Joy to the world

How amazing to think that God came as a tiny baby into an obscure
middle eastern town. Who would believe that 2000 years later we still
celebrate that joyful day.
It was to change everything, and the start of making all things new!!
Jesus humbling himself to all the limitations of human flesh, so that
the seemingly impossible can become reality, that we become friends
with God and He with us. It most seems too incredible to be true, no
one could make this up and carry it off! But his vulnerability,
humility, power,love and sacrifice all mixed up gives hope to all.
Rich and poor, young and old, black and white, homeless and those who
live in comfort. The lonely, lost, the broken, abused , the ordinary,
everyday person. All can come and worship and find saviour- Jesus,
light of the world.

Do you need some good news?

I don't know how you feel about the outcome of the Copenhagen summit but to me it was disappointing and it felt like bad news. I felt outraged and broken hearted at the huge injustice I believe rich world leaders have engaged in. Thank goodness my hope does not lie in them but in Christ. How refreshing therefore to reflect on the message of Christmas. Now the Christmas story sounds like GOOD NEWS. Our God shows his reckless love in choosing to come to us as a weak, helpless baby. God's kingdom is established in ways which are shocking, disturbing and a total mystery to us. I don't know about you but I want to understand the message of Christmas more and all that Jesus teaches us through his life on earth.

Prayer breakfast

Thanks for all who came and took part in a creative fun and thoughtful prayer time as we prayed for leaders as they gathered in Copenhagen
See some pictures @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/andycarlisle/

Tell Gordon Brown what you think about Climate Change

In the run up to the Copenhagen summit, its not too late to tell Gordon Brown what you think about the environment. You can send an email to the Prime Minister through the Tearfund website (follow the link, type in your post code and you'll get taken through to a page where you can type your message, or amend a standard one - don't forget to sign it at the bottom if you do.)

Cheers, and hope to see you all on Saturday.

Prayer breakfast

Do you care about climate change? Do you believe we should be doing something to prevent it? Do you think it will change the lives of the poorest,who will be flooded, displaced, and hungry?
One of the powerful things we can do about this is pray
The Copenhagen summit starts on 5th December and we'll be praying for this
We are puuting on a family prayer breakfast on the 5th December, a Saturday morning.
It will be fun, creative, and orientated for children and adults.
Come along to Heaton Baptist Church at 9am for a lovely breakfast and time to pray

At the Foot of the Cross

I know God is drawing me here, to the foot of the cross. I need to linger here. I need to gaze afresh at my saviour crucified.

Kathryn Scott's song "At the Foot of the Cross" is beautiful and pure. On You Tube you can watch a powerful and moving video of her song . I really appreciate and love her verses and chorus. The following extra verses (3, 4 and 5 )are my own personal expression which I hope can be sung to her lovely melody and interjected with her chorus or feel free to simply read if you wish.

Kathryn Scott's chorus lyrics:
And you've won my heart
Yes you've won my heart
Now I can trade these ashes in for beauty
And wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross

(Verse 3)
At the foot of the cross
We're face to face with pain
Then I feel your heart
For a weak and suffering World.

Chorus

(Verse 4 )
At the foot of the cross
My heart is broke afresh.
Mysterious, wonder and awe
To my knees I fall down.

Chorus

(Verse 5 )
At the foot of the cross
My pain I lay down
I feel peace and whole
Freedom you have given to me.

Advent conspiracy

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love.

So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a Saviour has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists.

And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

Welcome to Advent Conspiracy http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

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Life

Sometimes I feel I am a spectator in life, watching the world go by, swept along by waves of need, forces beyond my conscious mind. I try to get ashore but the tide keeps pulling me back. Back to busyness, important things, other peoples agendas, all good stuff but not my stuff and possibily not God's stuff. There is so much going on, so much white noise, lots to be involved in. it washes me by, though I try to surf, and am reasonably competent. How do I stop and prioritise -is this even considered worthwhile time. achievement and involvement and relationship are all valued, but quiet reflection seems lazy, indulgent? Real people do stuff. Maybe I am too keen not to let people down, or to let them know I'm trying at least. Life is satisfying and frustrating at the same time, like using a mobile whilst surfing, reading whilst watching the TV. I'm waiting for the real stuff to happen and it passes me by.
I've lost some bearings in a world of lots of voices, the Bible has become one of many not the definitive word. How did this happen? Not all at once, just gradually, subtly, chipped away. Now I'm not sure how to eat and drink deeply and whether I will commit the time, unless I'm conscious of being watched. Is this normal at this time of life and what do I do about it? I am a thirsty man in a dry land, with water nearby , instead I'm looking over the horizon for some reason. Maybe I want something new rather than the same old, a new flavour, new slant, instead of cool refreshing springs that are close at hand. Sometimes stopping and just being is ok. The world revolves around God not the other way around. Stop, look, listen went the old traffic safety message. Not a bad motto. I'd like to listen more,and more attentively, rather than fill my space with noise, though i do to block out troublesome thoughts. I thirst, LORD please quench my thirst and still my soul

Take the Copenhagen pledge - Christian Aid

Take the Copenhagen pledge - Christian Aid



The UN climate summit in Copenhagen later this year will decide how the world combats climate change.

It’s vital that an effective deal is done at Copenhagen, for the sake of the planet and for the millions in the poorest countries who are suffering from the effects of climate change right now.

So join our campaign for a Copenhagen climate deal that is effective and fair by taking our pledge.

We will be sending the prime minister a list of all the pledges taken as a measure of the growing demand for climate justice.

Take the Copenhagen pledge

Message from Matthew Frost Tearfund

BBC NEWS The 'youngest headmaster in the world'

Around the world millions of children are not getting a proper education because their families are too poor to afford to send them to school. In India, one schoolboy is trying change that. In the first report in the BBC's Hunger to Learn series, Damian Grammaticas meets Babar Ali, whose remarkable education project is transforming the lives of hundreds of poor children.

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | The 'youngest headmaster in the world'

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the big sleep

The big sleep-Friday 16th October 8pm- Saturday 17th October 8am, at Durham cathedral. An overnight experience of the world of a young homeless person, the issues faced, prejudices confronted and an opportunity to raise money and awareness to change lives. For ages 12-21, Cost £35 For booking email info@aquilaway.org or call 4915700

Thanks to all who contributed £350 for cakes on 11th October at HBC. This will enable 10 people to join the big sleep

The Wave

The Wave: come together for a church service and march to stop climate chaos on Saturday 5 December in central London.

In December, world leaders must seal a strong and fair deal at crucial UN climate talks in Copenhagen.

Join us on Saturday 5 December in London for an action-packed church service and march to call on the UK government to deliver a strong and fair deal that puts the needs of the poorest people first.

11am: Church service at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster

1pm: March starts in Grosvenor Square. Those in the church service will walk together to join the march

3pm: Encircling of parliament following by tea and cakes with Tearfund (venue tbc)

Wear or carry something blue to make The Wave look special.

Thousands of people like you will be there, let’s make sure the church is well represented.

A strong and fair deal

To ensure the global deal on climate change is strong and fair, Tearfund believes it must include the following commitments:

* developed countries must agree to reduce their emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020 (from 1990 levels). The vast majority of these cuts must be made in the country where they were emitted rather than by offsetting. Developed countries must also commit to reduce emissions by at least 95 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050.
* developed countries must commit to provide at least US$150 billion a year of climate finance for poor countries. This must be new and additional to Official Development
Assistance commitments of 0.7 per cent of GDP, and to finance provided by carbon markets. This finance is necessary to help poor and vulnerable communities adapt to the changing climate and to help support action to reduce emissions in developing countries.

OneDrop

OneDrop descibes itself as a Poetic Social Mission
They recently broadcast from space about the need for people to have access to water and sanitation
http://broadcast.onedrop.org/

Lob a loo roll

Be a sanitation and water champion

Join the global church and call on the Prime Minister to take extraordinary action and help transform the lives of billions.

Fill in the form below, and we'll add your action to the tens of thousands we're collecting from Christians across the UK, before we hand them to the Prime Minister later in the year.

 

Dear Prime Minister

It's out of order that almost 900 million people still lack access to clean water, while 2.5 billion are denied a decent  toilet.

I welcome what the UK government has already done but would like to see more action to address this crisis, to accelerate progress on many of the Millennium Development Goals.

