Bishop John Attends Christian Aid’s 80th Anniversary Celebration Service

The Rt Rev Dr John Armes attended a special service at St Giles’ Cathedral on Saturday 17 May that marked the 80th anniversary of Christian Aid.

The service included music from the Wild Goose Collective and Siskin Green and poetry specially written for the anniversary, as well as a keynote address from John Swinney MSP, First Minister of Scotland.

Christian Aid was founded by British and Irish churches to help refugees after the Second World War, and 80 years later it remains as current as ever, campaigning on topics from the climate crisis and debt relief to ending violence against women and girls. This celebration service marked the end of Christian Aid Week, a yearly event that has been running since 1957.

Bishop John says: “I was excited to be at St Giles’, thanking God for Christian Aid’s 80 years of service. The First Minister spoke powerfully about the millions of lives enriched by its work, and he is right. The scope of Christian Aid’s impact is staggering, and this has been achieved in no small part thanks to the thousands of volunteers, fundraisers, and staff from across Scotland and around the world, including many members of the Scottish Episcopal Church and our ecumenical partners.

“Christian Aid is our development agency, putting into practice Jesus’ call to seek the Kingdom of God above all things, to love our neighbour and to be good news for the poor. Its work over these decades has not only blessed others; it has been a blessing to us too. So long as there is work to be done, may Christian Aid and its partners always be there at the forefront.”

During the keynote address, First Minister John Swinney MSP said: “On the 80th anniversary of Christian Aid, I want to recognise their incredible legacy of supporting those most in need through their international development and humanitarian response work.

“The Scottish Government greatly values our longstanding partnership with Christian Aid. I want to thank the organisation for their continued input to our Humanitarian Emergency Fund and for the delivery of impactful climate justice, humanitarian and development projects over the many years we have worked together.”

The Very Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, Christian Aid’s UK and Global Church Ambassador and former Moderator of the Church of Scotland (pictured above with Bishop John before and during the service), said:  “Eight decades is a milestone anniversary – 80 years of raising our voices and working and walking with those living in poverty. We exist now, in 2025, only because there is still extreme poverty and social injustice all around us in our world.  

“Every human has the right to live life in all its fullness. The service was about reflecting on what Christian Aid has achieved to date while recommitting to the future, as there’s so much still to do. We stay hopeful that an end to global poverty is possible – and the unstoppable power of hope drives us on.”

Photo credits: Gallery images: Peter Backhouse. All other images used courtesy of Christian Aid/Julia Forsyth