Support A Parish 

Our Support A Parish (SAP) programme has been running since 2001. It is about helping the local Church to share the gospel of Jesus and make disciples. Our Christian Partner Organisations (CPO) in Rwanda are the Anglican Dioceses of Byumba and Gasabo. 

Everyday life for pastors and parishes is not easy, especially for those in rural areas. Rising costs and climate change are having an impact. Stipends and pensions are relatively small so setting up income-generating projects is necessary for both pastor and parish. To meet these increasing needs,
DT and our overseas partners have made some changes to how the SAP Programme runs.

How is the SAP Programme funded?

UK SAP Partners, individuals and church groups, give a monthly amount as they are able. On average this is around £50 per partner but amounts vary from £10 to £100 per month, so nothing is too small or too big!  All the donation goes to helping the parishes abroad. Any tax recovered through Gift Aid will go into our General Fund to help cover our administrative costs.
 

How is the money distributed?

The money DT gives each month is put into a Diocesan Development Fund in each partner diocese. A management group of senior clergy oversees each Fund. Parishes and pastors can then apply for a loan from this Fund at a very low interest rate of 1-2% compared with a commercial rate of 15-20%. The loan enables the parish or pastor to set up income-generating projects which can benefit many people. They then repay the loan along with the interest, to keep the Fund active and available to help even more people in the future.

The aim is to create a self-sustaining fund that enhances the witness of the local Church through demonstration as well as declaration of the Christian Gospel.

With your support this work can grow. Through the SAP programme, individuals, home groups and church fellowships can have a direct link with one of these parishes through regular financial and prayer support.

What information is provided?

Regular supporters will be linked with one of the SAP-linked parishes and are sent a profile sheet of the parish and pastor. This includes information about the people, the church and the area. A photo-card of the pastor and family is included.

What news do partners receive?

A six-monthly update is sent out by email to all partners providing news and prayer requests. Some general news from across the diocese will be included as well as specific news form the individual partner parish. If you don’t have email then we can post updates to you.

Can partners write to pastors / parishes?

Yes - of course. In fact we would encourage this. We will provide guidelines as well as a sample letter. All correspondence needs to go through Damascus Trust who will send it out to our CPO for translation and distribution.

How long is support given?

Damascus Trust commits to give support year on year as funds allow. We review the programme with our CPOs every 3-4 years. If you would like to be part of this work then please either click on the Donate button and choose the appropriate options or complete our SAP form  and return it to our office and we will be in touch to confirm details.