Woking United Reformed Church supported vulnerable communities around the world for charity over the wekend with a round-the-clock praise-athon and youth camp-out.
The event, part of Christian Aid Week 2025, took place on 10 and 11 May at the church in Wessex Synod.
The Revd Lucy Brierley explained: “Every year, during this appeal, people across Britain and Ireland have seven days to make a difference and support their global neighbours, in a celebration of hope for a fairer world.
“Once again, we undertook an ambitious 24-hour project and had some amazing and talented musicians who played.
“There was lots of music styles and every hour was filled with music, interspersed with ten minutes of prayer and ten minutes of Bible reading.”
At the same time as the praise-athon, the church’s young people held a sponsored camp-out to raise awareness of displaced people and refugees. So far, the church has raised more than £5,600 and is hoping to reach a target of £7,000.
Christian Aid Week takes place 11-17 May and money raised will help the organisation’s partners empower vulnerable communities to find practical and sustainable ways out of poverty.
This year’s appeal focuses on work in Guatemala in Central America, where climate change is causing the seasons to intensify and shift erratically. As a result, farming communities have to battle severe floods and, more recently, ferocious heatwaves. Water sources are drying up and vital crops are failing, plunging farming families into hunger and poverty.
Despite the challenges families are facing, the unstoppable power of hope drives people to look for ways to push back.
Christian Aid has been working with organisations like, Coordinación de ONG y Cooperativas, to offer training and tools so farmers can diversify and grow more resilient crops, build water recycling systems, and create organic fertiliser.
If you’d like to, make a donation and sponsor Woking URC. To find out more about projects like these and how to get involved, visit www.christianaid.org.uk.