Mission
Individual church members support a wide range of missions, charities and relief agencies as part of their regular giving. In addition, the Church Council has agreed that we should set aside a percentage of the general income of the church each year and allocate it to a number of organisations with links to our churches. Below you can find some of the organisations we support - financially, in prayer, or through the direct involvement of church members.
Ell and Jo Ireton (and Alice, Minnie and Isaac) are working with Helping Hands of Kenya
In 2010 we agreed to support the following:
- NISCU - the Northern Inter-Schools Christian Union - who work with school children in Carlisle and throughout the North-West. More about their work can be found by clicking on the link.
- The Living Well Trust is a Christian charity working primarily with young people in the Raffles area of Carlisle. It is thanks to them that Ruth, our Children's and Young Peoples' Worker, came to be in Carlisle!
- Community Projects Carlisle is a charity working with homeless young people in the city.
- The Rock Youth Project in Carlisle
- Mike and Elsie Lyth, working with OM on new projects in Asia.
- Mercy Air. Paul and Cathy Middleton are a pilot and midwife working with Mercy Air, an independent Christian-humanitarian aid aviation service, based in southern Africa. This year we have made a contribution towards the Middleton's support and also a donation toward the cost of replacing one of their aircraft.
- Ellie Cook has spent the last few years working alongside Christian Unionstudentss in universities: first in Glasgow and Stirling with UCCF:the Christian Unions; and then in 2009 in the University of Witswatersrand, Johannesburg in South Africa. She is now based in the north-east, as UCCF Staff Worker supporting the Christian Unions in Newcastle, Northumbria and Durham Universities.
- CMS - the Church Mission Society - and particularly partner missionary, Garry Ion. Garry is based in Kampala, Uganda and works to help local Christian groups to plan and build churches, schools and hospitals.
- Christian Aid is an international relief and development organisation, tackling poverty and injustice worldwide. In addition to making a direct contribution, our churches assist with a door-to door collection in the parish for Christian Aid Week in May.
- Our own diocese has a partnership link with the Diocese of Madras in the Church of South India (CSI). Following an clergy exchange early in 2009 and a follow-up visit by David and Kathy Howe in 2010, the PCC agreed to a grant to support the work of the Diocese of Madras Hostel in Chennai.
- The YMCA is one of the providers of youth work in Carlisle city centre, running a drop-in centre in the Lodge next to the Cathedral.
- David Atkinson is another former member of our church who is now working with Trafford Youth for Christ in Manchester.