Christian Aid

I WONDER how much you know about Christian Aid? Maybe you know they are a global charity that raises funds to help with humanitarian crises, such as after the recent earthquake in Myanmar. Maybe you’ve had churchgoers knocking on your door, asking you to contribute during Christian Aid Week? So you know that it’s also a charity that is supported by many local churches. One thing you might not know was how the charity began 80 years ago. At the end of the Second World War, British and Irish churches raised more than £80,000 for emergency supplies to help refugees in mainland Europe.
 
They mobilised partner churches in other countries to distribute this aid, setting the pattern for how they might work in future. So it makes sense that, as we celebrate 80 years since VE-Day, we’re also celebrating 80 years during which Christian Aid have fought poverty and injustice around the world. They’ve campaigned, lobbied and fundraised, harnessing the power of local churchgoers around the world to make a real difference. We’ll be celebrating all of that with a special service at Portsmouth Cathedral, at 5:45pm on Sunday 11 May. We’ll be hearing some of the stories of hope from around the world from John Plant, Christian Aid’s Church Relations Lead, who’ll be preaching during our Evensong that night. In 1945, Christian Aid was formed partly because the core values of human dignity had been challenged during wartime. John will assert that even in 2025, it’s still necessary for the Church to proclaim the God-given dignity of all people across the world.
 
We’ve also invited him to meet us beforehand, for a special question-and-answer session with the Bishop of Portsmouth, Bishop Jonathan Frost. We’ll meet for refreshments in our Becket Hall, on St Thomas’s Street, from 4:00pm and then the session will start with questions from 4:15pm until around 5:00pm. Our service also marks the launch of Christian Aid Week 2025, which happens from May 11-17, and may involve local churchgoers knocking on your door. Among the various fundraising initiatives across the country that week will be a Big Breakfast and other events hosted by the cathedral. Why not come along next Sunday (May 11) and discover more about what Christian Aid stands for, and how that echoes the role of churches across the world in standing up against poverty and injustice, wherever it happens.

Neil Pugmire