Micah 2022 Projects

The Micah Fund is a way for people at Ps & Gs to give to charities and projects outside our church and beyond our usual partner organisations.

The Micah Fund supports projects in the UK which fall under one of the four areas of our church strategy: changing lives, transforming society deepening influence and church planting. It also includes donations to Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) appeals, ordinands who have been part of Ps & Gs, and short-term missions.

In March 2022 we raised just over £55,000 including gift aid, click here to see where this money raised went.

The charities we are supported in 2022 were:

The Bridge Counselling Centre, Holy Trinity Church Wester Hailes
Families at the Heart, Keighley Parish Church
Granton Goes Greener, Granton Parish Church
Helping Every Weekend Project, Edinburgh Street Pastors
Project Light, Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland
Salaam Refugee Support, Edinburgh City Mission

Find out more about the Micah Fund and charities we supported in previous years.

Bridge Counselling is an independent church-based counselling service overseen by Holy Trinity Church in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh - one of the most deprived areas in Scotland. In an area where many people have been impacted by the stresses of multiple deprivations and suffered numerous adverse childhood experiences, clients come seeking support for an array of issues affecting their mental and spiritual well-being.

The counselling service provides help to relieve distress and releases clients to be more fully themselves in their day-to-day life and relationships.

The counselling team consists of five volunteers - a team leader and four qualified counsellors. There is no fixed charge for sessions. However, an affordable donation to cover costs is encouraged.

Demand for the service is very high and during 2022 the team plan to extend their service which will include recruiting more volunteer counsellors and increasing the number of sessions offered. The only paid role within the service is the Lead Counsellor who will coordinate this work and manage the referrals and volunteers.

The Micah fund donation will help fund the role of Lead Counsellor for a second year – helping support some of the most vulnerable and marginalised individuals.

Read more about The Bridge Counselling Centre.

Keighley Parish is based in the post-industrial and multicultural Yorkshire town of Keighley. It is within the top 4% of the most deprived parishes in England, based on measures such as education, employment, health, housing and crime.

As a united parish of four churches they have a vision to revitalise their congregations, reach out to their largely un-churched town and plant new congregations in unreached estate communities.

Keighley is a very young town with 29% being children and young people under 18 (21% being the national average). The parish want to extend their family focused outreach and pastoral activities by employing a Children and Families worker to develop and lead this work. With such high levels of poverty in the area, this outreach will aim to connect with the most disadvantaged families and respond to issues such as holiday hunger and the impact of debt.

The project has clear targeted outcomes to recruit and train volunteers, increase the number of children who attend Sunday children’s groups, reach un-churched families with outreach activities such as Messy Church, support four local primary schools and provide weekly afterschool clubs. They will also develop interagency relationships for food provision and debt advice referrals etc.

The Micah fund donation will fund 3 months’ salary for a new Children and Families worker to engage with and support disadvantaged communities and share the good news of Jesus.

Read more about Keighley Parish Church.

Granton Parish Church, Edinburgh, serves areas within the 20% most deprived in Scotland. The congregation believe passionately in their Christian responsibility to serve. This includes reducing the impact of poverty and social isolation in their community and caring for God’s creation.

They have a vision to have their facilities open and used throughout the week by those with or without a church connection. One community project helping meet that vision is Granton Goes Greener which they have run successfully for four years.

To tackle poverty the scheme provides access to free clothes through their Share’n’Wear scheme and provides food through the distribution of rescued bread, fruit and vegetables.

To reduce social isolation they provide classes, such as a community sewing class, volunteering opportunities and other group activities. These endeavours also reduce the carbon emissions by reducing waste and encouraging and teaching people to ‘go greener’. The work also provides the opportunity for Christians to witness to a wide network including building community through stalls at local community events.

Over the next 12 months the project estimates they will work with 600 people.

The Micah fund donation will fund 2 months’ running costs of the Granton Goes Greener project - helping to reduce poverty, build community and care for creation.

Read more about Granton Goes Greener.

Street Pastors help those in need on UK city streets by being “a Church response to issues in society”. In Edinburgh teams of volunteers go into the city centre at weekends, delivering assistance to people in need.

For homeless people, pastors relieve hunger and cold by giving out hot drinks, food and blankets, they signpost to agencies which provide specialist help and give emotional support and friendship.

For vulnerable people likely to become victims of crime, the team help reunite them with friends, arrange safe travel home, give practical help such as bottled water, diffuse tension and conflict as well as providing emotional support to those isolated or experiencing mental health difficulties.

As Christians, many people ask volunteers about their faith and so they also share the good news of Jesus Christ and, where appropriate, pray for people.

Currently Edinburgh Street Pastors operate every Friday and two out of four Saturday nights. The Helping Every Weekend project will extend the care and help provided by Street Pastors to all weekend evenings throughout the year.

The Micah fund donation will help fund a dedicated staff member to recruit new volunteer street pastors, and cover costs such as uniforms and supplies. This will extend the number of vulnerable people kept safe and supported on Edinburgh’s city centre streets at night.

Read more about Street Pastors.

Human trafficking in the UK is a growing issue and victims have been identified in every Local Authority in Scotland.

Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland (SOHTIS) works to ensure the safe recovery and long-term wellbeing of human trafficking survivors. Those who have been traded often work for no pay, some are paid in alcohol and many experience abuse, neglect, isolation and violence, all in extreme poverty.

Victims present with anxiety, depression, PTSD, physical and mental ill-health. The SOHTIS team works closely with them providing practical help, confidence to build relationships and support to access specialist counselling - all whilst respecting the time people need to heal and restore their dignity.

SOHTIS’s new Project Light will identify, safely recover and support victims of human trafficking in Edinburgh. The project worker will train and equip local partners who work with vulnerable groups, assist in intelligence gathering and police operations, and support and advocate for those who are rescued or have escaped. There is also a safe repatriation programme for those who wish to return to their home country which works alongside partners including International Justice Mission.

The Micah fund donation will cover 9 months of a project worker’s time for Project Light - identifying, safely recovering and supporting victims of human trafficking in Edinburgh.

Read more about Project Light.

Edinburgh City Mission (ECM) has supported and provided poverty relief for some of the most vulnerable communities in the city since 1832. In 2020 they launched Salaam refugee and asylum seekers’ support. (Salaam meaning ‘peace’ in Arabic).

The scheme provides online English classes, an English speaking Café, Women’s weekly café, and a weekend club to individuals ad families who have experienced the trauma of having to flee their home countries. There is also a befriending scheme that provides 1-to-1 help. Each befriending relationship looks different depending on the needs of the refugee, but all offer friendship, practical help, and support.

All the activities offered by the Salaam project help refugee and asylum seekers feel welcome in Edinburgh as ‘new Scots’. They can help them begin to work through complex needs and start to heal and find hope. The project has grown rapidly and due to its success, ECM is now coordinating Edinburgh’s support for all Afghan refugees arriving in the city.

The Micah fund donation will fund part of the salary for a new staff member - helping double the number of refugees and asylum seekers being supported.

Read more about Salaam Refugee Support.