SVP Awareness Month 2017: Sample lectern addresses There are three lectern addresses to choose from: 1. Focus on recruitment 2. Focus on fundraising 3. Focus on poverty 1. Focus on recruitment Hello. I m > state your name < from the St Vincent de Paul Society or the SVP for short. Have you seen our new posters at the back of church yet? They have a theme of Welcome the stranger, and they introduce us to people we don t know people who are suffering from a lack of basic human needs such as food or a home or someone to talk to. The posters ask us to show to these strangers the same compassion that we d show to our friends and family, even though we don t know them. We are all familiar with that phrase, Welcome the stranger it s one of those well-known biblical quotations that almost start sounding like clichés. Perhaps it would be worthwhile looking at that phrase in context. It is taken from Matthew Chapter 25, where the disciple quotes Jesus as saying: I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Inevitably, people said to Jesus when did we do these things? When were you hungry and we gave you food or thirsty and we gave you drink? And the Lord answered: Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. you did it to me So, as far as Jesus is concerned, helping people in need, people who are suffering, is the same as helping Jesus himself. And, I guess, not helping those people is the same as turning your back on Jesus! Jesus himself says: "In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me." Dare we turn our back on those who need help? Dare we turn our back on Jesus? But if we aren t to turn our back on those in need, how do we go about helping them? Well one way of doing it would be to join us in the parish SVP group. We urgently need more people to help those who are suffering. We don t have enough volunteers to meet all the need.
The SVP is a huge global movement with 800,000 members in parish-based volunteering groups in 150 countries worldwide. These are 800,000 women and men like you and me who give a little bit of their time to help people in need. People like Joe an older gentleman who was visited by one of my SVP colleagues. Now Joe had no family in the area and his friends had all gradually died. The SVP started visiting him every Wednesday evening at 7.30 to have a chat and a cup of tea. But then, after a few visits, my colleague noticed that every time he arrived Joe turned off the TV and he d been watching Coronation Street. So, rather than make him miss his favourite soap, maybe it would be better to arrive half an hour later? The next week the SVP visitors turned up at 8pm instead of 7.30. They rang the doorbell but there was no reply. They were concerned it wasn t like Joe to be out and they hoped nothing had happened. They rang again and continued to wait. After what seemed like an age, Joe finally answered the door. He was in tears. What s wrong Joe? said my colleague. What s happened? Nothing s happened, he sobbed. I just thought you weren t coming anymore... That true story demonstrates two things: firstly how crucially important reaching out to people can be. The weekly visit from the SVP was a lifeline to Joe it may well have been the only contact with a human being he d had all week. Secondly, it demonstrates how simple it can be to help others just a little bit of time and compassion. You don t have to have any great skills or abilities and you don t have to make a huge commitment. Even just an hour a week is enough to make a real difference to someone else s life. So if you can show a little compassion for as little as an hour or so a week, you could join the SVP in this parish and ease the suffering of someone in need. I ll be at the back of church when you leave, handing out SVP information leaflets. In addition, at > state date and time < in the parish hall we ll be holding a short information meeting where you can find out more about the SVP and ask questions. That s > repeat date and time < in the parish hall. I hope to see you there. So join us and welcome the stranger. If he s hungry help feed him or if he s thirsty help give him a drink, and remember the words of Jesus: Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family you did it to me. Note: If you prefer, you can replace Joe s story with a recollection from your own Conference changing the name of the beneficiary, of course.
