Church of Ireland Bishops' Appeal is bringing relief to the poor and suffering
The Bishops’ Appeal is the Church of Ireland'’s world aid and development programme, set up by the church bishops in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic in response to "commands in the Bible to bring good news to the poor and relief to the suffering".
Over recent years, the Bishops' Appeal has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for various humanitarian global causes, with most of the money raised from parish level across Ireland.
The main aim of the Church of Ireland Bishops' Appeal is to educate the church at home about the needs and concerns of people in the less developed world and the causes of poverty.
It is also to encourage Church of Ireland parishioners to examine the reasons for the problems facing the less fortunate in the world and to consider what they can do to change conditions.
And it is also to reach out, in God’s name, to those who need church help.
Informed prayer and prayerful action, within the Church of Ireland, is encouraged aimed at strengthening the poor, with the raising of funds needed to allow Bishops’ Appeal to support development projects and alleviate the suffering caused by disasters, both natural and man-made globally.
"Bishops’ Appeal works through partner non-governmental organisations and mission agencies to implement Christ’s ‘mission statement’ to feed the hungry, lift the burden of poverty from the poor and bring freedom and hope to the oppressed.
"It does not fund development and emergency work directly.
"Our partners have the local knowledge and resources to ensure that projects for which they apply for funding are of maximum benefit to the peoples and areas in which they work, " says a church directive.
The Appeal also contributes to relief of suffering in emergencies whether natural or man-made.
However, the church's main concern is to support ongoing development in the fields of sustainable agriculture, health, including HIV/AIDS, and education in many parts of the world, enabling people to have more control over their own lives and futures so that they are less dependent on others than they are at present.
Reliable research says half of the world’s population live on less than two dollars a day; indeed, it is estimated that more than 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live on less than one dollar a day.
It is estimated that 30,000 people die every day from poverty-related diseases.
The global Christian church realises it cannot remain silent in the face of this ongoing tragedy and injustice. Bishops’ Appeal is acknowledged as "the Church of Ireland’s voice calling for an end to this suffering and working with others to make a difference where it can."
* Bishops’ Appeal is a registered charity in both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland.