Thanks to the generosity of donors and the hard work of fundraisers across the country, the 2022-2023 ‘Refuge & Strength’ fundraising project has raised an incredible £44,420. This money will be split evenly between three wonderful charities doing important work both at home and abroad.
Bethany Christian Trust, Sparkle Sisters, and MISIUR will each receive a share of the funds raised, allowing them to continue their vital missions. Bethany Christian Trust works tirelessly to relieve the suffering and meet the long-term needs of homeless and vulnerable people in Scotland. Sparkle Sisters provides a safe space in Edinburgh for women affected by trauma to find joy and feel valued. MISIUR carries out holistic mission among families in needy communities in Peru, seeking to bring justice, freedom, and practical support in Jesus’ name.
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the donors and fundraisers who made this project such a success. Your generosity and hard work truly made a difference in the lives of those in need. We also want to thank everyone who supported this project with their prayers. Your support and encouragement were invaluable.
Fundraising events are taking place across Scotland to raise funds for our current project Refuge & Strength which is raising funds for Sparkle Sisters in Edinburgh, Bethany Christian Trust in Aberdeen and MISIUR, Peru.
In March, Back Free Church on the Isle of Lewis raised more than £1100 at their Soup and Pudding event. It was reportedly a fantastic event with soups and puddings galore!
Back Free Church
Livingston Free Church in West Lothian held their Annual Quiz Night in April and Crossbost Free Church in Lochs, Lewis held a Coffee Morning.
It has been so exciting to see so many churches organising events to raise funds and on behalf of the charities we are supporting, we are deeply grateful for your efforts!
There is one month left to fundraise for the Refuge and Strength project before we launch our new project at the WfM Annual Meeting in Bon Accord next month.
The new Ultimate Favourite Recipes Cookbook is now in stock. This new volume combines Original Favourite Recipes Books 1 & 2, containing 600 recipes. Proceeds from sales will go towards WfM’s Disaster & Relief Fund.
Collections may be possible in time for Christmas. Please make an online order for collection by Tuesday 20th December and we will do our best to arrange a collection time with you.
Last dates to Collect your order: Inverness – 23 December Stornoway – 23 December Glasgow – 23 December Portree – 23 December Aberdeen – 21 December Edinburgh – 21 December
Orders for Delivery
Unfortunately, due to an earlier supply issue and postal strikes, we are unable to guarantee that all online orders for postal deliveryreceived after 9th December will arrive in time for Christmas. We are making every effort to minimise the impact of this and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this causes.
Orders via Local WfM Groups
If you ordered through your local congregation or WfM group, you should receive information directly regarding the status of your order.
There was a definite hint of autumn in the air on Saturday, 17 September 2022, when 200 women gathered for the sold-out WfM Conference which took place at Culloden-Balloch Baptist Church, Inverness. This proved to be an excellent venue with lunch and refreshments provided by the church’s own in-house catering team.
Not having held a conference since 2018, it was a real joy to have a wide age range of participants, including babes in arms who behaved exemplary throughout the whole event. We were privileged to have as our main speaker Helen Thorne, Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK, and author of a number of books.
Helen explored the theme of Hope, an Anchor for the Soul, basing her talks on Psalm 46, a song of grace, love and hope. The anchor symbolised the security and the confidence that we have in God, even when there is a storm raging all around us. We were reminded that we should not be surprised when we experience trouble in life. It is easy to respond with a “that’s not fair” cry when troubles come. As Christians we need to daily resist the world’s approach and turn to God seeking his grace to apply His word to ourselves, striving to fix our eyes on our Saviour who will “supply all our needs”, even in the hardest of times.
The wonderful singing of Psalm 46 at the conclusion of the conference was truly moving and amplified the blessing we had received from Helen’s ministry.
As well as Helen’s talks we heard updates from Rosangela Fraser, WEC International, Dina Petrou, Community House, Damaris and Mairi Beaton of FCYC. These three, or the organisations they work for, have been supported by recent WfM Projects and it was good to hear how the funds raised were being used.
