Mrs Florrie Hoey (Cathedral Reader), Ms Ruth Cooke (Christian Aid Ireland), and the Very Revd Shane Forster (Dean of Armagh) at Sunday’s Harvest service.

Last Sunday (1st October), St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, was adorned with beautiful flowers, fruit and vegetables as the congregation celebrated and gave thanks to God for the gifts of the Harvest.  Similar services will take place in churches the length and breadth of the country over the next few weeks with a particular focus on giving thanks for the food on our tables, those who provide for our needs, and for the warmth and shelter of our homes.  It is so easy to take all these things for granted in the daily routine of life but the recent earthquake and floods in Morocco and Libya have been a stark reminder that natural disaster can occur at any time in the world and the result is that people are left injured, bereaved and without food or shelter.

The Dean of Armagh, the Very Revd Shane Forster, reminded the congregation in the Cathedral that ‘in our duty to love God and love our neighbours we are called to be faithful in prayer and generous in our giving,’ and he encouraged everyone to offer their support to all those affected by the recent natural disasters, including through a financial donation to the Bishops’ Appeal.

Bishops’ Appeal works with agencies on the ground in various countries in time of need and to help with the development of local communities in the longer run.  A special appeal has been launched to raise money to support those directly impacted by the catastrophic flooding in Libya. All those funds will be channelled through Christian Aid who are working with Dan Church Aid, its ACT Alliance partner agency.

Ruth Cooke, from Christian Aid Ireland, was present in the Cathedral on Sunday morning and said: ‘It is easy to feel overwhelmed when we see reports on the news of disasters such as the recent flooding in Libya. However, in Christian Aid we believe that when we join together, our response can make a difference. We are grateful to Bishops’ Appeal for launching an appeal to support the work of our partner, Dan Church Aid, in Libya – as they respond both to the immediate needs of families in the aftermath of the floods and the longer-term reconstruction – and we are grateful to Armagh Cathedral for showing their support on Harvest Sunday.’

The Bishops’ Appeal for World Aid and Development is registered as a charity in Northern Ireland (101325) and in the Republic of Ireland (20019068), and those wishing to give with additional Gift Aid, or Tax Relief on gifts over €250, will find the relevant information – along with an option to give online – at this link: https://bishopsappeal.ireland.anglican.org/give

Bishops’ Appeal for World Aid and Development has launched a disaster appeal in response to the catastrophic flooding in Libya. The floods, which were triggered by a Mediterranean storm, were focused on the city of Derna where almost 4,000 people are known to have died and over 9,000 are missing after torrents of rain and debris swept away entire districts.

Some 37,000 people in flood-affected areas have been displaced by the storm. The huge number displaced highlights the immediate humanitarian need for survivors now (facing needs of clean water, food, shelter, utensils and clothing), and into the coming months and years (rebuilding, reuniting, finding a safe place to call home).

Photo: Dan Church Aid/DCA

Support on the ground

This disaster has hit a country that already had a very complicated political situation, with power struggles leading to two opposing governments within Libya, and this has compounded the challenge of getting aid and support into the country.

The Bishops’ Appeal will be channelling all funds through Christian Aid who are working with Dan Church Aid (DCA), its ACT Alliance partner, who have had an established presence in Libya since 2011, providing a confidence that those on the ground have a clear understanding of the situation and how money raised in our parishes can be used most effectively. We are grateful for the confidence that this gives us that all money raised will be used to benefit those in greatest need.

DCA is providing medical support, helping to establish shelters to host homeless families, and distributing basic items such as blankets and bedding, sanitation and hygiene items and other essentials to these people who have lost everything.

Photo: Dan Church Aid/DCA

Endorsement from Archbishops

Calling for support for the appeal, Archbishop John McDowell remarked: “I wish to thank those involved in Bishops’ Appeal for their prompt reaction in making this provision and would encourage the members of the Church of Ireland to continue to give generously.”

Archbishop Michael Jackson added: “The plight of children, women and men in Libya is unthinkable. It is also a reality.  Members of the Church of Ireland working through Bishops’ Appeal have always been generous in responding to devastation and need.  I encourage you to pray for and to contribute to this appeal.”

How you can help

The Bishops’ Appeal has already released £10,000 in Emergency Aid from its reserves (currently equivalent to €11,500), and all monies raised by this appeal across the Church of Ireland will be additional funds to help with the disaster relief.

Parishes are asked to collect funds for this appeal for the next few weeks, and send all donations directly to Bishops’ Appeal, Church of Ireland House, Rathmines, Dublin 6, D07 CF67.

