Charitable giving at home and abroad

For the year 2001AD, the PCC left the total for allocation by the Home and Overseas Committee at £13,500. Once again, approximately one-third was allocated to ‘Home’, and two-thirds to ‘Overseas’ charities, about one-half being given to help the poor, the needy, refugees and victims of tragic crises, and one-half to help churches and mission. Small local charities were specially considered. These included the Herts and Beds Pastoral Foundation, GROW, ‘ASCEND’ - the charity of All Saints, South Oxhey, where their new church has now been fully funded and built, and the small overseas charity Toybox, working among street children in Guatemala, which is based in Amersham. The reason for this 2:1 split between Overseas and Home is because a significant proportion of the diocesan Parish Quota is spent outside the parish and parish-related activities, but within the diocese; it also reflects our concern for the Third World.

It is sad that the budget for 2002AD has cut the allocation to £9,500, because of the continuing massive rise in the Parish Quota; we prayerfully hope that at least some of the lost £4,000 may be restored by the end of the year.

Gifts have been made to:-

HOME
1. Alcohol Advice Centre £500 Continuing considerable financial needs.
2. Herts & Beds Pastoral Foundation £500 Great need as Local Authority grants remain minute.
3. ASCEND, South Oxhey £500 Social outreach of All Saints church.
4. St Luke’s Hospital £500 For the medical care of clergy - no waiting lists.
5. Scripture Union £500 For their help with Sunday School materials, Bible reading and evangelism.
6. SPRINGBOARD £500 The Archbishops’ initiative for evangelism.
7. YWAM £500 Based in Harpenden, for its UK work.
8. Centrepoint £400 Helping the homeless in London.
9. Relate £300 For their help in marriage preparation.
10. GROW £100 Helps local homeless men; to maintain links as they finalise their future plans.

Total £4,300

OVERSEAS
1. Christian Aid £2,400 £2,000 for general funds, £400 for their Afghanistan appeal.
2. Interserve £1,500 To support Revd Dr Graham Aylett in Outer Mongolia.
3. The Bible Society £1,250 To translate and distribute Bibles.
4. The Barnabas Charity £1,000 To help persecuted Christians (£200 for S. Sudan, £800 for general funds).
5. Intermediate Technology £900 To help raise Third World standard of living.
6. Toybox £650 For street children in Guatemala.
7. Church Mission Society £500 For John Waters’ studies to further literature work in the Middle East.
8. SOS Children’s Village
9. Association, Botswana £400 To help orphan children in a country beset by AIDS.
10. Ichthus Christian Fellowship £400 For Mr Milan Adhikari’s Bible and training course (from Nepal).
11. Tamil Nadu Prison Chaplaincy £250 For prisoners in Madurai prison and their families.

Total £9,200

Grand Total £13,500