2. Focus on fundraising Hello. I m > state your name < from the St Vincent de Paul Society or the SVP for short. Have you seen our new posters at the back of church yet? They have a theme of Welcome the stranger, and they introduce us to people we don t know people who are suffering from a lack of basic human needs such as food or a home or someone to talk to. The posters ask us to show to these strangers the same compassion that we d show to our friends and family, even though we don t know them. We are all familiar with that phrase, Welcome the stranger it s one of those well-known biblical quotations that almost start sounding like clichés. Perhaps it would be worthwhile looking at that phrase in context. It is taken from Matthew Chapter 25, where the disciple quotes Jesus as saying: I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Inevitably, people said to Jesus when did we do these things? When were you hungry and we gave you food or thirsty and we gave you drink? And the Lord answered: Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. you did it to me So, as far as Jesus is concerned, helping people in need, people who are suffering, is the same as helping Jesus himself. And, I guess, not helping those people is the same as turning your back on Jesus! Jesus himself says: "In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me." Dare we turn our back on those who need help? Dare we turn our back on Jesus? But if we aren t to turn our back on those in need, how do we go about helping them? Well one way of doing it would be to make a donation to the parish SVP group. We help people in the area who don t have enough to eat or who don t have a roof over their heads, people who are lonely and isolated, and families and individuals who are facing crises in their lives. But all this takes funds and we are reliant on the help and support of parishioners, so any support you could give us could make a real difference to the people who turn to us for help. The SVP is a huge global movement with 800,000 members in parish-based groups in 150 countries worldwide, all helping people in need locally. People like Michael an elderly, disabled man who lived alone even though he was in a wheelchair. Then Michael had a stroke and was rushed to hospital. After a while, he had recovered enough for the doctors to release him there was nothing more that they could do for him, medically. But everything wasn t fine he was still in a wheelchair, he still lived alone, he was still recovering from
his stroke, and what s more, when he d had his stroke he d lost his shoes so he didn t even have a pair of shoes! He desperately needed help from the SVP for friendship, for practical assistance with things like shopping and transport and, of course, for a new pair of shoes. But what would Michael have done if there was no SVP for him to turn to? Please help the people like Michael who are suffering. You don t know them, they are strangers to you, but they need your compassion and help nonetheless. There ll be a collection today > give details of collection < and I ll be at the back of church if you want to ask more about the work of the SVP. So welcome the stranger like Michael. If he s hungry help feed him or if he s thirsty help give him a drink, and remember the words of Jesus: Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family you did it to me. Note: If you prefer, you can replace Michael s story with a recollection from your own Conference changing the name of the beneficiary, of course.
3. Focus on poverty Hello. I m > state your name < from this parish s SVP group. The St Vincent de Paul Society or SVP for short was described by the Catholic Herald a few years ago as the Catholic Church s best kept secret. We don t mean to be secretive; we re just not very good at shouting about ourselves. People are often surprised when they find out more about the SVP. We were founded in Paris in 1833 and since then we have spread around the world. We are now a huge global movement with 800,000 volunteer members in 150 countries worldwide. Here in England & Wales, we have around 10,000 members in parish-based groups all over the country. And what do we do? Well we were founded in Paris to tackle the poverty that existed there at the time. And we grew, because poverty didn t only exist in Paris but all over the world and we re still here because poverty is still very much with us. According to government statistics 12.8 million people live in poverty in Britain some 20% of the population. And of those, 3.7 million are children that s 27% of all children in Britain living in poverty.* What do we mean by poverty? People who can t afford one or more of the basic essentials of life a roof over their head or food to eat. Food poverty is on the rise, not just among people who are unemployed but also among those working in low-income jobs or who have part-time or intermittent work. Sometimes mental health issues or family breakup can lead to a food poverty crisis for individuals and families. We help them, providing food, sometimes a cooker or a fridge, assisting them find the debt advice or benefits advice they need and giving friendship and moral support. An example was Ted and Veronica, a middle-aged couple who were helped by a nearby SVP group. When Ted had a heart attack, he was hospitalised for 10 weeks. He received no benefits as he was self-employed so soon their resources were exhausted. The local SVP gave basic food supplies and helped Veronica contact support services so that they could receive benefits until Ted was recovered enough to resume work. A year later the grateful couple their lives now back on track donated two trolley loads of food to the SVP to help other people who hit a crisis. But poverty, whether short term or long term, isn t the only sort of crisis that can hit people who seek help from the SVP. Loneliness and isolation is a huge and growing problem in Britain. It can be seen among older people who find that many of their friends and family have died and they can go for weeks or even months without talking to another living soul. *Data on people in Britain living on absolute low income after housing costs have been deducted 2015/16, taken from House of Commons Briefing Paper Poverty in the UK: Statistics
But loneliness can also afflict younger people, ex-offenders who come out of prison to find a world they don t recognise, for example, asylum seekers, people with mental health issues or those experiencing family break up. For them, as well as any practical help needed, we will give friendship and moral support. I think that most of us at some point in our life will experience a crisis of some sort and will need to turn to someone else for help. That s fine if you ve got family or friends you can turn to, but if you haven t, what do you do then? Well you can turn to the SVP. If you need help whatever it is you can speak to a member of the parish SVP group in the strictest of confidence. And if you want to do your bit to help the work of the SVP, what can you do? Well you can join us. If you are prepared to give a little bit of time to helping others in need, become a member of the parish SVP group. We will give you training and we will never expect you to do anything you re uncomfortable with, but the more members we have, the more people we can help. Alternatively, you could make a donation. All that food and the occasional cooker and fridge or bed, cost money. So any financial help you could give us would be gratefully received. And all of you can pray for us in our work, and pray for the people we help that, through the SVP, the Lord will ease their suffering. Thank you. Note: If you prefer, you can replace Ted and Veronica s story with a recollection from your own Conference changing the names of the beneficiaries, of course.