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joint
public issues newsletter 5
JOINT PUBLIC ISSUES
TEAM
Newsletter
5. May 2007
Faithful Cities
‘Faithful Cities’ is the
name of a 2006 report that looked at the role of the Church in urban communities. You are invited to a
Faithful Cities Consultation at High Cross United Reformed Church, Tottenham, on Saturday 9
June from 1000 to 1630. The Revd Graham Cook, a member of the Faithful Cities Commission
will be the key speaker in the morning. In the afternoon there will
be discussion about environment
and migration, with input from Louise Zanre, Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service.
Attendance is free. Lunch
will be provided. Crèche and childcare facilities are available. For more information or to
register attendance, please write to Geoff Duncan, Thames North Synod, United Reformed
Church, 32/34 Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2DB
geoffrey.duncan@urc10.org ‘Faithful Cities’ was
produced by the Commission
on Urban Life and Faith
www.culf.org.uk
Top Shelf Campaign
Claire Curtis-Thomas, MP for
Crosby, has launched a campaign to protect young children from exposure to sexually
explicit material. Magazines such as Zoo and Nuts and newspapers
like the Daily and Sunday Sport
are often easily available in newsagents, and sit alongside comics or within easy reach of
children. If you would like to take
action to call for these kinds of publications to be put out of
reach of children and onto the top
shelf, write to your MP, the manager of your newsagents or see
www.topshelfcampaign.co.uk
Extremist political parties
New guidelines have been
issued for churches in areas represented by a councillor from a racist or far-right party. Copies of the guidelines are
available free in an easy-to-print format on the Methodist Church and Baptist Union websites,
or from NM31 Group, Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR, e-mail
NM31@methodistchurch.org.uk.
For the guidelines go to
www.methodist.org.uk/downloads/pi_extremistparties
_guidelines_0407.doc
or
www.baptist.org.uk/resources/resource_downloads/236.pdf
Anthea Cox, Methodist
Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice, said “The Methodist Church continues
to oppose all forms of political extremism and racism. The existence of councillors
from extremist parties that support racist policies in Britain
raises difficult questions for
churches that are active in their local communities. These
guidelines will help churches and
individuals to make the right decisions. The guidelines recommend
that churches resist putting
themselves in positions which could be seen as giving tacit support
to parties or policies which
promote racism.”
Reminder! Not for Sale
Sunday – 20 May
Do not forget ‘Not for Sale
Sunday’ on 20 May.
Resources
for churches that want to highlight the problems of sex
trafficking are available from CHASTE.
www.chaste.org.uk
Living Ghosts national
sleepout – 22 June
Church Action on Poverty
runs a campaign called ‘Living Ghosts’, which aims to show how refused asylum seekers are
forced to live in destitution because they are not allowed to work and they are given very
little financial support. Living Ghosts is calling for a change to Government policies that are
leaving many of these people homeless and hungry. On 22 June there will be
sleepouts across Britain. These are designed to generate publicity locally, and help in
lobbying MPs. If you or your church’s youth group are interested,
you can get more information from Church Action on
Poverty. Call 0161 236 9321.
www.church-poverty.org.uk
www.stillhuman.org
For the diary – 21 September
– International Day of Prayer for Peace 21 September has been
dedicated by the United Nations as the International Day of Peace. The World Council of Churches
also uses it as a day of Prayer for Peace. It is now becoming more common to celebrate the
day as part of the Church calendar in Britain. Churches are being
encouraged to use that day, or the Sunday closest to it, as a day of
prayer for peace. You could put the
date in your diary now, and start planning a special service. Peace in your pocket allows
you to receive free peace text messages from time to time. Text PEACE to 07781 482 724.
www.peaceinyourpocket.org.uk
JustShare May Day Rally
JustShare organised a May
Day event on the steps of the Royal Exchange. Clare Short MP, former Secretary for
International Development and Joel Edwards, Director-General of the Evangelical Alliance, both
spoke about ways in which many people continue to endure economic slavery today. Members of the Joint Public
Issues Team were present at the event and helped to raise awareness with members of
the public. JustShare is advertising the
post of part-time co-ordinator -14 hours per week, £22,500 pro rata).
For further
information contact the Revd George Bush, The Rector's Lodging, St
Mary le Bow, Cheapside, London EC2V
6AU.
E-mail -
grbush@london.anglican.org .
Telephone 020 7248 5139.
JustShare is a coalition of
churches and agencies that engage with City of London institutions on economic justice.
www.stmarylebow.co.uk/justshare
Contact
If you would like to receive
the Joint Public Issues Team Newsletter, or would like to publicise
an event or project, please contact Wendy Cooper, e-mail -
wendy.cooper@urc.org.uk
Telephone - 020 7916 8632
Address - 86 Tavistock
Place, London WC1H 9RT
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