The South Devon Methodist Churches raised and donated a total of £3478.28 for their chosen charity this year, The Leprosy Mission.
Each year the Methodist churches in Kingsbridge, Chillington and Hope Cove choose a charity to support. The charity is chosen by the trustees from a list of suggestions put forward by church members. Last year we raised funds for Devon Air Ambulance and were really pleased to give them a cheque for just over four thousand pounds. This year our chosen charity is The Leprosy Mission.
The minister, Mrs Rachel Mitchell said "We chose The Leprosy Mission because we are so impressed by the incredible work this Christian charity is doing to support men, women and children whose lives are affected by Leprosy today. As well as treating people with the disease, the Leprosy Mission are also taking the lead in finding better ways to diagnose Leprosy and to improve the life chances of individuals who have recovered from this disfiguring illness."
By the end of April these three small churches had raised the impressive sum of £3478. A cheque for this amount was presented by the Minister Rachel Mitchell to Sophie Lemon from the Leprosy Mission during a very enlightening service, in which more was heard about the charity's work in India.
Leprosy starts by damaging nerves close to the surface of the skin. The first signs are often discoloured patches on the body that have lost sensation.
Rachel says: "It was a privilege to present the cheque for £3478 to the Leprosy Mission. I really hope all we have learnt about their work will encourage us to do even more to support this fantastic charity as they offer free of charge life-changing care, in the name of Christ, to some of the most sidelined and forgotten people in our world today."
The three churches are continuing to raise funds for the Leprosy Mission throughout 2024 and future plans include coffee mornings, cream teas, and a concert at Kingsbridge Methodist Church in October.