Be a sanitation and water champion

• Use every opportunity you have to talk taps and toilets to world leaders.
• Ensure that the UK helps poor countries develop plans to provide sanitation and water for all and make sure none fail due to lack of finance

Creative prayer ideas

Creative prayer ideas

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Love God and love your neighbour

I have just been reading the "Jesus Creed" by Scot McKnight -fascinating and insightful. In the Jesus Creed Scot talks about the Shema. Wikipedia tells us that "Shema Yisrael (or Sh'ma Yisroel or just Shema) (Hebrew: שמע ישראל‎; "Hear, [O] Israel") are the first two words of a section of the Torah (Hebrew Bible) that is a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. The first verse encapsulates the monotheistic essence of Judaism: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One", found in Deuteronomy 6:4.

Observant Jews consider the Shema to be the most important prayer in Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation as a mitzvah (religious commandment). It is traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words.

The term "Shema" is used by extension to refer to the whole part of the daily prayers that commences with Shema Yisrael and comprises Deuteronomy 6:4–9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37–41. These are in the weekly Torah portions: VaEtchannan, Eikev, and Shlach respectively." Jesus added the requirement to love our neighbour.
Jesus taught us to how to live, expanding on the Shema, reworking Deuteronomy 6:4-9 in Luke 10:26-27 "Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" and "love your neighbour as yourself".
Mary, the mother of Jesus,found herself poor and thought of as a woman of dubious repute because of the circumstances of Jesus' conception; who would have thought that she had conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, being righteous thought about divorcing her, for his reputation. Yet Mary glories in the revelation that she has been given that she is bearing the Messiah who will liberate. Scot McKnight quotes Tom Wright saying that Mary's Magnificat is "the gospel before the gospel". She announced a social revolution, prophesying that Herod's power will be overthrown, in his place will be a just ruler, her own Son, who will rule with justice and mercy! She asks God to fill the hungry, like Jesus who opened the banquet to the poor. She passed on her own vision, and lived a life that set a powerful example to Jesus, her Saviour but also her son. What a calling she had as a mother and what a great example to parents of passing on the blessing and grace of God, as well as the wisdom of God to their children.

Justice or Mercy

Yesterday the Libyan man who was convicted in 2001 of the Lockerbie bombing was released from prison to return to Libya. It was controversial, some think he was innocent, others that he was a brutal, evil killer. What is obvious is he was a very sick man, with not long to live. Brian Taylor, BBC Scottish political correspondant comments on his blog that the Scottish Justice secretary,Mr MacAskill "told me and every inquiring journalist that there had been no deal with the UK Government or Libya or anyone else which prejudiced him in favour of the decision he took.
That decision had been motivated solely by compassion: justice tempered by mercy
An interesting phrase, which confronts us with the evil that is around us and what we do with it. Do we seek justice for the evil person over there, but compassion and mercy for our own evils? Now I am not suggesting that we are all guilty of murder, but its good to be mindful of what Jesus said in Matthew 5:21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." and Romans 3:23-24 tells us "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Evil is close to our own door.
We can be so grateful for the grace of God, but not take it for granted. And what about the radical love and compassion of God, who is merciful? That is the kind of life we want to live, becoming people that look into the face of evil and defeat it with the love and compassion of God. If we merely shout for justice, we may be suprised the way we are judged

Justice and Mercy-which do you choose?

Given the choice I'd choose mercy anytime. I'm a bit of a softy, and besides, I know my own weaknesses and limitations better th\n most, so I'm so grateful for the mercy of God. I don't earn it or deserve it, but its freely given. I'd like to think I am merciful in the way I behave, but the truth is I don't follow God's example as much as I'd like to believe. In the way I act I often want justice, I prefer fairness, and if they have wronged me I feel I deserve to have justice. So how does God balance the scales of justice and mercy. Is he a divine softy, or a stickler for retributive justice. The truth is neither. He has the benefit of the big picture, seeing every detail, viewpoint and valuing every person, and he looks eternally. His love is balanced by his holiness, his power by his service and sacrifice. Never mind the wisdom of Solomon, God's wisdom in dealing with us is so much greater.
So what does he want from us? To be like Him, we are made in His image and his is transforming us to be like Him. "What does the LORD require of you, To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God."

Moments

A green, unkempt, empty, large grassy area. No trees, flowers or shrubs. Nothing. Simply grass as far as the eye can see. Here lie graves full of dead bodies. Six in a plot. The sad end to lives destroyed by the common factors of homelessness and alcoholism. Who were those men? No one knows. No one cares. An image shown to one of the celebrities in the documentary "Rich, Famous and Homeless"

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you……love each other" John 15 : 9, 12

A man worn, dishevelled and thin sitting on a bench outside Byker Pool, clutching a bottle. I shook his hand it felt sticky. Andy sat next to him, put a hand on his shoulder and prayed he’d know Jesus as a friend. "That’s sweet" said Peter. I looked in his eyes there were tears. He was touched by the love of God. We walked away.

Martyn Joseph sings a song with the line "sweet tender moments with life in between." Moments. Moments of joy. Moments of peace. Moments of healing. Moments of clarity. Moments when heaven touches earth. Moments. A conference on pastoral care for people with dementia, I begun to catch hold afresh onto this idea of moments. Bart Campolo at the Incarnate conference described it differently and yet spoke of moments. In his ministry in the ghettos of America with poor broken people he said he had no miraculous stories to tell, but he told us of moments. Moments such as when he’s helping a young girl who’s been raped and the mother treats her daughter with hate and contempt. Bart he loses it. He has righteous anger on behalf of the daughter. Later the mother confesses, that she’d been raped as a child, never told anyone. Then he has a moment with her.

I’ve worked with people who were at the end of the line, twenty or thirty years or maybe more of mental illness, institutionalisation, drugs and numerous interventions. For about 4 years I worked with some. My stories night not sound very miraculous at all but to me there were moments. Many moments and those moments built upon each other and then I saw breakthroughs. A defensive, isolated institutionalised man with schizophrenia becomes a friend to another man. They would catch the bus together, cook together, make music together, go to a café together. He trusted me and shared his story with me. They were all wonderful breakthroughs.

In the mundane of life and the unglamorous where there are no big awards do we love each other? When no one is looking, or appreciative and the matter seems small or irrelevant do we obey our Father’s command?

Andy Carlisle in a piece in the JAM blog quotes Deuteronomy 23: 12 -14 saying " In case we get too heavenly minded. God reminds us that he is interested in people, all of life and that he cares about justice. Justice for those deprived of basic needs like water and toilets." Campaigning on this is one way we can love each other.

We can love each other by choosing a lifestyle that is respectful of the environment and is selfless. Changing my lifestyle from one that was ignorant, unloving and environmentally destructive began with simple choices. One day in a shop I decided to spend more money and buy energy saving light bulbs. I had a moment. Each moment then led to another until a few years later and my lifestyle is more in tune with the environment and the positive impact I can have in loving others though my lifestyle choices. It’s a similar story with buying fair trade, in a moment in a shop I chose to buy fair trade tea. Another moment where I let go of my money, opened my hands and loved others. The more moments like this, the less of a battle it is and the more open I find my hands becoming.

Slowly I’m starting to understand that my Faith, loving others, living by the spirit is not about any great amazing spiritual act although it can be but it is equally about making everyday choices to love whether that be people at home, church, work, school, my street, town or the other side of the World. It is very simple and it starts with the smallest moments. Shaking a homeless man’s hand, wiping my daughter’s bottom, kissing my husband, getting on the metro, phoning a friend and countless other ways we can obey our Father’s command to love each other depending on our own individual make up. God’s love is desperately needed in this World.

" As the Father has loved me so have I loved you… love each other" John 15: 9, 12

Just Generation Conference - 31st October

Just Generation Conference - 31st October
"Tackling injustice can't be reduced to a one week mission, a conference or a crusade. If we want to see justice roll like a mighty river across this nation we need to see heart transformations. We need to see a new generation of young people rise up and be counted, a movement desperate to step into and tackle humanity's physical and spiritual poverty, stand for what is right and preach the Good News through word and deed across this nation.

It's not about knowing the right model or following the next best ten-point plan. Instead… it's about crying out to Jesus that he might give us his heart of compassion for the poor in this land. It's about grounding ourselves in a strong, biblical understanding of God's heart and desire to see justice flood this nation. It's about gathering together with others, building a community passionate about tackling injustice, supporting and resourcing one another, sharing stories and inspiring vision."

From the blurb about this conference it looks really helpful. October 31st, all day Saturday.
Ruth Valerio of "L is for Lifestyle" is one of the main speakers, as well as the Evangelical Alliance, leprosy Mission, and International Justice Mission
Its a day for £10 and maybe we could organise to share some transport if you are interested


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Hope for Justice training day

Derby: Featuring Hope for Justice with Vicky Beeching

Saturday 12th September 2009. 10:30(registration) 11AM- 6PM

Derby Riverside, Pride Park, Derby, DE24 8HY

Join with Hope for Justice, worship leader Vicky Beeching and experts on human trafficking at the Act for Justice day. This event will equip you and look at how to take practical action
together against human trafficking. The day includes inspiring talks,
worship and useful seminars on topics such as the role of advocacy,
lobbying and the media; investigation within the UK; aftercare for
trafficking victims; worship and justice; how churches can respond;
career choices and fairtrade.

