Sunday 16th of January saw an amazing celebration service, at Birstall Methodist Church, for the efforts of the Bark Foundation and all their supporters.

Back in the Autumn of 2007, a group of members from the Leicester North Circuit of the Methodist Church, travelled under the guidance of the Rev Edward Sakwe (A World Church Minister from the Cameroon, serving for five years in the circuit), to Buea in Cameroon, to stay with members of the Rev Sakwe’s Cameroonian congregation. The group travelled to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon. Whilst staying there they visited the HOTPEC orphanage training centre (founded in 1995). The orphanage is home to over 80 children, who live here until they are fourteen years old, being trained in skills that will allow them a better chance in their adult lives.

Through the drive and determination of two of these visitor, Joy and David Bark, who were so upset by the conditions the staff were forced to look after the babies in, a charitable fund was set up. The Barks, with the aid of many supporters set about raising funds to provide a new baby unit. Money was raised through generous donations, with children giving their pocket money, coffee mornings, concert's, fund raising meals, sale of donated jewellery and by many other means.  

In late 2010, enough money had been raised to allow the unit to be handed over by David and Joy to be handed over to the staff. Fund raising is still ongoing to complete the project. For further details and ways of helping click here.

This video's below show the unit before and at the time it was handed over.

The service on the 16^th January 2011 at Birstall Methodist Church.  Rev R P. Bark Foundation Sermon.mp3

The service was led by Rev'd Rachel Parkinson and the Church was full, with supporters of the work of the Bark Foundation come from not only the local area but also from the West Midlands and even as far a field as Scotland.

The content of the children's address, was orphans, with the children being asked to guess who the famous orphan's who's pictures were projected onto a screen, these included Harry Potter, Tarzan and Jane Ayre, to name a few and then were followed with pictures of real orphans. The message was that whilst in the make believe world being an orphan can be exciting and fun, in the real world it is normally far from this.

The service had contributions from the Cameroonian Women's Fellowship, who performed a dramatised reading of James 2 v.1-8, 14-18, led us in singing and also processioned us out of the Church at the end of the service.

CWF Reading  CWF Drama reading  CWF Group

David's thank you speech.

After the service we all joined together for a wonderful buffet lunch.