones next door or at the end of the
street. We are all made in God’s image, which means the
whole world is our neighbour and every person in it is
precious.
Every May over 20,000 churches across the UK and Ireland
come together in a remarkable way to raise
money and
help transform the lives of some of the world’s poorest
people.
This year Christian Aid Week was concentrating on
Bangladesh and their floods. We have had our fair share
of floods in the UK but the devastation it leaves in
Bangladesh is far greater than here. Average rainfall is
increasing but dry spells are getting longer. Sea levels
are rising and flooding is becoming more and more
frequent. The poorest communities find it hardest to
recover when disaster hits, making it almost impossible
for them to escape from poverty without help.
We at St Matthew’s helped transform the lives of our
global neighbours this Christian Aid Week by:
Our well established Coffee Morning and Tombola at our
Christian Aid co-ordinators’ house on Saturday 14 May,
from 10.00am to 12.00noon.
Having breakfast! Christian Aid is launching a Big
Brekkie this year and is encouraging churches to have a
fry up – well, we have been well ahead of them for a few
years now! Ours was on Saturday 21 May at 9.30am in the
Parish Centre. Tickets were £5.
Donating via the distinctive red and white envelopes.
From these events Christian Aid Week this year was an
overwhelming success with £984.91 raised which with gift
aid will rise to £1085.91. This would not have been
possible without the huge support of everyone who
attended the coffee morning and breakfast. A special
thank you to those who bought tickets for the breakfast
although they could not attend and those who gave
donations for the coffee morning, again knowing they
couldn’t be there in person. The Friday lunch takings of
£36.90 during Christian Aid Week was also donated.
This was how the money was raised:
Coffee Morning
£263.00
Friday Lunch
£36.90
Breakfast
£312. 00
Red envelopes
£372.15
Thank you
to Fr Peter for a brief insight into two women in
Bangladesh, one of them Morsheda and her plight to save
her children from drowning in the floods. A massive
thank you to the member of the congregation who always
donates all the food for the breakfast, the Community
and Mission group members for their help at both events
and providing raffle and tombola prizes. Plus everyone
who helped to serve and clear up after the breakfast.
For the last four years, St Matthews has been the sixth
highest giver out of 40 churches in the Northampton
area. Let’s hope we move up the ladder this year!
Please find below a selection of photos taken at the
Breakfast, where a tombola, cake stall, raffle and games
added to the money raised.
The Director of Music, Thomas Moore, is
looking to recruit BOYS from school year 4
to 7 and GIRLS from school year 5 upwards
who are keen to sing and eager to learn.
