As a church we commit to giving at least 10% of church giving to mission activities in the UK and overseas. A sub-committee of the PCC oversees this giving each year.
Our current mission partners for 2021 are below, do look at their websites for the most up to date information.
A Rocha UK
A Rocha engages with communities in nature conservation, to think about their use of the environment & develop practical ways to care for people & the planet. They respond to the global crisis of biodiversity loss by carrying out community-based conservation projects.
Website: arocha.org.uk
What to pray for:
– thanks for the growing Wild Christian community encouraging individuals and families to take action in their own homes to help protect the environment
– thanks for the Eco-church programme which grew by a third over the last year to 3,100 churches
– wisdom for ourselves to know what steps we need to take into to protect our planet
Christians Against Poverty (New Malden & Kingston)
CAP started in 1996 in Bradford. They are passionate about lifting people out of debt & poverty and do this through their debt help service, money management & life skills courses. The New Malden & Kingston Debt Centre helps those in our local area.
Website: sjnm.org/ christiansagainstpovertydebtcentre.htm or capuk.org
Link to an interview with local CAP debt coach on Radio Jackie
What to pray for:
– for smooth client appointments as they take place over the phone rather than face to face
– a new service support administrator to be appointed
– more befrienders to link with local churches and help clients become knitted into a church community
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
CSW works in over 20 countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East & Latin America, defending everyone’s right to freedom of religion or belief. They are a Christian organisation working through advocacy & human rights, in the pursuit of justice.
Website: csw.org.uk
What to pray for:
– for people around the world who are persecuted because of their faith
– for the work of CSW in advocating for the vulnerable and challenging world leaders to fulfil their duty to protect religious freedom
– that many people will download their prayer diary and join in praying for their persecuted sisters and brothers around the world
Hope Health Action
HHA bring the love of Christ and life-saving health and disability care to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable, especially in north Haiti, but now also in South Sudan. They also seek to change attitudes to the disabled and the poor.
Website: hopehealthaction.org
What to pray for:
– the building of a rehabilitation centre in the Bidibidi refugee settlement serving people with disabilities who have fled civil war in South Sudan
– for the 120 local farmers being supported by agricultural projects in Northern Uganda, that they will benefit from more food security
Insight
Insight has been sharing the good news of Jesus in local primary and secondary schools since 1988. They have a small employed team and many volunteers, taking lessons, leading assemblies, and running Bible clubs like Lighthouse at St Paul’s School.
Website: insightinkingston.com
What to pray for:
– thanks for this year’s virtual Easter Experience shared with 134 classes in Kingston
– for online resources to be a useful and effective ministry in the schools
– for the reconnecting of relationships with teachers after lockdown
Kingston Churches’ Action on Homelessness
KCAH support single people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. They offer advice, emergency food, clothing, toiletries, & temporary accommodation; and provide lasting solutions to restore self-esteem & confidence, helping people out of homelessness.
Website: kcah.org.uk
What to pray for:
– for positive consolidation at KCAH having doubled in staff since over the past year
– for all who come through the door in some form of housing crisis and staff who support them
– for sufficient funding to make Joel a sustainable project
The Lunchbowl Network
Lunchbowl offers practical help to orphans & vulnerable children in Kibera, Nairobi—aiming to raise these children out of poverty through nutrition & education. They provide education, fund a dinner programme & food for a rugby academy, & run a child sponsorship programme.
Website: lunchbowl.org
What to pray for:
– unity and bonding of staff who have returned after a long sabbatical
– for the new head teacher
– for safety as they restart the Saturday lunch programme in the slum
– for a young girl, Mary, aged 11, who was raped over the Christmas holiday, for her emotional healing
– for the finances which have been hugely depleted as they have been unable to work in the school where fundraising events are organised
– give thanks that few in Kenya have been infected with Covid, where handwashing and social distancing are almost impossible.
Middle East Media
MEM uses creative media in strategic ways to reach Middle Eastern people with the Gospel. Over the years, their documentaries, dramas, animations and short videos have featured on virtually all the mainstream TV stations across the region. They also serve the vulnerable and train believers from a Muslim background in media, enabling them to bring Jesus’ love to their own communities.
Website: mem.org/memuk
What to pray for:
– for traditionally marginalised groups in the Middle East and North Africa, such as women – that the church would be distinctive and welcome them
– for church leaders in the region – that they will find emotional support and take time off to rest from time to time
– for believers from a Muslim background to find community and be welcomed into churches
Oxygen
Oxygen supports young people in and around Kingston who are struggling to discover identity, skills and purpose, seeking to show these young people that they are valued, loved and supported. They also oversee Kingston Street Pastors.
Website: oxygen-online.org
What to pray for:
– for the reopening of the Oxygen shop – that enough volunteers will be available to run it
– for the engagement of young people online through a secure Oxygen social media account
– thanks for a successful Easter holiday programme of activities
Paul & Helen Hutchinson & WEC
Paul & Helen lead WEC’s cross-cultural work in the UK, overseeing various teams who share the love of Jesus with people from non British backgrounds, including people who settled here decades ago & new immigrants, asylum seekers & refugees.
Website: wec-uk.org
What to pray for:
– that Paul’s Farsi translator will find a new job locally so that he doesn’t need to move away leaving Paul to find someone new
– for Helen and her family as they take it in turns to support her parents (aged 90 and 92) – her father has stage 4 cancer
Sam & Abbie Baguma & Mission Aviation Fellowship
Sam is head of MAF’s operations in Uganda, where MAF planes fly aircraft to inaccessible areas to reach out to people in need, to support water and medical projects, mission outreach, Bible translation and development initiatives.
Website: maf-uganda.org
What to pray for:
– for those suffering from poverty caused by lockdown
– thanks that MAF is still able to fly its planes to remote areas
– wisdom for Sam as he continues to navigate complex issues with different East African governments
Tearfund
Tearfund is a Christian charity working to alleviate poverty and transform and empower communities around the world, in partnership with local churches. And they respond to disasters. Some of our church members, including Grace Gardner, Sarah Jarvis and Vicky Rolfe work for Tearfund.
Website: tearfund.org
What to pray for:
– for their teams around the world working to share God’s love and end extreme poverty through practical action
– for their Reboot Campaign, seeking a breakthrough in the climate crisis through prayer and action
– for their campaign helping some of the millions of people in the Middle East who have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict
Voices of Hope
Voices of Hope help to restore and rebuild hope in individuals facing the harshest of life’s battles. They improve physical and mental health through community-based projects including various choirs, the Sisterhood Sanctuary, Kingston Food Hub and Brite Box.
Website: voh.org.uk
Video update: https://stpaulskingston.org.uk/milestones-voh/
What to pray for:
– for long-term committed volunteers for the Foodhub project.
– for the Brite Box project – thanks to God for the grants received last year as this is quite an expensive project to run. Pray for the online match funding giving campaign coming up in May/June to be successful and for provision for Sept onwards for Brite Box.
– for capable volunteers to train as course tutors for the Active Breathing Course project to help long-Covid sufferers.
– for strength, health, wisdom, faith, hope and love to increase in all of us as a team.
– for our many volunteers to encounter God’s love through us as a team.