Trinity Church in Knebworth

offers you a warm welcome

This group connects us with partners in mission, both at home and abroad. We are able to learn more about various projects, to share our financial resources and time and campaign on their behalf. 

As a result of a bequest and further fund-raising we are able to support two main foreign projects:

To learn more about the work of this project, click here.

For an update July 2009 please click here

To view the next three year plan, click here

We have received  a picture click here to view, a couple of emails/letters and some stories and from Joanne recently please see below.

First there was a card with new years wishes, I've typed the message out here:

"Dear James, Laura and all our friends at Trinity

This card, drawn by girls at the Duaripara project, brings New Years greetings and wishes from everybody there. As you know, 2008 was a difficult year for us. Thank you so much for all your support and encouragement following the slum demolition in February. We really appreciate it As I looked out at the sea of faces at our Christmas party - smiles and giggles - I felt quite emotional considering the difficult time that so many of them had. But to look at them now you would never guess, as they enthusiastically dance, sing and perform their dances!
I have been back in the UK briefly for Christmas with family and to renew my visa. I fly back to Bangladesh this evening. Wishing you God's blessing for the year ahead - we look to 2009 with faith and hope.

Best Wishes

Joanne"

Then a few mini project updates

"We're pleased that 33 of our girls passed the entrance exam for a local formal school and have gained admission (varying between class 2 and class 7). The families are contributing most of the school fees (about £2 per month), and we are topping up fees for those who are struggling, and continuing to support the girls with extra classes in the afternoon. Praise God that these girls have re-entered the formal education system, and pray that they will excel in their studies. 

We are in the process of recruiting new staff at the moment. We have already appointed 2 new teachers who have settled in well to the team. We are interviewing next week for an economic development officer to work with families on job training and placement, small business ideas etc. We are also interviewing for a Community Liaison worker and Health Promotion officer. Please pray that we can recruit good people as we seek to expand the project and increase our impact in the lives of families and their community."

We have been able to send representatives from Trinity congregation to Duaripara and Dhaka to give us first hand information as to how the money is being sent.

We support various Outreach Projects and members of the congregation are encouraged to suggest charities with which they are involved. At the moment these include:

• The Haven for the homeless

• The Stevenage NCH Family Centre

• The Living Room for those with addiction problems

• Samaritans

See Outreach for a schedule of which causes we have chosen to support in each month throughout 2008.

We support these in practical ways as well as fund-raising. We give the proceeds of the Communion collections and donate weekly coffee contributions.  We invite speakers to Mission events and display information on the notice boards. 

We help the congregation to learn more about and share in, the Trade Justice Campaign and we are all encouraged to buy Fairtrade goods. 

We collect donations for the URC Commitment For Life, supporting those in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

We also support the Methodist Easter Offering for world mission and make annual Gift Day appeals to our congregation for various causes. For example, in 2008 our Gift Day appeals raised funds to provide equipment to be taken out to Tanzania by one of our congregation, a dentist, who went out with the charity Bridge2Aid to provide dental services to remote villages. 

In February 2010, Liz Stringer together with her two nurses, Su and Tracey, returned to Mwanza in Tanzania with the charity Bridge2Aid to spend two weeks training local medical officers to be able to provide basic dental treatment in rural villages.

You can read about her visit by simply clicking on this link:

www.parascosa.com/Tanzania.htm

The congregation is encouraged to become involved with all of these activities.