Supporter Letter April 2024

We held our inaugural annual event last October at St. Augustine’s in Gillingham. The service of thanksgiving was preceded by a meeting of the Trustees with local Christian leaders in the Medway area. As it became quickly apparent, this is an area of great deprivation. There are a range of families including children with special needs, children with different fathers and single parents. This group is often affected by deep mental health and emotional issues. This sobering event brought home to the Trustees that they are working in an area worthy of our founder, Dorothy Kerin’s, vision and values.
During the service we heard from a number of the projects we had granted monies to over the past 18 months. I would like to highlight 3 Christian charities, in no particular order:-

Life & Soul provides mentoring and wellbeing sessions to primary and secondary school students in Kent and Sussex. Their emphasis is on preventing more serious issues requiring counselling and intervention. Their work enables young people to take time in a safe space to reflect and think about their lives. The charity’s vision is that every child and young person would love their God created universe and be confident in themselves and their place in the world. Their website is : https://lifeandsoul.org.uk .
The Living Well’s objectives chimes well with our focus on healing. It works in the Canterbury area operating from a house and gardens in Nonington. Their ministry is available to anyone suffering mental, physical or spiritual illness or abuse and those seeking rest and relief from stressful lives. There is a weekly healing service open to all. The chaplain and 3 assistant chaplains offer individual prayer by internet and phone by request. There are three outdoor cabins within their gardens available for individuals and a fourth has recently been added which we have helped partially fund. Their website is: https://the-living-well.org.uk

St Augustine’s has a number of outreach projects which are usually held within itschurch and buildings. Through a grant we have contributed to the cost of renewing this church’s toilet and washing facilities without which people cannot be expected to attend and be blessed by the many evangelistic activities it runs. Without our help this church would struggle, and such outreach activities would probably not take place. This church is truly a beacon of light in a depressed and deprived area. The church’s website is : https://staugchurch.co.uk

As trustees assessing potential grants, we are very much aware of Jesus’ parable of the talents when making grant decisions. We often, as a body, think and are guided by, this well known parable, where the message is that God will judge us on how we use our talents and resources in bettering the lives of others on the Earth.

We have now recruited a much-needed administrator who comes from the local Medway area and is therefore able to give us an added insight into the problems and opportunities which exist for us.

As we transited away from the difficult period of administration, we have adopted the principle of working through Christian organisations and their people. We have recently engaged with an organisation which we have commissioned to help us with the vital area of communication where we know scope for improvement exists. We are anticipating that this will encompass audience research, improvement of our rather static website and the use of social media which is essential if we are to attract and retain younger audiences and supporters.

We are grateful to those of you who have contributed to the work of the Trust in the past and through the period of administration. Your prayers have been felt as well as your generous financial support.

We do hope that you are as inspired by these developments as we are, and we pray for your continued support as we continue to offer grants to needy Christian groups in local communities based on Dorothy Kerin’s vision “To heal the sick, to comfort the sorrowing and to give faith to the faithless”.

Please pass this update on to any others who you know loved Burrswood and to others you think may be interested and ask them to get in touch.

May God bless you.
Simon Joyce
Chair and on behalf of the
Dorothy Kerin Trustees.