St David’s Chelmer hosts ABM Breakfast

The Rev Michael Stalley. Used with permission.

January 2020

ABM supporter Tony Naake spoke about his fundraiser at an ABM Breakfast hosted by St David’s Anglican Church Chelmer Graceville. The rector, the Rev Michael Stalley, kindly shares his reflections on the visit.
 

Late in 2019, I had the privilege of getting to know a little about Tony Naake and what makes him tick. I got to see a glimpse of his passion for raising funds for ABM’s ‘Integrated Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project’ in Myanmar. Our parish offered to host a profile-raising event for ABM with the assistance of the Queensland committee, and its chair Bp Bill Ray. Tony enthusiastically welcomed the invitation to travel to Brisbane and to share his own story and commitment to raising funds for this ABM project.

We gathered for breakfast at the local AFL club on a Saturday morning in December to listen to Tony.  Those at breakfast included members of our parish and other local parishes as well as members of the ABM committee and supporters. We also welcomed Lyn Moorfoot in her role as Supporter Engagement Manager for ABM. 

One of the things that Tony mentioned to me and at the breakfast was that he was a ‘lay’ ABM person. By this, he meant that he held no official role in ABM except perhaps that of an enthusiastic supporter. His commitment to raising funds for this ABM project comes from his own experience of the work of ABM and desire to support it. 

 

As a leader of a parish, I have found it most effective to be intentional about who we promote to seek donations for mission outside our local community. There are many requests for the congregation to give to worthy causes. I think parishes need to choose a manageable number of projects and organisations to focus their giving. This intentionality is essential to help the local church feel connected and informed in a way that encourages further generosity. ABM remains a worthy member of our list, and Tony’s sharing has contributed to the development of this partnership as together we share God’s mission, care and justice locally and abroad.

The Rev Michael Stalley

 

>> To find out more about Tony and his fundraiser for ABM’s Integrated Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project in Myanmar, please visit https://archive.abmission.org/tonynaake or you can make a donation here: 

 

 

< Back