Social Activities
Twelve Steps to Compassion
TWELVE STEPS TO A COMPASSIONATE LIFE Reading Groups will start on Wednesday 7th September from 1 to 2.30 pm and from 7 to 8.30 pm. If you would like to participate or find out more information, please contact our minister Rev Steve Dick at stephenwdick@gmail.com or on 020 8407 2866 as soon as possible.
Women's League
The Women's League meet for about an hour and a half on the first Wednesday of each month at 3.00pm. We have a short business meeting followed by some kind of activity, perhaps a craft session, occasionally a speaker or a quiz. There is a raffle, a sales table and one of our members brings a short reading with which we conclude the afternoon. In the summer we have an outing to a National Trust property and an 'At Home' in a member's garden. Over the years we have been very successful fundraisers for a large number of charities, holding coffee mornings and garden parties. New members are always welcome and membership of the church is not necessary to qualify as a member or visitor to the Women's League.
Open Church
Every Wednesday our church is open from 1.00-3.30pm. If you want a quiet place to have some time of reflection then please come and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of our lovely building. All are warmly welcome.
Charity Support
As a church we believe we have a role to play in supporting the many charities that undertake invaluable work to make this world a better place. This year we are pleased to support two charities: The Mary How Trust, a local charity based in Pulborough and Practical Action. Over the coming year we will be holding various fundraising activities, as well as promoting their life-saving activities. For more information on any events please CLICK HERE for our up to date Calendar of events.
C.H.A.N.C.E for Nepal www.chancefornepal.org/
C.H.A.N.C.E for Nepal (Children's Health and Nutrition Care and Education) is a registered charity founded by Barbara Datson in 2006 with the explicit aim of helping children in Nepal who are sick, orphaned, handicapped, or underprivileged. Their mission is to improve children's health, education and wellbeing by promoting and sponsoring high quality medical care in hospitals, orphanages and schools. They accomplish this through a unique collaboration between medical professionals and organisations committed to improving children's health.Their medical support in Nepal mainly focuses on primary health care believing that prevention should be concurrent with acute care. The medical checks in the orphanages and schools are targeted at identification, detection and treatment.
C.H.A.N.C.E for Nepal works closely with two outstanding organizations: Medical Checks for Children, a Dutch based charity which regularly sends teams of highly trained and motivated volunteers to Nepal, and Shenpen, a Nepalese charity dedicated to the alleviation of poverty.
In addition, C.H.A.N.C.E sponsors educational programmes at three schools in Kathmandu. Many children who have been abandoned or their family circumstances are such that they are safer in a boarding environment have benefited from this sponsorship. The charity are therefore constantly looking for sponsors to give a child the chance of a full time education, which in Nepal is a privilege!
Human Values Foundation (HVF) www.humanvaluesfoundation.com
The Human Values Foundation (HVF) is the publisher and promoter of values-based educational programmes. It was formed in 1995 to encourage, promote and develop human values among young people through its educational programmes, publications, exhibitions, conferences and staff exploration sessions. The HVF is a non-denominational and independent body, which does not represent or work on behalf of any particular religion or spiritual interest. It is a registered charity and a private company, limited by guarantee. The HVF enjoys close links with national education bodies in the UK.
Their vision is that young people among all sections of the community, both in the UK and also overseas, will imbibe and practise human values so as to become responsible, happy, fulfilled members of society and aspire to human excellence. Their mission is to develop, promote and encourage an uplifting education process, especially among young people, teachers and those who look after children. We provide universal resources that foster lasting, life enriching values, which contribute to an integrated, ethical, moral, emotional, social and spiritual education.
Previous Charities supported
Mary How Trust www.maryhowtrust.org
Following Mary How's death from bowel cancer in 1987, the Mary How Trust was formed by her husband and her GP in order to make health screening available to as many people as possible, regardless of their ability to pay.The charity undertakes some 1850 screenings each year and receives no funding from the NHS. The Trust is based in West Sussex, with a clinic and a charity shop in Pulborough, as well as a mobile screening unit. People do not have to live in West Sussex to book an appointment - everyone is welcome.
In 2005, readers of the West Sussex County Times voted the Mary How Trust the most outstanding charity in the South Downs area.
Practical Action www.practicalaction.org.uk
Practical Action has been working at a development charity for the last 40 years. Their unique approach to development means they don't start with technology, but with people. The tools may be simple or sophisticated - but to provide long-term, appropriate and practical answers, they must befirmlyin the hands of local people: people who shape technology and control it for themselves.Above all else, the transition from poverty to prosperity must involve investing in people. Practical Action seeks solutions that are defined and owned by each individual community. In eastern Sudan, for example, they established Women's Development Associations, which have helped equip women with skills, training and access to financial services, to enhance their earning opportunities and overall quality of life. Improved negotiating skills means the women are reaching economic independence and have improved access to services.
Their simple, innovative ideas to help people change their lives for the better. In Peru, they worked with poor communities to introduce micro-hydro electric systems. With a sustainable electricity supply, people can now use machinery and communication devices to increase their productivity and improve the quality of their lives. Children now have light to study by without damaging their eyes, while teachers and other professional people are less likely to move away from the villages. These award-winning micro-hydro electric systems can transform lives now and for generations to come.