CHIEF EXECUTIVE, Patrick Watt, Chair of Trustees Bishop Sarah Mullally – also Bishop of London – and Jane Hutt MS, Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, will be among those taking part in a special service to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the international development agency.
The event takes place on Wednesday, September 17 from 6.30-7.30pm at Tabernacle Caerdydd, The Hayes, Cardiff.
Christian Aid was founded in 1945 to help refugees in Europe after World War Two. Since then it has provided humanitarian relief and long-term development support to marginalised communities worldwide, while highlighting suffering, tackling injustice and championing people’s rights.
The organisation works alongside local partners, providing practical help in times of crisis and beyond. Last year (2024), the charity worked with 260 partners to reach 4.5 million people via hundreds of projects, from savings and loans associations to farming co-operatives, and climate disaster risk training to healthcare schemes.
Head of Christian Aid Wales, Mari McNeill, said she hoped to welcome many people to the service to reflect on the past eight decades as well as find out more about current programmes.
She added: “It’s going to be a memorable moment. The service will be led by me and Revd Andrew Sully, Chair of Christian Aid Cymru‘s National Advisory Committee.
“We have some young people taking part, from St Andrew’s Major Church in Wales Primary, a poem by Grahame Davies, and prayers written by Dr Cynan Llwyd, from Cytûn.”
The service coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Wales Churches’ Peace Appeal to America of 1925 when church leaders came together to speak with one voice against the destruction and desolation of war and to advocate for peace. The Appeal was a statement against conflict, and an expression of faith and universal responsibility. Twenty years later, in the aftermath of World War Two, Christian Aid’s work came to life in the churches’ response to the refugee crisis in Europe.
Mari added: “Today, churches in Wales continue to respond to some of the greatest humanitarian situations in the world, standing in solidarity with our most marginalised global neighbours, of all faiths and none.”
Everyone is welcome to attend the service, which includes light refreshments from 5.30pm. Please register by visiting Christian Aid 80th Anniversary Service, Wales .
