St Barnabas has a strong tradition of charitable giving as a church, and of promoting fundraising and volunteering in support of charities. Many members of the congregation are active volunteers in local charities, including Reading street pastors, Reading family aid, Riding for the disabled, to name but a few.
The church also devotes part of its own income to donations to charities, with an emphasis on local and Christian organisations. Each year members of the congregation nominate charities to receive donations and the list is reviewed by the PCC each November.
In addition, we offer long-term support to two overseas charities that have a direct connection to St Barnabas:
- Education for life
- Masiphumelele
We have three major fundraising events each year:
- A Handyman Sale in May
- A Garden Party in June
- A Christmas Fair in December
We also take collections at special festival services, such as Christmas, and support local charities like the Churches together In Reading Drop-In Centre – CIRDIC and Churches in Reading Women’s Centre.
Education for life
Education for Life was founded by locally born Glyn and Jane Davies in 2000. It’s in Mombasa, Kenya and shines the light of Jesus by providing employment for local people; feeding and educating children; providing homes for orphaned and abandoned children and families in need of a helping hand, and reaching out to the community through the local church. www.educationforlife.net
Masiphumelele
The township of Masiphumelele, about 20 miles south of Cape Town in South Africa, is home to more than 38,000 people. Initially a shanty town, it is now a recognised settlement. Most people live in shacks. Six families or more share one water tap and toilet facility. Roughly 70% have no regular work. ‘Masiphumelele’ is the word in Xhosa that translates to “we will succeed!”.
The money raised by St Barnabas helps in the work of several pre-schools, the primary school and the local hospital, through one of the members of our congregation, Marion, who works as a volunteer in Masiphumelele during our winter months. The picture above shows the teddy bears made by St. Barnabas Church members being received at Masiphumelele.
