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Support for Others |
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Past Christmas
Collections |
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 The
beneficiary of our 2022 Christmas Collection was
Operation Mobilisation.
We
previously supported OM in 2020, but
for 2022 we specifically supported
their work in
Ukraine.
Will you
Live out love
this Christmas?
“A new command I give you: Love one
another. As I have loved you, so you
must love one another. By this, everyone
will know that you are my disciples.”
John 13:34-35
***
OM
spoke to British national Sam Hughes, a
children’s worker from the Isle of Wight
who has been living in Odessa, Ukraine,
for the past 5 years. He thanks OM for
their prayers and support and urges
people to keep remembering those
affected and not stop praying. To read
the interview in full click
here |
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 The
beneficiary of our 2021 Christmas Collection was
Mercy Ships.
 Mercy
Ships is a
global
Christian
charity that
follows the
2,000-year-old
model of
Jesus to
bring hope
and healing
to those
suffering
from
disability,
disfigurement,
and disease.
We deploy
hospital
ships and
partner with
African
nations to
transform
surgical
systems and
provide free
surgery to
those most
in need. We
believe
every person
is valuable.
'Imagine a
ship crewed
by doctors,
nurses,
water
engineers
and
agriculturalists
visiting
some of the
world’s
poorest
countries.
Now imagine
their
life-changing
services
offered free
of charge…
Right now
dedicated
volunteers
from around
the world
are bringing
hope and
healing to
thousands of
people who
could never
have
believed it
possible.
Welcome to
Mercy Ships,
a
compassionate
response to
a world
where many
have lost
hope.'
Coronavirus is threatening the lives of
thousands of the poorest and most vulnerable in Africa. Any donation
will protect and save lives by helping to vaccinate the most vulnerable
people in Central and West African nations, including Senegal, Benin,
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and to train more African doctors and
nurses to administer the vaccine. |
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The
beneficiary of our 2020 Christmas Collection was
Operation Mobilisation.
Established in 1957 by George Verwer, OM is a
dynamic, international Christian missions movement. In the OM family of
ministries, there are 5,000 workers representing over 113 nations in
more than 110 countries and in world port communities, through their
ship, Logos Hope.
They are a global community of Jesus followers
united to share the love of Jesus with those that don't know it.
History
Operation Mobilisation traces its roots to
the prayers of an American housewife. In the 1950s, Dorothea Clapp began
to pray faithfully for the students in her local high school. She asked
God to touch the world through the lives of the young people. And God
answered her prayers.
Mrs Clapp's son gave the Gospel of John to one
of the students, who later gave his life to the Lord at a Billy Graham
meeting. That young man was George Verwer, the founder and former
International Director of Operation Mobilisation.
At college, George and two friends met
regularly to pray. They became burdened by the spiritual needs of
Mexico. In 1957 the three friends sold some of their possessions to
raise money and gave up their summer holiday to distribute Gospels and
other Christian literature in Mexico. The friends returned to Mexico the
following summer and the next.
When they graduated in 1960, George and his
friends traveled to Europe. They began work in Spain, sharing the Gospel
and distributing literature. But the task of reaching the whole of
Europe seemed overwhelming. George and his small team realised that
God's plan was to mobilise His Church to reach the nations. As they
began to share their vision, hundreds of Christians responded. So
Operation Mobilisation was born. By 1963, 2,000 Christians had joined
summer outreach teams in Europe. At the same time, teams moved into the
Indian sub-continent and the Muslim world. Their commitment was to reach
those who had never heard the Gospel.
Such simple beginnings have shaped OM since.
Today over 3,300 workers in OM's family of ministries, representing over
100 nationalities, are bringing God's unchanging truth to literally
millions every year.
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 The
beneficiary of our 2019 Christmas Collection was, like our
2018 & 2017 Christmas Collections,
the
IoW Salvation Army Night Hostel.
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 The 2016 Christmas Collection
was donated to
Samaritan's Purse
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 The 2015 Christmas Collection
was donated to Love Russia's
Playground Appeal
"The Playground Appeal
At a centre for homeless mums in desperate need of shelter, nutrition
and help to get their lives back on track, there is no safe place for
their children to play.
At
present, they play in the grounds which are littered with dangerous
discarded debris. Having stayed at the centre with the mums and their
children last summer, it was clear this is a priority. The children
cannot be left unattended for a second in their own garden because of
the hazardous conditions.
An
outside play area in a suitable enclosure with safe equipment, hazard
free ground cover, a couple of benches and an outside table will make a
phenomenal difference to day to day life at the centre.
While
the mothers recover from traumas and addictions and begin rebuilding
their lives, a playground will not only provide safety for the children,
but also an environment that will help the mums bond and grow with their
little ones, learning to play together as families, creating memories
that all children should be blessed with." |
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 The
2014 Collection was donated to
Christian Aid's
Deliver Hope appeal
"At
Christmas we celebrate the safe arrival of God’s promised Saviour and
Son, Jesus Christ. As we remember Mary’s arduous and life-threatening
journey to Bethlehem, we sigh with relief that it is so different for us
today. But sadly, for thousands of women in Kenya, the dangers and
struggles experienced by the young mother of our Saviour are all too
real."
This
Christmas we’re supporting Christian Aid and their dedicated partners as
they work to reach women and to support local nurses. Through
locally-based groups like TRDP, part of the Anglican Church of Kenya,
they’re providing mobile health clinics to ensure that families in some
of the most remote parts of Kenya can access life-saving healthcare.
Working closely with a community, TRDP sets up and supports
mother-to-mother and father-to-father groups, providing safe
environments for people to share concerns and get advice. And through
its training and support of community health workers, women are
encouraged to deliver in hospital, where complications can be spotted
and treated.
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The 2013
Collection was donated to
Mercy Ships.
'Imagine a
ship crewed
by doctors,
nurses,
water
engineers
and
agriculturalists
visiting
some of the
world’s
poorest
countries.
Now imagine
their
life-changing
services
offered free
of charge…
Right now
dedicated
volunteers
from around
the world
are bringing
hope and
healing to
thousands of
people who
could never
have
believed it
possible.
Welcome to
Mercy Ships,
a
compassionate
response to
a world
where many
have lost
hope.'
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 The 2012
Collection was donated to
The
Children’s Bereavement Service run by the local YMCA
The YMCA Children’s Bereavement provides
services for children and young people on the Isle of Wight to enable
them to cope with bereavement and to raise awareness and understanding
within the wider community of the impact of loss and grief on young
lives.
They offered a range of bereavement counselling and support services
including:
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one-to-one counselling
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support groups for children and young people who have experienced the
suicide of someone close to them
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support groups for children and young people who have experienced the
death of someone close to them
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support and information for children, young people and their families
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practical support network for parents and carers
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support and information for health professionals working with children
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support and information for schools and children’s workers
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website information
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social events, including residential camps
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memorial day events
Why is the service so
important?
It is estimated that around
400 children and young people experience bereavement every year on the
Isle of Wight. Previously there has been no service on the island that
specifically addresses the needs of bereaved children, and no
bereavement support at all for the under 5′s. Our service is available
to all children and young people aged 0-18 years who have been affected
by death.
Research has found that if
children experience unresolved or complicated grief it can directly lead
to poorer outcomes later on in life; independent studies concluded that
90% of young offenders had unresolved grief as a driver behind their
offending behaviour. Good quality and early intervention improves
children’s ability to cope with bereavement and to grieve in healthy
ways as they resume their lives.
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The 2011 collection
was donated to The Barnabas Fund to help the persecuted church.
 The mission of the Barnabas Fund
is to support Christians where they are in a minority and suffer
discrimination, oppression and persecution as a consequence of their
faith. Their goal is to strengthen Christian individuals, churches
and their communities by providing material and spiritual support in
response to needs identified by local Christian leaders. |
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 The 2010 collection was donated to Haylands Farm in Ryde - 2010 was their 30th
anniversary year.
Haylands Farm project is run for
people with learning difficulties by the Isle Of Wight branch
of Mencap.
Haylands Farm is a working environment that provides work and
training services to adults with a learning disability. Their aim is to
provide and maintain an environment which is supportive to the training
needs of the students who attend Haylands Farm.
www.haylandsfarm.co.uk
Haylands
Farm can be followed on Twitter
and
Facebook |
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 The 2009 collection was
donated to the Cystic Fibrosis
Trust in memory of James Sparks (pictured right), a young man who
loved to worship at our church but sadly passed away in June 2009 at just 17 years
of age after losing his battle with the illness.
 Cystic
Fibrosis is one of the UK's most common, life-threatening, inherited
diseases.
The CF
Trust can be followed on
Twitter
and Facebook,
as can various other CF related support groups.
You can see a selection of photos from
James' life at his father's
Flickr page
In
July 2013, a railway themed memorial garden dedicated to James was opened on the children's
ward at St Mary's Hospital, Newport on the Island. |
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Page last updated
24 November 2023
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