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11 December 2025
Bishop presents cheques to recipients of Lent Appeal
Bishop Jonathan has presented cheques to three charities that we raised funds for as part ... read more
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11 March 2025
LENT APPEAL: Supporting mission in the global Church
Some of the proceeds from the Bishop’s Lent Appeal this year will go towards the ... read more
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6 March 2025
LENT APPEAL: Donations will help those in poverty
Donations from our Bishop’s Lent Appeal this year will go towards the global charity Tearfund. ... read more
Bishop presents cheques to recipients of Lent Appeal
BISHOP Jonathan has presented cheques to three charities whose work we are supporting via the Bishop's Lent Appeal.
Generous worshippers from across our diocese raised a total of £9,000 from sacrificial giving and fundraising during Lent this year. So the bishop was able to hand over £3,000 each to representatives from the global mission agency USPG, the development charity Tearfund and local church charity Vista.
They all met up in our cathedral. And the bishop was pleased to tell them that he intends that his Lent Appeal should support all three charities again in 2026, 2027 and 2028. This helps worshippers in our diocese to build ongoing relationships with the charities involved.
Carol Miller, USPG's church engagement manager, said: "We partner with brothers and sisters in Anglican dioceses and provinces to be the heartbeat of Jesus in their communities. This will make such a difference to them. The key thing we ask is what do they want to do to make people flourish in their area. And then we ask how we can help them."
Simon Mitchell, who is a volunteer Tearfund speaker and is also a worshipper at Christ Church, Portsdown, said: "In a broken world, we try to be God's hands and feet and mouth. In places like Gaza and Ethiopia and the Sudan, God is building people up. One of the ways in which we see communities changed is by offering people Bible studies that help them to realise their worth, and realise what they can do to help themselves."
And Miriam Hargreaves, women's project manager for Vista, based at Harbour Church, Portsmouth, said: "We support women who have been sexually exploited - in their country of origin, on their journey here, and once they arrive here. We have a paid team of four, and around 12 volunteers who go into massage parlours and strip clubs and offer those women a confidential listening ear, and a chance to live a safer life. Funding is always a challenge, so these funds will really help."
Our bishop invites churchgoers and members of our communities to donate towards good causes each year during Lent, raising thousands of pounds to help those in need. Worshippers within our churches hold events to raise funds, or dig deep into their pockets during and after the season of Lent.
One of those who would benefit from this kind of funding is Jan, who is part of a group for more than 100 women with disabilities in a church in the Diocese of Kigali, in Rwanda. Tearfund is partnering with the diocese to support self-help groups such as this one.
Jan, who became disabled at the age of 27, said: "They supported us in a very powerful way. As an old person who witnessed the genocide and someone with disabilities, people like us are put aside like we are not needed. I began to tell the difference in how those with disabilities are treated. It started with my family and then my friends began to reject me.
"Then I found the church. They came close to us and showed us love. They showed us how to work together in self-help groups. I appreciate the church for continuing to support us. We have been shown how to make soap. We are like family - brothers and sisters. We encourage each other and we grow together. Before we could not afford to support our children through school, but now we can".
Disability carries a lot of stigma both culturally and within the church through negative interpretation of Scriptures. Each of the women pictured here had stories of suffering and neglect. They felt like outsiders all their lives. This church actually repented to these women and asked for forgiveness at the start of the project, as they realised they had also neglected them and their experience in society. This was really powerful for the women to hear and they have now started to advocate for their rights in local councils and services. This is all through the empowering work and care of the church.
The United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG), is an Anglican mission agency that partners with churches and communities worldwide to enliven faith, strengthen relationships, unlock potential and champion justice. USPG has played a significant role in worldwide Christian mission since its foundation in 1701. Its chief executive Duncan Dormer, is a Canon Theologian in our cathedral. He and his staff led a Bishop's Study Day in the cathedral in March.
Among the projects that USPG supports is providing vital medical aid in Gaza and the West Bank, in its partnership with the Diocese of Jerusalem and other Anglican agencies. The funding that we provide can be used for staff and medical supplies at the recently-bombed Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza and St Luke’s Hospital in the West Bank.
And Vista, based at Harbour Church, Portsmouth, supports those such as Bianca* to change their lives. When the team met her, she was in a relationship with a man who was sexually exploiting and abusing her. She had moved to the UK seeking new opportunities, but things had spiralled into her becoming reliant on alcohol to ease the pain of the abuse she was experiencing. She seemed trapped in a web of addiction and abuse that can easily be a response to traumatic experiences. Then she became pregnant.
Bianca’s pregnancy was a high risk one and Children’s Services and Social Care were working closely with her throughout. The Vista team were able to be alongside her as she fought to keep her baby, but the time was not quite right for her, and she continued to drink in bouts. A few days after he was born, Bianca’s son was taken into care. This painful event added another layer to her experience of trauma and after a short time of sobriety, Bianca started drinking heavily. The team continued to pray for her and with her.
It was during this time that Bianca was able to get away from the abusive relationship and into temporary accommodation which provided more support than before. She felt angry with the lack of housing options available and angry with a system that had taken away her baby. After a couple of years of praying and being around to hold out hope when Bianca felt none, the Vista team had the enormous privilege of being in her life when she got to the point of saying: "God, I am going to trust you to get me off the drink and change my life."
The staff at her hostel couldn’t believe the change in her. She started attending church, got a job and has stayed safe over the past year. It was Bianca’s decision to trust God with her life, and to keep away from alcohol with the strength Jesus gives. Bianca’s life is now so different that the court ordered a reassessment by Children’s Services. As a result, she now sees her son regularly and is praying that this will lead to having custody of him in the future.
Bianca said: ‘It puts a smile on my face when I look at how far God has brought me and still going!’"
* Bianca's name has been changed to protect her