USPG Worldwide
The United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel [Anglicans in World Mission is their preferred title today] does so much more than their rather old-fashioned title suggests. A trawl through their website reveals the following headlines
Church demands release of the 43 health workers in the Philippines
USPG is supporting church leaders in the Philippines in calling for the release of 43 health workers imprisoned by armed forces��..
Christian women are the �minority of the minorities�
Housemaid Sofia Barkat, in Lahore, Pakistan, was on leave when the security guard at the house where she worked was murdered. …
Anglican churches take action following Chile earthquake
Three days following the massive earthquake in Chile, many towns are still completely isolated. …
USPG responds following earthquake in Chile
The quake struck close to Concepcion, on the Pacific coast, causing devastation in small towns: tidal waves caused flooding, buildings have collapsed and an estimated 2 million people have been left homeless. USPG has sent emergency funds
Gaza still recovering one year after Israeli attacks
USPG and other agencies sent emergency funding to the hospital, where bomb blasts blew out windows so that staff had to perform operations in the cold. Since last year�s assault, the hospital has been reaching out to hard-pressed families who were already struggling to make ends meet….
You can follow up any or all of these stories at www.uspg.org.uk or on Twitter but the project that has concerned us in Hampstead in the last few years is Nicholas Wheeler�s work in Brazil: Project No B04
Brazil:
Capital: Brasilia
Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish (border areas and schools), German, Italian, Japanese, English and Amerindian languages
Religion: Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Other 11%
Export: Coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, citrus, beef, textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber
USPG has been supporting Projects in Brazil since 1988, and maintains a close relationship with the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil. USPG currently supports 27 Projects in Brazil as well as personnel.
Target: �18,500/�24,670
In their own words
�I believe that God has called me to a new beginning in a place to which he has lent his own name.�
Nicholas Wheeler
USPG Mission Companion
Cidade de Deus (City of God) is one of the most disadvantaged communities in Rio de Janeiro. Built in the 1960s to provide a new start for slum dwellers, it has become a notorious haven for drug trafficking and gun crime. Battles on the streets at night between the dealers and police or rival drugs gangs leave many dead. Nicholas Wheeler a parish priest from London Diocese [Camden Town] has been asked to support the work of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil as it seeks to make a difference to the people of the City of God. Nicholas is working as part of the clergy team in the Parish Church of Christ the King, in the heart of Cidade de Deus. The congregation is small but faithful and runs a number of social projects providing local people with English classes, a dance school and a counselling service. The modern church building stays shut most of the time and a leaking roof and inadequate electrics make life tough for the congregation. The huge statue of Christ the Redeemer looks down from Corcovado mountain with outstretched arms of unconditional love on a community where awesome wealth and acute poverty live side by side.
So when you see an appeal for USPG or �Charities supported by the parish� as the proceeds of the Spring Fair are designated, you�ll know of at least one worthy cause to which your contribution is being sent.
USPG Worldwide