03 November 2021 |Watford, UK [Sharon Platt-McDonald with tedNEWS]
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Women’s Ministries across the British Isles quickly had to adapt and find new and creative ways to continue helping women to build relationships and share their stories amidst unprecedented challenges.
A video report, recently released by Sharon Platt-McDonald, director of Health, Adventist Community Services and Women’s Ministries at the British Union Conference (BUC), summarises the efforts and remarkable work done by women across the country to support people during the pandemic.
Among other initiatives, the BUC’s Women’s Ministry, in collaboration with their Health Ministries Department, run a Convalescence Project called Restoration to aid individuals impacted by COVID-19 and their families. “As people recover from the virus, I noticed that a significant number are encountering ongoing challenges”, said Sharon Platt-McDonald. “God led me to launch a Convalescence Project which seeks to meet the holistic needs of individuals recovering from the COVID-19 Coronavirus. We provided daily freshly cooked meals, weekly shopping, relevant publications on wellbeing, counselling support and financial assistance.”
Working in partnership with One Vision, an outreach ministry group led by Enoch Kanagaraj, Project Restoration provided over 230 meals per day to the community. “Thank you so much for caring for us! We really appreciate the tasty hot meals you provide us each day. It has kept us going!”, said a lady whose family benefited from this initiative. In addition to tasty meals, community contact cards were delivered with safety guidelines on the front, and a hope message inside. These cards included contact details for those needing emotional support or simply someone to talk to.
The Bereavement Care Befriender initiative delivered over 500 copies of C.O.M.F.O.R.T, a book on grief and loss, to individuals experiencing bereavement during the pandemic. Moreover, wellbeing bags, stocked with resources and goodies, were distributed to individuals impacted by COVID-19, and online meetings were organised to build emotional strength and resilience.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Women’s Ministries across the British Isles went above and beyond to adapt and support women and their families. The South England Conference (SEC) hosted a week-long evangelistic campaign, captioned: The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail, and organised a range of online workshops on emotional intelligence and resilience. The North England Conference (NEC) organised a variety of prayer conferences and online events. Working collaboratively, the three missions – Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, organised virtual Women’s Ministries retreats and conferences.
“It is amazing what can be done when women work together to share God’s love with a hurting community! I am so proud of the achievements of the women in the BUC, and across our entire division”, says Karen Holford, director of Family, Women’s, and Children’s Ministries at the Trans-European Division. “We are very grateful to Sharon Platt-McDonald for her creativity in writing materials and developing high quality programmes that have inspired women of all ages in the BUC, across the TED, and even around the globe.”
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, editor; Vanesa Pizzuto, associate editor
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