Churches to host events for Christian Aid Week as charity marks 80 years
Published on 9 May 2025 3 minutes read
Churches across Scotland will host events raising money for Christian Aid Week (11-17 May) as the development charity marks 80 years.
This year the focus is on Guatemala, one of the countries where Christian Aid works. Through local partners, Indigenous communities impacted by climate change are receiving training in new farming skills.
Largo Parish Church has strong ties to Christian Aid as their former minister, Rev Douglas Lister, was a key figure in Christian Aid's history, and will host various events.
They will begin with a weekend of activities including a coffee morning in Durham Hall on Saturday 10 May and on Sunday 11 May the church will host two special services. At the morning service (at 10.30am) a tree will be planted in the orchard and community garden to mark Christian Aid's 80th year and the guest speaker will be Temwa Kasakula, Christian Aid's global health advisor.
The evening service takes place at 7pm and the Very Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, Christian Aid's UK and Global Church Ambassador and former Moderator of the Church of Scotland is the guest preacher.
Mr Lister was an army chaplain based in Germany during the Second World War who urged churches in Scotland to show compassion to their neighbours in Europe who'd been displaced by war and were cold and hungry. He was minister at Largo Parish Church during the 1970s and 1980s, until his retirement.
80 years later the charity is still working, through local partners, in countries where people have been displaced by war, including South Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza.
Very Rev Dr Russell Barr, locum minister at Largo Parish Church said:
"This is a special year for Christian Aid and given our historic links with the charity, we felt it was important to mark the occasion. The church is proud to have a connection, through Reverend Douglas Lister, with the foundations of a charity which continues to work towards an end to extreme poverty and global injustice. If you're in Largo during the second weekend in May, please do come along and support our fundraising or join one of the church services on the Sunday."
Dr Barr added, "The Tree of Hope we're planting will be a permanent reminder of our support for an organisation which has roots here in Scotland."
Meanwhile on Saturday 17 May there will be a special service open to the public at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh at 7pm marking 80 years of Christian Aid, which will be attended by First Minister John Swinney who is a guest speaker at the event.
The 80th anniversary service will also feature contributions from the charity's Chief Executive Patrick Watt, Christian Aid's global thematic advisor Temwa Kasakula, music from Siskin Green and poetry that has been written to mark the anniversary by former Head of Christian Aid Kathy Galloway.
An exhibition called the Unstoppable Power of Hope, showcasing some of Christian Aid's work over the past eight decades, will be on display at St Giles' Cathedral from the middle of May.
Head of Christian Aid Scotland Val Brown said:
"This is a milestone year for the organisation. It felt important to mark 80 years with a service that enables some deep reflection on what we've achieved while also recognising the many challenges facing us today, not least conflict and the climate crisis.
"While this is a service of worship, fundamentally it's also about saying thank you to our supporters and those who continue to give, act and pray for global justice and an end to global poverty."
Find out about events taking place in Scotland for Christian Aid Week.
