Mission Group

The Mission Group was formed from, and in response to the experiences of, some members of our congregation, who went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2010.
You can read more about this pilgrimage via the Holy Land Pilgrimage 2010 pages

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Mission Policy

That we will support smaller charities rather than National bodies

That we will have personal knowledge of, or have a connection to how the money gets to the charity and of its practical application thereof.

We will review each individual Charity and the timescale of how long they are to be supported, case by case.

That we will split / share funds between Charities abroad and at home.

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The supported organisations for 2011 are:

Rosary Sisters School in Gaza - £1000. Our commitment is for 3 years

The Rosary Sisters are a Palestinian Arab small community of nuns, and three of them run a school for about 550 kids in Gaza. In a population of about 1.5 million there are 3,000 Christians, and at the school about 50 of the children are Christians.
The school charges $1,000 per annum to cover uniform, books and tuition, and Sr Davida (the Principal) is very keen to try and keep the Christian families in education until 16, as she rightly believes education is the only real tool against the occupation that is non-violent.
Unfortunately, there are no glossy resources, web site, powerpoint presentation or anything like that to show - this is the reality of life in Gaza.
We are hoping to get some photos and info of the children who will be supported.

The Church of the Transfiguration in Kurnool, India - £1000. Reviewed in 1 year

This is one of the sites visited by Rosie, Alan and Lucy in December. It is on the first floor in the formerly flooded area of Kurnool - a new mission district in a slum.
The church serves 80 families, and has been open for two years - windows are being put in and they have a need for electricity - they have only one electric point at the moment. Woodwork was in progress when we were there (evidence they will actually do it!)
£1000 will be transformational there, and we can report back further the next time we visit.

Workaid - £2000. One off payment, but will review it next year

Workaid collect donated tools and equipment from all over the UK through a network of 86 area organisers. The items are refurbished by a team of around 185 volunteers at our workshop in Chesham, then packed and shipped to approved vocational and self-help groups training projects, mostly in East Africa.
We have received a letter of thanks from the Head of Fundraising The money went towards a container that will be leaving the UK soon and we have been asked to give it a name - from those still available (each container has a different name) we have chosen 'Lazarus'

OMF - £1000

OMF is a Christian mission agency that serves the church and seeks to bring the gospel to all the peoples of East Asia. We help place Christians to share the love of Christ with East Asians worldwide. We have supported OMF for many years and can confirm - with the PCC's blessing, that this will be the last donation.

Chiltern Air Ambulance - £1000. Reviewed in 1 year

TVACAA operates across the three counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire (BOB). They do not receive central Government or National Lottery funding and rely on donations like ours.
The Air Ambulance carries a full range of life saving medical equipment and two fully qualified paramedics, who are supported on a regular basis by a small team of dedicated doctors.
The helicopter is operated in daylight hours, seven days per week, 365 days per year.
The Air Ambulance has the benefit of having an additional seat to carry a carer or parent, which can be very important if the patient is a sick or injured child. It can transport one patient with the ability to treat and care in the air and has the provision for two stretchers in the case of an extreme medical emergency situation.

Lighthouse - £1000. Reviewed in 1 year

Lighthouse is a holiday week for children run by Christians from all the local churches in the Great Missenden and Prestwood area of Buckinghamshire, England. They now also have a daughter sites in nearby Hazlemere, Burnham and Princes Risbourgh. Their aim is to tell everyone about God's amazing love for us all. They believe that the Bible is God's Word to us and that it shows us how to live. Above all they believe that God sent His son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die and rise again, so that our sins might be forgiven and we might come to know Him. We know from our experience that God is able to provide a peace and hope, which cannot be found anywhere else.

Chiltern Counselling - £1000. Reviewed in 1 year.

Chiltern Counselling, based in Chesham, is affiliated to Westminster Pastoral Foundation. It is staffed by qualified counsellors and therapists most of whom work voluntarily.
They support people living in the Chilterns area suffering from a wide range of problems such as bereavement, relationship breakdown and clinical depression.
Individuals are referred by their GP or self referral. Although fees are charged, no-one is turned away just because they can’t afford to pay the whole cost.
Chiltern Counselling has to raise about £50000 over the next three years to assure its future and to be able to help more local people.