Micah 2023 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 these four areas which are in line with Ps & Gs 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.

Thank you to everyone who gave to the Micah Fund in March, we reached our target of £40,000. Click here to see where the money raised went.

The charities we are supporting this year are:

Ditty Bag Project - Mission to Seafarers Scotland
Ferrywell Youth Project
Live25 Online Events - Fischy Music
Magnitude 2023 - Scripture Union Scotland
Specialist Counselling Service - Pregnancy Counselling and Care (Scotland)
Sunflower Garden Project - Crossreach

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

The Mission to Seafarers Scotland (MTSS) work throughout Scotland caring for seafarers. Through their network of volunteers and a full-time Chaplain they provide practical, emotional and spiritual support to seafarers of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs.

90% of goods are transported by sea, yet seafarers remain out of sight and out of mind. Most seafarers come from developing countries and are spending up to a year on board their ship with no breaks. They often suffer from isolation and loneliness caused by long-term separation from their family, the very people they go to sea in order to support.

The Ditty Bag Project will show love to seafarers in a practical way by supplying items to 200 of those who visit Scottish ports this year. Each bag includes useful items such as toiletries, confectionary, handknitted hats and SIM cards with credit allowing the crew to contact their families back home.

As a Christian charity, MTSS believe in sharing God’s love with those who are marginalised by society, and they aim for these gifts to be conversation starters. Volunteers allow those they meet to talk about whatever is on their mind and share their worries. The topic of God often comes up organically and, if requested, they distribute devotionals and Bibles.

The Micah fund donation will fund the Ditty Bag Project to let seafarers know they are not forgotten and benefit from a practical demonstration of God’s love.

Read more about Mission Seafarers Scotland.

Ferrywell Youth Project works with young people aged 10-18 years from the Muirhouse, Pilton and Drylaw areas of Edinburgh. According to the Scottish Government, these are some of the most deprived areas of Edinburgh. The young people the project works with live in families where there is often financial poverty, addictions, mental health issues and unemployment. This makes life for the young people incredibly difficult. Many are not attending school and have very little positive adult influence in their lives. There are waiting lists for many of the charity’s groups and one-to-one work as referrals continually come in from schools and social work teams.

The charity’s building is right in the heart of the local community. This is the base for their youth groups, small groups and often their one-to-one work. Over 120 young people drop by each week for food and/or a chat and the building is in constant use. It is a warm, safe space where young people know they are always welcome and someone is available to chat, listen, help, support and encourage. It provides a base to build relationships which in turn provide a positive influence in the lives of these young people.

All of the charity’s staff and volunteers are Christians and the young people know that what they do, they do to show the love of Christ to them. Any young people that show an interest in faith are encouraged to go to church and young people have come to faith through the work of the Ferrywell Youth Project.

The Micah fund donation will contribute to the running costs of the project’s base in Edinburgh providing a warm, safe space for young people to talk, eat and be cared for and nurtured.

Read more about Ferrywell.

Established as a charity in 1998, with the support of Ps & Gs, Fischy Music create songs to increase children’s self-esteem and nurture positive mental health. They do this by helping children express and manage a range of emotions through music.

During covid lockdown, Fischy Music produced online assemblies which helped children understand, express and manage a range of emotions they may have been experiencing. The assemblies had over 97,000 views and in 2020-21 Fischy music songs were played around 1.4 million times across online platforms.

The aftereffects of lockdown for children are still evident and the charity’s Live25 online events will help support children’s mental health and build back their confidence during this recovery phase of the pandemic. Nine events aimed at children aged 3 – 12 years old, across Scotland and the UK, will be live streamed during 2023. The project will also mark the charity’s 25th anniversary year.

Each 30 minute long event will include songs with a health and wellbeing focus and be interactive to encourage the children to participate. Recordings of the events will be uploaded to the Fischy Music websites and YouTube channel to reach and support as many children, teachers, families and adults working with children in churches as possible.

The Micah fund donation will fund the Live25 Project to through music, help children age 3 - 12 build confidence and deal with anxiety and other emotions in life and post-pandemic.

Read more about Fischy Music.

Scripture Union Scotland exists to inspire children and young people to know God and explore the difference Jesus can make in their lives.

The Magnitude festival began in 2022 and enabled 870 young people to encounter more of the magnitude of God: in his Word, in worship and in wonder at God’s creation. 63 churches from across Scotland and denominations were represented at the event, demonstrating a powerful expression of Christian unity and togetherness. Feedback from the event affirmed that the ministry met young people’s spiritual needs in a very deep way.

For 2023 SU Scotland plan to build on this encouraging start and run Magnitude 2023. The overall aim of the event is to change lives by encouraging young people to be secure in their identity in Christ and to go beyond mere knowledge of God. The event also invests in future Christian leaders by providing training and resources and has an evangelistic element with 85 young people making professions of faith at Magnitude 2022.

The Micah fund donation will help reduce the ticket price of the Magnitude event to help young people connect with other young Christians and become confident followers of Jesus.

Read more about Scripture Union Scotland.

Pregnancy Counselling and Care are an Edinburgh-based charity that supports families who are experiencing distress or hardship due to pregnancy or early parenthood related issues.

According to the Scottish Government, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men will be impacted by mental health issues during the perinatal period. By providing early intervention at this crucial time in a parent’s life, the charity’s specialist counselling service can significantly reduce the risk of longer-term mental health problems and suicidal thoughts, increase family stability and improve a parent’s confidence in caring for their child.

People turn to the charity when they are struggling to cope and are usually signposted by midwives, GPs or other health professionals. Common reasons for referral include depression, anxiety, infertility, bereavement from stillbirth, miscarriage or neonatal death. Many clients are lone parents who are extremely isolated.

The counselling team is a mixture of paid counsellors and student counsellors on long-term placement and the specialist service is offered free of charge or by voluntary donation. In 2023/4 the service aims to support 120 clients.

The Micah fund donation will help fund 50% of the role of Counselling Lead Worker – helping provide rapid specialist support at a vulnerable time in people’s lives.

Read more about Pregnancy Counseling and Care Scotland.

Crossreach Sunflower Garden is a free counselling service providing specialist support to children, young people and their families who have been impacted by substance use.

There are approximately 7,000 children in the City of Edinburgh who live with parents with at least one level of problematic alcohol use and over 2,000 with drug-related problems. This has an adverse impact on children’s lives, including not coping at school and concerns for physical, emotional, educational, or social welfare. Young people can feel isolated, neglected, and are often vulnerable and bullied.

Through outreach support in schools, one-to-one counselling, art therapy, and therapeutic groupwork, the project gives children a safe space to express and manage their distressing thoughts, feelings and worries. Children can process their experiences through art, play and conversation whilst group work helps them know they’re not alone – helping to reduce shame and build supportive and healthy relationships. Children are nurtured to help them to achieve their full potential.

The Micah fund donation will fund 100 one-to-one sessions for children and young people impacted by parental substance misuse – supporting them to process their experiences and build resilience and self-esteem.

Read more about Crossreach.