Over the last 3 years Kings Church has acquired, raised money for and refurbished what is now the Kings Centre.; a good sized hall, office and meeting room, right in the heart of the city of Edinburgh. Last Thursday we officially opened the building with a lunch time launch event, attended by around 45 community and church members. The focus point of the 45 minute event was a slideshow and speech by Matthew Clifton-Brown, a short speech by MSP Malcolm Chisholm and the all important ribbon cutting. It was a great chance to drink a cheeky glass of champagne in the middle of the day, and make some important community connections. I think we were all somewhat surprised not only that people turned up, but that they were genuinely interested in what we are about and what we are planning to do. Some of those in attendance were the Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police David Strang, MP Mark Lazarowicz, various local church leaders and those involved in the building project. However, perhaps the most important people to attend were those from local charities and businesses in our locality. Many of whom were not only interested in how we are planning to use the building, but want to get involved. A local minority women’s mental health charity is especially interested in our mother and toddler’s group, as many of their clients have young children.

Other than church use, the primary function of the building is a community facility. We want the Kings Centre to be somewhere that is well known to the local community. Events we are planning in the near future include a mothers and toddler group, an elderly cafe, educational classes – parenting, marriage, money issues etc and social events. The hall will also be available for use by a variety of local community groups. We want to be a useable facility, where people can relax and have fun, where relationships can be built and skills can learnt. My hope is that in time the centre will grow, both in terms of its use and it’s scope. I do believe there will be a time when Kings Church are providing large scale services to the community – whether that be debt counselling or a befriending service, or something else entirely.



The big dreams that I have for the Kings Centre mean that the connections formed last Thursday were by far the most valuable thing to come from the launch. There is only a certain amount of ‘profile raising’ that can be done in only 45 minutes with only 45 people, but connections are something that will hopefully last. People now know that we are here and that we want to get involved in what is going on in our community. At this point we can’t know exactly where these connections will lead, but in itself I find that exciting.

Kings Church now has this building, this centre - something that has only come about through prayer and generous donation. It is shiny and new and just waiting to be used. On Thursday we celebrated that with champagne and canapés and a cake in the shape of the building! I can’t wait to look back in 5 years time and see how many different people have come through the doors and how many new relationships have been formed.

Pressing forwards

This is a really exciting time for Kings Church. For many of us, it feels as if this 'new chapter' we have been living on the edge of for some time now is actually beginning. It's so exciting to be in the new building, and all the possibilities that it will open up. There are so many things I would like to use it for, but I don't want to run away with myself...we don't even have a completion certificate yet.

So what, I hear you cry, have I been doing in the mean time. Well, aside from redoing the church notice boards, picking up food for the launch event and painting the new hall, I have found some time for social outreach related activities!

My main focus at the moment is on small groups. If we really want our outreach into the community to be church wide, and not just done by a few selected individuals, then the best level to work at is small groups. The plan is that each small group will research into their own area and, with guidance, decide as a group what they want to do. So, maybe one group will want to go and visit the elderly in a local old peoples home, or help their neighbours with some shopping. Some may want to be more adventurous, and decide to make over a local park or provide a decorating service. It really is up to the group, and based on their interests and passions, combined with local need. Perhaps they will decide to carry out their activity one week a month, instead of small group. Or, for groups that have a little more time on their hands, they may pick another time of the week that works for them. This not only encourages everyone to get involved, but fosters a sense of group ownership. These are activities that people can really get involved in, excited about, and know that they personally are making a difference.

We are still a little while away from launching this, and so in the mean time I am trying to get ready. I am putting together resource packs for small group leaders, as well as a set of small group notes that we will introduce shortly. These will encourage the groups to get thinking of ideas, learn about why social and community outreach is important, and formulate a plan of action.
This is a plan that has been formulating in my head for quite some time now. I have so many thoughts and ideas, the challenge is to write small group notes that are as clear, inspiring, challenging and as informative as possible. They should leave the groups knowing that they must do something, forming ideas as to what they can do, and knowing how to go about it.

I am really excited about launching this. There are various other things we are looking into at the same time, mainly debt management and befriending the elderly, but this is a way of starting small, of trying new things, and really just getting stuck in. It's not about running a big centrally owned church project, but about each small group just getting out there, forming relationships, and serving their community. The bigger things will come in time.

Endings and beginnings

I am at a slightly odd point in my job. Really, all that is left to do at the moment is get on and start things. I have finished my report summing up the last 4 months research, I have written an initial plan of how small group community action could work, and I have looked into various courses and classes, some debt counselling options. I have pulled together resources that can be used by myself and by small group leaders for inspiration and mobilisation. And all of a sudden I feel at a bit of a loose end. What to do now? We are still waiting on getting the hall finished and the big launch - once that is done there will be many more options for us. I guess it's because we are at a point, as a church, where things aren't and can't be just left up to me. More discussions need to be had and decisions need to be made before we can really press forwards. For all that I feel at a temporary standstill, it's exciting. It finally feels like we are on the edge of something. We are so close. I just want to get started!

