Dursley Tabernacle supports a number of organisations throughout the year as part of its Mission:
We support the work of Christian Aid through its campaigns and its appeals and by taking part in the Christian Aid week door to door collections in May
We support the Bible Society and Bible Sunday and collect spare change for ‘Bible a Month’
Every August we hold a Garden Fete for Leprosy Mission.
We also support them through buying gifts from their catalogue at Christmas
Every March we hold a Corrymeela Lunch to support the work of the Corrymeela Community for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland. We have supported them for over thirty years and visited the Community in 2007.
In 2007 and 2009 and 2016 groups of our young people and adults have gone out to Nicaragua to work with the Christian Charity the Peace and Hope Trust. Working in the poorest communities of one of the poorest countries on earth they have experienced the issues of poverty and development first hand. We hope to continue to send people out and support the work of the charity. For more info www.peaceandhope.org
This church is a Fair-trade church and tries to ensure that wherever possible we use fairly traded products that give a better deal for Third World Producers
We are active within our local Churches Together of Cam, Dursley and District.
The 13 churches share together in United Services, Walk of Witness on Good Friday, Lent studies, Lectures, Friends at Christmas and supporting a different Convenor’s Charity each year.
Set up after a Churches Together Lent course on peacemaking, the Child Contact Centre is a neutral meeting place where children of estranged parents can meet safely the non resident parent. Many from this church volunteer at the centre which meets in our Community Rooms alternate Saturday afternoons. Contact the Co-ordinator 07924 872854
As part of the United Reformed Church we are linked to the Council for World Mission – Congregational and Presbyterian Churches around the world. Our Synod (West Midlands) has a special relationship with the church of North India, in particular the Diocese of Durgaphur and Amristsar.
We are also part of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (soon to become the World Communion of Reformed Churches) and the World Council of Churches
Mission Bluefields
Mission to build a school in Nicaragua, JULY 2016
A team of local young people and adults from Dursley are making a trip to the Bluefields region of Nicaragua in July to work with a charity called ‘The Peace and Hope Trust’.
https://www.facebook.com/missionbluefields/
The World Bank Poverty Assessment describes Nicaragua as ‘one of the poorest countries in Latin America’ with half of the population identified as below the poverty line and 20% of the population below the extreme poverty line (i.e. food poor). The poor of the Bluefields community survive by scavenging from rubbish tips or breaking rocks to supply local construction industries.
The Peace and Hope Trust http://www.peaceandhope.org.uk/welcome.htm have been managing relief projects in this region for 20 years. Our team will be working alongside the local community on a construction project in one of the poorest areas in Bluefields. The project has been identified as a need by local people. The team will work for 3 weeks, building a new school and helping to run a holiday club for local children.
The eclectic team is gathered from young people in the local area, from Dursley, Cam, and Berkeley. Many of the team are from families at Dursley Tabernacle United Reformed Church in Parsonage Street. The church has a successful history of sending teams of young people to Nicaragua. This mission will be the largest to date, with 10 young people and 5 adults taking part.
Sponsored Walk
The team took part in a gruelling sponsored walk to raise funds for the project. In driving rain and storm force winds, they conquered the Malvern Hills for the day. Puddles in elbows and soggy socks resorted in some stunning team building and a boost to our fundraising.
The Team found creative ways to boost their fundraising, including cake sales and coffee mornings.
Successful funding bid from Westhill Foundation
The Mission Bluefields Team are celebrating after some major injections of cash into their expedition funds. They received a cheque for £7167.00, the first instalment of a generous grant from The Westhill Trust – a Birmingham based charity that supports religious education projects and faith motivated activities that enable people to transform their lives and the life of their communities. http://www.westhillendowment.org/dursley-tabernacle-urc
Challenge for Hope Bike Ride
Then on Saturday 9th April, the Challenge for Hope cycling event was a great success; in spite of some chilly winds and spiteful showers, 58 cyclists aged between seven and seventy braved the weather and completed a range of routes between 10 and 60 miles. This event alone will raised approximately £3000.
With the second instalment of the grant from the Westhill Trust due in June, the team funds are now on target for the trip.