Charity and Community

Since the foundation of our parish, the people of St Molua’s have supported a wide range of charities and community organisations as part of our Christian outreach. A proportion of the parish’s income is donated each year to various outside charities for work, both at home and overseas. Support also takes the form of participation in door to door collections in the local area, fund raising events and special collections at our services in response to specific appeals.

In 2021 our supported charities included

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is a national debt counselling charity working through a network of 230 Centres, based in local churches throughout the UK, with 14 Centres in Northern Ireland. CAP aims to demonstrate God’s love in action by providing sustainable poverty relief through debt counselling, expert advice and practical help. CAP’s unique ‘hands on’ approach empowers people to help themselves out of poverty and to be released from the fear, oppression and worry generated by overwhelming debts. Additionally, CAP provides sustainable poverty relief by teaching clients vital budgeting skills that will last a lifetime.

The British and Irish churches set up Christian Aid so that they, and others, could help refugees in the aftermath of the Second World War and ‘respond to Christ’s command to care for all in need’. For more than 70 years, the organisation has provided humanitarian relief and long-term development support for poor communities worldwide, while highlighting suffering, tackling injustice and championing people’s rights. Christian Aid is the official relief, development and advocacy agency of 41 Sponsoring Churches (including the Church of Ireland) in Britain and Ireland, and part of the church community worldwide.

Dundonald foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust’s network of 428 foodbanks across the UK which provide emergency food to people in crisis and which work to tackle food poverty and hunger in local communities. Along with other churches in the area, St Molua’s acts as a collection point for parishioners and friends to donate non-perishable foodstuff and basic household necessities which are then taken to the foodbank in nearby Dundonald village. See our foodbank page for more information.

Each year, in the run up to Christmas, the Dean of Belfast Cathedral sits on the front steps of the Cathedral to receive donations. All the money gathered is donated to local charities with a proportion given to Christian Aid. The range of charities includes medical research; those caring for children, youth and the elderly; the improvement of employment opportunities for young people and a host of small charities which cannot afford paid fund-raisers.

The Bible Society in Northern Ireland seeks to reach everyone with God’s Word in a language and medium they can access and afford, so that each person might experience God’s purpose for their life. The Bible Society NI is supporting projects run by national Bible Societies in 34 different countries. These projects will vary from translation work, to literacy programmes, to helping children and young people engage with the Bible – but all will work to reach out into the world with God’s Word.

The Bishops’ Appeal is the Church’s World Aid and Development Programme. It was set up by the Bishops of the Church of Ireland in response to the commands in the Bible to bring good news to the poor and relief to the suffering.

The Church’s Ministry of Healing’s mission is to bring Christ’s healing presence to those in need; in body, mind or spirit. Revd Dr Pat Mollan was appointed in March 2004 as CEO and Director of Ministry. Based in Belfast, she travels extensively, lectures on Christian healing, and offers a range of courses and quiet days. Training days, Alpha days away, Spiritual days away and respite time can be arranged as can Healing Services and prayer teams provided.

The Mission to Seafarers works in over 200 ports worldwide (including Belfast and Derry/Londonderry), caring for seafarers of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs. Through its global network of Chaplains, Staff and Volunteers it offers practical, emotional and spiritual support to seafarers through ship-visits, its Seafarers Centres and a range of welfare and emergency support services.

Founded in 1996, Reaching Hand, is headquartered in Bangalore / Bengaluru, southern India. Its primary focus is on socially rehabilitating underprivileged children, vulnerable youth and marginalized women through the areas of education, health and sustainable livelihood development.

Mercy Ships is a faith-based international development organisation that deploys hospital ships to some of the poorest countries in the world, delivering vital, free healthcare to people in desperate need.