As part of its ‘care in the community’ activities, members of the Anglican Church of Paphos have raised more than €5,000 for local and overseas medical charities.
Since the beginning of the year church members have participated in home-based ‘charity pot’ collections of their small denomination coins, a project organised by Sue Mellor and Lou Scott of St Stephen’s Church, Tala, achieving a total of more than €3,000.
Cheques for €1,524 were presented to each of the local beneficiary charities, Friends’ Hospice and Cancer Patients Support Group at the end of June.’ Jan Handley, Cancer Patients Support President said ‘During the last 25 years, we have been fortunate to receive continued financial support from the Anglican Church’. Chris Jones, Chairman of the Friends’ Hospice commented ‘Support from the Anglican Church is very important to Friends’ Hospice, through prayers and material support, in helping us to continue our work in the community’.
Further collections made at church services over the Easter period resulted in €2,168 Euros being raised for the Ras Morbat Eye Clinic in the Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the world.
The Clinic was established within the compound of the old Victorian Anglican Christ Church in Aden in 1996 to provide primary health care for mothers and babies.
From the very beginning the partnership between the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf and the Ministry of Health in Aden has been a good example of compassion and care for people in need without regard to religious or tribal identities. (Clinic website: www.rasmorbatclinic.org)
The Reverend Andrew Burtt, parish priest of the Anglican Church of Paphos said: ”This is a wonderful total and represents lots of small donations from many parishioners. Not only does it support two highly valued local charities but it will also support the long established Ras Morbat eye clinic which works to improve the sight and vision of very needy people caught up in the violence and war in their country. These three charities and their work of relieving illness and pain, lie at the heart of the Christian message of providing hope, and healing and extending love and compassion to all.”
For further information about the activities of the Anglican Church of Paphos and its three churches – Ayia Kyriaki (by St Paul’s {Pillar) Kato Paphos, St Luke’s, Prodromi (Polis) and St Stephen’s, Tala, please visit the website: www.paphosanglicanchurch.org
