Church of Ireland Bishops' Appeal

14/05/2026

29/04/2026

Come and visit the Bishops’ Appeal stand at General Synod 7-9 May at the Slieve Donard Hotel.

16/03/2026

A lady called Audrey and her world-wide impact!

How Audrey’s generosity has impacted the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people around the world.

The choices we make in life and what happens after our death can have incredible significance. When the Bishops’ Appeal advisory committee heard that Audrey – a widow from the south west of Dublin – had left a very generous legacy to the Bishops’ Appeal charity they decided to honour her memory by supporting five life-changing projects in different parts of the world.

- A school for disabled children in Egypt, enabling almost double the number of children to benefit from therapeutic services, specialist therapy and learning spaces, and life skills education – sponsored by CMSI.

- Women in Honduras, who will be given practical support as well as spiritual encouragement, as they heal from domestic abuse and are provided with the training needed to provide a sustainable income for their families, overcoming hunger and supporting green economy projects – with training and support provided by Christian Aid’s partner in the country.

- Support for Balassan Clinic, a church-run medical clinic in Lebanon, which provides free or highly subsidised medicine, imaging and laboratory tests, minor surgical procedures and primary treatments, Audrey’s legacy is providing funds to cover its running costs for four years, supported through Tearfund Ireland. The clinic describes themselves as a “church-based medical and counselling centre, serving everyone with Christlike love and reflecting the healing touch of Jesus.”

- Training and support for indigenous lay leaders and those training for ordained ministry in the Grand Chaco region of Northern Argentina (with SAMS Ireland), strengthening local churches and resilient community leadership across the Chaco where the Wichi indigenous people face huge challenges.

- Helping to build a 3-classroom block (plus desks, chairs, materials and a toilet block) for a nursery school in eastern Uganda, to allow 113 nursery school children aged 3-6 to benefit from Fields of Life “I am Educated” programme each year.

These projects – all nominated by our trusted partners CMSI, Christian Aid, Tearfund Ireland, SAMS Ireland and Fields of Life – will be delivered by people who had a track record of delivering similar significant-sized projects in their areas, safely, effectively and within budget.

One lady – five projects – hundreds, indeed thousands, of lives changed for the good. Look out for updates from each project in the months ahead.

05/02/2026

Pancakes & Prayer aims higher for Lent 2026
Providing food and water for 7,300 young people in South Sudan

The Pancakes & Prayer Lent Campaign is back for 2026! Last year, Bishops’ Appeal and the Church of Ireland Youth Department (CIYD) partnered with Fields of Life and with youth groups across Ireland, prayed, and fundraised an incredible £8,300/€9,500.

You supported 3,926 young people in South Sudan to enjoy a daily meal at school and be able to say: “I am fed”. Thank you!

This year, we would love to reach up to 7,300 more young people across 15 schools in South Sudan who don’t yet have food or clean water at school. Together we can help them to not only say “I am fed” but also “I am watered”.

How can you make a difference?
For as little as £2.50/€3.00 you could help feed a child in South Sudan for a year, by training schools to grow their own crops. Or for £30/€34, you could give a child the gift of safe, clean water through rainwater tanks or drilling boreholes.

Youth groups and schools can take part in Pancakes & Prayer in three steps, shared in the leaders’ pack:
1. Sign up to register your interest and receive a video and PowerPoint slides
2. Get involved by giving the cost of something given up for Lent and/or hosting a fundraising event
3. Make a donation to Bishops’ Appeal online – at https://bishopsappeal.ireland.anglican.org/donate – or by requesting details for making a bank transfer by email at [email protected]

Fundraising ideas include pancake parties, youth group Lent challenges (to given up favourite sweet treats for 40 days), a Mothers’ Day coffee morning, bake sale or sponsored challenge.
And don’t forget that Mothers’ Day is coming up on Sunday, 15th March!

Pray for schools
Young people taking part in Pancakes & Prayer are also encouraged to pray for two schools in South Sudan:
-Bishop Morona Memorial Secondary School, in Maridi, has 187 pupils and is led by headteacher Faragi Alison John (its motto is ‘Together we can make a difference’)
-St Mary’s Primary School, in Ibba, has 414 pupils with Samson Dobili Aman as its headteacher and the motto of ‘Producing Quality Education’

A devotional also helps participants to connect with the story of a girl whose opportunities in everyday life have been transformed by Pancakes & Prayer and learn from the teaching of Jesus, in Matthew chapter 25, about care for people who are vulnerable.

The full leaders’ guide, which includes all of the above information, is available from the Church of Ireland website at www.churchofireland.org/resources

05/02/2026

CMI Ireland’s new teaching resource for children and teens

Hello God: what happens when we meet with God.

CMS Ireland’s new teaching resource shares stories from the Global Church as it unpacks some of the ways we can encounter God and the ensuing effects.

Using stories from the Bible and some of CMS Ireland’s global partners, the resource will help children and young people see how God comes close and finds us in hard places; how God gives to us and so we share with one another; and how we can respond to Jesus’ commission in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you”.

This digital resource, with differentiated lesson plans, workbooks, PPTs and videos accompanying each session, will be available from the start of Lent. To sign up, go to our website www.cmsireland.org/childrens-resource or scan the QR code below.

03/02/2026

Gingerbread & Generosity raises over £4,000 (€4,700) to help people in need in South America

The Church of Ireland’s Bishops’ Appeal for World Aid and Development and the Board for Ministry with Children and Families are delighted to announce that £4,164 (equivalent to €4,796) has been raised through their Advent fundraising campaign – Generosity & Gingerbread – to help SAMS Ireland in its work to make life better for homeless people in Chile and vulnerable girls in Brazil.

