This organisation follows in St Paul's footsteps, sending out Christian "tentmakers" -see Acts 18:3. They send out people with particular secular skills - and a very wide variety are available - and they support themselves to at least some degree with the skill, while their presence in itself is a Christian witness to the people they come in contact with. We particularly support Adrian and Julie Bray. Adrian is an accountant (he was treasurer of this church when he was called to overseas service) and Julie a teacher, and they have been called to work in Central Asia. We receive regular newsletters from them and they are very close to our hearts.
Click here to visit the Interserve website.

We have supported John and Judie Ellison in their work in Paraguay for many years. John is the Anglican bishop of Paraguay. The parish magazine has numerous articles about them and their work, and every two or three years when they spend a few months in the UK we are usually fortunate enough to see them. They also send us emails both about how the work is going, and with prayer requests
for the sometimes horrifying difficulties they face.
Click here to visit the SAMS website.

The Bridge Trust is a registered charity based in Maidenhead, who reach out to the young people of the area by welcoming them into the Re:Charge cafe.

St Peter's Harvest festival in September this year will be supporting the Twyford based charity Feed the  Children. They work in places like Kenya, Uganda, Angola and Liberia  providing clean water from new boreholes, and improved management of  water. These are areas where women and children might be walking  miles every day to collect water- which is likely to make them ill. Feed the Children says 'We appreciate that people enjoy giving gifts  at harvest time. Part of our education programme involves  distribution of toiletries, so this year we particularly welcome  things like basic soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes,flannels,  nailbrushes,combs and household soap.'
The open collection for the day will also go towards Feed the  Children's transport costs and cash grants that their programmes depend on.

Rwanda Project

 St Peters has a link with Kigeme Diocese which is in the SW of Rwanda.
This diocese is in a rural part of Rwanda with the cathedral, diocesan offices, hospital and secondary school based round Kigeme village. Gikongoro is the nearest town. Most of the local people exist by subsistance farming on poor acidic soil. Groups from the Maidenhead area have been visiting Kigeme since 1999. The link first began following the death of an ex FurzePlatt Secondary school teacher Ann Nelson. She went out to Rwanda when she retired, to teach, but very unexpectedly died there after only being in the country for one week. Her friends were naturally stunned and wondered whether they could make some contribution to the life of that diocese.

 Members of St Peters with St Marks visited Kigeme in 2006 as part of a larger group. They undertook Bible teaching, house building, maintenance work on the diocesan site, accounting and children’s work. It is hoped that Bishop Augustin will visit us during the 2008 Lambeth Conference, and that there will be future trips to Rwanda by the parish.

St. Lawrence’s Church, Mansfield
Closer to home, but no less in need of our support is St Lawrence's Church, Mansfield. At Christmas we organise a toy collection for the children of that parish, and occasionally help out in other ways.

Click here to visit the Mansfield churches site.

At our Christingle services we support the work of the Children’s Society, who help children and young people across the UK. Their activities include helping homeless children on the streets, providing education to children expelled from school, protecting children on remand and helping improve the life of children living in deprived areas.

Other charities and missions supported in 2005:
In 2005 we gave over £19,000 to more than 40 different charitable causes,

at home...

e.g. Alpha, Church Housing Trust, Connect Christian counselling, PACT, People to Places, Scripture Union, Yeldall Manor (drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, Henley)

and abroad....

e.g. The Asian Tsunami Appeal, Barnabus Fund, Compassion, Mission Direct, Tearfund, World Vision, Zululand orphanage