The classic Tear Times news update 'Over to you' has gone virtual at last, so now there's even more opportunity for us to report back on all the fantastic, imaginitive and inspired support you're giving us in your fundraising efforts.
Here's a few stories from recent months to encourage you. If you've got any more incredible stunts to tell us about don't hesistate to email us at churches@tearfund.org.
Full steam ahead
Shaking a collecting tin on a damp street corner is one way of raising some money for your favourite charity, or there’s the Steve Vince way!
Left to right: Talyllyn Railway General Manager Larry Bridges, Tearfund’s Sion Meredith, Steve Vince and his wife Alison. Photo: Jennifer Vince.
A life-long railway enthusiast, Steve decided to combine his 50th birthday with his hobby and Tearfund in one clever idea. He organised a trip on an old steam train, friends and family offered donations to hop aboard and the proceeds came to Tearfund. Simple, fun and very effective!
He says, ‘We live in a world where we need organisations like Tearfund more and more, and Tearfund’s Christian ethos matters to me very much.’
Steve managed to raise more than £2,000 for the Kigezi water project in Uganda. He says, ‘I was astonished by how generous people were. As I was opening the gift envelopes I was steadily more and more staggered at the amounts people had donated.
‘Even my mother, who has considered my interest in steam trains a cross she had to bear, was pleased with the event.’
Blow the Whistle - the Final score
Church leaders and Irish league players blew the whistle on global poverty with the help of an unfair football match this summer. Leaders from various churches in Northern Ireland put their best goal scoring feet forward at George Best’s former primary school, but were no match for the league players.
Even with the help of pupils from Nettlefield Primary cheering on the church leaders by singing, ‘We’re not Brazil, we’re the Ministers!’, they lost 12-1 to a team that included players such as Lisburn Distillery’s Michael Ferguson and Kyle Alexander from Dundela.
Match referee Drew Gibson, who is also Professor of Practical Theology at Union Theological College, says,
'Irish League players in prime physical condition against a bunch of unfit middle-aged clergy doesn't seem very balanced, very fair – but that's just the point isn't it?'
The unfair match was highlighting that there is work still to be done by governments across the world if they are to meet their promises to halve global poverty by 2015. This year marks the half-way point to meeting that goal.
Click here to watch the match!
Don’t be Derek
This summer’s unprecedented rainfall has brought the reality of climate change literally lapping into the living rooms of UK homes. It is more imperative than ever that we heed the call – Don’t be Derek!
St Mary’s Church in Huntingdon has already risen to the challenge. Their youth group is leading the campaign and did the sketch of St Oopid and St Able on the launch Sunday.
They have handed out the checklist and are waiting for feedback about what environmentally friendly lifestyle changes members of the congregation are making. And the youth group has produced a cotton shopper with the slogan ‘save the world’ on it to sell to the congregation.
‘We already use energy efficient light bulbs and china cups, and we are encouraging people to stop putting things on standby and to walk to church or share cars’, says church member Janie Prince. ‘And my husband does research into improving the efficiency of wind turbines.’
Find out more about our Don’t be Derek campaign here.