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St Nicolas takes its responsibility to serve the outside community –
locally, nationally and globally – very seriously. Here are just some
examples of recent projects.
Linkline – acting locally
Work in progress – the service will provide a telephone link to the
elderly housebound and infirm. Based on similar successful schemes in
other parts of the country, a weekly phone call will provide not only
contact with the ‘outside world’ but our volunteers will be able to
point their clients to sources of help and advice. The project is being
supported by Age Concern, Citizens Advice and Wokingham District
Council. The Linkline Project is being developed by our Community Action
Group led by Rev’d David Webster.
Outward Giving – acting locally, nationally and globally.
Each year the PCC, on behalf of the members of St Nicolas, donates a
lump sum to three chosen charities: one local, one national and one
international. Individual charities are nominated by members of the
congregation. In 2005 we donated to:
• PACT (Parents and Children Together) – a charity run within the
Diocese of Oxford whose purpose is “to build and strengthen families”.
The money was specifically earmarked for a family centre in Bracknell
supporting single parents and young families. More information about
PACT can be found at www.pactcharity.org
• Opportunity International UK – a charity who sets up micro-finance
initiatives within the developing world to give opportunities for poor
people to develop small businesses, strengthen communities and transform
their lives by lending small amounts of money interest free. Find out
more at www.opportunity.org.uk
Following on from this, during 2006, St Nicolas is trying to raise
enough money to set up its own trust bank through Opportunity
International. Among the fund-raising ideas, over Lent we have used the
‘Parable of the Talents’ (Matthew 25: 14 - 30) to inspire members of the
congregation. We gave everyone who wished to participate £10 and hoped
they would use their talents wisely, and hopefully raise some money for
our micro-finance initiative at the same time.
• Linkline – see above
In 2004 donations were made to PACT again for a family centre in Coley;
to the Prisoner’s Education Trust (see www.prisonerseducation.org.uk)
and to SALGO Assist in Ummadivarum, South India, towards wells for
irrigation. In 2003 we supported Tearfund (www.tearfund.org) a leading
relief and development charity; Daisy’s Dream, which supports bereaved
children and their families (www.daisysdream.org.uk) and another PACT
project.
The Christmas Appeal – acting where it’s needed
A different idea each year :
• 2005: ‘Present Aid’ – we collected a fantastic £1956.62 to buy
presents for families and communities in the developing world through
Christian Aid. The gifts we sent were chosen by Sunday School and
included seeds, goats, cows (thanks to very generous contributions from
the St Nicolas Mother’s Union), stethoscopes, toilets, worms….
• 2004: Operation Christmas Child – through the charity Samaritan’ s
Purse (www.samaritanspurse.org) and with the local community we
collected hundreds of shoeboxes filled with presents to be given as a
message of hope to children and young people in desperate situations
around the world – irrespective of their faith, race or ethnic
background
• 2003 Reading Family Aid – we collected gifts for disadvantaged
teenagers and older children
Harvest – acting locally
The people of St Nicolas and local schools who come for their Harvest
Festival Services donate non-perishable food (about 2 van loads!) which
is taken to CIRDIC – Churches in Reading Drop In Centre for the homeless
and needy (see www.churchesinreading.org.uk)
RE-Inspired – acting locally
A charity set up by churches in East Reading to support the RE
curriculum in local schools by providing ‘inspired RE teaching’. Members
of St Nicolas are actively involved in the management of RE-Inspired and
also in delivering the sessions to local schools. For more information
see www.reinspired.org.uk.
Mangoes and More – Making Poverty History
During 2005, members of St Nicolas supported the Make Poverty History
campaign by going on marches, hosting Fairtrade events and wrapping the
church in a huge banner on White Band Day. The Justice Group within St
Nicolas continues to promote the goals of trade justice, dropping of
debt and providing more and better aid to the developing world.
We also have a home-grown way to help make poverty history – Adam
Tyndall, Dan’s son, started the ‘No Presents No Poverty’ campaign last
Christmas (2005). 'No Presents=No Poverty' was launched in 2005 with the
aim of raising £1600 to fund a Mango Plantation through the Oxfam Unwrapped Scheme. The way this would be done
would be through asking people who normally give you a Christmas present to give you a cheque to Oxfam instead.
When all these cheques were collected at a concert on 8th January the final total was £3245, enough to fund not
one but two mango plantations. Mango Plantations (to be located in Ghana) offer a sustainable source of income for
years and benefit not only the farmer and his family but the whole community. Obviously, the main aim of the campaign
is to help those most in need but it also aims to highlight the over commercialisation and loss of the real meaning of
this Christian festival. Through not receiving over indulgent presents the senseless waste of Christmas is reduced whilst
helping those that need, not want, most. For more information on how to take part on this year's campaign see
www.nopresents-nopoverty.org.uk.
St Nicolas is a Fair Trade church.
Social Action in Many Other Ways
Members of St Nicolas have also collected milk bottle tops for a
children’s hospice; collected more milk bottle tops to be used as
counters in math’s lessons in Malawi; collected stamps for the RNLI;
organised dances to raise funds for the local air ambulance; held coffee
mornings for a variety of causes …not to mention to activities of
associated groups like the Mother’s Union, Christian Aid week
collections, and the box for donations the Children’s Society, and the
response emergency appeals like the Pakistan Earthquake Appeal and the
Tsunami Appeal.
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