Time for a change this Christmas

Usually at this time of the year I'm frantically trying to write addresses on envelopes for the couple of hundred Christmas Cards that I have sent each year for many years now. I have to admit that it is a somewhat onerous task, and I have wondered over the past few years at the sense of it, at least as far as the volume of cards that I send out.

I guess that the whole issue is one of the money involved, not so much in terms of the cost of the cards themselves, because I always purchase them in the January Sales when they are reduced to a fraction of their original cost, but certainly in terms of the ever-increasing cost of postage. Even this is not my prime consideration either, for the whole subject of the matter revolves more about the manner in which the said amount of money is being spent. When I think of how much more I could do by spending the money where it matters in very real terms then I am led to the conclusion more and more that I need to cut my card list down to a fraction of its current length.

One charity that I support, and intend through Voice Ministries to support financially from January 2009 onward, is India Village Ministries. A few years ago the founders of IVM, Suresh and Roja Vemulapalli, came to Runcorn, stayed with me for a few days and addressed the congregation of St John's, which is the church that I'm privileged to be the Minister of. I have since followed their progress with great interest, especially the work that they have done in building an orphanage to afford a real home to 50 children, and which was completed very recently. The photo above is of the almost completed building.

This year IVM brought out a Gift List for people to spend their money on this Christmas which I am going to support rather than spending money on lots of postages and unnecessary gifts. There is a whole range of things that will make a tremendous difference in the lives of under-privileged children, and I'm sure that many of the over-privileged people on my Christmas List will happily forego their card or gift if they know that such children are getting the benefit from it.

A few of the items in the Catalogue are:

• Sewing machine & accessories: £70 : Code 27
• 5 fruit trees to be planted at Children’s Home: £25 : Code 19
• Bed: £40 each : Code 14
• A Blanket for a child: £13 : Code 15
• Mattress for a bed: £10 : Code 16
• Bed sheets: £4 : Code 17
• Pillow: £5 : Code 18
• Bible for a family in local language: £1.75 each : Code 28

Payment details: Please make your cheque payable to:

India Village Ministries

and post the cheque with a copy of your order form to:
India Village Ministries, POBOX 18485, Kittybrewster, Aberdeen AB24 3XN, Scotland

GIFT AID DECLARATION

IVM is a Charity registered in Scotland. Charity No: SC032158
If you are a tax payer, we are a registered charity and we can claim the tax on your donation if you sign and return the form to:

India Village Ministries, POBOX 18485, Kittybrewster, Aberdeen AB24 3XN, Scotland

I am a registered tax payer in the UK. Please claim gift aid from my donation on this and future occasions.

Name

Address

Signature

If you usually get a card and/or a present from me and don't get one this year, know that the money that would have paid for it will have gone to support a very worthy cause!