Charities
"If I lack charity, I count for nothing"
At St John’s, most of our charitable giving is via collections taken throughout the year:
- At special services, such as the Advent Carol Service, Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and Christingle Service.
- At four designated Charity Sundays.
- The Bishop's Lent Appeal.
- Ad hoc 'bucket collections' in support of world disasters.
Christian Aid
St John's supports Christian Aid throughout the year, as well as during Christian Aid Week. The Christian Aid Team organises and promotes various fundraising events, in collaboration with the Together churches. These include our annual Forth Bridge Sponsored Walk, Marmalade Markets, carol singing and concerts.
Chosen Charities 2010/2011
These are the charities we are supporting this year:
| Advent Carol Service | |
|---|---|
| 28 November 2010 | Tools for Self Reliance |
| Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols | |
| 19 December 2010(?) | The Samaritans |
| Christingle Service | |
| 24 December 2010 | TBC |
| Charity Sundays 2011 | |
| 30th January (Homelessness Sunday) |
TBC |
| 6th March | Network Rwanda |
| 19th June | L'Arche, Leith |
| 30th October | Cederville Palliative Care Centre, South Africa |
Choosing which charities to support
Around August, the Charity Committee makes suggestions for the following year's charitable donations. These suggestions are then submitted to the Vestry for their approval. So how does the Charity Committee choose who to support?
- We usually favour smaller charities and charities recommended by members of St John's. (There is usually a better response to a charity whose purpose and aims are recommended by someone from the congregation.)
- For the four Charity Sundays, two tend to be overseas charities and two local or Scottish charities. At the Charity Sunday held in January ("Homelessness Sunday") we always supports a homeless charity.
- The collection from the Christingle Service is generally sent to a charity dealing with children or young people.
- We also consider the time of year, such as harvest time, when in the past we have supported Send a Cow, Farm Africa and Wells for India.
A great deal of thought goes into the charities we choose, with the hope that they will appeal to the congregation and be well supported. We do not always get it right – but we certainly try!
Winifred Wyse, Charity Committee Convenor