During the lunch break and after the conference there was an opportunity to browse the craft and book stalls. WfM are indebted to those ladies who used their skills to sell their beautiful handcrafted products for the work of WfM, and particularly the Project. One project that WfM is undertaking is the reprinting of the two Favourite Recipes cookbooks which are going to be combined into one book and to be available by December 2022. This will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the publication of Book 1. Given the number of pre-orders that were taken it is fair to say that these cookbooks have never lost their appeal.
Without doubt and judging from the ‘buzz’ of conversations taking place, the interaction between young and old, and the many purchases made from the craft stalls, we enjoyed being able to meet once again. Therefore, it was only right to close the conference with a vote of thanks to the WfM Committee for all their hard work in planning and preparing in the months leading up to the conference. We had not expected it to be a sold-out event and we give thanks to God for the blessings we received from our time together.
For those who were unable to attend the Conference, we are pleased to share a Youtube link where you can watch the entire event.
We are delighted to announce further details about the WfM Women’s Conference which will take place on Saturday 17th September in Culloden-Balloch Baptist Church in Inverness.
Our main speaker for this year’s Conference will be Helen Thorne who is the author of a number of books including “Hope in an Anxious World”.
Helen is Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK, formerly working with London City Mission. She has a passion for seeing women come to Christ and grow in Christ whatever their circumstances in life.
She is an experienced speaker and author whose recent books include Walking with Domestic Abuse Sufferers and Hope in an Anxious World.
Helen lives in south-west London, attending Dundonald church, where she is active in pastoral care, evangelism and international ministry.
Helen Thorne
As well as enjoying a time of fellowship and praise together, we look forward to hearing updates from Rosangela Fraser (WEC), Mairi Beaton (FCYC) and Dina (Community House Damaris).
How to Register
Tickets can be booked online here, however please phone 01224 742911 or 07756 820158 if you are unable to book online.
The cost of this year’s Conference is as follows: Adults – £20 Students – £15 Under 18s – £10
All women are welcome! The cost includes both lunch and refreshments.
There will be craft stalls, book stalls and baking so remember to take some change!
Please note that this is an in-person conference and a livestream will not be available.
On the afternoon of Saturday, 21 May 2022, the Women for Mission (WfM) Committee welcomed over 60 participants to its first in-person Annual Meeting since 2019. This took place in Knox Free Church, Perth, which proved to be a very suitable venue for this occasion. The meeting was also livestreamed and it was encouraging to see that a very good number joined online including group events in Lewis and Skye.
It was a real joy to be meeting once again and to have the opportunity to give thanks to God for his goodness to us as we continued the work of WfM through a pandemic. It was a clear reminder to us of His faithfulness to His people at all times and in all circumstances.
Reports & Speakers
After opening the meeting with a time of worship and with the singing ably led by Catherine Joan MacDonald, reports were received from Holly Smith, Treasurer, and Sarah Lytle, Secretary. We then had the opportunity to hear from 3 speakers who had been or would be supported by WfM either through the Projects or by one of the funds for short term or community work. Kathleen MacSween of Sparkle Sisters, a relatively new charity based in St Columba’s, Edinburgh, spoke about its vision and work in the city, reaching out to vulnerable women with love and compassion. Abby Morrison, who had received a SAV grantto visit Tanzania under the auspices of Tearfund during the summer of 2019, shared with us how at very short notice that arrangement fell through. However, with the help of Catriona MacDonald, Abby found herself heading to Colegio San Andres, Peru, an experience she found so rewarding that she is returning there this summer for 3 months. On her return to Scotland, the trip to Tanzania had been resuscitated and she was soon travelling to another continent. This trip brought with it many challenges but through it all she was aware of God’s protection not least through the prayers of family and friends back home. Our final guest speaker was Maria Cockburn of World on our Doorstep who works with ethnic groups in Govanhill, Glasgow. She spoke of the very real challenges there are working in a relatively small area where over 80 languages are spoken! Maria’s love for the people in that locality was evident and she encouraged us to continue praying for her and her fellow workers as they endeavour to share the love of Jesus across the cultural divide.
