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This month: Toothbrush travels -
BMS gives record grant -
Churches taken on a ride -
Albanians for Albania -
Open Door update
Toothbrush travels
Parcels of toothbrushes - including those sent to Operation Agri as a result of
this church’s Harvest Appeal a few months ago - are flowing in to Provadenic in
Nicaragua.
Provadenic, founded in 1967 and organised by the Baptist Convention of
Nicaragua, seeks to improve the health of communities in rural Nicaragua through
primary health care services, community motivation and education. It trains
local people as health promoters and opens clinics in impoverished communities
which otherwise have no access to healthcare services. It currently serves over
13,000 people in 26 remote rural communities.
So far, Provadenic has received nearly 4,000 toothbrushes - and more continue to
arrive. Its director, Dr Laura Parajon said: "The toothbrush response has been
amazing. We have enough now for one round of toothbrush distribution for all
school age and children under five. This is a great contribution!"
From ‘Outreach Abroad’, published by Operation Agri.
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BMS World Mission has received a staggering response to its appeal to UK
churches to give towards alleviating the effects of the recent tsunami disaster
in south Asia. Over £600,000 has been received since the BMS first made an
appeal to churches, shortly after the tsunami struck on Boxing Day.
The huge response has, in three weeks, raised more for BMS relief work than has
been received over the last three years.
"This is the largest response we have ever received from churches for relief
work," said BMS director for mission, David Kerrigan, "and we have been
impressed by the compassion of our supporters for the people of south Asia.
We would like to thank every individual and church that has responded with
giving and with prayers."
The generosity of UK Baptists has enabled the BMS to approve a grant of £100,000
for relief work in south Asia that will probably continue for a minimum of 12
months. BMS partner, the Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on
Relief (EFICOR) has launched relief operations in Tamil Nadu and the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, aiming to offer help for up to 15,000 families. This
programme includes providing food, water, cooking utensils, clothes, bedding and
tarpaulins in the first two months.
It then aims to help with the construction of semi-permanent shelters for those
families and to help restore livelihoods by repairing and replacing fishing
boats and nets. This grant follows another grant to EFICOR of £25,000 and
many other substantial grants to trusted partners in the region.
EFICOR is currently undertaking a massive relief effort ranging from providing
the most basic needs to 'livelihood restoration'.
Hundreds of semi-permanent shelters and permanent houses are being built in
areas such as Kanyakumari, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and the surrounding islands.
Community kitchens have been set up to provide food for people in affected areas
and relief camps.
from BMS World News.
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Churches taken on a ride
ON Saturday, 12th March there will be a charity cycle ride with a difference -
the difference being that there is only one cycle and it holds 24 riders!
It’s hoped the giant cycle will visit 39 churches in St Albans. Each visit will
offer a quick rest and a chance to swap riders if necessary.
Riders are to be sponsored to ride - and runners with collecting buckets will
accompany the giant cycle on its journey.
Christian Aid and Crew Trust (Youth Video Series) will be the main beneficiaries
of the funds raised from this venture.
This crazy, not-to-be-missed, event will start at the Marshalswick Mass Centre
at St John Fisher School in Hazelmere Road and stop at every participating
church until the giant cycle and riders reach the Pastoral Centre at London
Colney, where there will be a Christian worship event for the riders, supporters
and anyone else who would like to join in.
For further details and to book your saddle, see Julia Clarke or Jo Gill.
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Albanians for Albania
Does God use email? If our recent experience is anything to go by then I guess
he does.
Let me explain - but first a short reminder of some of the things we've be
thinking about in the Mission Group over the last few months. You may remember
we began by thinking whether we could find a practical project as part of our
125th anniversary celebrations.
We are aware of the generosity of everyone at this church when it comes to
appeals for money but, this time, we wanted to do more that give money. We felt
we wanted to get ‘involved’.
We first thought of church twinning - with another Baptist Church in a remote
part of the world - where we could support and encourage people in their
Christian journey, in a project which would be of mutual benefit.
Then I went to a regional BMS World Mission day. There, the point was made that
there was a lot of need in Europe - especially the former communist bloc
countries. Moreover, it's fairly easy to get to most European destinations if we
really wanted to get practical.
Later, the thought of ‘Albanians for Albania’ came about. We discussed this in
both the Missions Group and Church Meeting but we had no definite idea of how to
progress.
That's where the email comes in.
OK, so God didn't send an email directly but, unexpectedly, Graham Clarke
received a copy of some email correspondence about the needs of the YMCA in
Albania. Could be have received this by mistake?
Since then, things have begun to move - albeit slowly - but the ideas have
formed.
We presented some thoughts to January's Church Meeting. At the meeting, we were
joined by Nick Nightingale, who had recently visited Albania and he outlined
conditions in that country.
The project we aim support is targeted at the Roma children in Shkodra in the
north of Albania. These are some of the poorest people in a poor country. They
have problems that we can't even begin to understand.
The project, run by the YMCA, provides some 120 children with basic schooling
and a square meal each day. Most of the children - and many of their parents -
beg in order to get enough to feed themselves.
The whole project costs some £23,000 a year to run and the most pressing need is
to ensure that the teachers are retained - at a cost of some £4,500 a year.
This might be a challenging financial target to set ourselves over the next 12
months but, in addition, we want to start to send practical help - similar to
the shoeboxes we produce for Christmas but with items like pencils, crayons,
rubbers, rulers and so on - all the things we take for granted because we can
walk round to ‘Martin’s’ and but them for a few pence.
The Church Meeting agreed to support this work and so, over the next few weeks,
we will be exploring what we can do.
If you want any further details - and there are lots - please speak to Graham or
to one of the Mission Group (currently Julia Clarke, Carol Baughan and myself).
If you want to join the Mission Group and get more involved, you'd be most
welcome.
The European Office of the YMCA which oversees the work and would be our agents
in this, is enthusiastic about our involvement.
We hope to develop further interest in this project from among a wider group of
people than purely those associated with this church. However, for now, we are
merely trying to get the project started.
We value your prayerful support for this mission work as it evolves.
By John Baughan.
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Open Door update
Our work alongside homeless and poorly housed people continues at 8 Bricket
Road, St Albans, night and day throughout the year.
The number of volunteers working with us in various roles now numbers 70 or so.
Statistics for 2003 reveal that the night shelter helped 589 people, including
385 new guests. The associated day centre provided a meal and a refuge from the
streets for an average of 21 people a day, as well as providing nursing,
medical, counselling and therapeutic help.
Our ‘all-morning breakfast service’ served an average of 25 people every Sunday
throughout the year.
Similar figures applied throughout 2004.
There is no doubt that the night shelter and the day centre fulfil a real and
ever-present need in a city of considerable affluence where, nonetheless, social
exclusion and poverty remain daily experiences for most of those we are
privileged to serve.
Open Door raised over £34,100 in 2003/04, of which £11,270 came from local
churches. These donations helped to pay for, among other things, our volunteer
co-ordinator’s salary, completing the refurbishment of our offices, supporting
the day centre and providing a counselling service.
By the Rev Mike Bochenski, chair of the trustees of Open Door.
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