Support for International, National and Local Mission Work from St Peter's

For many years, St Peter's has supported and sponsored the work of Christians throughout the world. The PCC reviews its giving to mission work every three years. The church currently supports four international projects including the Church Mission Society and the Anglican charity organisation USPG. In recent years, support has also been given to the Paraguayan educational organisation FEISA and most recently the mobile relief agency Mercy Ships has been brought into the portfolio of missions assigned special prayer and support including financial assistance.

Nationally, St Peter's provides assistance to the Langley House Trust which works with ex-offenders and their rehabilitation to society following terms of imprisonment. Locally, support is given to Family Care and the Oundle Churches Youth Association (OCYA).

International

Church Mission Society CMS (20% of our mission funding) Our mission partners Ross and Sonia Wilson left England in 2003 to work in Thailand. They live in Bangkok with their three children - Rebekah, Caitlin and Keziah. They work with the local church in Bangkok, organising visits and projects to assist its leader Chung Wah. Now that they are relatively fluent in Thai, they are able to lead study groups and courses. At present they have both been involved in "Living Waters" which seeks to build up family life by focussing on sexual and relational wholeness. They continue to be very much involved with coordinating Christian Groups as they seek to care for and counsel those affected by the tsunami. To read their latest letter, click here. Please pray for them and return to this page often to keep track of their lives. If you want to find out more about the Church Mission Society, then just click here.
Local contact: Caroline Curtis

USPG Anglicans in World Mission (20%) We have supported projects for many years, most recently a medical mission in Pakistan, and then "Back to Eden", an environmental programme in the diocese of Umzimvubu, South Africa. Two years ago, USPG ceased funding this project as the new bishop was not supporting it. Pending our choice of a new project, our money is going into their general fund giving help to many churches and communities around the world, particularly in educational and medical fields.
Local contact: Eleanor Rayden

FEISA (12%) To meet Paraguay’s need for more pre-school teachers FEISA, a department of the Evangelical University of Paraguay, opened in 2000. Their vision is to transform the lives of children in Paraguay by training and equipping teachers to the highest standard who will teach with creativity, integrity and love. Their aims are to produce well qualified and trained teachers, to produce a degree course and various training courses for established teachers to improve the standard of education in the whole country and to reach the very poorest children with high quality education.
Rote learning has been the educative norm in Paraguay and the staff are pioneering dynamic, interactive teaching where the child learns through play and discovery. The students are also encouraged to set an example to the children by the way they live.
FEISA subsidises all student fees in order to make high quality teacher training affordable for people from low income families. The college also offers scholarships to students from the poorest backgrounds. This is only achieved by generous help from supporters of which St Peter’s, Oundle is one. Third year students do a month long placement in schools for the most impoverished children, where they teach the children how to produce such items as bread, yoghurt or soap. These lessons in self help inspire hope and help build stronger relationships with the community. In one school the children made fruit pies which they sold in the community to buy paint and furniture for their run down classroom.
Social action projects are helping the needs of marginalised children in Paraguay.
A mobile play scheme started in 2004 to provide play opportunities for the most disadvantaged children in schools and communities throughout Asunción. St Peter’s Church has raised £31,000 to provide the vehicle and monies for the maintenance and salaries for the driver (Esteban Echeverria, pictured right) and toy librarian for three years. Students visit weekly to provide activities to stimulate the children’s development as there are only two helpers to over 20 children. Third year students make an annual visit to indigenous Indian schools in the Chaco, Paraguay’s remote western region. Training for teachers and women are being provided together with materials in Enxet for the Yatnata community. Comment from a 1^st grade teacher ‘Without a firm educational foundation it is very difficult for the children to advance in their learning. This project is just what the community needs for its children to progress in their education. Graduates include Lili Colman (2004 - pictured left), scholarship student, working with an indigenous community is teaching in a pre-school, started a nursery class and is encouraging basic hygiene amongst the community. Raquel Greco (2003 - pictured right)), scholarship student who visited Oundle in 2005, is currently at Bible College in Chile with a view to being part of the youth leadership team in the Anglican Church in Asunción. Read about Raquel by clicking here. Andrea Friesen (2007), is now working in a nursery school in Oxford, UK and is hoping to take back ideas to FEISA on her return. To read the latest FEISA newsletter, click here. To read their latest prayer requests letter, click here.
Local contacts: John Tompkins and Ann Varley

