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REPORT ON UNITY IN ACTION

Christians Reaching Out to Society Forum - 23rd October 2010
By Peter McManus

After an opening prayer led by Paul Paniccia, the first presentation was given by Tony Fecher on the Mustard Seed project in Faringdon. Mustard Seed is a shop that has been open for some 25 years, originally set up as a Christian witness, and supported by all the churches in Faringdon. Tony manages the shop, which is set up as a Limited Company with charitable status, and there are 23 volunteers to staff it. The main business is selling Fair Trade goods, with a link to a nearby Christian bookshop. The company has recently incorporated a Cornwall-based wholesaler that imports a wide variety of fair trade crafts etc. The overall theme is to emphasise the importance of ethically-traded goods.

Jane Lunn-Rockcliffe then presented the work of the Basics Bank, based in Winchester. This provides basic food and clothing to needy families and individuals, who are referred by a number of agencies. No money is handled, clients presenting vouchers to which they are entitled for a maximum of four times a year. Food and clothing is donated by churches, schools and individuals, and since opening in 2004 over 1800 people have been helped. The premises are provided by the City Council at a peppercorn rent. The project is supervised by a board of trustees, and employs 1 paid manager supported by a large number of volunteers. There are a number of Basics Banks in the area.

Derek & Eileen Finch (from the Isle of Wight) next talked about the work of Inter-Church Families. The movement is national, and supported by leaders of the main denominations. It is a support network and information service for families where the partners belong to different denominations, one of them usually a Catholic. It keeps their pastoral needs in front of Church leaders, and is part of a world-wide grouping of similar bodies. Inter-Church Families is a voice for ecumenism, calling for the removal of divisions between churches that prevent husband and wife from sacramental sharing.

Reg Norton presented Operation Noah, launched in 2001 and sponsored by Christian Ecology Link founded in 1983. It has 4000 members and is actively campaigning for radical changes to our lifestyle. The CAFOD 'Live Simply' campaign arose from this work, as did the Carbon Exodus campaign, which seeks to lead us out of 'carbon bondage'. The target is for the UK to be a zero-carbon country by 2030, with carbon reduced to 350ppm from its present level of 387ppm. A current objective is to 'Reclaim Christmas' in 2010, with zero carbon presents and food!

Vicky Hamilton Vey and Tracy Eldridge then presented Carers Together/Carers Christian Fellowship. Vicky is an Anglican lay pastor, based in Lymington, who described the Carers Christian Fellowship that has now spread throughout the New Forest. It supports carers and the cared-for in their spiritual needs. Tracey described Carers Together in Hampshire, which supports carers and acts as a source of information for them on benefits, respite care etc.

After lunch, Peter McManus described the work of Wells for India, a water-harvesting charity that operates in Rajasthan, with a UK base in Winchester. Wells for India was founded in 1987, and has helped bring water security to over 1 million people in Rajasthan. It also strengthens communities by providing training in agriculture, crop and livestock management, sanitation and education. Turnover is approximately £400,000 per annum, and at any one time up to 20 projects (typically lasting 5 years) are being supported. While not specifically ecumenical, its trustees are mainly Catholic and Anglican, and much of the support comes from church groups.

John Foley and Brian Baldwin then presented Together in Mission, a neighbourhood service project based in the largely rural area around Burghfield and Mortimer and started in 2008. It is energised by representatives from local churches and other Christian groups. Its role is to help local Christians understand the real needs of their communities better, and to do something about them. After church and community audits were held, involving questionnaires on local issues and problems, a report was issued in early 2010. A large number of volunteers have been mobilised, and the profile of churches in the community raised, with strong witness to ecumenical co-operation. They hope that their example will inspire similar efforts elsewhere.

Andy Taylor made the final presentation, on Basingstoke Street Pastors. This is based on a national initiative, and was launched in 2008. It is a partnership between local churches, the Borough Council and the local police in Basingstoke. There are currently 65 street pastors operating, of both sexes with an age range of 18 to 78.They work with the night-time community of young people on Friday and Saturday nights until about 3am, in small teams staffed by volunteers from most of the local churches. Their aim is principally befriending youngsters who may be in some sort of trouble, and bringing a calming influence to bear. Similar projects are also working in all the major urban centres in Hampshire and beyond.

The meeting was brought to a close by Peter McManus, who reflected on the range of projects presented, and by Joy Ellis, who led the group in prayer.