This event will inspire and equip you in the fight against human trafficking and is for the whole church.

Saturday 5th December Stop Climate Chaos rally in Central London

There will be "coaches from every city and town in the region" for the historical national gathering in London to Stop Climate Chaos. Dr David Golding CBE, speaking on behalf of the regional campaign for action to curb global warming and block the construction of new coal-fired power stations, unless they have full carbon capture and storage, goes so far as to describe the Copenhagen conference as "the most important negotiations in the history of humanity".



Please pray and consider putting it in your diary now. Christine Clarke, a Tearfund campaigner from Manchester, says, "There's a group of us at church who see campaigning as being obediant to God by speaking out on behalf of poor people. In my own life prayer and campaigning go hand in hand. This is God's work. "(Summer Teartimes)



If you don't get Tearfund's Act fast cards then I'd fully recommend them as a very quick and easy way to add your voice and to keep up to date on current campaigns. You receive a postcard, simple prayer points and information four times a year. The latest Act Fast Summer 2009 is For Money to Bring Climate Justice. Let me know if you'd like some.

Famous Rich and Homeless

If you missed this, its worth a look from BBC1 this week
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00lfhhxFamous_Rich_and_Homeless_Episode_1/
In 2009 recession and repossession mean homelessness is a frightening possibility for almost everyone. But for five famous volunteers, it's about to become a terrifying reality.

Former tennis star Annabel Croft, The One Show's Hardeep Singh Kohli, journalist and writer Rosie Boycott, former Coronation Street actor Bruce Jones and the Marquis of Blandford put homelessness in the spotlight by agreeing to swap their lavish lifestyles, fame and fortune for a world of sleeping rough, soup runs and hostels.

All five have earned success, recognition and, in some cases, notoriety in their chosen fields but, with everything they value stripped away and just a sleeping bag as a symbol of their new life, how will they adjust to being invisible, vulnerable and desperate as a homeless person in London today?

Guided and assisted by John Bird, editor-in-chief and co-founder of The Big Issue, and Craig Last, a former youth worker for the charity Centrepoint, the five start this ten-day experience being dropped off in different areas of London, where they will spend their first three days and nights trying to survive on the streets.

The first night is unnerving and frightening as they each try to find somewhere safe to shelter from the sub-zero temperatures and sleep. Each doorway looks as uninviting as the next, there is a constant feeling of threat and, with no money, the prospect of begging begins to feel like a greater hurdle than actually getting any sleep.

Three nights sleeping rough are followed by three nights living with a homeless 'buddy', each of whom has a history of abuse, drink or drug problems. But emotions run high as the five struggle to cope in this harsh environment, and there are tears and clashes before the week's out.

Prayer walk

Just a brief update about our prayer walk.
We prayed and walked along Heaton Road, to Byker, then back along Heaton Park Road to Heaton Park, and back to HBC
It was interesting to see so much as we went along that you never see or hear any other way
A map of all the Sure Start projects in the East End of Newcastle, 2 GP practices we are connected to through Heaton Helps, a multitude of places to eat and old sweet shops, the Community Centre near the 2 big blocks of flats. Multicultural expressions of life.
The Elim Church a few hundred yards from HBC that received an award at Incarnate, and we didn't even know what they were doing!

Best of all as we prayed and walked...... we met people
Peter, an alcoholic at Byker square. We told him God loved him and prayed for him. He was grateful
A boy who asked for "bus" money, and was given it (then we saw him get on a bus......!!)
A couple of women trying to access church, who had found Elsie wandering and confused and brought her home. We were able to contact Jeremy and Jean and check she was ok

God is good!

Keep praying

Still human still here

Still Human Still Here
http://stillhumanstillhere.wordpress.com/

The Sanctuary, a garden designed to
highlight the plight of asylum seekers in Britain at the BBC Gardeners'
Word Live event- by Bishop of Birmingham David Urquhart
On
first impressions Sanctuary Garden is a simple design, with a calming
pool and beautiful planting. But this garden has hidden layers and
attempts to both convey a message and challenge popular misconceptions.
It encourages visitors to reflect on how asylum seekers are treated in
the UK.

Scratch the surface and the real story unfolds. At its
heart, a tree, stripped of its bark and painted white represents the
thousands of ‘Living Ghosts’: people now living in the UK without any
support from the state, unable to work, homeless and destitute. Many
consider starving and sleeping on the streets to be preferable to
returning to the dangers from which they have fled.

Meanwhile in the public mind asylum seekers have become synonymous with benefit cheats, scroungers and parasites.

I
believe a garden is a fitting symbol with which to win hearts and
minds. Since I was a small child a garden has been for me a place of
wellbeing and peace. I enjoy the mixture of recreation and creativity
that it offers me and when I can find a spare hour I often choose to
spend it in the garden, pruning, sowing, weeding or planting.

The
Sanctuary garden is well designed with features that reflect some of
the struggles faced by asylum seekers as well as aspirations to live a
productive and fulfulled life in security. Gardens are a recurring
motif in the Bible as places of flourishing and harmony, representing a
balance between rest and relaxation with work and productivity.

The
Garden of Eden in Genesis is an archetype of this while several of the
Old Testament prophets use the garden to represent the healing or
restoration of an individual or a nation.

In Isaiah 51 the
prophet says: “For the LORD will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her
waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like
the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song. “

In a climate of
misconception and prejudice can we dare to dream of offering a garden
sanctuary to people who have reached these shores and asked for refuge?
Can we begin to offer a welcome and hospitality that is generous and
not grudging, magnanimous rather than meagre. Are we prepared to offer
meaningful employment to those with skills, homes, shelter and food to
those with no access to benefits or healing, therapy and comfort to
those traumatised by violence?

For this is the kind of response
sought by the Old Testament prophets and embodied in the life of Jesus
Christ. We need to be prepared to tune out some of the scare-mongering
and listen with open minds and hearts to the stories of asylum seekers
and refugees living among us in the UK.

It is equally fitting
that this garden is being displayed days before the launch of Refugee
Week. This year the overall aim of Refugee Week is to create a better
understanding between communities by promoting positive representations
of refugees.

A new campaign, Simple Acts, has been launched
which is about inspiring people to use small, everyday actions to
change perceptions of refugees. These acts include reading an article
about exile, watching a film about refugees, praying for an asylum
seeker, or cooking a dish from another country.

I am promoting
this campaign in the Diocese of Birmingham because I believe simple
things done collectively can help shift our perceptions and ignite our
compassion.

We have already seen much evidence of this in
Birmingham where many dedicated people are working both to alleviate
suffering and tell the stories of asylum seekers and refugees in this
city. Sanctuary Garden, a collaboration between Robert Hughes and WRB
Churches Together, Cardiff and sponsored by Church Action on Poverty is
also a tribute to the valuable work being done by so many parishes,
groups, projects and churches who feel the injustice is intolerable and
compassion is the only possible response.

Perhaps you could join
them by taking on a Simple Act or by calling for a change in the
structures to end the abject poverty and destitution of refused asylum
seekers through the Still Human Still Here campaign. Or you could
support a local project, donate food, clothing, nappies and other
basics; or offer a stranger a bed for the night. If you are inspired by
the scriptures or excited by the example of Jesus Christ perhaps you
can think again about the call to love the stranger, to speak up for
those who have no voice, to free the oppressed and to comfort all who
mourn and be part of a movement which can offer a garden sanctuary to
those in the desert of exile.