Photo: Dan Church Aid/DCA

The Bishops’ Appeal is registered as a charity in Northern Ireland (101325) and in the Republic of Ireland (20019068), and those wishing to give with additional Gift Aid, or Tax Relief on gifts over €250, will find the relevant information – along with an option to give online – at this link: https://bishopsappeal.ireland.anglican.org/give

For further information about Dan Church Aid, please visit www.danchurchaid.org. The ACT Alliance is a network of 146 church-based member organisations working in long-term development, advocacy and humanitarian assistance in 127 countries around the world. Readers can find out more about its website: www.actalliance.org

With thanks to Dan Church Aid for photography from Derna.

Hilary McClay has been appointed as the new Education Advisor for the Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal for World Aid and Development. The Bishops’ Appeal exists to encourage members of the Church of Ireland to engage with, walk alongside and support those people groups and parts of the world who are dealing with the impact of poverty, violence, climate change and suffering.

Through the generosity of members across all the dioceses, Bishops’ Appeal supports life–changing development work which helps people to live more of their lives to the full.

For over 20 years Hilary worked in community development in Northern Ireland, supporting local churches to engage with issues of poverty and deprivation as part of their Christian mission and outreach. She has also visited several countries where extreme poverty and climate change has had such a severe impact on the lives of people, and has seen what churches in countries such as Ethiopia and Nepal are doing and how the support of agencies working on the ground such as CMS Ireland and Tearfund makes such a difference.

Speaking about her appointment to Bishops’ Appeal, Hilary said: “Taking up this role at this time, when the media is reporting on how cuts to the UK’s overseas aid budget will hold back the potential of people living in poverty, is a stark reminder that all our actions have consequences.  As Christians we have a particular responsibility to campaign, advocate, respond, give and walk alongside the most vulnerable in our world – which is what Bishops’ Appeal is all about.

She added: “I am looking forward to learning more about what Bishops’ Appeal does to support the work of Christian agencies on the ground, and to bring positive change to people’s lives.”

Welcoming Mrs McClay to the post, Bishop Ferran Glenfield, Chair of the Bishops’ Appeal Advisory Committee, said: “Hilary comes with a passion for the Church, a track record in community development, and wide experience of the global south. She is ideally placed to be the advocate for the vital work of Bishops’ Appeal in the Church of Ireland.”

Bishops’ Appeal has been operating since 1972, when it was set up by the Church of Ireland’s bishops in response to the commands in the Bible to bring good news to people living in poverty and relief to the suffering.

In 2022, Bishops’ Appeal paid out €788,704 in grants (equivalent to around £675,000) with 78% of donations going toward disaster relief.  The most significant recipient country was Ukraine, in response to appeals by Christian Aid, Tearfund and Habitat for Humanity, although sustained support for projects in Africa continued, especially in East and Central Africa.  Bishops’ Appeal also supported projects in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Nepal, Bangladesh, Haiti and Honduras.

It is a registered charity in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and its aims are to:

• educate the Church at home about the needs and concerns of people in the less developed world and the causes of poverty;
• encourage Church members to examine the reasons for the problems facing the less fortunate in the world and to consider what we can do to change conditions;
• reach out in God’s name to those who need our help;
• encourage informed prayer and prayerful action aimed at strengthening the poor; and
• raise the funds needed to allow Bishops’ Appeal to support development projects and alleviate the suffering caused by disasters, both natural and man–made.

The role will involve clarifying, strengthening and supporting Bishops’ Appeal’s strategic vision and aims, consulting with the Advisory Committee regarding best practice when funds from the Bishops’ Appeal are to be allocated, and liaising with and advising aid and development charities supported by the appeal as they make funding applications. Hilary McClay succeeds Lydia Monds who moved to a new position in the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland in January this year.

Read all about how Bishops’ Appeal is supporting communities around the world where there has been no harvest this year.

Read also our updates on our Ukraine Appeal, which you have so generously supported.

Click: Bishops Appeal Harvest Newsletter 2022

Click: Printer version Bishops Appeal Harvest 2022

You can download the video for showing in your context here 

You can also access the vimeo here

We are so grateful for 50 years of partnership and support made possible through the generosity of Church of Ireland donors.

Thank you to all those who contributed to the video and all those we would love to have highlighted in the video and whose partnership we value – from diocesan links, diocesan representatives, mission and development agencies and the churches, activists, development officers and people who participate in projects throughout the Global South.  They get up day after day and work to make life better for their families, their communities and the world, often in really difficult circumstances and with very limited resources.

Special thanks to Jonny Sanlon, our videographer.