We couldn’t have done it without you. Those words might read like a cliche, but wherever you find yourself in the Tearfund family – a partner, a supporter, an Australian staff member – they’re true. Partnership is at the core of Tearfund’s work, and quite simply, each of us couldn’t do what we do without the other. We build each other up through prayer, funds, skills and ideas; learning from each other strengthens our discipleship, our work, our vision.
At the end of a year where the news headlines often bring grief and weariness, we celebrate Christmas and remember that our partnership is anchored in good news – good news of great joy that is for all people everywhere.
So thank you for being partners in the work of shaping a more just and compassionate world, giving and receiving the good news that we have in Jesus. We couldn’t have done it without you.
“As we come to the end of another challenging year – Christmas brings us back to the foot of a manger and ‘good news of great joy’ that was born into the world. Emmanuel, God with us. May you find space this season to fix your eyes and heart on this good news that shines light into our lives and across the world through the work of our partners. May we all know the love, joy and peace of Christ as we invest our lives in building a more just and compassionate world.”
I’m getting Christmas greetings emails from partners at the moment that include lots of expressions of gratitude for the support we’ve given them over the last year. That’s Tearfund staff on a day to day basis, sure, but it’s our supporters who give and pray that make that possible. Thank you for your support over the course of 2021 – we couldn’t have done it without you!
Wishing you and your families a joyous Christmas filled with memorable moments, special times and gratefulness as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Thank you for all your support in bringing transformative change to communities around the world!
I am so thankful for the staff of our partners – for the commitment and dedication they have to pursuing the common good, often working at great personal cost to help communities create a better life. I see in them the selflessness and sacrifice that Jesus modelled as he cared for people on the margins and challenged injustice. My prayer is that they will find the energy and inspiration they need to continue, and that at Tearfund we might support them with the same level of commitment, and follow their example in our own Australian context.
This Christmas, I'm thankful for the gift of Tearfund supporters who enable us to share the voice of those who are often invisible, but deeply cherished by the Father of Lights. In God’s light, we see light – and it is shining in the darkest of places. Thank you to our partners and supporters who make that happen. May the brightness of God’s presence fill your days.
In what has been an unpredictable year in which we’ve all held plans lightly, we have been so greatly encouraged by you, our faithful and steadfast supporters. With your support, your prayers and your involvement, we have been able to support our partners as they have worked to see transformation and real change in people’s lives, in households and communities. In a year that has seemed desperate in many parts of the world, our partners have been able to bring hope and signs of God’s goodness, love and light. Thank you for your part in that.
Thank you to all who have prayed with and supported our partners working with the First Peoples of Australia this year. Your support has been an encouragement to the staff and project participants. The work of our partners this year, and through the pandemic, has been a beacon of hope for many communities. Thank you for being part of this work.
We are so thankful for all of you, our Tearfund supporters, for partnering with us to be a blessing to those in need. God's love & blessings to you this special season!
In this disrupted and challenging year for our world, I’ve drawn so much hope and inspiration from the love, care and commitment shown by Tearfund’s partners and supporters. Thank you so much for all that you do to help build a more compassionate and just world. Blessings for Christmas.
I thank God for the blessing and encouragement you are as, together, we work towards a world of more justice and compassion. I pray this Christmas season that you would be blessed and renewed in your knowledge of the very good news we celebrate – the peace and joy and abundant life that is ours to know and share in Christ.
As I hear of the staggering numbers of internally displaced families in Afghanistan this year and the great concerns for the upcoming winter, I find comfort in reflecting that when Christ our Lord was born it was to a family on the move, making do with a manger. It is a reminder that our Lord sympathises with those who are displaced and oppressed. And this gives me hope for those displaced from their homes in Afghanistan. I’m also given hope by the work of Tearfund partner staff in Afghanistan - their passion for those doing it tough despite their own difficult circumstances - and by the prayers and financial generosity of our faithful supporters that makes this work possible.
This Christmas, I am thankful that I know I am part of a wider community, that I am joined with partners in various countries and supporters in Australia, all working to see the promise of the kingdom that first appeared in Bethlehem about 2,000 years ago be fully realised.
