During recent years, Wellspring Church, Congleton, have hosted eight children.  They come from Belarus – a country north-west of the Ukraine, which took the bulk of the radiation fall-out when the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl exploded in April 1985.  The fall-out was 100 times greater than that of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima.  Parts of Belarus are completely devastated and most of the rest of the country is heavily contaminated with nuclear radiation. 

Nearly all the children born today suffer from radiation sicknesses, and everything they eat and drink, even the air they breathe, is contaminated.  Chernobyl Children's Lifeline brings groups of children over for a month’s rest and recuperation.  Their life expectancy is 26-28 years but a month here, with clean air and uncontaminated food and water, can give them an extra two years of life.

Wellspring raise money to pay for the children to come to Congleton. Last time, this was nearly £5,000.  While they are with us the church organise things like picnics, canal trips and sightseeing visits.

Wellspring also arrange dental treatment for the children.  There is no anaesthetic in Belarus. One girl had a tooth pulled out by her father with pincers!  Treatment is very generously given free by our local dentists.  And one of our girls who needed spectacles was given them free by the Congleton branch of Specsavers. 

It isn’t easy having these children. They are young (9-11), not well, far from home and speak a foreign language.  But it is so very, very rewarding.  We are always looking for more people to join our group.  Please contact us at Wellspring Church if you can help.

Kath Leather

[Based on an article in The Link,
the magazine of Wellspring church]

Victorian time capsule in Lichfield

At a recent General Church Meeting at Lichfield Methodist Church, business was interrupted by the arrival of a time capsule from 1891 that had been unearthed during building work.  The glass jar contained church documents, coins and newspapers: two local newspapers dated 7th August 1891 and a copy of the Methodist Recorder dated 6th August 1891. Three coins – a penny, halfpenny and farthing – also carried the 1891 date. Finally there was a local preaching plan for the Circuit and a list of the Trustees.

from www.methodist.org.uk

'Network' Support for Zimbabwe Orphanage

The project has raised £15,000 during the Network District Presidency of Bronwen Degg.  The orphanage is at Karoi in the north of the country, more than 100 miles from Harare by air.  The staff are of many Christian denominations.  

We have received emails from a missionary called Dini.  Things have been very difficult for the orphanage.  At one stage they were on amber alert: ready to move out.

The children are all ages from babies upwards.  Some money is used to buy maize meal, water and electricity.  Even so, many get sickness and diarrhoea and some die.  

The money also pays for baby clothing, cots and sheets.  And the bigger children get school fees (yes, they do have to pay for schooling) and their uniforms.  

Sadly, when Dini had to go back to her own home we lost contact and thus could not provide more money for the orphanage.

Margaret Dean
Network Secretary
Congleton Methodist Circuit

In the Magazine we publish stories and features of longer-lasting interest than News items.
The Magazine is split into a number of separate pages to speed downloading.
For a list of the features and articles on each page, see the Magazine Index