JAM Prayer walk 25th June

Please join us for a prayer walk in Heaton on 25th June at 7:45pm. We'll be seeking God about what he is doing in our local community and how he wants us to join in with Him. It will be a time to pray on behalf of the poor and marginalised in our community. Remembering those who have been trafficked in our midst.
Deuteronomy 15:11
"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land"

MakeLifeFlow

Water report urges bigger role for church. Look here http://tinyurl.com/kom3p4 to read. Tearfund is calling on governments to step-up work
Tim Vine goes to Ethiopia to see what difference clean water and sanitation make http://tinyurl.com/nll55n

Toilets in the Bible

“You must have a designated area outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. Each of you must have a spade as part of your equipment. Whenever you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the spade and cover the excrement. The camp must be holy, for the Lord your God moves around in your camp to protect you and to defeat your enemies. He must not see any shameful thing among you, or he will turn away from you" Deuteronomy 23:12-14
The Bible is a surprising book. Sometime people say its irrelevant, out of date, only involved with the "spiritual" parts of our lives. But I disagree, the God who made us in the first place knows all about us, he created the digestive system after all! The Bible has a lot to say about practical things,how we are to live safely and securely, how to relate to others as well as worship Him.
This passage illustrates to me that God cares for the welfare of those he has created. Sanitation and water are essential for life, just witness the recent cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe to see how many suffered and died because of the lack of fresh water. In case we get too heavenly minded God reminds us that he is interested in all people, all of life, and that he cares about justice.
Justice for those deprived of basic needs like water and toilets. Someone quoted a figure of £17 billion to make sure everyone in the world had access to these basic needs. How little is this, compared to what we spend on so many other things?
Lets stand up for those who have so little, and so vulnerable, God cares, and so should we

Make Life Flow

Make Life Flow - Stidia's Story

JAM meeting

Next JAM meeting 20th May 7:45pm @ 2 West Avenue

World Debt Day Saturday 16th May

A year ago I remember travelling to Birmingham with Louiese to the Journey for Justice where over 1,000 campaigners marked 10 years since the G8 human chain and urged politicains to tackle the unfinished business of the debt campaign. Lots has happened since then and now there are fears that the financial crisis will lead to a new debt crisis for developing countries. This month has seen some significant steps forward for the debt movement. "Haiti and Liberia, two countries we’ve been calling to have debt cancellation for many years, have finally had some of their debts wiped out. In the UK Parliament, meanwhile, a cross-party group of MPs has demanded a law to regulate the vulture funds which profiteer from poor country debt.....At the same time, not enough has changed. Haiti and Liberia have had to wait years for a tiny fraction of the help that some of our banks have been given in a matter of days. Both countries are still waiting to complete the debt relief process and have many hoops to jump through before that can happen. " (Jubilee Debt Campaign)



I read such information and the injustice in our World makes me sick and leads me to rant. Why is there one law for the poor and another for the rich? When we fear a swine flu outbreak we can't act quickly enough or spend money more freely, and yet those trapped in extreme poverty die every three seconds. Does a child born in Africa matter less to God than one born in the UK? Was it young men and women's own fault that they die from poverty? Do we really believe that the West is doing enough? Are we really fobbed off by some action which is really only a meaningless gesture?



For me personally the isssue of debt was the beginning of my journey into understanding more about the injustice in our world. Since then I learn about more and more and more and more justice issues. I could quite easily despair, but I don't because our God is sovereign and our hope rests on him. The following passage from Psalm 37 is a personal favorite and a promise I'm clinging to. " Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Trust in him, committ your ways to him and he will do this he will make your righteousness shine like the dawn the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.... be still and wait patiently for him."

Traidcraft Cyclone Challenge 2009

Traidcraft: Cyclone Challenge 2009
This cycling event takes place in the beautiful Northumberland countryside on Saturday 13th June. You can choose from three distances, 31 miles, 62 miles or 100 mile and ride at your own pace, whilst enjoying the countryside.
How your support helps
Traidcraft project in India aims to help cotton farmers to widen their crop base to improve soil fertility and productivity and reduce dependence on cotton alone.
Register here

MPs warn of 'slave trade' in UK

Read more of what is happening to children trafficked in Britain according to a report by the Home affairs committee of MPs here
Lets remember to act and pray on behalf of these, even in our own community who are at risk of exploitation.

Fairtrade Galaxy

Six weeks after launching STOP THE TRAFFIK's campaign March on Mars, Mars made an announcement. They have promised to make their GLOBAL product range traffik free by 2020, starting with Galaxy bars in the UK and Ireland next year.

Mars are giving us a short term commitment with Galaxy bars. Let's keep asking for evidence of long term, global change.
http://www.stopthetraffik.org

Fairtrade in India

Traidcraft video on why they are setting up a fairtrade market in India
http://www.ethical.tv/node/185

Justice for the poor and...... Radiohead

Deuteronomy 10:17-18
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. (ESV)

Psalm 68:5-6
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. (ESV)

Job 31:16-23
“If I have withheld anything that the poor desired,
or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
or have eaten my morsel alone,
and the fatherless has not eaten of it
(for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father,
and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow,
if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing,
or the needy without covering,
if his body has not blessed me,
and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
because I saw my help in the gate,
then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder,
and let my arm be broken from its socket.
For I was in terror of calamity from God,
and I could not have faced his majesty. (ESV)

i'm the next act
waiting in the wings
i'm an animal
trapped in your hot car
i'm all the days
that you choose to ignore

you are all i need
you are all i need
i'm in the middle of the picture
lying in the leaves

i am a moth
who just wants to share your light
i'm just an insect
trying to get out of the night
we only stick like glue
because there are no others

you are all i need
you are all i need
i'm in the middle of the picture
lying in the leaves

it's all right
it's all wrong
it's all right
it's all wrong
it's all right
it's all wrong
it's all right


Thanks to Dr Chris Wright for this from his blog http://bibleandmission.wordpress.com/

Come and meet us

This Saturday,May 9th is the open day for the new Heaton Baptist Church Life Centre.
Please come along.There will be lots of activities and a Fairtrade stall, with information, a chance to chat and have some free samples of fairly traded goods
10-2pm Heaton Road, Heaton

Walk for water

Over 30 people walked from Tynemouth to Whitley Bay to raise money for the Samaritan's purse Turn on the Tap campaign. It was great to chat and enjoy each others' company, while remembering that the distance we walked today, is the average distance that people in Africa have to walk to get fresh water. We raised around £400.

Walk for water May 4th 2pm Tynemouth

I walked along my corridor at work, up the stairs and made myself a nice cup of tea. if I had a penny for everyone who told me it was a long way down the corridor to see me, I'd be a millionaire! It is so simple for me to quench my thirst, I never have to be without, refreshement and enjoyment on tap.
Water is a vital necessity, but not just the clean, pure stuff that comes from the tap, each day. Jesus used it as a metaphor for life. The Samaritan woman who came under the heat of the midday sun to draw water got much more than she expected from Jesus- recognition, validation of her as a person, not just a hated neighbour, and someone who looked inside her, knew all about her and loved her still. He went on to offer her life, a full life, when she would never be thirsty and have relationship with God forever
When we enable clean water and sanitation, we don't just prevent people from dying prematurely from disease and thirst, we offer the practical expression of love, that says "you matter, have dignity, are important, are human". Its not an added extra, its reflecting the love of God, in those who bear his image.
Walk for Water Monday May 4th 2pm.
We're organising a walk for water. Walkers join in the walk and agree to either be sponsored for taking part or a one-off amount of £4 towards Turn on the Tap. (£1 per mile!), 4 miles so suitable for all ages, including smaller children.
Tynemouth along the beach to Whitley Bay. We will meet at 2pm, at the Priory end of the main street in Tynemouth
http://www.turnonthetap.org.uk/walkforwater


Please contact Andy Carlisle for details andycarlisle@gmail.com

Injustice on our Doorstep

Your Daughter

Heavily burdened
Down
Down
Down
Powerless
Desperate
Trapped
And
Sinking fast.
A Westerner appears
he speaks of hope
Your spirits raise
Money
But
at a cost:
Your daughter.
You want to believe
his words
What else can you do?
She leaves
For a better life.
Everyday
you hope
for news
Days
Weeks
Months
Years
Nothing

What would you do if it was your daughter?

She’s a slave,
owned by a man.
Deceptive
Callous
Greedy
And
He’s ready to
devour her.
Ripping her apart
piece by piece.
Sinking his teeth
into her
flesh.
His claws go deep
Bloody wounds
Maimed
Half dead
She’s tossed
to the
Dogs.

What would you do if it was your daughter?

Her cries reach us
In our city
In our streets
She’s here.
We cannot rest until we’ve found her
Every avenue explored
Risks taken
Sweat and tears
given.
Justice sought.
Loving Kindness awaits her
Restoration and joy
Ours.
Father to the fatherless
Mother to the forsaken
You will not abandon her
Your love never fails.
Your church
Your hands and feet
Must not fail her.
What would you do if it was your daughter?

I wrote the poem "Your Daughter " after experiencing The Stand at Birmingham NEC 5 months ago. The trafficking of young women and girls for the sex industry still lies heavy on my heart. Many of you will remember Cargo which Heaton Baptist Church performed with Paul Field highlighting this very issue powerfully and movingly.

