Churchgoers from across Hampshire and East Dorset have raised nearly £5,000 for the Bishop of Winchester’s Lent Appeal in aid of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Anglican Communion ‘Together in Unity’ Fund supporting vulnerable communities in Companion Link Provinces.
The Right Reverend Dr Tim Dakin, the Bishop of Winchester, launched the Appeal to raise funds to help Christian communities around the world to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Diocese of Winchester has close and historic partnerships with the Anglican Church in Asia, South America and Eastern Africa. Funds raised through the Appeal will be directed to specific Covid-19 projects delivered by the Diocese’s partners in the Church in Myanmar and the Church in the DR Congo.
Bishop Tim noted the importance of supporting these key projects through the Lent Appeal following recent events in Myanmar:
“The current situation in Myanmar is deeply concerning and has greatly impacted the ability of the country to respond to the pandemic. Our Lent Appeal is now more important than ever to ensure our friends can maintain an effective Covid-19 response in their local communities. We continue to pray for peace and an end to the terrible violence. We support our Christian brothers and sisters who, as a religious minority in the country, are bravely seeking peace, reconciliation, and justice.
“Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Appeal supporting our brothers and sisters, and offered prayers for them in these difficult circumstances. This is just one of the ways we can witness to God’s life through the risen Lord Jesus, sharing Jesus’ love with others.”
In Myanmar, funds will support the 500 Christian volunteers, including many clergy, who have been assisting medical staff in the understaffed Covid hospitals in the city of Yangon since April. The financial support will equip these volunteers with PPE and medicines, as well as providing safe accommodation where they can quarantine before returning to their own homes and families.
In the Diocese of Kinshasa in the DR Congo, funds will support the establishment of a new farm in Kinzau-Mvuete, 260 miles south west of the capital, Kinshasa. The new farm will aid the sustainable development of the area and forms part of the Diocese’s response to the economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 disease. The project aims to help tackle extreme food shortages in the local area, and to generate employment and to provide a sustainable source of income for local people.
To donate to the appeal please go to: https://www.give.net/dioceseofwinchester