New Project– ‘Refuge & Strength’
As the 2021/22 Project draws to a close (30th June 2022 being the last date for donations) Catherine Joan MacDonald launched the new Project, Refuge and Strength. This will raise funds for MISIUR (Peru), Sparkle Sisters (Edinburgh) and Bethany Christian Trust (specifically North East Scotland).
CookBook
Fiona MacAskill took to the podium and enthusiastically announced that plans are afoot to relaunch the Favourite Recipes CookBooks. Having raised thousands of pounds since the 1990s for disaster and relief, and with very few copies available for sale due to a fire at the printers where the books were stored, it is hoped that a new edition combining the two books will be ready for sale later in the year.
Women’s Conference
Before closing the meeting with prayer, the Chairperson announced that the Women’s Conference would be held on Saturday, 17 September 2022, in Inverness. For further information about the new Project visit this page. After the meeting we enjoyed refreshments and a time of fellowship.
We are delighted to invite you to the WfM Annual Meeting 2022 in Perth Free Church on Saturday 21 May at 2.00pm.
As we have the opportunity to meet in person for the first time in three years, we give heartfelt thanks for God’s goodness to us through the last few years and that we have been able to continue the work and witness of Women for Mission.
At the meeting, we look forward to sharing an update on the amount raised for the 2021/22 Project,Hope for the Hurting which has been raising money for Safe Families for Children, Community House Damaris and Lakhnadon Christian Hospital.
We will also hear from some of those who have been supported by WfM in the past or will be in the coming year – speakers include Kathleen MacSween (Sparkle Sisters), Maria Cockburn (World on Our Doorstep) and student Abby Morrison (volunteered in Tanzania with support from SAV Fund).
We are also excited to be launching Project 2022/23 and the new opportunities it will give us to partner alongside Christian organisations which seek to be an influence for good, both practically and spiritually, either at home or overseas and often in challenging circumstances.
It would be so lovely to see as many people as possible gather with us in-person – all ladies welcome!
Livestream Link
For those unable to attend in person, a livestream link is available here.
It is impossible to comprehend the feelings of those caught up in the scenes in Ukraine we have seen on our screens in the past 48 hours. As people, made in the image of God, we cannot turn our eyes away from the horror of what is going on.
Last year as part of our WFM project we raised funds for The Moldova Support Group. As one of the countries bordering Ukraine the church in Moldova are on the front line of the ensuing refugee crisis.
Today we were able to send £1000 from the WfM Disaster Fund to the group who are already using this money to buy food and bedding etc. It is an immense privilege to be able to support the Christians in Moldova who are doing all they can to help those who are fleeing the war.
As the scenes of destruction and the upending of people’s lives unfold on our screens we must stand as a church to support those in need. If you would like to support the Moldovan group’s work with the refugees financially then you can do so here.
Above all please pray. We have a great God who knows the heart of every soul. He is the Ancient of Days.
Though the nations rage, kingdoms rise and fall There is still one King reigning over all So I will not fear for this truth remains That my God is, the Ancient of Days
The above recording, sung by Anna Macleod and CJ Macdonald was kindly provided by Lochbroom and Coigach Free Church.
This December, Women for Mission are excited to be holding a nationwide fundraiser alongside all the fantastic fundraising efforts that are going on in local churches.
In this festive hamper we have put together a lovely assortment of crafts and locally produced goods such as a beautiful handmade Harris Tweed bag and glasses case, Neal’s Yard bath and shower oils, Isle of Skye Candles, tablet, fudge, a starry mug with tea bags and a lovely tote bag which reminds us to rejoice this Christmas!
These have all been kindly donated to us by some of our dedicated Women for Mission supporters around Scotland.
How to Take Part
If you would like to take part in this fundraiser, all you have to do is make an online donation to the project (any amount) and select ‘Christmas Hamper Fundraiser’ on the dropdown menu when it asks ‘What should this donation go toward?’.
All the money raised in this Fundraiser Giveaway will go towards the 2021/2022 Project ‘Hope for the Hurting‘, which is raising funds for Safe Families Scotland, Community House Damaris and Lakhnadon Christian Hospital.
The closing date for donations is Friday 17 December at 8pm, and we will announce the recipient of the hamper (if they give us their permission!) on Saturday 18th December.