Not that I want you to be under the illusion that I am simply sat in the office twiddling my thumbs. While it may be difficult to resist the procrastination of facebook and twitter, there are still various things to be getting on with it. I guess it just feels bitty, and I don't like bits!
One thing I am working on is an essay. The idea is that around April/May time I will present it to the church (or whoever in the church would like to hear it). I don't have a title yet, but I am looking at Israel and how they cared for their own community, and also the surrounding community, whilst displaying God's glory. I'm not going to pretend to know much about it yet, but New College library promises some good books, and it has only been 8 months since I finished my degree, so I can't have totally forgotten how to be academically minded...right?

My aims

So this blogging regularly thing didn't quite work out as I had intended, but new year and perhaps a new effort?..we'll see.

Not only is this a new year, but it's also marking a slight change in the focus of my work. From September to December I was primarily researching - trawling the internet and reading reports, and meeting/chatting with people from charities, counsellors, the police, local organisations, and other churches. My focus was pulling together a picture of social need in Edinburgh, looking at what is already being done and what the greatest needs are. This also involved gaining an awareness of issues that will have to be addressed as the church reaches out in this area.
Alongside this I met with the youth and various individuals within church, to gain an sense of passions, ideas and skills, and to help instil my vision of Kings Church and community involvement.

One thing I became aware of over the past 3 months, is the need to gain a balance between research and action. I have a fair picture of what is going on in Edinburgh, but obviously it is incomplete. I could spend the next 6 months continuing to research, but I am doubtful as to whether it would tell me anything groundbreakingly new. Instead I think the time is ripe to just...start! Starting small and steady and just getting stuck in. I have drawn my research together and come up with several ideas to try and take forward (ideas I am not going to share just yet!). Therefore, for the next few months, my focus is on what to do and how to do it. My research into Edinburgh is not closed, it will always be ongoing and I have another meeting with a councellor in a couple of weeks, but my primary focus has shifted.

It may help to explain what my aims for this year are; the things that I want to achieve. By the time I leave this job I aim to have:

• Increased the awareness within Kings Church of the importance of social action/community involvement and its vital place within Christian and church life.
• Gained an overview of social need within Edinburgh, existing social organisations/structures, and an awareness of the issues involved when engaging in social outreach.
• Aided the set up of several smaller scale projects withinKings Church that enable community involvement, the formation of new relationships, and personal responsibility to the poor.
  

My aim is not to set up one big project run by the church. I do not think we are not at the right stage to launch one big thing. The aim is that these smaller scale projects are seeds which will grow in time and ultimately impact many individual lives and impact those in poverty - whether that be financially, socially, or any other type of poverty. By running several smaller scale projects we will be able to see which projects work for the church, in terms of local need, passion and skills of church members, and pratical implication. I think seeing them as seeds is important - in time I do believe that they will grow, but it won't happen overnight or easily. They also may change shape and direction and end up looking very different.
Working on a smaller scale also enables various other issues to be addressed: dealing with those from different backgrounds, sacrifical giving of time, balance of working with other local organisations, and many more.

In the beginning it may not always look like we are always actively engaging in work with "the poor", but in my opinion that comes back to your personal definition of poverty.
It should also be noted that I want to aid the setting up of these projects, not do it all myself. My time in this job is limited, and if I do everything myself there is a great danger of becoming depended on to such an extent that when I go, it all collapses. Therefore, I am merely here to aid this entire process, not run it all.


Maybe sometime soon I will start talking in terms of specifics, but for now this is all you're getting!

How comfortable are you with poverty in the UK?

I find this video fascinating. Oxfam have a campaign at the moment focusing on poverty in the UK. 'How comfortable are you with poverty in the UK?' highlights the fact that 1 in 5 people in the UK are living in poverty - 3.8 million of whom are children. This video highlights many of the misconceptions and prejudices people have concerning UK poverty and the blame game. Worth watching if you have 9 minutes to spare. It brings up a lot of very worthwhile issues:

Am I bothered?


How is poverty calculated?

Poverty is calculated as 60% of median income after housing costs. This is a measure of poverty used by most researchers, the EU and the UK government. In 2005/6, the 60% threshold was worth:

• £108 per week for single adult with no dependent children;

• £186 per week for a couple with no dependent children;

• £223 per week for a single adult with two dependent children;

• £301 per week for a couple with two dependent children.

Material poverty

Poverty means not having enough money to pay for the things you need. From Oxfam’s experience of working with people living in poverty we know that this may involve families and individuals not having enough to eat, being unable to heat their homes, not having adequate warm clothing, and not having enough money to cope with unforeseen events, such as the need to repair a broken washing machince.

The 2004/5 Family Resources Survey, published by the Department for Work and Pension, reports that: 60% of people on low incomes say they are unable to make savings of £10 a month;10% cannot afford two pairs of all-weather shoes for each adult in the family; 30% cannot afford household contents insurance; and nearly 30% are unable to have friends or family round for a meal once a months.

Powerlessness

Another feature of poverty in the UK is a feeling of powerlessness and not having a say in the decisions that affect your life. The everyday experience of many of those on low incomes is frequently one of disrespect – being treated as invisible by decision-makers and not having their views taken into account.

