News of links and relationships

International Relationships

An important part of our international mission is directed towards the promotion of continuing relationships with the church worldwide. These relationships include both a financial commitment and the mutual exchange of gifts and experience between St Martin's, particular projects and the people we engage with.

We continue our long-standing connections with the St Andrew's Settlement in Kingston, Jamaica and with the Church in South Africa, particularly the Cathedral of St Mary the Virgin, Johannesburg and the Diocese of the Highveld, through the regular exchange of news and visitors from our congregations.

The St Andrew's Settlement in Kingston, Jamaica was established in 1965 to raise the standards of living of the people in Majesty Gardens - a densely populated community off the Spanish Town Road, Kingston. Over the years St Martin's has been privileged to observe St Andrew's at it set up a range of facilities for Majesty Gardens. These include youth work and skills-training workshops, health care facilities, the Golden Age Club, a Library Service and Day Care and Pre-School Centre.

Through working with the Living South Africa Memorial Appeal, the Bishop Simeon Trust and close connections with churches in Johannesburg and the Highveld, St Martin's has developed strong connections over many years with South Africa. In 2004, the Bishop Simeon Trust ( www.bstrust.org ) celebrated its 15 th Anniversary with a service and concert at St. Martin's and it continues to work in developing education that is accessible to all and in tackling the developing education that is accessible to all and in tackling the enormous issue of HIV/AIDS and its consequences for individuals and communities.

Our links with the Diocese of Highveld continue and have been strengthened through the recent visits of Bishop David Beetge. Bishop David was a member of the Lambeth Commission which produced the Windsor Report considering the future of the Anglican Communion. Bishop David gave a public lecture on the subject at St. Martin's in February 2005. (See (Click to download text of lecture))

We are also currently supporting a CMS mission partner in China, Katie Hart. Due to the sensitive nature of the relationship between the church and the state in China, detailed reporting of Katie's work is not possible, but we continue to pray regularly for her.

More recent links have been established with the Diocese of Northern Malawi, Ghana and the Solomon Islands.