Mercy Ships (12%) Mercy Ships has been delivering specialised health care and community development services to the forgotten poor for 30 years. Since then they have served in more than 150 ports bringing lasting change to millions of lives. The vision of Mercy Ships in their own words is to “seek to become the face of love in action, bringing hope and healing to the poor”. The ships are crewed by doctors, nurses, water engineers and agriculturalists - all volunteers. Mercy Ships provides free, specialised operations that save lives, improve quality of life and restores hope. They work with Blindness (cataracts etc), Deformities (tumours, congenital abnormalities, cleft palate, burns, leprosy etc), Injuries (childbirth, war and work), Dental (extractions and procedures). In addition Mercy Ships will partner with locals to rebuild and improve the health of their communities through a holistic range of programmes - Churches and schools, Health care training, Neighbourhoods (agricultural, education, clean water and sanitation etc), Disabled/displaced/orphan (reintegration). Lord Ian McColl, a top UK surgeon, is both Mercy Ships Board member and active volunteer. “Over the years I have been involved in many charities but there has never been one quite like Mercy Ships, which allows me to practice my profession of surgery under ideal circumstances for people who are in desperate need and poverty. Not only are the employees of the charity highly motivated by their Christian faith but their expertise and the service which they provide is second to none. Moreover, all the volunteers onboard pay for their own food and keep. During our holidays, my wife and I operate together on Mercy Ships in a most pleasant atmosphere with everyone in the operating theatre one hundred percent enthusiastic, with a great sense of humour and professionalism. During our Easter holiday in The Gambia, we operated all day, eleven days in a row, apart from Easter Sunday, and it was a most exhilarating experience. Most of the patients are the outcasts of society, rejected by their families and the public. One day Mutala appeared with a tumour growing from the side of his head, which was actually the size of his head; he was sixteen years old and had been hidden away from society most of his life. It took nearly twelve hours to remove this benign tumour, during which twelve pints of blood were transfused – donated fresh by members of the crew. My wife and I count it a great privilege to work for this unique charity.” To visit their website, click here.
Local contact: Ali Coutts

National

The Langley House Trust (12%) This was founded by a group of Christian men and women. It aims to provide a secure, homely environment, based upon Christian beliefs and values, to enable newly released prisoners to make the difficult transition back into the community. To read the latest prayer requests, click here. One of the Trust's 15 projects is Wing Grange in rural Rutland, where up to 20 male residents can be helped to address their offending behaviour whilst developing life and vocational skills. Among these are horticulture (produce is sold at weekly farmers' markets at Oakham) decorating and information technology. At present, we have close connections with prisons through Revd Liz Waller and Richard Potter.
Local contact: Iain Wilson (pictured right)

Local

Family Care (12%) This is supported by the Diocese of Peterborough and each year the Bishop commissions the staff. We support their work in Peterborough and Northampton. The aims are to protect the children from abuse and to prevent family breakdown by offering residential programmes and support for young parents, many of whom have troubled histories of abuse, drug addiction, alcohol problems, isolation or violence. Family Care offers counselling and training in practical life skills in conjunction with Sure Start, Parents United and other projects including assisted playgroups.
Local contacts: Rachel Cowpe and Sally Langham

Oundle Churches Youth Association (OCYA) (12%) St Peter's has enjoyed links with OCYA since the organisation's inception in the late 1990s. It currently employs a youth worker, Nic Shaw (pictured left) whose brief is to work with young people throughout the Prince William Secondary School catchment area.

A committed Christian, Nic is working with "un-churched" youngsters in a bid to bring them to Christ through all sorts of opportunities. Nic works in schools, presenting assemblies and running clubs.

He also organises activity weekends and holidays and works each summer with children at the Chattabox Holiday Club.
Local contact: Moira Edwardson

In addition to the regular mission-giving listed, St Peter's Church also gives to a number of other charities through occasional collections. Examples of this are:

Church of England Children's Society - Christingle Service Collection
Local contact: Anne Kilgour
Christian Aid - Harvest Collection and collections for Emergency Appeals
Local contact: Eleanor Rayden

We also give annual gifts to the Oundle Clock Fund, Peterborough Diocesan Mission Fund, Historic Churches Fund, St Luke's Hospital for Clergy, Church Housing Trust, Peterborough Bell Ringers Association and Peterborough Cathedral.