We received this letter from Tearfund in relation to the Connected Church programme that we are part of, so I’m passing it along.
Dear Corsham Baptists,
I wanted to write to you and everyone at Corsham Baptist Church, to thank you for your incredible faithfulness in prayer and giving to our Connected Church partners.
In recent months, your support has been vital in helping many of our partners face the coronavirus crisis, with hygiene and the protection of livelihoods even higher on the agenda.
We know the crisis will have brought unique challenges for Corsham Baptist Church too. But we pray that this has been a fruitful time where you’ve experienced God’s goodness and grace in new ways.
A new season
At Tearfund, this season has given us an opportunity to reflect, in particular on the vital prayerful support of churches like yours. In these challenging times, we recognise the need to safeguard the work of our partners by finding new ways to reduce admin costs and free up funds for their work.
After much careful consideration, we have made the decision to bring the Connected Church scheme to an end. From the week of 14 September, your Connected Church regular giving commitment will be transferred to our Tearfund Partner Church programme. This change will allow us to direct your support to wherever the need is greatest globally and enable it to go further and wider.
We know that this may be a significant change and disappointment for you. Some have been supporting our Connected Church partners for many years. Please rest assured, your partner’s work will continue, just as before. And whilst we won’t be able to send you regular updates about their work in the future, please keep praying for them when you pray for our work.
We trust you will appreciate that we do not take this decision lightly. If you have questions or concerns about these changes, our Churches Team would love to speak to you. Just email churches@tearfund.org, call 020 3906 3366, or write to the team at Churches, Tearfund, 100 Church Road, Teddington, TW11 8QE.
Getting to know who and where you’re helping
Through the new Tearfund Partner Church programme, we will bring your church updates from around the world – places you may have never seen or heard of before. This will include a quarterly video, giving a unique insight into the lives you’re helping, and the global impact you’re having.
Any donations you make after 14 September will automatically be used where the need is greatest. But, if you notify us when making a donation, you can still send money to your Connected Church partner until 27 January 2021.
Thank you once again for your continued prayers and gifts, we are so grateful for your church’s partnership. You enable us to make a huge impact around the world in communities where people are really struggling. With your support, our partners’ beneficiaries don’t just survive, they thrive and flourish.
Yours in Christ,
Nigel Harris
Chief Executive, Tearfund