On St. Patrick’s Day, 17th March 2020, an email was sent from Edgehill House to all Irish Methodist church leaders. The stand-out heading was “Until further notice, all Sunday gatherings for worship should cease”. The email went on to state that other church activities should cease or be restricted. This, of course, was the church’s first formal reaction to the Covid pandemic which was raging across the planet. Over the bulk of the next two years, World Development & Relief staff and their Edgehill colleagues, worked from their kitchen tables or wherever they had space. 

In the spring of 2020, the sense was that it was a time for battening down the hatches and doing very little; just riding out the storm. This was not good for WDR. How would supporters hear the stories of their partners? If churches did not meet to have their annual WDR 1% Appeal service, how would income be affected? With a reduced income, how could partners do their work: clean water, education, food security, rights and more? The pandemic was going to be a disaster for WDR.  

Two years on, on reflection, that is not what happened. Covid was, indeed, ruthless and so often homed in on the vulnerable but something else happened as well. Many Irish Methodists, and individual churches, showed themselves to understand the meaning of generosity and compassion. They saw beyond their own need to the need of others, and this allowed WDR to continue to stand by their partners throughout the entire pandemic, as they too experienced lockdowns, economic hardship, illness and death and feelings of fear and hopelessness. 

Joseph Donkoh, from our partner, Methodist Development and Relief Services in Ghana, put it this way, “When you (Irish Methodists through WDR) do relationship, you do not stop funding, even in these challenging Covid times. You know, most partners have withdrawn, and it is understandable but WDR, Methodist Church in Ireland, continues to relate. You continue to keep faith. Relationship keeps faith. Of course, Christ is the key to this relationship. WDR is focused upon relationship. We [MDRS] are here because of your inspiration. All others, Covid has silenced them”. 

Because of the Methodist Church in Ireland’s commitment to “relationship” through WDR, we needed to stand alongside our partners during 2020 and 2021, more so than ever. We needed to keep the needs of the poorest before Methodist members.

A video version of the WDR service was produced to be used online.
Partners sent stories that were shared in print, online and via social media.
The Methodist church was put to praying through weekly (and now monthly) prepared Prayers of Solidarity. And, what happened? People gave. People wanted to be asked to help. Somehow, they got their donation to WDR, whether they had been able to attend their WDR service or not.

At the end of 2019, before Covid, WDR’s Christmas catalogue, Gifts for Life, raised £10,500 / €12,000. In each of the next two years, at the height of Covid, double that was raised. The Belfast City Marathon did not happen, traditionally a big earner for WDR through sponsorship. But people walked and ran their own events and raised just as much. As vaccines became available to ‘us,’ but not ‘them,’ Irish Methodists supported the Pay It Forward campaign and gave over £20,000 / €23,500 to enable partners respond to Covid needs. Church offerings for the 1% Appeal did come in.  

What this meant was that in May 2020 WDR was just about able to meet its pledges with all partners. In May 2021, we could meet those pledges plus distribute an additional £75,000 / €88,000 as ‘solidarity grants’ and it will be a similar story in 2022. 

We already knew that partners would step up, work harder, make sacrifices, and do their best for the people they work amongst. That was not a surprise. However, there have been two uplifting lessons.

Firstly, we learnt that even in the midst of their own hardship, Irish Methodists are interested in the suffering of others. Many Methodists appreciate their own privilege. They wish to know the needs of their global family, and be given the opportunities to respond through giving and praying. 

Secondly, on an individual level, many of us have realised that there is always someone worse off and that we can be more generous than we may have been previously. That generosity is something that Christ’s disciples must pursue. 

There has been an opening of eyes, prayer and wallets to the needs of the truly poor and forgotten. The pandemic has helped many of us reflect upon our own plenty and be grateful for it.  

We have been reminded again and again that caring our global neighbours is part of who we are as a church, and as followers of Jesus. We have been reminded too that God is faithful in our pursuit of justice, no matter what lies ahead. As Enoch Osafo (Methodist Church Ghana) put it in his Christmas message to us, “Peace, perfect Peace, our future unknown? Jesus, we know, and he is on the throne”. 

Going forward, WDR hopes that every member of the Methodist Church in Ireland would give out of thankfulness not obligation. Setting up regular giving is the best way to do this. You have continued to make a dramatic difference to over 400,000 people through your WDR partners.

Thank you for choosing to stand with them. 

Written by Tim Dunwoody,
World Development Officer