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Popping without stopping is not something that outsiders might think of as being a habit of members of the Presbyterian Women's Association.
However for the last year that's exactly what PWA members have been doing - popping open tubes of Pringle Crisps, eating the contents and then using the empty container to collect thousands of coins for the PWA Millennium Thank Offering.
And the scheme has been such a success that when the PWA holds its Annual Meeting tomorrow in Church House, Belfast, it expects to announce that its 16,000 members from throughout Ireland have raised around £70,000 for mission work at home and overseas.
"To celebrate the Millennium we had several ideas particularly involving personal devotion, special services and so on,' explained Marbeth Russell, Acting PWA Executive Secretary. "However every year we have a Birthday Thank Offering to support mission work and this year we thought why not have a special Millennium Thank Offering. Then someone suggested the Pringle Box idea and it has really taken off. Normally our Birthday Offering would raise about £25,000 and this special effort has almost trebled that.'
Projects expected to benefit from the Millennium Gift Fund are Nurse Training in Nepal, Farming Projects in Malawi, Care for the Elderly in Jamicia, Leadership Training in Brazil, Education Programmes in Thailand and Deaconess Training in Ireland.
Around 3000 women representing the 500 branches are expected in Church House tomorrow, Thursday 4 May, for the two sessions of the PWA Annual Meeting beginning at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
Forward with Christ at the annual meeting of the Presbyterian Women's Association held in Church House, Belfast, Thurday 4 May,
(l-r) Mrs Marbeth Russell, Acting Executive Secretary, Mrs Claire Dixon, Guest Speaker, Mrs Margaret Thompson, PWA Central President.
Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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