Church Representative: Brenda Wilkinson
Tearfund is a Christian charity that partners with churches in over 50 of the world’s poorest countries. It tackles poverty through sustainable development, responds to disasters, and challenges injustice. Tearfund believes that an end to extreme poverty is possible.
In 2018, a group from St. John’s visited Tearfund’s partner, World Relief Cambodia, and saw the work being done to help poor communities through improved agriculture, savings and loan schemes, healthcare training and raising awareness of the dangers of trafficking.
St. John’s is now part of Tearfund’s World of Difference initiative. As a result, we receive regular updates from different countries that show how Tearfund’s work with local churches is transforming whole communities. The updates can be viewed at https://www.tearfund.org/campaigns/world-of-difference and select ‘Stories’.
Jesus came and was part of a community. He lived among people with spiritual and practical needs and provided spiritual and practical solutions. As Christians (and the church), part of our calling is to do the same in our communities.
Around the world, Tearfund works through local churches to introduce Church and Community Transformation (CCT). The whole community is impacted, changed, rebuilt, restored, envisioned, empowered and ultimately transformed for it to thrive – through (and starting with) the church. This initiative overcomes poverty by helping people realise their potential and recognise the resources God has given them. Starting with bible studies, church members are encouraged and empowered to reach out to their community to work together, identify what resources they have available, and use these to overcome the challenges they face.
Supported by our prayers, Tearfund helps thousands of pastors and churches make a difference in the lives of people facing challenging circumstances.
For more information about Church and Community Transformation, visit:
https://www.tearfund.org/stories/2025/04/what-is-cct-also-known-as-transforming-communities
For an account of transformation in Uganda, visit:
https://www.tearfund.org/stories/2025/03/this-is-my-vision-johns-map-to-a-way-out-of-poverty