Impact Offering enables us to get behind Kingdom initiatives locally and globally. We’re able to invest into both new and existing churches, support a number of outreach projects and partner with ministries and organisations that are reaching the poor, oppressed, vulnerable and sick.
Thank you so much for joining with us in our Impact Offering 2021/22! We’re excited about all we can achieve together this year. It’s been a few months since Impact Sunday, so we wanted to share some highlights with you. Continue reading to see how we are making a difference locally and globally…
International Justice Mission (IJM)
£20,000
For the last three years, we have had the privilege of partnering with International Justice Mission (IJM) and their work to prevent the sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines, with an annual donation of £10,000. In addition to this, we also donated £10,000 towards their incredible Ukraine Crisis Response. Our donation has supported IJM’s work protecting at-risk women and children from trafficking.
IJM and partners have been providing vital support and advice, both in person and through flyers, to thousands of refugees. This includes enabling safe transport, identifying vulnerabilities, supplying SIM cards and training agencies to spot signs of trafficking.
They are now also working with partners to send information directly into Ukraine about how to stay safe when crossing the border, preventing potential exploitation. IJM is supporting shelters in new areas to provide trauma-informed care and to prevent trafficking.
From IJM: “Equippers Church, we are so grateful for your incredible generosity. It is a joy to be in partnership with you.”
Take a look at this video update from Stefan, who is part of the IJM team in Romania:
Equippers Wellington
£10,000
Our friends at Equippers in New Zealand have just purchased a central piece of property in the capital city, Wellington! The building is on a hill that overlooks the main state highway and can be seen by approximately 60,000 commuters on that highway every day. The building is licensed to seat 519 people and has multiple purpose-built kids rooms!
We’re excited to see that Equippers Wellington is already growing! In the four months they have been in their new building, their weekly morning services have grown from averaging 150 people to now averaging 230 people. They are also holding baptism services every three weeks to accommodate the growing number of people saying yes to Jesus!
The cost of this new building was $3.6 million and our contribution of £10,000 was put towards the deposit! This is what Ps Byron says:
“When the previous owners approached us to purchase the building, we had $495,000 in the bank account and not enough of a giving level to service a mortgage to loan the rest of the money from a bank. However, since we made the decision to buy the building and go on this journey, our giving has close to doubled, and through the generosity of Equippers Churches globally, we were able to raise a significant deposit, securing lending from banks, and do light renovations on the building to refresh spaces.”
East to West
£6,000
East To West’s Emerge Project is a response to the needs of young people aged 10 – 25 years who are admitted to the emergency department of St Peter’s Hospital because of self-harm injury, overdose, or attempted suicide.
Our Impact Offering donation of £6,000 helped the Emerge Project increase their crisis response from four to six days per week! We have helped to support this development by enabling the team to increase in number and to have further training and support.
The Emerge Project volunteers get to know the young people in hospital, giving them time and space to express their feelings and circumstances. They provide practical information about the processes and assessments, as well as ongoing support for each young person! All of this is done alongside the hospital’s clinical team.
Jigsaw Storehouse
£1,000
Jigsaw Storehouse has been running in the Lighthouse in Woking for a number of years and they have recently opened Jigsaw Hub. This is a space for families to meet for Stay and Play sessions for under 5-year-olds. They have also just started their School Readiness sessions for children starting school in September, as well as a session for Ukrainian families.
Our £1,000 donation had made a huge difference and allowed the team to purchase soft play items, which the children absolutely love! They have also purchased some learning and development toys and equipment, which will primarily be used in their School Readiness sessions, but they will also be used in the Stay and Play sessions to help the children learn to count, match colours and improve their fine motor skills.
These are just some stories out of the many projects we have supported. We will continue to update you throughout the year on how your generous giving to Impact Offering is making a difference around the world and in our local community!