EVERY CENT IS A SEED. WHAT ARE YOU PLANTING THIS LENT?
- IN THIS ISSUE -
Lenten Appeal 2025, Ontong Java and Hope for the Holy Land.
As we once again turn our attention to the wonderful Easter story and journey of Lent, we know that you, in your parishes, ministry units and communities, are guiding and encouraging your people on that journey with love and dedication.
It’s a privilege to walk alongside you. The church has always been an example of radical generosity, and Anglican Missions is honoured to have a place in that church.
This year, as we come together for the 2025 Lenten Appeal, we invite you to extend that generosity even further. We’re focusing our appeal on two places with different, but equally urgent needs. You can read about them below, but they're both equally powerful ways to demonstrate what Jesus said in Mathew 25: 35-40:
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me... truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
To make it easy to get involved, we’ve created some simple, hands-on resources—including our special Lenten Appeal stickers. You can stick these onto a collection vessel of your choice - an old jar or tin or even something handmade. We'd love to see your creativity, so send us some photos!
These stickers are in the mail heading towards your parish now, and we pray that you and your church/community can rally with a generous spirit around these two incredible causes.
We also have a range of digital resources which we encourage you to print or display in your own settings - powerpoint slides, posters, social media images and lots more. However you engage with our appeal, even with a few coins, remember this - every cent that you give is a seed that can be planted into the lives of people who need it the most.
Climate change is a real and present in the Solomon Islands.
Drip irrigation is an efficient and cost effective way to utilise water, which is vital on Ontong Java.
Approximately 2000 people live on Ontong Java, a remote island atoll in the Solomon Islands. There are two main villages where the population is concentrated, with 1,386 on the island of Luaniua in the eastern end and 689 on Pelau in the northeast. This isolated island is 24 hours by boat from Honiara, which means that provision and help is significantly more challenging to provide.
In a partnership with the Anglican Church of Melanesia, the aim of this project is to enhance the lives and livelihoods for the atoll's inhabitants. This is over a 2 year timeframe and covers three critical areas:
Sustainable Agriculture
This focusses on revitalising and scaling up farming practices that are resistant to the effects of climate change. It will emphasise permaculture (adopting the elements that make local ecosystems flourish into new agriculture). It will also include capacity building and teaching for local farmers in order to equip them with modern techniques and farming practices like drip irrigation.
Water and Sanitation
To address water scarcity and sanitation challenges, the project will expand rainwater harvesting systems, providing reliable access to safe drinking water. It will also introduce appropriate sanitation facilities and promote hygiene awareness, particularly benefiting women and girls.
Disaster Preparation
Community-based disaster preparedness programmes will include early warning systems, emergency response plans, and training on disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation strategies. This will empower communities to effectively respond to and recover from natural disasters, which are increasing in frequency and severity.
The New Zealand government is committing approximately $240,000 NZD to the Ontong Java Resilience Project. This funding requires the participating organisation to contribute financially to show investment into the project. For Anglican Missions, this will be approximately $52,000 NZD. That means that for every $1.00 NZD we contribute, the government is contributing approximately $5.00 NZD.
Hope for the Holy Land is about supporting the preservation of human life and dignity. We’re joining together with a number of Anglican Agencies to raise funds for the work of the Anglican Church in Gaza, West Bank, Israel and the region. This includes healthcare provision through Al Ahli Hospital and other health institutions, access to education and counselling services.
The recent ceasefire has meant that vital humanitarian aid can flow to where it's needed, but this is incredibly fragile and the region is still inundated with humanitarian need and the potential for new conflicts and loss of life is still high.
Anglican Missions has published a report detailing the first phase of the response, which you can read here. Work is well underway for phase two of the response, but this requires ongoing funding, and our Lenten Appeal is a significant way that the Anglican Church in this Province can practically help.
This Lent, remember the land where Jesus walked, which is tragically now scarred and broken.
