Churches' Preparation Guide for 2010 General Election

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

THE METHODIST CHURCH IN BRITAIN

THE BAPTIST UNION OF GREAT BRITAIN

CHURCHES TOGETHER IN ENGLAND

CYTUN – CHURCHES TOGETHER IN WALES

RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS (QUAKERS)

THE SALVATION ARMY

SCOTTISH CHURCHES PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE

UNITARIAN AND FREE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES

THE UNITED REFORMED CHURCH

CHURCHES TOGETHER IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND


NEWS RELEASE
22 January 2010

Churches launch guide to prepare for the 2010 General Election

Online resources designed to help Christians prepare for the General Election were launched today.

Eleven Churches and Church agencies have worked together to create an electronic booklet and website www.churcheselection.org.uk, which includes information on how to arrange a hustings meeting at local churches as well as a downloadable guide offering information on the important questions of this election campaign.

The election materials do not support a particular Church view or political party line, but aim to help people engage with a range of important issues facing the country, however they may decide to vote.

Rachel Lampard, Public Issues Policy Adviser for the Methodist Church who worked on the resources produced by Methodist Publishing and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, said: “We hope that the website will really help Christians engage with the election. The Faith in Politics booklet covers a whole range of policy issues, written by leading Christian experts and campaigners. The website also carries new guidance for groups wishing to hold hustings events during the election campaign, enabling people to register their interest in organising a hustings event and be put in touch with others in their constituency. We hope churches up and down the country will take advantage of these ecumenical resources.”

Faith in Politics covers issues including the economy, environment, health, education, equality and diversity, Europe, migration and sanctuary, poverty and criminal justice. The resource also provides a series of questions to facilitate personal or group reflection on political issues, or which could be used to quiz election candidates.

The Revd Dr Malcolm Brown, Director of the Church of England's Mission and Public Affairs Division, said: “I really hope these resources will be used by churches across the country to help them get ready for the General Election. They provide a rich range of material from which Christians and others can explore policy areas and form questions for their parliamentary candidates. The material points to the breadth of the impact that Westminster politics can have on the life of the nation, and I hope it will stimulate searching questions that will in turn help people make an informed judgement about how they use their vote.”

The Revd Bob Fyffe, General Secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, said “These resources will provide a rich source of information for churches and Churches Together groups across the four nations. The combination of these resources together with the online hustings information should ensure that Christians around the UK can fully engage in discussions with their prospective parliamentary candidates. The fact that the Churches have worked together to provide these resources is a strong statement in itself, and we hope that local churches and groups will fully engage in the democratic process.”

Source; Methodist News Service

European Methodist Council comes to Manchester

Church leaders from all over Europe will meet in Manchester this weekend to discuss mass unemployment, migration, Christian and Muslim dialogue and ecumenical relationships.

Methodists from Ireland in the West across to Russia in the East and from Portugal in the South up to Scandinavia in the North will arrive at the Luther King House in Brighton Grove on September 12 for the annual European Methodist Council.

Representatives from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Britain, Ireland and northern, central and southern Europe will also discuss the Church’s response to the financial crisis which rocked the globe this year.

A celebratory day of worship at local churches across the city on Sunday will conclude with evensong at Manchester Cathedral followed by a dinner. Council business will begin on September 14 and end on September 16.

Revd Keith Davies, Manchester and Stockport Methodist Chair of District, will address the Council on urban mission using Manchester as a model.

“We are really excited about the European Methodist Council coming to Manchester. I think it is really good to have that link with our European partners,” he said. “We are hoping that there may be a more focused link with some of our partners.”

Revd Dr Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the Methodist Church, will be giving a talk on vision, identity and Methodist charisma in Europe. There are nine Methodist denominational churches in Europe with around half million members and adherents.

The European Methodist Council is a consultative body that exists to enable member churches to consult together on matters of common concern and develop a stronger Methodist witness in Europe.

Source: Methodist News Service 10/09/2009

Churches Together plan climate prayer day in October

The Environmental Issues Network of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) is calling on Christians to pray for the earth on 4 October. The initiative is timed in advance of the United Nations summit on climate change in December. The CTBI wants churches to organise prayer events throughout the country. The Bishop of London says he will be praying ‘that God’s will be done during the decisive Copenhagen conference’ and the Bishop of Liverpool hopes Christians will ‘pray for the earthing of heaven on this day of prayer’. The prayer day is endorsed by the Methodist Church and several Christian aid agencies. The Society of Friends is sending a statement to world leaders before the UN summit.

Source: The Church Times (28/8)

Churches tackle credit crisis issues

Call to move towards a sustainable economy

Christian thinkers came together at Methodist Church House in London yesterday to talk about how the Churches could lead the way through the economic crisis.

The speakers at the conference organised by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland examined the root causes of the current crisis from a faith perspective and gave their thoughts on what the free churches’ role in addressing the global financial meltdown should be.

John Ellis, strategic leader of the Methodist Church Connexional Team and Treasurer of the United Reformed Church who previously worked at the Bank of England, made the connection between HSBC’s relatively safe riding of the economic storm and its chairman’s Christian faith.

