Grace News is Anglican Aid’s quarterly newsletter, through which we share encouragement and updates from our project partners.

“Remember the poor” 

At Paul’s meeting with Peter, James, and John in Jerusalem, described in Galatians 2, the church leaders affirm their fellowship in the gospel. As they send Paul on to continue his mission to the Gentiles, Paul adds: “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along” (Galatians 2:10). 

Paul, the great evangelist, church planter and teacher, certainly continues to remember the poor! In Romans 15: 24ff, he shares his plan to go to Spain to preach the gospel but makes the point that first he must carry the aid that he has collected from Macedonian and Corinthian Christians to the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. Paul mounts perhaps the first international aid project, combining resources from churches in one place to meet the needs of brothers and sisters somewhere else. 

Tim Swan (centre) visited Anglican Aid’s partner, the Life in Abundance economic empowerment project in DR Congo, one of the world’s poorest countries.

“Paul, the great evangelist, church planter and teacher, certainly continues to remember the poor!” 

Tim met Bible college students from DR Congo.

I am so encouraged that Christians in Australia are generously continuing to remember the poor. Ninety eight percent of churches in Sydney Diocese have members who are supporting Anglican Aid. This represents around 6,000 people. We receive no funding from the Government or the Anglican denomination. All our support comes from Christians in Australia giving to Christians in need somewhere else.

In this issue of Grace News, you can read about how your gifts are meeting people’s needs in some of the world’s poorest nations including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Sudan, and Mozambique. I praise God that you continue to remember the poor! 

Tim Swan

CEO, Anglican Aid