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Project 16:15
Until October 2017 Northampton had no daily street level service provision for its rough sleepers. There were weekend soup kitchens,
evening and afternoon drop-ins at local churches and at the Hope Centre. But then one man had the vision to reach out to the homeless
in our community where they were, and Project 16:15 was born. Instead of setting up in a particular location and inviting the homeless
to come along, his mission was to go to the homeless people to show that each person has worth, worthy enough for someone to meet them
where they are, serve them a cooked breakfast every single morning, and offer a sense of security, an ear to listen to them, a shoulder
to cry on and give them a sense of purpose. Project 16:15 is an organisation structured for the purpose of bringing value and worth to
all within our community who, regardless of social status, gender, sexuality, religion, situation or circumstance have found themselves
trapped in a cycle of poverty, depression, addiction, anxiety, and shame. And through situations, regardless of choice, have lost
sight of their own self-respect and self-worth.
Since its inception there have been changes in the way the local authorities deal with homelessness, a growth of understanding and support
for the Hope Centre, and a change in attitude from public and media. Rough sleepers are now believing in their own worth, being enabled
to engage with other services and to get off the streets. And for those who for so long had accepted a life without purpose, being enabled
to see purpose again.
There is a moment when another parent's son or daughter, another child's mother or father fades away from sight, lost to isolation and
loneliness, fear and depression, and ending up as yet another life on the streets, where prostitution, abuse and drug dependency can
become the norm. Project 16:15 demonstrates, through kindness, genuine compassion and practical examples lived out, that there is hope,
that there is purpose, for everyone.
More details about their work can be found here.
WaterAid
785 million people in the world - one in ten - do not
have clean water
785 million people in the world - one in ten - do not
have clean water close to home
Some of the world's poorest and most marginalised people
do not have clean water to drink, decent toilets or
hygiene. Without these basics, overcoming poverty is
just a dream.
Children have to walk long distances to collect and
drink dirty water. WaterAid has teams in 28 countries
across the world, working with their partners to
transform millions of lives every year by improving
access to clean water, toilets and hygiene. Since 1981,
over 27 million people have been provided with clean
water. WaterAid has become one of the most respected
organisations dealing solely with water, sanitation and
hygiene issues. But there is still much to be done.
WaterAid convinces governments to change laws, it links
policy makers with people on the ground, it pools
knowledge and resources and rallies support from people
and organisations around the world, making lasting
change happen on a massive scale.
More details about their work can be found here.
Christian Aid
Christian Aid works worldwide to eradicate the causes of poverty,
striving to achieve equality, dignity and freedom for all,
regardless of faith or nationality. Its work overseas is based on
co-operation and partnership with local churches, ecumenical bodies,
NGOs and movements who have common values and competence in poverty
eradication. Christian Aid Week dates from 1957, and over the years
its profile has brought about real and practical change.
More
information on their work can be obtained here.
For the 2012 Christian Aid Week in May, St Matthew's held various
events, including a coffee morning, a breakfast, street collections
and distributed a quiz to raise money for the charity.
Northampton Hope Centre
From its 1974 roots as the Northampton Soup Kitchen this Christian
charity works directly with the homeless and underprivileged
community in Northampton and the surrounding area, its principal aim
being to help people progress and hopefully re-integrate into
mainstream society. Its client base now totals around 1500 people
aged 18 to 80. These people need help for many reasons - some have
alcohol and drug problems, others have suffered family breakdowns
and have nowhere to turn, some are elderly or have mental health
issues and are unable to cope, some sleep on the streets and most
have been homeless at some time in their lives. But in also helping
them to 'move on' with their lives through a programme of education,
training and development, this builds their self-esteem and enables
them to take on responsibility, hopefully leading to employment
and/or community volunteering. The Hope Centre tries to give
everybody a 'hand-up' as well as a 'hand-out'. A small team of 10
people, 6 full- and 4 part-time, along with 70 or so dedicated
volunteers, support up to 100 homeless/underprivileged clients every
day.
More information on their work can be obtained here.
St Matthew's worshippers bring donations of toiletries and
non-perishable foods to church on the first Sunday of every month,
which are then delivered by a rota of volunteer drivers; in December
we donate money instead, towards providing a Christmas meal for the
Hope Centre clients.
Link to Hope
In response to the
devastating television pictures in 1991 showing appalling conditions
in the orphanages in Romania, a group of volunteers from Worthing
hired a truck, loaded it with aid and drove to Romania. Nicolae
Ceauşescu's brutal regime had left the country impoverished and
reeling from the effects of the totalitarian police state. The
Christian organization Link Romania was established to help the
poorest and most marginalized of Romania's people, rebuilding lives
and communities. After 21 years as Link Romania the charity has
decided to change its name due to the highly increased project and
support work it does in other European countries such as Moldova,
Bulgaria, Ukraine, Albania, and of course Romania still.
More
information on its work can be obtained here.
St Matthew's worshippers respond every autumn to the Shoebox Appeal,
filling shoeboxes with gifts for all members of a family; this year
an elderly person shoebox has been introduced. They are distributed
to people who often have to make a choice between buying food or
fuel at Christmas - buying presents is just not a priority for them.
Northamptonshire Historic
Churches Trust
The Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust was founded in 1955
with the object of raising funds to make grants to churches in
Northamptonshire of all denominations for their ''preservation,
repair and maintenance, improvement, upkeep, beautification and
reconstruction".
The Trust's funds are raised by donations, subscriptions from
friends, and the proceeds of the sponsored Ride+Stride, which has
been an annual event across most of the country since it began in
Suffolk in 1981. It takes place on the second Saturday in September
every year. Sponsored individuals and groups ride their bikes or
walk between churches to raise money, visiting some historic gems
and being sustained by biscuits and refreshments along the way.
Funds raised are divided equally between the Trust and the
riders/walkers' own choice of church. In 2016 the Trust was able to
make grants of £11,000 and pledges to make grants of £44,500 -
£55,500 in total. Without the monies raised through the annual
Ride+Stride, this would not be possible.
St Matthew's takes part every year in the Ride+Stride event, both by
being open to visiting 'Riders+Striders' and also by organizing a
band of walkers (and the odd cyclist) to raise funds. We choose our
own route, fitting in as many churches on the list of those open as
we can reasonably do.
St Matthew's has benefitted in recent years with grants from NHCT,
including one of £10,000 in 2012 - the largest grant ever awarded -
for major repair works to our stonework. You can read about the work
undertaken on our 'Caring
For Our Heritage' page, with photographs in the 'Caring
For Our Heritage Gallery' page.
Further details of
the Trust's work can be found here.
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