Charites
Each year we commit as a community to raise money on behalf of a number of charities. We have found that our fund raising is most effective if the charities we support are actively supported by an individual or group from within our congregation. This page shows the charities which we currently support on a regular basis.
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Please click on the logos below to read more.
Beautiful Gate Lesotho exists to reach out to orphaned, abandoned, and neglected children ages new-born to 5 years old, and give them the love they need and deserve.
In a country afflicted by overwhelming poverty (2 in 5 people live on less than £1 a day) and extreme disease (over 1 in 4 people are HIV positive), children are often treated with no more respect or worth than a discarded chocolate bar wrapper and can be found dumped in a rubbish bin, a toilet pit, or alone in a forest.
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Here at St Peter's, we've been supporting Beautiful Gate for some years though fundraising events and regular giving, driven by Jenny Dobson who regularly visits and volunteers on site in Maseru.
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You can read her blog covering all her visits since 2012 to get a feel for what life is like in Lesotho and at Beautiful Gate.
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If you would like to know more please speak to Jenny Dobson.
Lighthouse is an annual week-long Christian holiday club run by local churches in the first week of the summer holidays. It is the biggest mission event in Burnham and is a fantastic example of the churches & community working together to spread God’s word.
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2019 was the 18th year of Burnham Lighthouse and each day we welcomed around 750 children and over 380 helpers on site. Each day the children and volunteers enjoy worshipping, dancing and praying together, messy games, Discovery (Bible teaching), craft, drama and sport.
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Sadly due to Covid and site issues we were unable to run in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 has been a challenge with fundraising and a lack of venues. We are however determined to be back in 2024 so watch this space.
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St Peter’s congregation has been heavily involved in Lighthouse Burnham, which has been taking place at Burnham Park Academy for the last few years. Over 40 of our church members attended in 2019 either as helpers or participants. We have church members on the board of trustees and on the Management Committee, others are involved in puppeting, fundraising, craft, sound, refreshments, site & security, worship, creche, first aid, special needs, office, prayer team, Age Group Teachers, Lighthouse keepers and Lamplighters.
Our whole congregation helps to collect items for craft including over 700 toilet roll tubes in 2019 which the children transformed into spiders!
If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please speak to Michelle Dunster or Pam Rogers
Although this is a lay led activity local clergy are encouraged to play an active role and attend when they can during the week. Indeed, one of the most popular activities is “Grill A Vicar” when the older children are invited to quiz the clergy.
Lighthouse provides a week of fun and fellowship for all ages and has encouraged new families to join the family of St Peter’s.
We will be asking for YOUR help over the next few months, so do keep an eye out. In the meantime we would welcome prayers for the trustees and prayers for securing a site for 2023.
Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, originally the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, offers 24 hour care at home, day services and family support and provides specialist palliative care for adults and children in Buckinghamshire and West Hertfordshire.
The nurses will be there when life comes to an end using their expertise and experience to enable a death that is peaceful, calm and free of pain.
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£24,000 is needed every day to continue to provide the services needed.
Iain Rennie was a close personal friend who became terminally ill and chose to be at home rather than in hospital. The nurses who cared for him 24/7 enabled that to happen.
The Hospice at Home was named after him.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please have a chat with Fiona Burridge, Sheila Warburton or John Carey.
Unlock is a non-denominational Christian charity that was founded in 1972.
It exists to support urban churches of any denomination in responding to the opportunities and challenges in their areas.
They are especially concerned with facilitating within “non-book” cultures.
As well as deploying Unlock Local Partnership workers they also provide training and Bible study resources.
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Their main fund-raising effort is the Unlock Walk which takes place on the last Saturday of April each year.
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If you have any questions or would like to find out more, please have a chat with Pete Lewis.
Each year on Christmas Eve, our very own Puppets 4 All at St Peter's support The Children's Society through the wonderful story of the Christingle. It takes lots of effort to prepare the Christingles and the puppets and their helpers always rise to the challenge.