“It is fairly safe to assert that HSBC has been the most robust during the recent economic troubles,” he said. “It is also safe to assert that the chairman of HSBC is an Anglican priest. Is that a coincidence?”

John also pointed out the growth of credit unions in recent years and the possibility of a return to basic banking.

Ann Pettifor, former head of Jubilee 2000 Debt Relief Campaign and Campaign Director of Operation Noah, blamed the sin of usury and easy credit for the crisis and examined the role high interest rates had played in the bursting of the credit bubble.
“Six per cent interest is an incredibly high and, I would say, usurious rate,” she said. “Usury is the exalting of money values over human and environmental values. Capital and globalisation is based on the principal that there are no boundaries. But the problem is law needs boundaries.” Ann emphasised that usury was looked down upon in Islam.

Bob Goudzwaard, Professor Emeritus of Economics and Social Philosophy at the Free University in Amsterdam, said he hoped churches would be willing to take part in a discussion on changing economic structures.

Paula Clifford, Head of Theology at Christian Aid, told the conference she thought the view that the economic crisis served a higher purpose was deeply offensive to poorer people who are now experiencing cuts in aid. Niall Cooper, from the Get Fair Campaign against poverty, said the Church should not be afraid to take sides, get political and stand up for the poor.

Alison Gelder, Chief Executive of Housing Justice, posed the question: “To what extent should we share the responsibility of looking around the community and saying, ‘Who is it who needs housing?’”

John Reynolds, an investment banker and Chairman of the Church of England’s Ethical Investment Advisory Group, laid out a five point agenda in which churches would have a stronger voice. “Ethical pressure must be applied both on companies and stake holders at the same time,” he said.

Following a panel discussion, Michael Bartlet, Parliamentary Liaison Officer for Quaker Peace and Social Witness, summed up the discussion. “We face today a choice between a political economy based on greed and consumption and a way of life which is based on sustainable and just relationships with our neighbour,” he said. “This conference is an example of the practical kind of way we can work together in the future towards building a more sustainable economy.”

ENDS

Notes

Other speakers included Dr Murdo Macdonald, Policy Officer for the Church of Scotland, Society, Religion and Technology Project, who looked at the crisis from a Scottish perspective, and Geraint Hopkins, Policy Officer at Churches Together in Wales, who gave a Welsh outlook.

Audio files of the key note speeches and the panel discussion will shortly be available on-line on the Methodist Web Radio page on the Methodist Church in Great Britain website at http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.webradio

To find out more about Churches Together in Britain and Ireland visit http://www.ctbi.org.uk/

Please note that each contributor at the event was speaking from their own perspective and those views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the British Methodist Church.


Source: Methodist News Service 21/01/2009

BRITAIN'S CHURCHES TO DISCUSS CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS

On the initiative and at the request of those working for several of Britain's major churches on church and society issues, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland is to hold a one-day conference on "The economic crisis: towards sustainable economies and livelihoods".

The aim of the conference is to examine the root causes of the current economic crisis from a faith perspective, and what the churches' distinctive role in addressing the crisis should be in terms of their prophetic, pastoral and partnership responsibilities.

The conference will take place on Tuesday 20 January 2009, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Methodist Church House, 25, Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5JR. Media are invited to attend. All proceedings will be on the record.

A former member of the Dutch parliament, and one of Britain's leading Christian commentators on economic and climate change issues will be the main speakers at the conference.

Bob Goudzwaard, professor emeritus of economics and social philosophy at the Free University in Amsterdam, a former member of the Dutch parliament, and co-author of "Hope in Troubled Times: A New Vision for Confronting Global Crises", will speak on "The underlying causes of the global economic crisis".

The other keynote speaker is Ann Pettifor, former head of the Jubilee 2000 debt relief campaign, and now campaign director of Operation Noah, the first Christian campaign focused exclusively on climate change. Ann Pettifor is the author of "The Coming First World Debt Crisis", and her conference topic will be "The impact of current economic factors on sustainable lifestyles".

The Revd Dave Bookless, director of A Rocha (meaning "The Rock"), a Christian environmental and nature conservation organisation with a strong community emphasis, will give a theological response to the keynote addresses.

John Ellis, who previously worked at the Bank of England and is now a senior staff member of the Methodist Church in Britain, will set the scene for the day.

Michael Bartlet, parliamentary liaison officer for Quaker Peace and Social Witness, will sum up and suggest possible ways forward for the churches.

Other contributors will include:
* John Reynolds, chief executive officer of Reynolds Partners, an independent investment bank , and chairman of the Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group;
* Murdo Macdonald, policy officer for the Church of Scotland's Society, Religion and Technology Project;
* Geraint Hopkins, policy officer at Cytûn (Churches Together in Wales);
* Paula Clifford, head of theology for Christian Aid;
* Niall Cooper, national coordinator of Church Action on Poverty, and the Get Fair campaign;
* Alison Gelder, chief executive of Housing Justice;



FROM CHURCHES TOGETHER IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE USE
DATE 15 JANUARY 2009