June 2022 Update
We hope that you enjoy reading our summer update from Sight Loss Ministries (SLM). It has been an encouraging period in terms of how things are developing with the ministry.
Charity status approved
We are delighted to be able to share the wonderful news that SLM has now been approved as a charity by the Northern Ireland charity commission. We received a charity number and this will give us the ability to apply for funding in due course. We also heard back from HMRC regarding our application for charitable status and this was granted. This means that we can now receive tax back on gift aided donations from UK taxpayers. Both of these outcomes are answers to prayer and come after a lot of hard work to reach this stage.
Day of Prayer and Launch Event
Thanks to those of you who took part in our Day of Prayer on the 5th March. People signed up to pray during different slots on the day and we shared lots of prayer points covering different areas of the ministry. We also held a prayer time on Zoom on that evening. Next came our launch event which took place on the 2nd April in Banbridge Baptist Church. It was attended by people from across Northern Ireland, who are part of our Christian sight loss community. We enjoyed a lovely buffet lunch together, thanks to the hospitality of the Banbridge Torch Group. This was followed by a service with lots of different people taking part. Our speaker for the event was Geoff McIlrath and he brought us a challenge from God’s Word about having the foundation for our lives built on the rock that is Christ Jesus. Photos from the event are available on our events page here.
Links with Torch Trust
We are grateful to Torch for producing the braille programmes for this event. Our event also featured a video from Torch of Mike Townsend and Tim Jeffery. They welcomed us as a new Christian sight loss charity and they expressed their desire to work in partnership with ourselves. We were able to promote the Torch Pathway initiative at the event. Torch is offering a FREE audio Bible player to people with sight loss in the UK. The audio player is the new Megavoice Pathway and features David Suchet reading the New Testament and Psalms. We also promoted the Torch holiday taking place in Corrymeela, Ballycastle from the 16th - 18th September. The speaker for this event is Mike Townsend, chair of Torch. A number of places are still available for this holiday for people with sight loss and volunteers. We encourage you to consider coming along. The price is £130 and volunteers will get a 50% discount. The first 10 people with sight loss who book will also receive a 20% discount on the full price. We pray for Torch as they plan for this event and look forward to our fellowship together.
Day trip
Our next SLM event will be a day trip to Derry/Londonderry on Saturday the 30th July. People will be coming from different parts of Northern Ireland and making their own way there using public transport. We hope to meet together for lunch and then people can do one of the following options:
A walk around the city walls. Please note that on this walk there will be slopes and steps.
A walk by the river on flat ground. This would be suitable for those who don't want to walk so far.
A visit to the local shopping centres. This is also a good backup option in case of a wet day.
Feel free to bring along a family member or friend. There should also be a number of sighted people attending who can also assist with guiding if needed. If you would like to attend, please let us know and we will keep you updated.
Accessible Christian Content
We are still in the early stages of providing advice and support for people with sight loss on how they can utilise accessible Christian content in a suitable format for their needs. One person that we have been able to help recently is a blind lady called Heather. During a home visit, Heather received practical demonstrations on how to access a Christian podcast, the Bible and a daily devotional in audio on her Amazon Echo device. She was also given assistance to enable the RealSam skill on her device, which enabled her to access Christian books in audio from Torch Trust. Heather shared how she struggles with technology and she was so happy to be able to access Christian content on her device after receiving the right support and encouragement. Below is a photo of Heather with Leonard Campbell, from SLM.
Prayer Points
Give thanks for being approved as a charity so quickly and we pray that it will unlock new opportunities for developing our ministry further.
We give thanks for a wider SLM support group, including a number of people with sight loss who provide input into our activities.
Pray for our day trip in the summer, that it would attract some new people to come along and that we would have a safe and fun time together.
Pray for wisdom as we think about doing a fundraising activity during the summer.
Pray that in time we would be able to connect with more people like Heather to help them utilise Christian content in accessible formats using different devices.
Thank you for your interest in SLM and for your prayerful support.