Here, we celebrate the wonderful ways that churches support TLM NI and share how you and your church can get involved. Thank you for your continued support!
We are so grateful for the many churches across Northern Ireland, from different denominations, who show such faithful concern for the poor and the outcast and who demonstrate Jesus’ love to people all around the world. The work of The Leprosy Mission is made possible thanks to the longstanding partnerships we have with our church family.
So far this year, we’ve had the privilege of speaking at 28 church services across Northern Ireland, as well as sharing about the work of The Leprosy Mission at 33 church groups. The church groups have varied greatly in location and in age profile. Our speaker team has travelled to a range of places across Northern Ireland, from Belfast to Bangor, from Duneane to Dromara, from Saltersland to Moy and beyond! We’ve spoken at Senior Citizen groups, Men’s and Women’s Fellowship Groups, Midweek and young people’s groups.
We love the opportunity to meet supporters, to speak with them about leprosy, to provide feedback on how their support is changing lives, and to hear of the amazing ways that people have got involved in helping those affected by leprosy.
But we don’t just speak at churches; many churches support us by holding events such as coffee mornings, Christmas fairs and special themed events, like Taste of India.
There is a tremendous opportunity for churches in Northern Ireland to be a strong witness of God’s love for people affected by leprosy, to help reduce stigma and discrimination, and to raise awareness to help reduce transmission. We believe that showing compassion for people affected by leprosy is a God-given mission of the local church – and that is why we invite you and your church to partner with us to bring life and hope to some of the most vulnerable people around the world.
As we work towards our goal of achieving zero transmission by 2035, we need to redouble our efforts to make this vision a reality. We need churches to join with us in the fight against leprosy – we believe that we can only bring true transformation through partnering with churches. Please prayerfully consider how you and your church could help us to realise this vision?
Here are practical suggestions to consider:
Perhaps your congregation has not heard about the work of The Leprosy Mission for a long time and consider it to be a disease of the past. Why not invite one of our speakers to your church service or church group? This might help ignite a passion among members of the congregation to reach out to those living with leprosy.
Become a church representative
Would you like to be a vital link between your church congregation and The Leprosy Mission? You could be a voice for leprosy affected people and raise awareness of the suffering experienced by so many forgotten people around the world. Our church representatives help churches to connect with the work of TLM in many different ways.
Enjoy tea, buns and fellowship all while raising awareness of leprosy and raising funds to bring transformation to leprosy-affected people. We can provide a sale or return shop of unique handmade gifts, as well as cards and books. It doesn’t matter how big or small your Cuppa for a Cure event is – gather a few friends or your whole church – it will all make a difference!
Could you help us raise our profile and reach new people with our message of zero leprosy transmission by 2035? Over the summer, we are exhibiting at New Horizon (3-9 August, Coleraine) and Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention (23-31 August, Bangor) and we need volunteers to help steward our exhibition stand.
One of the most effective ways you can support the work of TLM is by praying for us. We have many prayer resources available which are ideal for use in church services, small groups or during personal devotions, such as Prayer Fuel and our annual ASK prayer guide. Will you and your church commit to praying for our work on a regular basis?
Thank you for your passion for caring for and curing people affected by leprosy.