When faced with such horrors and injustice we can respond in many ways. I’ve decided to listen to my heart and begun to investigate this issue further. What this has opened my eyes to is the needs of an even larger group of people within our community. They are rejected, despised, marginalised and trapped in a cycle of degradation and misery: prostitutes. "Beyond the Streets" formerly known as "The National Christian Alliance on Prostitution" (NCAP) exist to unite, equip and empower groups working with people involved in the sex industry to offer freedom and change. They explain that a general lack of public awareness to the realities of prostitution and its links with sex trafficking means we make a distinction between the two. "However all prostitution when it’s root causes and experiences of many within it are considered is inherently unjust and incompatible with universal standards of human rights." (www.ncapuk.org) Their web site has a number of resources for churches and church leaders. Beyond the Streets support 40 projects around the U.K , yet the nearest one to us is Leeds!!

Prostitution is a big and growing problem in Newcastle. However I have yet to discover any organisation or church or individual who is reaching out to this poor and marginalised group of people in our society. My prayers join with those at Beyond the streets and pray that those who are enslaved would be set free and cause deep repentance in their perpetrators.

We have been speaking out on issues relating to global injustice, but what are we going to do about the injustice on our very doorstep?

Julie Sheasby

Will Justice Reign?

Recently Ruth and I were in Coleraine for a healing on the Streets concference. It was fantastically refreshing, the church were very generous, and the people we went with were lovely. Our friends Trevor and Sonia looked after us magnificently!
A couple of times the worship was led by Katherine Scott who was great. Here's the lyrics from her album "I belong", which is a heartcry for justice.


Will Justice Reign
by Kathryn Scott
© 2007 Vertical Worship Songs/ASCAP

Earth groans and waits
For her King to come
With trembling hands
Of broken innocence
She bows and breaks
‘Neath her heavy load
For time has held her ransom

Will justice reign
Will truth prevail
Will any take their stand for mercy
Who’ll choose to walk the narrow way
And touch a broken world with healing
Will justice reign

Her children cry
From sorrow’s depths
Grieving for life as it could have been
But we close our eyes
Until the image fades
Living on the borrowed time of excuses

Will justice reign
Will truth prevail
Will any take their stand for mercy
Who’ll choose to walk the narrow way
And touch a broken world with healing
Will justice reign

Breathe

A website to inspire you to live a simpler, less consumerist, more thankful and more generous life www.ibreathe.org.uk

Water Walk

Last year, around 20,000 children and parents took part in sponsored walks in villages, towns and cities across the UK as part of the Turn on the Tap campaign.

This year, the walk is going global.

organisations in Australia, Canada and Europe have got together to organise a Global Walk for Water – inviting schools and churches, children and parents, young and old to go for a local walk with a global impact.

1,000s of people across the globe…all walking 1 million miles….raising 1 million pounds in the UK alone…for families living without clean water.

Want to be a part of it?

I would like to arrange a walk for water inviting church and friends
on Monday May 4th- here's some details. Its 4 miles so suitable for all ages, including small children. How about Tynemouth along the beach to Whitley Bay and back http://www.turnonthetap.org.uk/walkforwater

 

Any thoughts? Is this a good date?

EU donor countries are helping to meet the MDGs

On Wednesday April 9th, the European Commission launched its yearly update on how EU donor countries are helping to meet the MDGs. This year President Barroso and Commissioner for Development Louis Michel used the opportunity to make some key announcements on advancing crucial development assistance for African countries. It’s fantastic that the leadership of the Commission is putting development matters so high on his political agenda. Less than a week after the London Summit, the Commission outlined three main ways it would act to help developing countries combat the effects of this economic crash:
Read more

http://www.one.org/blog/2009/04/09/european-commission-update/

What’s your carbon reduction strategy?

In this week's British Medical Journal

by Fiona Godlee, editor, BMJ

Back in 2006 I wrote an Editor’s Choice called "What did you do about climate change Mum?" read here. It suggested that doctors might start measuring their carbon footprint. The most interesting thing about this short piece was the response it received on bmj.com read here. What was this stuff doing in a medical journal? What was I doing uncritically accepting the propaganda of the global warming lobby?

Things have changed since then. WHO’s director general Margaret Chan has called climate change the biggest public health challenge of the 21st century. And last week the UN and Red Cross warned that a humanitarian crisis caused by droughts, floods, storms, and heatwaves could overwhelm relief agencies read here. Most chilling for me was a comment at a meeting at the Royal College of Physicians last year. When asked what people should do about climate change, Tom Burke of Rio Tinto said "Don’t be under 40."

To look at the editorial click here

Rowan Williams warns of ecological doomsday

The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned that the world faces an ecological “doomsday” if the issues of climate change and the environment are ignored.
Read more here

Stop new coal power stations in the UK

As part of the Carbon Fast, Tearfund have asked us to take action and treat climate change as a justice issue. We can take action to stop new coal power stations now!

Climate change is happening now, and it’s hitting the poorest hardest. But the UK government is set to give the go-ahead to new, coal-fired power stations which would emit massive amounts of greenhouse gas. Please urge the government to say ‘no’ to new coal power stations.

If built, Kingsnorth power station will release 8.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year – more than Kenya’s annual emissions. (Source: Earthscan, The Atlas of Climate Change, 2006. We are finding that climate change is already affecting the world’s poorest people through floods, droughts and rising sea levels. But poor communities produce only a tiny fraction of the greenhouse gases that are causing climate change. The average annual emissions of a UK citizen are 32 times higher than a Kenyan. (Source: Earthscan, The Atlas of Climate Change, 2006)

With one hand, the UK government is striving to get climate change under control. It has introduced the Climate Change Bill to cut UK emissions and is working on an international climate change agreement.

But with the other hand, the government is doing the opposite – looking to approve new, coal power stations, beginning with Kingsnorth in Kent. These will make it nearly impossible for the UK to make the emissions cuts promised in the Climate Change Bill.

Tearfund is mobilising Christians and churches to ask the government to say ‘no’ to new coal power stations and promote renewable energy and energy efficiency instead. Take action.
Find out more and send an e-mail to Gordon Brown here
here
Please take action. We need to act urgently to ensure that the government works to prevent climate catastrophe for the world’s poorest people.

Please pray

*
* That the government will take the right steps to promoting clean energy in the UK
* That the government won't build new coal-fired power stations
That Christians will set an example with their lifestyles in protecting creation and living in a way that doesn’t harm poor communities"
http://www.tearfund.org/Campaigning/Climate+change+and+disasters/Coal.htm

You can sign the put people first petition

here

More details on how the Church is contributing to this campaign, and also the church service that's part of Saturday's events in London, can be found here

Put People First

David Golding of Make Poverty History North East has highlighted the Put people first coalition which says:"The financial crisis has graphically demonstrated to people in rich and poor countries that the current international economic system doesn't work. We need a radically different economic system which puts people and the planet first. The only sustainable way to rebuild the global system is to create a fair distribution of wealth that provides decent jobs and public services for all, to end global poverty and inequality and to build a green economy. I call upon the G20 leaders to Put People First when they meet in London on April 2nd." Why don't we add our names to this petition or go to the church service, march and rally in London on 28th March, just before the meeting of the G20 group of world leaders.
Put People First is a major new coalition of British agencies uniting to promote the interest of ordinary people, and particularly the poor, throughout the world. Its members include Cafod, Christian Aid, Jubilee Debt Campaign, Micah Challenge, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund, Traidcraft, and scores of others. Website, www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk

Puddles of Grace

As I sit quietly,
Snug in the warm
I am content to listen,
To the relentless downpour;
Watching as droplets
Collide with the glass
And slide down in rivers
To pool on the grass.

A necessary hindrance
To the tasks of the day
The water collects
And over pedestrians does spray.
Its purpose and importance
So easily forgot
To those of us who live
Where it is less hot.

But to those who live
In the dry, arid lands
And whose breath is sucked out
By the harsh, parched sands,
The droplets of mercy,
That fall from the heavens,
Bring healing and hope
And sustenance to millions.

How much we take for granted
In our lands of plenty
Where food and water’s consumed
And our bellies never empty
Yet we don’t taste the joy
Or feel the pleasure
Of finding puddles of grace
That bring life without measure.

Becca Mayo 2009

Food Justice

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it...and God said ’It will be yours for food’. Gen 2:15 and 1:29.

