It is our tradition in recent years to focus our outward giving in two collections during the two penitential seasons of Advent, leading up to Christmas, and Lent, leading up to Easter. Prior to each collection, the PCC considers the many good causes that would benefit from our support. It normally chooses two to share the proceeds: one local and one international. For the current Lent Appeal, the PCC, at its meeting early in February, decided to choose Sidmouth Hospice-at-Home for the local beneficiary, and the Christian Aid Middle East Crisis Appeal for Gaza as the international beneficiary.Sidmouth Hospice-at-Home provides hospice-like services to those nearing the end of their lives, in the familiar surroundings of their own home. “We provide wrap-around care, tailored to you and your needs, including palliative care in your own home. Our team of 10 specialist nurses are here for you 24/7, while our wonderful team of specially trained volunteers provides a variety of services including sitting and befriending, transportation and bereavement support. We work with the Sidmouth Health & Care Forum (including GPs and RD&E’s community nursing team) to understand the needs of people living in the Sid Valley and how best to meet them.” Their services – primarily the costs of the specialist nurses - are very costly to maintain, and there is no government support. We are extraordinarily lucky to have this service in the Valley.The situation in the Holy Land is portrayed in news reports daily and it is difficult to see how an end to the suffering of people there, both in Israel and in Palestine, can be brought to an end. Our first duty as Christians must be to pray to God for enlightened leaders that will produce a ceasefire and ultimately a settlement. The difficulties of getting aid into Gaza have been well rehearsed in the media. However, Christian Aid has been working in this area for a very long time and is able to support local charities working inside Gaza that do what they can with the money provided, within the constraints of the violence. “We’ve been working with the poorest and most vulnerable in the Middle East since the early 1950s. Our established partners in Gaza are responding as best they can. This includes building mobile bathrooms and working with local farmers to get fresh vegetables. Our partner in south Gaza is responding to those displaced there, providing Mattresses, Medicines, Emergency food from a community kitchen. We’re also exploring ways in which we can support Israeli civilians who’ve been directly impacted by the violence.”We commend these two causes to you. Of course, you may prefer to support them directly, or may have already done so, but if not, we invite you to take a special “Lent Appeal” envelope and fill it during Lent, taking time to pray as you do so, and then to bring it back to church as an offering for the celebration of Easter.