South Belfast Presbyterians raise almost £11k for overseas aid
A Presbyterian Church in South Belfast has “going, going, gone” beyond expectations by holding an auction of promises which it has now been confirmed helped them raise almost £11,000 for the work of an overseas aid agency.
The congregation of St John’s Newtownbreda on the Ormeau Road held their event to raise funds for Christian Aid Week in May, placing bids on pledges which included a two-night stay in a Portballintrae holiday home, a day trip in a camper van and a half-day of handyman help. Many of the offers were “acts of service” such as cooking, dog-walking and babysitting but the pledges which fetched the highest bids were a golf and lunch package at Royal County Down in Newcastle and tickets for the Ireland v Argentina rugby international in Dublin.
More than 60 church members gathered at the church hall as more than 40 promises, which had been pledged by members of the congregation before the event began, were auctioned off to the highest bidder by church member Helen Pallin, using one of the wooden gavels she had inherited from her auctioneer father.
Other church members looked after the refreshments, serving tea, coffee and home-made treats throughout the evening, in exchange for a donation to support the work of Christian Aid.
Established in 1945 by the main Protestant churches in Britain and Ireland to respond to the refugee crisis at the end of World War II, Christian Aid works to ease the suffering of people affected by extreme poverty and conflict. Each May, during Christian Aid Week, thousands of congregations and individuals raise funds for the charity’s work in what is one of the UK and Ireland’s greatest acts of Christian witness.
The auction of promises at St John’s raised almost £4,300, with other fundraising activities - a bucket collection at Tesco Newtownbreda, the distribution of Christian Aid Week envelopes to 1,800 homes in the vicinity of the church, a bread and cheese lunch after a Sunday service as well as church offerings - bringing the total to almost £11,000.
Each year, Jennifer Cairnduff, Christian Aid’s representative at St John’s, tries out a novel fundraising idea. Last year, she organised a sale of pictures and wall art while in 2024, she held a sale of women’s pre-loved wedding and occasion wear. But it was the auction of promises that yielded the greatest total, as Jennifer explained:
“I think people bought the idea of an auction of promises from the word go. Everyone was so supportive and generous and I am incredibly grateful.”
Christian Aid Ireland Chief Executive, Rosamond Bennett paid tribute to the St John’s congregation for giving their time and money without counting the cost.
She said: “We are grateful to Reverend Paul Lutton and to Jennifer Cairnduff and to everyone who donated so generously. It’s only with the support of congregations like St John’s that we can reach people living in poverty and crisis around the world.”