Bishop of Southwark’s Lent Call begins on 1st March. The theme for the 2017 Lent Call is ‘I was hungry… I was thirsty’. The projects from our Link Diocese in Zimbabwe concentrate on food security. The projects in this Diocese seek to care for those in need of help with issues of homelessness and drug education. Alongside our giving is also a call to prayer for these projects and the needs they address. There will be more information available at the back of church, in the notices and the March newsletter. Last year we gave £508.

It is good to look at some of the work that is being done in the Diocese of Central Zimbabwe on appropriate technology and farming techniques. It goes without saying that one of the important things in making sure that crops grow so that people can be fed is a reliable water supply and the Diocese is working on helping local churches and communities to have the appropriate water tank to ‘harvest’ water from roofs. They have been making sure that the designs are right and are now sharing them with the parishes. 

The Diocese of Masvingo is hoping to be able to sink boreholes and establish market gardening at the following schools: St Boniface Primary, St Mary Primary, St Francis Primary, Munyaradzi Primary and Maronda Mashanu Primary and Secondary. The effect of El Niño means that sometimes the rains do not come and crops do not mature properly. At other times there is too much rain and crops get washed away. Recently the crops have failed twice and people are waiting anxiously to see how the harvest will be in 2017. 

Please consider what you can give this lent and use the purple envelopes. Even if you aren’t a taxpayer, we can still claim a refund on the tax element of your gift, use the purple envelope and leave the details blank. If you are a taxpayer and would like us to reclaim the tax complete the details on the front. Purple envelopes should be put in the collection plate during lent.