Part of our discipleship is to share with others the love God has for each one of us. This outreach to the local community and wider world happens in all sorts of ways. It happens as we share our buildings, as we offer various activities, as we give our time and money, as we encourage and raise awareness of particular issues. It happens as we work together as a community; it happens on an individual basis as we share our faith and witness by our lifestyle to those around us. Below are just a few of the things with which we have been involved.

New Brighton Feeding Programme

New Brighton is a massive black township on the hills beyond Port Elizabeth, South Africa. We have supported that Methodist circuit over recent years and raised over £2200. A choir from New Brighton visited Woodstock in June 2007, thrilling an audience of over 400 with their energy, enthusiasm, rich harmonies and musicianship. A report on their visit can be found here. The concert itself raised another £2500, all of which will go to the continuing, and often challenging, work in the township.

Woodstock Youth Club

The church has a project every year for which it raises money. These usually alternate betweeen a project overseas and one at home. Last year it was New Brighton. This year we are supporting the renovation of the Woodstock Youth Club.

Open Church

We try and keep our church building open on as many Saturdays and Sundays as possible to provide people with a quiet space for prayer and reflection. Please feel free to pop in any time and just spend a few minutes alone with God.

Tuesday Tots

For little people and their carers. Further information on Tuesday Tots is available here.

Thursday Coffee

Every Thursday morning from 10.30am until 12 noon, coffee is served in the church hall. About 20 regulars meet to share in this time of fellowship, catch up on news and perhaps have a game of Scrabble. Visitors and new members are always welcome.

Fairtrade

Issues of fair trade and trade justice are vital for the welfare of our world as a whole. We therefore, as a church, seek to use fairly traded goods wherever possible. To mark Fairtrade Fortnight, we gave free tea and coffee to those passing by our church one Saturday morning and invited them to buy items from our Fairtrade stall. We had a Fairtrade stall at this year’s Woodstock Carnival and will be having a Fairtrade Coffee Morning on 27th September. We also have a regular Fairtrade stall on a Sunday morning after church to enable people to stock up on all sorts of items (not just tea and coffee!).

Just in case you have forgotten, here are just ten reasons why you should buy Fairtrade. It is not an exhaustive list!

1. Pay small-scale farmers a fairer price
   Fair trade raises income of small-scale farmers and boosts local economies. The fair trade farm-gate price is the key to a better life for hundreds of thousands of families.
2. Ensure plantation workers earn a living wage
   Plantation workers can be among the poorest of the poor. With fair trade they receive a proper wage and decent conditions.
3. Make trade more democratic
   International trade is mostly undemocratic, controlled by large corporations. Fair trade spreads power and enables more people to have control over their lives.
4. End child exploitation
   Millions of children are exploited and enslaved by adults for money. It is hard to know whether children have been exploited in producing your food, drink and other purchases—unless you buy fair trade.
5. Lift the debt burden
   Small-scale farmers and crafts people are often burdened by heavy debts to moneylenders. With fair trade, they can borrow what they need at lower cost.
6. Keep families and communities together
   Family farms and rural communities are under threat everywhere from global economic forces. Fair trade helps them survive and thrive.
7. Rebuild lives and livelihoods
   Fair trade has helped communities in the South recover from disasters like recent hurricanes and the 2004 tsunami. It’s not just the money. Long-term relationships prove their worth in times of trouble.
8. Be part of a growing global movement
   Link up with one of the most exciting developments for years!
9. Enjoy real quality, produced with pride
   For quality, today’s fair trade products take some beating. They are grown and made by people who have a real stake in what they are doing.
10. Change the world!
    Step by step we can change the world when we shop.
     

Ring the alarm

A group from the church joined with thousands of others on the banks of the Thames in 2007 to remind the G8 leaders of their commitments to end world poverty. See the website for further reports.