The two winners from the Houses of Hope competition for building gingerbread houses –Eben from Offaly and Alice from Fermanagh – were chosen by the Revd Geoff Hamilton, Mission Director with SAMS Ireland and Carolina Schmidt, from the Anglican Church of Chile (Iglesia Anglicana de Chile).

Carolina thanked all who took part for raising £2,082 / €2,398 for the homeless ministry. “This gift,” she remarked, “will provide around 110 blankets, 360 wholesome meals, 150 T-shirts, and 375 toiletries packs. It also allows the local Anglican Church to plan ahead and provides real encouragement to the volunteer team. Because of your prayerful and financial support, lives are being touched and basic needs are met with dignity and care.”

Rosie and Stu Bayford, who co-ordinate the Safe House project in Brazil, added their thanks for the Bishops’ Appeal donation – also £2,082 / €2,398 – as this will allow the project to “continue making a meaningful difference in the lives of young girls who have come from exploited and difficult circumstances.”

The amount raised provides roughly 200 days of nourishing meals, 150 essential items of clothing, 150 weeks of transport to school, and 70 sessions with psychologists. Rosie and Stu explained: “This support strengthens the girls’ physical health, nurtures emotional well-being, and reminds the team here that people in Ireland are standing with them. Thank you, and may God bless you richly in the future as you resource other people and projects.”

08/12/2025

A message from Rachael Murphy of the Board for Ministry with Children & Families on how you can get involved with Houses for Hope this advent season.

Also: Our apologies to Rachael, we're uploading this a few days late so we have, of course, lit the first TWO advent candles now. Blame us, not her!

20/11/2025

A big Pancakes and Prayer thank you from South Sudan!
Young people who took part in Pancakes and Prayer in Lent to provide food for school children in South Sudan raised enough funds to feed almost 4,000 children, as this thank you video shows. We're delighted to share the gratitude shared on their behalf by Bishop Moses Zungo.

with Fields of Life

07/11/2025

07/11/2025

New for this Advent!

Gingerbread and Generosity appeal helps to give Houses of Hope this Advent

Join churches and families to spread hope and compassion

Welcome to Gingerbread and Generosity – a new Advent project in association with SAMS Ireland, Bishops’ Appeal, and the Board for Ministry with Children and Families (BCFM).

We hope that families, children’s groups, church groups and perhaps some schools will be excited to take part in this new Advent programme within the Church of Ireland. During the Advent and Christmas season, we are looking forward to celebrating the birth of Christ. And each year we remember that when Jesus was born, it was in a stable because there was no room in the inn.

The Son of God knew what it was like to be homeless, to be vulnerable. Jesus gave up all the glory of heaven because he loved us, every single human person who has ever lived. He came to give us hope and a future.

“This Advent and Christmas season, we invite you to include Gingerbread and Generosity as part of your parish and family celebrations,” says Hilary McClay, Education Advisor with Bishops’ Appeal. “With our theme – Houses of Hope – we are sharing the message that everyone needs a place to call home, and by focusing on two projects in South America where people who are homeless are cared for and supported by the local Anglican Church, and vulnerable young girls get a safe place to live and to recover from previous trauma.”

Resource Packs

To help bring the project to life, we have created two themed resource packs – one for churches and one for families. Both can be downloaded from the Church of Ireland Children and Families Ministry website at this link: https://cfm.ireland.anglican.org/houses-of-hope-gingerbread-and-generosity-2025
Within the church pack, there are outlines for services which could also be used in schools and in Sunday School contexts. We hope that children will be keen to get involved, and to pray for those who need a safe place to live – a House of Hope.

What could be more Christmassy than gingerbread men and gingerbread houses! Inside the packs you will find a variety of activities that you can use at home, at school or at church – please use them as they work best for you.

As part of the project there is a competition for the best gingerbread house we can find! So there is plenty of fun, along with the serious message that there are people who need a bit of help so that they have a House of Hope. Families are invited to share photos of their gingerbread creations for a chance to win a £50/€50 One4All voucher.

Each pack is filled with creative ideas, recipes, templates and activities to help you celebrate Advent with joy and purpose.

Support

A small amount of money can make a big difference and bring comfort and dignity to someone in need. For example, in Chile £16/€16 provides a quality blanket to keep someone warm through the cold nights. £10/€10 buys a T-shirt. £11/€11 gives someone a special Christmas meal with chicken, potatoes, rice, and a small gift. £5/€5 provides a simple but nourishing lunch of chicken, rice, and dessert. £5/€5 buys a toiletries pack. £5/€5 enables a child to receive a small gift, a reminder they’re not forgotten. £4/€4 buys underwear.

In the Safe House Project in Brazil, £7/€7 covers the cost for a girl’s food for the day. £7/€7 buys a basic item of clothing. £10/€10 covers the fuel needed to get the girls to school for a week. £30/€30 provides a session with a psychologist.

Your family and your church have the opportunity to make a donation (of £10/€10 or more) via the Bishops’ Appeal donations page – https://bishopsappeal.ireland.anglican.org/donate – by choosing the Gingerbread and Generosity option. All the money raised will be sent via SAMS in the new year to support these two projects in Chile and Brazil.

Watch this space

More stories will be shared over the coming weeks to help promote the appeal – so look out for these across the Church of Ireland’s websites and social media channels.