I find it interesting that the first picture God gives us of His created world is a model for sustainable food production, of Adam as a farmer. The fact that there is widespread hunger in the world can only mean that we are not stewarding the earth as God intended it. Surely providing sufficient food for all is one of the foundational principles of justice.
So where have we gone wrong? What do we do to make it right? Where should we as Christians be investing our time, efforts and money in changing this?
When I started looking at this issue I needed to change the way I referred to poorer countries. I grew up learning to use the phrase ‘Developed World’ for our richer western countries and ‘Developing World’ for countries in poverty. This somehow implies that they need to catch us up, to take on our way of thinking. I prefer now to use ‘Minority World’ and ‘Majority World’ which alters my perspective to what the majority in the world experience.
I think it would be fair to say that today we in the Minority World see food as a commodity. ‘Corn futures’, wheat crops, coffee, beef etc are all part of the stock exchange with their associated profits and losses fuelling multi-national commercial interests. The Majority of the world see food as a basic requirement for life.
50 years or so ago the Majority World was dominated by small-scale farming where people provided their own food and traded the surplus for additional income. In more recent years they have been encouraged to enter world markets and produce large-scale single crops such as coffee, wheat, rice etc that can be sold for a profit to the Minority world. Whilst this profit does benefit the local farmers and they are able to buy food for their family with their income from the crop, it nevertheless benefits Western companies too.
This is a significant change and has significant implications. One of the results of this change is that crops produced by the Majority become subject to the vagaries of world trade. When prices in the world stock fluctuate, or are affected by the present credit crisis, the price of the crop drops dramatically. This leaves the Majority farmers with an abundance of, for example, coffee, which has little financial value to them and more crucially will not feed them. Or as a cruel contrast, in Peru, the birthplace of the potato, the price is such that a man’s yearly crop of potatoes is only worth around $40. World Vision recently had a campaign focussed on Peru to widen children’s diets to combat malnutrition, the result of a reliance on eating the surplus potato crop. They could grow the potatoes but not sell them. We all remember the Ethiopian famine in the 1980’s but do we remember that the Minority world continued to buy food from them throughout the crisis?
Another key issue is that the world’s population has increased substantially and so the last century has seen a vast increase in the need for land on which to grow crops. Thousands of years ago a hunter-gatherer needed approximately 20 hectares per person to support a life. The population of our world measured against available land now results in only 0.25 hectares per person and it is predicted that by 2050 this will drop to 0.1 hectares. This has fuelled a change in food production in two ways.
Firstly, we needed to improve the yield of each crop. The Industrial Revolution started the much needed improvements in farming technique and more recently scientists developed the genetic modification of crops and better chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These technologies surely started off with good intentions but they have become entangled with serious political and moral issues. Morally and ecologically do we want to genetically modify food and potentially pollute the land with chemicals? Politically do we want to invest in the multi-national companies that develop and produce genetically modified seeds and chemicals at the expense of the farmers?
In Senegal, where World Vision have a large supportive presence, the Government’s response to a recent widespread food crisis has been to give two thirds of the allocated $792 million budget to subsidizing the development and production of fertilizers, seeds and pesticides. The money, and therefore profit, is in the main therefore directed to foreign owned, international corporations whilst the people continue to go hungry. Farmers in Britain are giving up their farms not because their land is unproductive, or because they no longer love farming, or because there isn’t a market for food. They are giving up because it is unprofitable. Our farmers are also at the mercy of big business interests.
The second development resulting from the need to increase food production has been to increase the amount of land available for crops. Again, this sounds like a good strategy but is currently resulting in huge areas of precious rain forest being cut down, cultivated for a few years but then abandoned, as the soil is not appropriate for agriculture. The 1930’s saw Roosevelt’s New Deal encouraging farmers to cultivate the vast plains of America’s heartland. The result was the dessication of the light soils which went on to create a devastating wind blown dust cloud which killed hundreds and blighted the land.
So what can we do?
Firstly, I am uncomfortable with a generic ‘condemning of the corporations’ and an attitude of suspicion towards science and technology. The issues are complex and evidence often contradictory. I prefer to pray for wisdom for those leaders responsible for food production and discernment for scientists in their developments. We need to expand our food production efficiency but in ways that do not abuse the land or leave the farmers unsupported. We are all part of the solution and it is unhelpful to see it as ‘them and us’.
Secondly, I think that a clear moral principle should be to provide food first with profit being a secondary priority. I think that God wants us to allow the Majority to provide their own food before providing for the Minority. We should get their surplus and not their first fruits. This can only be done with a change in the attitude of western investors. We can encourage this by supporting lobbying groups such as the World Development Movement and by buying food from the Majority World at a reasonable price that allows them to live full lives, that is fairly traded products.
Thirdly, we should be fighting for smaller scale, organic, sustainable, good quality food production across the world. We should be speaking out against the craving for cheap food as this is driven by profit rather than provision. In addition the evidence is that cheap, fast food is of poorer nutritional quality and rarely respects the earth it’s grown in. I believe we should be buying more locally produced, organic food to support our farmers. This would also serve to reduce our reliance on transporting food long distances, therefore reducing our individual carbon footprints.
I think we need to return to the principles of Genesis where Adam was a good steward of the earth whilst also being a farmer and provider of food. Our faith in God should convince us that we can produce enough food for our survival without abusing the stewardship of the earth. We need to move away from the slavery of profit to patterns of sustainable farming. We need to restore the close relationship between our food and our land, between justice and provision.


Helen Fairmaner

Dalit education

India’s outcaste Dalits have injustice, indignity, discrimination and been made to feel they are outcasts. Operation Mercy, the development wing of Operation Mobilisation India, has brought hope for people from the lowest caste who have been referred to as "dogs" living in the slums, and treated as inhuman as depicted in the film Slumdog Millionare
Operation Mercy's website says "Without education many of the children of the Dalit communities of India will be condemned to a life of bonded labour, begging, continual abuse and hopelessness. An English medium education opens the doors to opportunities that would have been forever denied to them. This education is based on a Christian Worldview and value system and lifts these children out of the oppressive caste inferiority mindset and gives them spiritual freedom, social equality and personal dignity."
After ten years, the first 28 students to begin and complete their studies at the schools have just graduated. Their smiling faces during a special graduation ceremony bore testimony to their transformed lives. OM is responding to the Dalits’ cries for help and now oversees 80 schools across India that are providing 14,000 Dalit children with an education.
Many of us who went to the Stand heard from Dalit Freedom Network President Dr. Joseph D’souza tell stories of those Dalits who had tragic stories but had begun to find freedom, hope and life in all its fulness. God is loving and just and the example of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit is working today is the lives of these people. Wow.
To see more or sponsor a child see http://www.daliteducation.org/

The Rise Up Prayer

By Joel Edwards, International Director of Micah Challenge

Father, we stand before you in prayer as the global economic crisis casts a shadow over the peoples of the earth. We have been reminded that in a world as closely connected as ours, each of our actions affects the whole. We are sorry when we have failed to act beyond our narrow interests. Help us to live as a community and care for others, especially the vulnerable and the poor amongst us.

As the G20 meet, we ask for wisdom for the leaders of the world. Where nations have pushed their agendas on others; bring partnership and love. Where people have lived their lives disconnected from their brothers and sisters in other countries; bring solidarity and compassion. Where efforts for good have been frustrated; bring breakthrough. May we see the dawning of a new world, with your values at its heart: a world of justice, mercy and humility.

Lord, we thank you for the promises which governments have already made in the Millennium Development Goals because we know their power to lift millions of people out of poverty. May that same spirit of global partnership be evident at the G20, may the poor not be forgotten in the midst of crisis.

Father, help us to rise up. For who will raise a voice and reach out a hand to conform this world more to your plan, if not us your people? As your Church worldwide we rise up in prayer, in speaking out and in demonstrating your way of life that out of the ruins of this current crisis might rise up a hope for a better world.

In Jesus name, Amen

http://www.micahchallenge.org.uk/takefive/09Mar_takefive.htm#prayer

Fair Trade for Cadbury's Dairy Milk

Nigel King has posted about Cadbury's and Fairtrade, see his blog http://all-about-what.blogspot.com
"One of the best pieces of news I have heard in a long while is the decision by Cadbury to turn their brand leader into a Fair Trade product from Autumn 2009. Apart from the fact that it is my favourite chocolate, and so I will not have to feel guilty about enjoying it, it is also one of the most popular brands of confectionery in the UK and this new turn of events will bring enormous benefits to the Ghanaian farming communities that produce the cocoa that goes into the product.

Cadbury's was, of course, begun by a Quaker family, and people of this particular religious persuasion are well known for their social concern and action (and chocolate: Fry's, Rowntree's and Cadbury's were all originally founded by Quaker families noted for their philanthropy). In particular, Cadbury's developed Bournville (now a district of Birmingham) for its workers, providing them with good-quality housing as well as good working conditions. This clear action on behalf of the world's poor in modern times is a welcome restatement of those old values.

Cadbury's has even decided to absorb the costs of going fair trade and will not be passing on the cost to the consumer. Whilst I am pleased that my favourite treat will not cost me anymore, I am more pleased for the indication that it seems, for Cadbury's, people are more important than profits.

