Irish Times Notes16 May 20

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

CMSI sends Covid support to global Church

Last week saw the Church Mission Society Ireland transfer the first wave of financial support to its partners, as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic. In all, over £20,000 was distributed across twelve global partners in seven countries, bringing much needed help to churches as they respond to the crisis on their own doorsteps.

CMSI launched its Covid–19 Response Appeal at the start of April when it became clear that the impact of the pandemic was going to be particularly severe for its partners and the communities they serve. CMSI’s Mission Director, Jenny Smyth, has said that the initial support for the appeal has been very encouraging and that they are especially grateful for a generous grant of €10,000 from the Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal. Thanks to this grant and to the generosity of churches and individuals throughout Ireland,  work has begun to stop the spread, support the vulnerable and relieve suffering. 

The money distributed to CMSI’s partners last week included support for food relief programmes in DR Congo, Egypt, Kenya and Rwanda: water tanks and hand washing facilities for schools in Burundi; logistical support for PPE distribution to rural hospitals in Nepal; shelter and counselling for those made homeless by flooding in DR Congo; training and support for Covid–19 preparations at a clinic in South Sudan; and support for mask–sewing initiatives in DR Congo and South Sudan.

The Bishop of Kilmore, the Rt Revd Ferran Glenfield, who is a member of the Church of Ireland Council for Mission, had welcomed CMSI’s response and has encouraged support for CMSI’s Covid–19 Appeal which will make a huge difference to some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

To find out more or to support the CMSI Appeal, visit www.cmsireland.org

A remarkable example of what can be done locally to help the helpless occurred when the Revd Willie Nixon, inspired by words of his daughter Anna, designated Tuesday 5 May as ‘Kindness Day’ in his Drumbeg Parish in the Diocese of Down and Dromore. He invited his parishioners to raise £1,000 and if they fell short he would make up the difference: in four hours they had contributed £7,010. The money will go to the parish’s link diocese in Northern Uganda where Bishop Johnson Gakumba had advised that his clergy were on the verge of starvation and where there was a major need for food for over 350 church workers and for masks to protect them when called upon to conduct funeral services.

A different kind of parish response is taking place in Kilternan in south Co. Dublin, where the parish centre has become a hub for sewing and distributing reusable cotton masks. This is an initiative of Katie Holland, a parishioner and Scout leader, assisted by the 10th Kilternan Scouts and Group Leader, Gary Watts, and supported by the Rector of Kilternan, the Revd Rob Clements. This programme is running in conjunction with  Masks4AllIreland, a group of voluntary sewists who make the best possible reusable cotton masks free to those who need them. The material costs are met through fundraising and donations. To date there are 550 sewists across the country and 25,000 masks have been produced.

This is a hub and so, social distancing and stringent hygiene protocols prohibit more than three or four people in attendance at any one time, But if you would like to become involved contact Katie Holland at katie@jollylands.com or if you would like to donate go to www.gofundme.com/f/10th–kilternan–scouts–covid19–fabric–for–masks