St John the Evangelist: supporting others

Activities | Projects | Supporting others

Supporting others

St John's supports a number of other projects, both financially and in many different practical ways. Some of these are close to home, such as the Swindon Food Bank and the Willows Counselling Service; others are overseas.

Uganda

Eight years ago St. John's received a visit from Bishop Evans Kisekka, the Bishop of Luweero in Uganda. It was the start of an extraordinary and enduring partnership between St. John's, Haydon Wick and the people of Luweero.

Our greatest contribution has been to help the people of Bwaziba in the building of a primary school. Church members and parents in Bwaziba had the vision of building a school for local children where none existed. They had the vision. But being very poor people, they lacked the resources. St John's seized the opportunity to partner with them in the construction of a school building.

Six years later, the school was not only built, mainly by parents and local people, but is constantly expanding. We add a new classroom every year.

Even more wonderfully, the government of Uganda, impressed by the way in which things have developed, undertook to pay for the teaching staff. It now employs a headteacher, capable of dealing with the increasing numbers of children.

Our commitment to the school continues. We have never failed to provide financially for the development of the school, and when the vicar visited in 2009, he was delighted to see 10,000 bricks assembled in preparation for the building of a new assembly hall. All this now exists where before there was one room poorly equipped room.

We have also been able to provide equipment for a premature baby unit in the hospital at Kiwoko, and we support children and adults at a school for the Blind at Balitta.

Eridard and his new car On 22 February 2009, Raymond returned from a visit to Uganda. Here are just some of the highlights.

Our commitment to Uganda remains very strong. We recently heard that a student whom we supported some years ago, and who is now dean of Luweero Cathedral, needed a car. He now has it, as you can see (right).

We want to say special thank you to the staff and children of Greenmeadow School and Haydon Wick Primary School who support the Blind Centre and the primary school at Balitta regularly at harvest time each year.

Peter and Sally Bartlett

We have, for some time, supported the work of the South American Mission Society. However, South America is a big place, and unlike Uganda, we have never had much in the way of a personal link. We kept on giving regularly, and praying when we remembered, but it all seemed a bit remote and far away.

When we discovered that Peter Bartlett was on his way to become Bishop of Paraguay, and that he and Sally available to speak in St John's, it seemed an opportunity too good to miss.

We learned a lot about the country and its people on the weekend in which the Bartlett's were with us. And more importantly, we established that essential personal link.

Our missionary team keeps the congregation in regular touch with Peter and Sally are doing, and what God is doing through them.

You can find out more about that by reading their prayer letters:

Swindon Food Bank

The Swindon Food Bank is designed to help people in crisis, through the provision of emergency food. Local care workers in the Swindon area refer them, with a food voucher, to The Food Bank where they are given their food, a cup of coffee and help in finding other professionals who can help them. In Rural Areas emergency food can be delivered. Other agencies that help the homeless can receive food in bulk from the Food Bank.

Visit the Swindon food Bank website

Willows Counselling Service

Willows is a North Swindon based counselling service which is open to all adults. It is a charitable trust set up to provide a caring response to people facing life issues, and to assist the churches, groups, organisations and agencies. Willows purpose is to provide a confidential counselling facility accessible to all adults who live in Swindon and the surrounding area.

Willows is rooted in the Christian faith and would hold a world view that includes an understanding of ourselves as created beings (in God's image). A counsellor, who is Christian, would hold a world view that includes an understanding of ourselves as created beings (in God's image) although we would not expect clients necessarily to hold the same view.

Willows also offer a debt advice service, again available to all who live in Swindon and the surrounding area.

Visit the Willows Counselling Service website