I would like to see more companies doing this kind of thing, and doing it not just because the public applies pressure for it but because it is right. Too long the wealthy West has exploited the Third World. We cannot morally continue to grow rich and feed off the fat of the land whilst keeping the people who farm it in poverty. If they have something we want we should be willing to pay for it.

So, Cadbury's, in the words of the old TV advert, 'Award yourself the CDM.' Well done! Keep up the good work.

For more information, simply google 'Cadbury Fair Trade'."

Lifestyle change

Brennan Manning wrote that 'the greatest cause of atheism is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him with their lifestyle.'
How does learning about God's heart for the poor, healing on the streets and doing lifegroup come together? Am I just picking up the latest new thing or doing what God wants. I don't want to become an eco-pharisee or spout off about things I have just heard about but haven't made any changes in my lifestyle. People seem to be looking for authenticity and reality in this post-modern age and this is what challenges their ideas and beliefs. It is easy to project an image of doing good, but the challenge I'm finding is much more difficult is being good. Jesus' words in Matthew 5 :48 "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" seem unrealistic, when you know me like I do!! Thankfully it isn't about just doing lots of things to get Brownie points with God, instead Micah 6:8 "And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God". I need lots of grace to do that.
Mike Wood said last weekend that it is not so much that we believe in Jesus (even the demons do that), but that we become practitioners, we act out what we believe. Mike Frost (http://www.eauk.org/slipstream/resources/mike-frost-next-generation-church.cfm) challenged me in a series of talks called "Future Church" that we think we know about Jesus, but don't often look at the way he lived and treated people as a template for our own life.
I hate to say this, but what I know I need is balance, between doing and being, believing and behaving, the macro and the micro levels, loving and living it out, rather than just thinking and talking.
How I live reflects whom I believe in. My prayer is that I reflect more of what Jesus is like each day

Cadbury's Dairy Milk will be Fairtrade

Good news for chocoholics, now that Cadbury's has bowed to pressure to buy Fairtrade cocoa and use it in Dairy milk, but is it just a cynical move or will it bring real benefits?

Stop the Traffik praised Cadbury for the decision, which comes two years into its Chocolate Campaign to see chocolate manufacturers to use only ethically produced cocoa. The coalition's founder, Steve Chalke, is calling on other chocolate manufacturers to follow Cadbury's example.

"This is a very significant step in our campaign. We congratulate Cadburys on their commitment to justice and now look to their policy being adopted across their entire product range as well as to their lead being followed by other manufacturers.

"But the Stop the Traffik Chocolate Campaign marches on. We now call on Mars and other manufacturers to follow Cadbury’s lead and abandon their reliance on the use of cocoa produced through trafficked and exploitative forms of child labour," he said.

Question:"Can Cadburys guarantee that Dairy Milk will remain Fair Trade even if the price of cocoa in the world markets falls? It appears that Cadburys has become Fair Trade simply because, due to a shortfall in cocoa bean supplies, it is already paying more than the Fair Trade threshold set by certifying bodies. It is in effect just changing its packaging and creating a PR opportunity out of difficult market conditions."

Barbara from the Fairtrade Foundation writes “Hi. We're really excited here about this fantastic news for the cocoa growers. Cocoa prices are higher at the moment, but despite this, through the Fairtrade deal Cadbury have committed to paying an extra Fairtrade premium of $150 per tonne to the farmers' groups on top of the market price. This premium is for the farmers' organisations to invest in building better, stronger communities - and they choose themselves what these projects should be.

Secondly, our Fairtrade rules state that companies must continue to pay at least the Fairtrade minimum price and the premium, even if the market falls below this level. So any company that wants to use the FAIRTRADE Mark has to do that. The companies are independently audited by us in order to make sure the farmers continue to benefit, and we're a not-for-profit charity answerable in turn to the likes of Oxfam, Christian Aid, and representatives of Fairtrade producer groups too.”

2.5 billion people without proper toilet facilities

I have been thinking what 2.5 billion people looks like, and stuggled to get my head round it. If there's 250000 people in Newcastle that's 10000 cities the size of Newcastle or 50000 St James' Park capacity. Sometime numbers are just mindblowing and meaningless, until we see the face of some of those people. Sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, friends and neighbours, work colleagues. There's no other way to put it, IT IS WRONG! How can I be so blase, when day by day I have sufficient and so may are without. Its not to say that I as a Western christian have everything to give and that those in subsaharan Africa, for example, have nothing to give to me. Far from it, friends who have been to Chad tell me that in one of the poorest countries in the world with a hand to mouth existence, there is real faith and above all real joy. How can that be? Becuase they don't take things for granted. father forgive me for taking things for granted, make me grateful for what I have and generous with my resources

What are the 50 things that really could save the planet?

The Environment agency put this question to a range of leading environmentalists – from businesses, NGOs, the media, think tanks and our own organisation. Then added up the results.
The appeal comes through loud and clear from our panel – religious leaders need to make the planet their priority. ‘The world’s faith groups have been silent for too long on the environment,’ says Nick Reeves. ‘It is time that they fulfilled their rightful collective role in reminding us that we have a duty to restore and maintain the ecological balance of the planet.’ Penney Poyzer puts it rather more graphically. ‘Organised religion of all denominations, PLEASE get your congregations to make caring for our rapidly decomposing, landfill site of a planet the utmost priority,’ she says. Chris Goodall agrees, urging different faith groups to come together. ‘They need to form a coalition to encourage their followers to set an example to the rest of the population,’ he says. Paul Brown argues that Christians, Muslims, Hindus and others already believe that it is morally wrong to damage the environment. The problem is that many people simply choose to ignore this.
http://www.hopeforplanetearth.moonfruit.com/#/media/4526849785

Carbon Fast

This week is the beginning of Lent, a time leading up to Easter, when we often think about fasting, something to help our minds, bodies and spirits and concentrate on God and what he did for the world in Jesus.
This Lent it would be great to participate in caring for creation, reducing greenhouse gases, changing our behaviour and being a catalyst to do the same. Tearfund have come up with some great resources and ideas to do help us do this and call it the Carbon Fast. Here's a link to their resources http://www.tearfund.org/Campaigning/Carbon+Fast.htm

Just Cause - the abolition of the slave trade

On 23 February 1807 the British Parliament voted to abolish the Transatlantic slave trade after 245 years of profiting from human misery. In this article first published in Plain Truth magazine, Fiona Veitch Smith asks why it takes Christians so long to act in favour of just causes.

In 1562, the Elizabethan privateer John Hawkins, shipped the first British cargo of men, women and children from Africa to the Americas. My mother’s name was Hawkins and there is a chance that John might have been my great ancestor. He was later knighted and served as a rear admiral during the defeat of the Spanish Armada. For some he was a hero, for others a tyrant. Hawkins was not considered a devout man, but, like most Europeans of his time, claimed to be a Christian.

Many more ‘obvious’ Christians were involved in slavery, including the great evangelist George Whitefield who owned over 50 people. Theologian and revivalist Jonathan Edwards was also a slaveholder but his son, Jonathan Jnr, spoke out against the trade in the 1780s.

John Newton, the famous writer of ‘Amazing Grace’ who was converted on board his slave ship in 1750, only voiced his opposition to the trade in 1788 [1]. The Anglican Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) owned slaves in the Caribbean and branded the word ‘SOCIETY’ on their chests [2].

Muted Opposition
For around two centuries, Christian opposition to slavery was muted with only a handful of people such as the American Quaker Anthony Benezet and the English Anglican Granville Sharp, speaking out against its intrinsically evil nature. Many Christians decried the brutality of the trade, but they would have been content to see it ‘humanised’ not abolished. Still others only objected when slave owners prevented the evangelisation of Africans in their keep [3].
Even the influential group of Evangelical Anglicans who gathered around Barham Court in Teston during the 1770s initially only called for benevolent reform. This philanthropic group was made up of aristocratic men and women, such as the poet Hannah More, the charitable recluse Elizabeth Bouverie, Lady Margaret Middleton and her husband Charles (a comptroller of the Royal Navy) and the Bishop of Chester, Beilby Porteus.

They hoped to use their social standing to influence the moral tone of the nation and the cleaning up of the slave trade became a cause celebre. Bishop Porteus called for laws to ‘restrain abusive slaveholders and for initiatives that would provide the enslaved protection, security, encouragement, improvement and conversion.’ [4]

In answer to some slaveholders’ concern that allowing Christian instruction would lead to an undermining of authority and curbing of profits, Lady Middleton replied that preaching the gospel ‘would be the most profitable means of making slaves diligent and faithful; for it would awaken conscience within them, to be a strict overseer, and a severe monitor, whom they could not evade.’ [5]

The Quakers
The Quakers have rightly been credited as providing the impetus for the abolition of the slave trade. They, plus the Evangelical Anglicans from the famous Clapham Sect, founded the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1787. But the British Quakers had been aware of the horrors of slavery in the Americas for decades before this.

