We are committed to proclaiming the good news of Jesus and supporting others in need, as part of our worship to God and to express our love and service to all.
Our churches support a number of Mission Partners
MEMUSI (KENYA)
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KIDS CLUB KAMPALA
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RIZIKI (KENYA)
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TANZANIA LINK
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CAP
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VLOCISHT CHURCH (ALBANIA)
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HVCAP
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MEMUSI (KENYA) * KIDS CLUB KAMPALA * RIZIKI (KENYA) * TANZANIA LINK * CAP * VLOCISHT CHURCH (ALBANIA) * HVCAP *
The ‘Tanzania Link’ is supported by all of our churches. The Diocese of Mara in Tanzania has been formally twinned with the Diocese of Leeds for many years - praying for each other and supporting local initiatives. Churches in the Holme Valley developed a link with a School in the Serengeti, as well as supporting the building and running of a safe house for girls in the Mara region. A formal Parish Link exists with Kagwa village, a link that has grown and flourished.
A Tanzania Link group from the Holme Valley supports the link and fund-raises for various projects. . You can find out more about the Tanzania Link on the Leeds Diocese website. Our local ‘Team Tanzania’ group always welcomes help! Just email mossdown24@gmail.com or phone Di Ellerton on 07539 479136.
The Memusi Foundation in Kenya is supported by St David’s Holmbridge and All Saints Netherthong through child sponsorship. Since 2003 the Foundation has provided education, care and opportunity so that every child can learn, thrive and shape a hopeful future. They also work with street-connected children and mothers - showing up every week with food, and friendship, The Foundation don’t ‘build and leave’ — they create pathways that are sustainable, community-led, and built to last. Find out more
Memusi’s founder, our very own Matt Norton, has published a book about Memusi called “An Ordinary Story : From a Pencil to a Movement”.
Riziki Children’s Organisation (Kenya) is supported by St David’s. It is an independent children’s home near the Kenyan city of Nakuru in the Great Rift Valley. It provides for young children, often orphans, in dire poverty and seeks to help them through their schooling - right through to higher education including University. During a tourist visit to Kenya, the late John Hunwicks from Dorset, UK, saw the plight of children living around the Gioto dumpsite on the edge of Nakuru and resolved to do something to improve the quality of their lives. This determination eventually led to the founding of the Riziki Children's Organisation. Find out more about their work
Kids Club Kampala (Uganda) is supported by St David’s Church. An award-winning children’s charity with a Christian ethos, working across East Africa. Its mission is to transform children’s lives, empower communities and reduce poverty through meeting children’s and families’ immediate needs, child protection, education and family strengthening. Its vital projects also provide for both children and their family's immediate and longer term needs. It works with in-country partners, who lead and implement projects that are a lifeline to children living in some of the most challenging environments in the world. It is currently supporting over 300,000 children and families, but the global cost of living crisis means Its vital services have never been more needed. Find out more about their work.
Vlocisht Church in Albania is supported by St David’s. It is a church in rural south-east Albania working to spread the good news of Jesus and seeking to disciple people of all ages. Vlocisht is a small village near to the city of Korçë close to the Greek border. Back in the 1980’s Albania was a dark place, declared by the strict communist government to be an atheist state. Churches and Mosques were closed, people feared the Secret Police, and neighbours informed on each other. But light begun to shine when the regime collapsed in 1991 and shortly afterwards Christian missionaries returned to Albania.
Paul Alkazraji, a Christian journalist and author from West Yorkshire, together with his wife Albana pastor Vlocisht church. The country is still poor by European standards and most people in Vlocisht are subsistence farmers. Vlocisht Church works with men, women, teenagers and children in various groups during the week as well as the main service on a Sunday afternoon. Regular bible studies happen on a weekly basis.
Paul and Albana are currently on sabbatical in the UK and worship and help out at St David’s. Local Albanian’s including Albana’s sister Margarita and her husband Petrika are running the church until they return.
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) – is a UK charity, supported by St David’s, that wants to see a hope-filled society, free from poverty, with churches united to improve the lives of those facing debt and financial hardship. John Kirkby started CAP in 1996 when God called him to sacrifice his career in finance and use his knowledge of the industry to help those in need. In his hometown of Bradford, John set off on the incredible journey of CAP. His faith adventure led him to people weighed down by debt; parents who couldn’t feed their children, families facing eviction and desperate people living without hope. He used his expertise to negotiate with creditors, set up budgeting systems and offer a lifeline to those trapped in debt.
CAP has rapidly grown its Debt Centre network, with services to tackle the causes of debt and poverty also introduced. As well as CAP Debt Help, it offers practical advice to live well on a low income through CAP Life Skills groups, and supports people stepping into employment through CAP Job Clubs. Through a UK-wide network of CAP projects and centres (including Huddersfield), it has a vision of transformed lives, thriving churches and an end to UK poverty. Find out more about their work.
Holme Valley Climate Action Partnership (HVCAP) is supported by St David’s Church. It’s a registered charity and community business (CIO) founded in 2020 to support local projects reducing carbon emissions, aiming for a carbon-neutral Holme Valley by 2030. It acts as a hub for volunteering, sustainability initiatives, and community engagement in the Holme Valley area of West Yorkshire.
HVCAP connects local people with experts in renewable technology and provides free home energy advice and resources. The partnership supports initiatives including community growing spaces, recycling efforts, promoting walking/cycling, and local green festivals. HVCAP facilitates the Holme Valley Parish Council's Climate Emergency Action Plan, acting as a liaison between community groups, schools, and businesses. They promote awareness about climate change and promote "pre-loved" clothing events to encourage reuse and reduce textile wastage.