Churches Together in Southwell
Southwell Christian Aid Committee
Southwell Christian Aid Committee
The Committee is ecumenical and currently has 7 members, representing four of Southwell’s Churches. We work together to coordinate Christian Aid’s annual door to door collection during Christian Aid Week both in Southwell and the surrounding villages. The representatives of the churches act as contact points for more than 100 volunteers who collect and count donations every May.
In 2021 £9654 was sent to Christian Aid to support its work in 37 countries worldwide. Currently Christian Aid via its international partners is helping those living in poverty battle the effects of both climate change and Coronavirus. Christian Aid works with people of all faiths and none. It works with local partners and communities to fight injustice, respond to humanitarian emergencies, campaign for change, and help people claim the services and rights they are entitled to.
For the first time in 3 years on March 20th, we held our annual Ecumenical Lent Lunch in The State Chamber at The Minster. Not only was it a very joyful reunion, we also managed to donate £446 to Christian Aid.
The Ecumenical Christian Aid Week Service will take place on Friday 13th May 7.30pm at Holy Trinity, Southwell followed by refreshments. All are welcome to join us for this national witness of Christian unity and action. It will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the beginning of Christian Aid Week, and gather together to worship, pray and reflect on the needs of people in Zimbabwe where poverty, the climate crisis and Covid are making every day a struggle for survival.
Christian Aid Week 2022 is from Sunday 15th May - Saturday 21st May. For the first time in a generation, global poverty is rising. Coronavirus, conflict and the climate crisis are pushing more of our global neighbours into a struggle for survival. This year Christian Aid is focussing on Zimbabwe.
In rural Zimbabwe, seven out of ten women rely on farming to earn a living and provide for their families. But the climate crisis has brought intense droughts that have left their land barren and people hungry.
Working with local partners Christian Aid funds will be used to provide resilience against the changing climate:
- £5 could buy water taps for a community garden
- £15 could buy drought-resistant seeds like sorghum or millet to help 10 farmers to grow food
- £60 could train 50 women farmers to adapt and grow food in the changing climate
- £250 could help a family build a storeroom and provide seeds and fertilisers
Like last year we intend to put an envelope through every door. There is a Just Giving site for donations: Southwell & Villages Want Hope Not Hunger at
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/southwell-christian-aid-committee2
and drop off points for envelopes. Some volunteers have kindly agreed to do a face to face collection.
New delegates on the Committee and new volunteers to collect or count during Christian Aid Week or help with our events are always needed and can be sure of a warm welcome.