The irrepressible Pennsylvanian Quaker, Anthony Benezet, had written to his London brethren as early as 1766, asking them to lobby for the abolition of the trade. He also wrote to John Wesley, the Countess of Huntingdon and the Archbishop of Canterbury. [6]
But it was only in 1782 that a small committee of London Quakers was convened in response to Benezet’s repeated appeals. Admittedly, Britain’s war with the American colonists prohibited more vigorous action. But with the war over and the mood in Britain decidedly anti the colonial upper classes, the time was ripe for a more concerted effort.

The abolitionists
In 1787 the Quaker committee joined forces with likes of Granville Sharp, William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson and formed the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. They lobbied public opinion around the country and collected 100 petitions containing 60,000 signatures, mainly from Christians. But despite this promising start it was another 20 years before they convinced parliament to abolish the trade. The French Revolution and the subsequent war diverted the nation’s attention, so another generation of African children had to suffer.

The war was not the only excuse. The financial motivation behind the slave trade was no secret. The British Empire flourished on it. Politically influential people, including many Christians, had made their fortunes on it, and they were not going to give it up that easily. But as the petitions of 1787 - 88 showed, the groundswell of public opinion was turning against it. This was due, in part, to some eloquent and moving pamphleteering by free black Christians such as Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano [7]. The essays of ex-slaveholder and church minister James Ramsay also caused a stir so that literate and freethinking Christians no longer had the excuse that they ‘did not know’.

Delayed action
Yet why did it take so long to happen? Let’s not forget that in 1807 only the trade in slaves was abolished, not slavery itself. That took until 1832, and even then, slaveholders were granted a 10-year phasing out period and £20 million in compensation out of the taxpayer’s pocket. And of course, only the British trade was abolished. France and Denmark abolished slavery in 1848, Holland in 1863 and the United States in 1865. The Spanish turned a blind eye to ‘illegal imports’ until 1867. Cuba’s slaves were finally freed in 1886 and Brazil, the last colonial slaveholder, in 1888 - a hundred and one years after the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was formed.[8]

Of course, that was not the end of slavery. The European trade in slaves to the Americas would not have been possible without the co-operation of African traders and rulers. And slavery, in its indigenous form, continued on that continent and in Asia well into the colonial period. And it still does today. But more of that later.

For now, the question still remains: why did Europeans who considered themselves ‘good Christians’ fail to speak out against the transatlantic slave trade for so long? I would like to suggest six reasons:

1. Ignorance
As the New World was opened up, many people believed the stories of explorers that indigenous Africans, Asians and Americans were not really ‘human’. But that excuse wore thin. Educated black people were becoming more common and their ‘humanity’ was no longer questioned by the majority of Europeans in the enlightened 18th century.

2. Lack of biblical clarity
Christians wanting to defend slavery cited the fact that the Bible didn’t actually condemn it. This argument was countered by the likes of Olauday Equiano who pointed out that biblical slavery was really just indentured servitude and that God’s Year of Jubilee was designed to free all who were enslaved every seven years.
Other abolitionists argued that the emancipation of slaves was on Jesus’ agenda and an outworking of his Gospel of the Kingdom. [9]

3. Lack of empathy with ‘others’
It was simply a matter of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Most of the early abolitionists only started speaking out against the trade when they saw the horrors of it first hand. Slavery was never officially condoned within the borders of the British Isles, but somehow, what happened half a world away, didn’t matter as much.

4. Economic issues
There was a general understanding that the wealth of the Empire was dependent on forced labour. However unpalatable the institution of slavery was to most people, few were prepared to make the financial sacrifices necessary to end it. Even the abolitionists understood this, and needed to show that the whole economy would not collapse if the trade was banned.
But some did, such as the Methodist Samuel Bradburn: ‘(I) have always abhorred slavery in every shape (and have been) in some degree accessory to the Bondage, Torture and Death of myriads of human beings by assisting to consume the produce of their labour, their tears and their blood!’
He went on to ask God’s pardon and hoped that by boycotting sugar he could ‘make some restitution for my former want of attention to my duty in this respect.’ [10]

5. Fear of persecution
The Society of Friends were at the forefront of abolitionism. But it took them a long time to do so. Many Quakers were involved in the slave trade and were only forbidden to do so in the 1770s. Another concern was the fear of persecution. Religious toleration was relatively new in Great Britain, and many Quakers feared that by speaking out against contentious issues such as slavery, their own privileges might be curtailed. [11]

6. Fear of association
Some Anglican Christians feared that by speaking out against slavery they would be labelled a ‘methodist’ or ‘evangelical’ which in the 18th Century was less than respectable. William Wilberforce’s mother had that very fear for her son. [12]

Slavery today
I believe that the same issues prevent Christians from speaking out today. There are more slaves now than were seized from Africa in four centuries of the transatlantic slave trade. National Geographic estimates that there are 27 million men, women and children enslaved in the world today. They are either physically confined or restrained and forced to work, or controlled through violence.[13] This time we cannot claim ignorance. Day after day, newspapers, broadcasts and webcasts detail the horrors of exploitative labour practices, child labour and sex and drug trafficking.

What can I do?
We know what’s going on, so why don’t we do something about it? ‘What can I do?’ I hear you ask. Well you may not be able to stop child labour on your own, but if you and a million others stop buying goods made by children, you might make a difference. As journalist John Pilger reminds us: ‘Make sure your money helps rather than harms the world’s poor.’ [14] You may not agree with everything John Pilger says, but that shouldn’t stop you supporting a just cause. Remember the respectable Anglicans who didn’t want to be labelled ‘methodists’?

As a student in South Africa in the late 1980s I was involved in a number of anti-apartheid protests. A slogan of one of the anti-apartheid groups was ‘one settler, one bullet’. As a white ’settler’ I found this very disturbing and I certainly didn’t want to endorse such views by my participation in protest rallies. Nor did I believe in the absolute communism of other protesters. There were yet others who saw the Christian church as a vehicle for white oppression. But although I did not agree with the goals, views or methods of some of the protesters, I did agree that the ending of apartheid was a ‘just cause’.

Strange bed fellows
Some readers might have participated in the Make Poverty History Campaign. I didn’t make it up to Edinburgh in July 2005 but I saw newsclips and videos. Marching side by side were evangelical Christians, atheists, anarchists, gay-rights activists, anti-war protesters, animal-rights campaigners, Islamic fundamentalists and Western pop stars. Strange bedfellows indeed.
Politics and religion are a volatile mix that have led to some explosive encounters in my life. In a recent edition of the Plain Truth I wrote an article on the possibility of Muslims and Christians being friends. As a result one reader assumed I read the Guardian and voted for Blair. It was also suggested that someone with my ‘liberal’ opinions was likely to be in favour of gay adoption rights. On the other hand I was recently labelled a right-wing, fundamentalist, narrow-minded non-intellectual Christian by someone of a more ‘liberal’ persuasion. The truth, as usual, is somewhere in between.

God’s eyes
I pray that we will stop seeing the world through political glasses and start seeing it through God’s. Forget about what the Labour Party or the Conservative Party or the Republican Party or the environmentalists or the capitalists or the communists say about certain issues, the only question for us is: what does God say? This, of course, is not always an easy answer. But there are some things that are clear cut: God hates human suffering. What are we doing to stop it?
Two hundred years ago Christians led a campaign to end their country’s involvement in slavery. They might have taken a while to get started, but at least they finally did. In two hundred years time, if the Lord still tarries, I wonder how the Christians of today will be judged.

Footnotes
1. John Newton, Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade, 1788
2. John Coffey, ‘The Abolition of the slave trade: Christian conscience and political Action’, Cambridge Papers, Volume 15, Number 2, June 2006
3. See Chapter 1 in Christopher Leslie Brown, Moral Capital, Chapel Hill, 2006.
4. Ibid p352
5. Ibid p350
6. Ibid p401
7. Caretta, V. Unchained Voices: An Anthology of Black Authors in the English-speaking World of the 18th Century University of Kentucky Press, 1996
8. John Coffey ibid .
9. ibid
10. Samuel Bradburn An Address, p6 as quote in Coffey ibid
11. See Christopher Leslie Brown, Chapter 7, ibid
12. Encarta Encyclopedia, 2003 ‘William Wilberforce’
13. Andrew Cockburn ’21st Century Slaves’ National Geographic, 2003
14. John Pilger The New Rulers of the World
An edited version of this article appeared in Plain Truth as ‘What Took You So Long’?, February 2007">