This year I would like to thank you, the Preston group and all the collectors in raising £38.684.93 in what is a particularly challenging year. The loss of almost £1m, as a result of the drop in the value of the pound, means the income of Christian Aid week is absolutely vital in ensuring that we can maintain our commitments to our 600 partner organisations in over 50 countries. As you know, Christian Aid Week is the biggest single act of Christian Witness in Europe and the most successful house to house collection in the UK. The 300,000 of us from 20,000 Churches who continue to raise nearly £15m, of which £1.2m comes from the North West, are key to the success of our partners’ programmes around the world.

This year we focused on our partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Partners like the Baptist Church is Goma who have provided shelter for children separated from their parents because of the war and have already reunited 70% of the children with their parents. £15 enabled the Baptist Church to cover the school fees for one of these children for 6 months so that they didn’t lose out while the Church searched for their parents.

Our partner PIAMF and their network of micro-credit associations provide small (£8) and medium sized (c£45) credit loans to men and women living in poverty, who otherwise couldn’t access credit facilities to start their own small businesses.

Thank you and best wishes.

God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me that He has not committed to another. I have my mission.

There is no situation so chaotic that God cannot, from that situation, create something that is surpassingly good. He did it at creation. He did it at the cross. He is doing it today.