Inequality

One of the key features of poverty in the UK is that it exists alongside high economic prosperity in a wealthy country. This leads to large disparities in income and wealth, which in themselves have a negative impact on people living on low-incomes. Poorer countries, with fairer wealth distribution are healthier, and happier, than richer more unequal countries.

Needless to say, the task at hand is huge, but thankfully so is our God

People not projects

"People do not want to be projects. The poor need a welcome to replace their marginalisation; they need inclusion to replace their exclusion; they need a place where they matter to replace their powerlessness. They need Christian community. The Christian community is more than a community in which the rich help the poor. It is a community in which broken people saved by grace struggle together to demonstrate to a lost world the liberating reality of Christ's loving rule. The proud have no place in this community because they do not recognise themselves as broken people."

p. 34-35 Micah's Challenge, Hoek & Thacker

Human Taffiking

This weekend we had the pleasure of having the leadership team of Justice and Care International with us as a church. This is an Indian based organisation that works to free people who are trapped in slavery - the most obvious kind of slavery is the sex trade, but also includes activities such as forced begging and sweat shops. The organisation was started and is led by Ashley, an Indian human rights lawyer who has been a member of our church for around a year now. Along with his wife Gia, he is in Edinburgh to do a PhD in human traffiking. At the same time he is forming many valuable links with the British government and other anti-traffiking organisations.
The Stop the Traffik website defines traffiking as:

"TRAFFICKING IS…to be deceived or taken against your will, bought, sold and transported into slavery for sexual exploitation, sweat shops, child brides, circuses, sacrificial worship, forced begging, sale of human organs, farm labour, domestic servitude.

TRAFFICKING IS… growing. 2–4 MILLION men, women and children are trafficked across borders and within their own country every year. More than one person is trafficked across borders EVERY MINUTE, which is equivalent to five jumbo jets every day. a trade that earns twice as much worldwide revenue as Coca Cola."

I was fortunate enough to spend some time with the team this weekend. I would like to relay to you what I learnt about the organisation, and the little I now know about human traffiking. As I am relaying this from my memory, I can't guarantee that every fact is entirely reliable...

The story of the organisation, right from it's birth, is testament to the work of God. Ashley was moved after seeing young girls who had been sold and trapped into the sex trade, and was led to do something about it. God then brought several other Indian Christian professionals across his path, who together began to work to free those who had been traffiked. The organisation has grown and changed over time, and what is now Justice and Care International comprises of around 45 individuals who have committed themselves to this work. Human traffiking is an international crime, with many people traded across boarders, therefore JCI's vision is to grow to have 5 bases worldwide. From what I understood, these bases would aim to work to improve awareness of traffiking in their country, and work with the government to put preventative measures in place.

In their years of work in the area of human traffiking, this team has seen hundreds of people freed from slavery. Their policy is to work with the girls (and sometimes boys) from end to end - from the moment they are freed, until they are re established into a community - often this can take years.

Their work often begins with finding out about a brothel that contains children who have been traffiked, and are begin forced to work in the sex trade. This can either be through a tip off or through their own surveillance work. The next step is to plan a raid to free the girls. Often this is with help from the police, although sometimes it works against them as police can tip the brothel off in advance. Sometimes it may take 4 or 5 attempts before a brothel is successfully raided. Once the girls have been freed they are taken into the care of social workers who take them to hospital, remain with them as they talk to the police, and get them placed in homes. The next step is to try and get a conviction and prosecution of the brothel owner, and those involved in the traffiking. The difficulty here is that many times it is the girls parents who have sold her into slavery, and she is often unwilling to either admit that to herself, or to give them up. In due course steps will be made to either get the girl back to her family, or if they were the ones who sold her then into a shared home or a flat of her own. Continued support is needed to help the girl to manage in what is now a very different world for her. Without structured support girls can often slip back into the sex trade.
Another strand to their work is community education and prevention. They are now working to try and prevent girls from being traffiked in the first place because, as they put it, for every one girl freed there may be 5 more being traffiked in. This is where working internationally comes into play, and working in partnership with governments. Another part of this is community education, challenging the ideas that many have about child prostitutes and the idea that in many cases it is the girls own fault. They have found that often the police hold these kinds of attitudes, which, aside from corruption, is often why they are unwilling to help them in their work.

This organisation is entirely made up of Christians, and prayer is central to everything it does, yet does not see itself as a 'Christian organisation' as such. They are aiming to be top class professionals in their field, whether it be police investigators, social workers or lawyers. Working with the government, with NGOs, other faith based organisations - basically anyone who is willing to work with them to combat this international crime. They have written guide books for the Indian government, the British government and the UN.

This is a huge area to try and work within. The need can seem so huge it is overwhelming and trying to do anything may at times feel pointless. Yet they are relying on God's resources and not their own, and God's resources are infinite.

Pray for them in their work. Pray for Ashley and his leadership team. The work they are doing is remarkable and immensely important, and yet there is still so much more to be done.


For more info on human traffiking:

• Not for Sale Campaign
• Stop the Traffik
• BBC News - Human Traffiking in the UK