A church in Knaresborough has raised more than a £1,000 for African families after taking a different approach to Christmas this year.
Members of the Gracious Street Methodist Church usually send 20 to 30 cards to each other at Christmas.
But this year, instead of sending cards they made donations to the Methodist relief and development charity All We Can, which supports vulnerable communities.
The congregation raised £1,190, which will allow the charity to buy three wheelchairs for children in Ethiopia, four bikes for children in Uganda for their school journeys and five goats for families in Zimbabwe.
One member of the congregation, Brian Hoare, designed this card, which was was signed by and sent to everyone who donated.
So instead of receiving numerous cards from each other, each congregation member just received the one. The initiative reduced waste and raised money for a good cause.
Sharon Wright, the local All We Can representative and member of the congregation, said:
“We wanted to keep the congregation in touch with each other and help others too.
“This year we’ve really focussed on encouraging our congregation to reach out to others and this card is another way of doing that.”
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The church has adapted this year in response to covid. It also introduced a ‘coffee at 11’ scheme to encourage everyone to sit down and ring somebody for a chat.
Sharon said:
“The pandemic has highlighted the desire for community. People don’t want to be alone.”
