Thank you, once again, to all those who submitted proposals for our Lenten projects for this year. After careful consideration of them all, the PPC has decided that this year we will concentrate our effort on supporting FRIENDS OF THE HOLY LAND and HELEN & DOUGLAS HOUSE hospice for children locally.
FRIENDS OF THE HOLY LAND
Friends of the Holy Land (FHL), formed in 2009, is a non-political Christian Charity. Their mission is to secure a resilient and enduring Christian community in the Holy Land
At the beginning of the 20th century, Christians made up roughly 29% of the overall population of the Holy Land. Today they account for less than 2%. The focus of their work is providing practical help directly to the most needy and vulnerable of our Christian brothers and sisters through a balance of funding immediate relief of emergency needs and practical small projects to help create a sustainable future in the Holy Land – most importantly to give them HOPE.
Their work is ecumenical. The beneficiaries of their work come from all Christian communities in the Holy Land.
They achieve support for our mission in the UK in four main ways:
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They raise awareness: of the challenges faced by Christians in the Holy Land.
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Prayer: they encourage prayer on their behalf.
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Fund Raising: they generate funds to provide practical help. Each year they help over 2,000 named Christians, improving their lives in the key areas of education, employment, health and housing improvement. Nothing is free.
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Pilgrimage: they encourage visits to the Holy Land to meet local Christians.
FHL work to support the lives and witness of Christians living in the Holy Land through prayer and practical projects, recognising that their presence in the land where Jesus once walked is an important witness to all Christians.
Tourism has shut down so once again, those who rely on pilgrims and tourists for their income cannot earn any money. People mostly stay at home apart from going to school or for a lucky few who still have a job, to work. Many streets have been barricaded off, with Israeli military stationed there. FHL do not know today how the challenges for Christians in the Holy Land may evolve, but they know that one focus for the coming year is on rebuilding lives, both for those in Gaza as well as in the wider West Bank and Israel. They fear that the longer the conflict continues, the greater the need for Christians to be supported to remain in their homeland. The danger is that life will simply become untenable and more and more Christians will emigrate.
The Holy Land's Christians have been a light, both spiritually and practically, in the region for thousands of years. They follow Jesus where he walked and love their neighbours by providing the vast majority of hospitals, quality schools, universities and social care in the Palestinian territories.
HELEN & DOUGLAS HOUSE
Helen & Douglas House helps local families cope with the challenges of looking after a terminally ill baby or child who will die prematurely.
Helen & Douglas House is a homely place for local children, living with life-limiting and terminal conditions, and their families. It provides care in a warm, loving environment. They support families from surrounding counties, and also care for children through the outreach service. At Helen & Douglas House, the world’s first children’s hospice, they care for babies and children up to the age of 18. The hospice is filled with laughter, whilst also being peaceful place where families can create happy memories in their last days, weeks, months or years together.
Based in East Oxford, Helen & Douglas House started life in November 1982, when Helen House and the children’s hospice movement was founded by Sister Frances Dominica. As the world’s first children’s hospice, Helen House has gone on to inspire 54 others across the UK and around the world.
The inspiration for Helen House was a little girl called Helen who was left with severe and irreversible brain damage after an emergency operation to remove a brain tumour. Helen’s parents took her home from hospital to care for Helen in her family surroundings. A friendship developed between Sister Frances and Helen’s parents and on occasions Sister Frances looked after Helen for short periods to give her parents a break. From this friendship the idea of a small homely hospice for children sprung.
Set in peaceful grounds just 20 minutes’ walk from Oxford city centre, it’s a welcoming place where families can feel cocooned from the strain of 24/7 care of their very ill child.
Helen & Douglas House provides round-the-clock care in a comforting environment. When a child dies, they are there to support the whole family at a really difficult time.
Parents, brothers, sisters, and grandparents are all part of the Helen & Douglas House family. At the toughest time of their lives, they give families the time and space to enjoy the precious moments they have left with each other. In the midst of exhaustion and grief, they help them cope with their child’s final days.
Helen & Douglas House need to raise over £3 million each year to care for local terminally ill children at the hospice and at home.
Some Fundraising Dates for Your Diaries
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ASH WEDNESDAY 14th FEBRUARY – 7:30 pm
Simple Soup Supper - Bread and Soup in the Parish Centre after the evening Mass, with information and displays on the project.
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SUNDAY 3rd MARCH – after 8.45am and 10.15am Mass
Big Breakfast & Home Produce sale - in the Parish Centre. We urgently need you to provide cakes, jams, etc. for sale.
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WEDNESDAY 13th MARCH - 7.30pm
Curry Night! in the Parish Centre. We will have a selection of curries, including vegetarian, so please do come along and join us. So that we know how many to cater for, please sign-up to the evening using the form which will be available at the back of the church.
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FRIDAY 15th MARCH – 6.30pm to 10pm in the parish centre
St Patrick's Day Celebrations. Tickets available on Sunday 10th March or contact Laura on 07947 178394 or email: lauraashleycarter@btinternet.com
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MONDAY 8th APRIL – 8.30am for tea/coffee and bacon roll. First t time is 9.32am
Golf Day at Drayton Park Golf Club. Contact Terry Murphy on 07584 248169 or 01235 527597 or email terry.murphy62@yahoo.co.uk