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/