World & Community Group

The Priory World and Community Group (PWCG) was set up in 2015 as part of the Priory People initiative.

In the light of the Parochial Church Council’s decision at that time that 5% of the Church’s giving should be to external Christian causes, the group’s main brief was, and still is, to:

  • after discussion, reflection, consultation and prayer, recommend to the PCC which charities the Church should support. It was thought that there should be three larger and four smaller organisations
  • set up an emergency fund to contribute speedily to problem situations at home and abroad when they occur.
  • Keep the work of our partner organisations before the Church by, a) a notice board, changing monthly, which highlights one chaarity’s work each month’ b) writing occasional articles for the Priory’s “Newslink”’ c) informing those leading intercessory prayers at the 10 am service each month of the needs of our partner organisation, d) inviting r epresentatives from our partners to speak of their work at the 10 am service from time to time.
  • Keeping the PCC informed of the group’s work.

Over the past 2 ½ years the PWCG has faithfully kept to this agenda, and this has been widely appreciated by Church members.

Our partner charities are:

Church Missionary Society – supporting Christian mission projects throughout the world.

Open Doors – supporting persecuted Christians in many countries.

Reaching the Unreached of Village India – running 4 Children’s Villages and working in educational and community development.

Musalaha – bringing together Israelis and Palestinians to discuss and share, each working for reconciliation.

Educaid Sierra Leone – working in the field of education and community care and development in this needy part of West Africa.

St John’s Hospice Lancaster – providing residential and community care for those suffering from life threatening illnesses.

We are intending to change our local partner charity in 2018 from St John’s Hospice to the Marsh Community Centre.

We are assuming responsibility for the Priory’s support of Christian Aid in 2018.

 

Current Group Members:

Revd. Michael Fielding (Chair)

Rosemary Brockbank

Christine Dickinson

John Dickinson

Hilary Hopwood