As has been our practice in recent years, Sunnyside’s Mission Focus for Prayer Mission during September encompasses not just two of our Gift Day beneficiaries, as it does for the other 11 months of the year, but all of them. So as to assist us not only in praying for them but also in understanding what each of them seeks to do, Joy Wright has very helpfully summarised some of the aims and objective of each of the 23 causes we supported after last year’s Gift Day. This is the second of three articles she has prepared spread over the next few weeks.
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18
On our annual Gift Day, we aim to reach out to the poor and needy, those who are the poorest physically, mentally or spiritually, both in this country and overseas. We want to share the love of God with them and show that we care about them and their future… Please do pray for the charities we support and what you might be able to give this year to those in great need.
Frontiers is a charity committed to, “with love and respect, inviting all Muslim people to follow Jesus.” We support James and Jo Price who continue their involvement with the Rohingya community living in Leeds, they run English classes helping them to integrate in society and as well as teaching them practical skills. James and Jo are both active in the Global Rohingya network and visited South East Asia this Easter, meeting old friends and delighting in the culture. They hope to return to Malaysia in 2024 and are busy making plans to put teams in place and prepare their 2 children.
The Bible Society is a worldwide interdenominational organisation devoted to translating and distributing Bibles freely or at low cost. In this way, they are showing the love of God as when we read the Bible, we learn more about God, more about ourselves and the world. That is why the Bible Society invites everyone to discover all this for themselves by reading it. They are involved with both local church activities and national festivals.
Arocha International is an international Christian conservation organisation which works with churches locally and global networks caring for God’s amazing Creation. They encourage small projects creating gardens in derelict places and share ways of producing more food from the land. They also work with churches to help them to conserve and use resources more efficiently, with recycling and energy saving.
The Leprosy Mission is a global Christian organisation whose aim is to rid the world of the awful disease. Every 2 minutes, someone is diagnosed with Leprosy and last year alone there were 970 cases in Mozambique. Millions of lives are devastated by this cruel disease even though it is curable. Poverty and discrimination are faced daily by sufferers unable to work and support themselves and of their families. It frequently has an effect it had on their wellbeing and mental health.
The Swan Project was started by a local politician in 1995 and is a unique place on Berkhamsted High Street where young people can meet and have fun, a safe place to be, preventing anti-social behaviour drug and alcohol abuse. It is open in school times and holidays as well, for those aged between 11 and 18. They also have accommodation for local homeless young people aged up to 25 who are employed or in full time education, helping them to feel safe while gaining the skills and confidence needed to live independently.
The Open Door, also on our High Street is a Christian initiative, providing a safe and welcoming place for everyone encouraging creativity, offering art and craft classes, workshops and hosts events, quiz nights tea dances and literature groups. They are tackling today’s problems of isolation loneliness and inequality. Ther is a café serving delicious cakes, made and donated by volunteers. The café serves hot lunches and there is a “suggested donation “but everyone is welcome to pay as much or as little as they can afford, no one need go with put. It is all part of the Christian Way Inn trust.
Good News For Everyone, formerly the Gideons, wants to introduce everyone to God through the Bible. They provide New Testaments with Psalms and Proverbs to schools, colleges and prisons as well as, hotels and B and Bs. Free copies are given to anyone who asks. They believe that the Bible tells us all about God’s relationship with us and reading the word will help us meet with Him and get a direction for our lives. They love to talk to individuals about faith and have teamed up with the Farming Christian Link, Christian bikers, and the Waterways Chaplaincy.
Age UK Dacorum, is the local branch of a national organisation working to improve the lives of the elderly and their carers. They can provide legal help, making wills and steer people through the process of obtaining Power of Attorney. They can offer practical advice when people die supporting the bereaved through all they need to do. They offer many essential services all free of charge and today will offer help with cost-of-living issues and pensions.
We are all aware of the sensitivity of asking for gifts at this time when the cost of living is an issue for so many. Please do pray about the charities and the gift you might give. We are asking on behalf of some of the poorest and neediest in this country and the world, and many have said how much Sunnyside’s donations mean to them. Please give as generously as you can.
Click on the link to read more about Gift Day.