Stepping out in Social Action

2009-05-27T17:04:00.004+02:00

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

2009-02-24T13:18:00.003+01:00

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

2009-01-28T16:14:00.003+01:00

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

2009-01-06T12:36:00.004+01:00

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?

2008-12-02T16:31:00.008+01:00

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

2008-11-19T17:24:00.003+01:00

"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

2008-11-18T17:47:00.006+01:00

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:

Issues

2008-11-12T17:08:00.003+01:00

Through my research I have come across several issues that are important to consider when getting involved in community work. I wanted to share some of those with you:

Area definition: One issues that needs to be considered is that of area. We are a church that attracts people from all over the city. Last week I pinpointed the congregation onto a map in order to work out where we we have a presence in the city and apart from key students areas we are very spread out. Working out which area constitutes our church community is then rather difficult. Whatever we decide to do must be within an area where we have some sort of a presence as a church, whether in terms of church buildings or where the congregation live.
Area resistance: The issue of area definition is important not just in understaning 'our community' but also because of area resistance. There can be a great deal of resistance of a group of seemingly fairly well off Christians going into a "poor deprived" area where they have no connections and trying to "do good works". This is also tied in with working out the approach and attitude that we have as a church when going into the type of work. Are we serving our community out of Christian love, or are we going to try and "help them" because they are "poor and disadvantaged"?
Targeted groups: One of the key areas of need that has come up again and again is that of social exclusion and isolation. The question then arises - how do we reach those that are socially excluded? How do we know where they are, what they need and what they want? There are so many isolated people out there, and one of the biggest problems can be knowing how to make that initial step of reaching out to/contacting them in the first place.
Working alone/in partnership: Do we do a project alone, do we put our resources into supporting another organisation or do we run a project in partnership with another church? This is a big one that I'm not sure I have the ability or time to try and answer right now, but it is one that is being considered. It's a big issue, with sound arguments on either side. Surely if we want to effectively impact Edinburgh and reach many people then we should work in partnership...? But then do problems of leadership and ownership not come up? Do we really need to support another organisation when there is a chance to impact an area where no one is working, to feed a very real need that is currently not being fed? Is there a way of working alongside other organisations but still running something ourselves? All BIG questions, and all being considered, not just by myself but by church leadership. No answers as yet, but they're coming...

My week

2008-11-07T17:23:00.004+01:00

Friday already. I'm really not sure how that happened - another week has flown by and I'm not even sure what I have done with my week. Let me recap, as much for myself as for you.

Tuesday:

Tuesday morning was our weekly staff meeting. Dan, Matt, Dave, Ann and myself constitute the office staff. We chat about various issues that need to be talked out/organised/worked out (most of which don't directly concern me but it's good to get an insight into the day to day workings of the church and also get some input) and we also spend some time in prayer. Occassionally other arguably less important issues make their way into the meeting - this week it was radiators, and Matt, Dan and Dave spent some time discussing the ins and outs of heating and radiators before going off to B&Q to buy some more heaters for the office...
I spent Tuesday afternoon at my desk in the office. I like Tuesdays because it's generally the only day you will get all 5 of us in at once. The office banter makes for good fun, and we do manage to get some work done inbetween.
Actually now that I think about it, Tuesday afternoon was quite productive. I had a phone chat with Simon Allen, who heads up social action for Newfrontiers in the UK. We chatted about what I am doing and he suggested which churches might be relevant for me to visit.
I also made contact with a few churches in Edinburgh and made appointments to go and meet various individuals to chat about their social outreach.
Finally I spent some time looking for Bible verses to use as visual aids for the social action proayer meeting on Sunday, before I headed home excited about the election....

Wednesday:

On Wednesday morning I went to visit Fairbridge, an organisation that works with troubled inner city youth. I met with a guy who chatted me through their programme, before showing me around the centre. They really do a great work, and have seen lives transformed and teenagers getting back into Education or into work.
I headed back to the office where I spent some more time getting resources together for the prayer meeting (I now have a whole stack of laminated pictures and Bible verses).
I also spent some time looking at the various Befriending organisations that exist in Edinburgh. One of the big needs I have found is lonliness and social exclusion. There are a lot of befriending organisations in Edinburgh, but they are all short on volunteers and their client waiting lists are huge.
My day ended with Matthew piling a whole load of magazines from charities and organisations onto my desk (he was having a clear out) which should make for some interesting reading in the future.

Friday:

Today I had another meeting, this time with Freshstart - an organisation that deal with people who have just gotten into accomodation having previously been homeless. They provide starter packs, such as bedding or kitchen items. They also run a 'hit squad' whereby a team of people will go and redecorate their flat in 2 days, as well as providing a befriending service. It's a really great organisation, who interestingly are supported entirely by churches but is not a christian organisation in itself. They really do a great and valuable job in Edinburgh but are threatened with extinction if the council cut their funding in March (which looks reasonably likely).
I left there and headed back to the office where I had the fun of plotting out (using pins) all of our church members onto a map. It's really interesting to see where everyone lives and work out where we have a presence in the city. As a church that draws people from all over the city, working out where we have a presence is very important in deciding where exactly our local community is.
Then finally, to wind up my week Ann Graham came for a cup of tea and a chat. She is a long standing church member and we had a good chat about what I am doing, how it is going, and also the theology of whether it is acceptable for christians to be rich...

So that was my week. I guess it actually was quite productive! Next week looks to be similarly busy, but I am hoping to get some time to reflect and read. I am always thinking in this job, contemplating different issues and trying to work out how they relate to us as a church, but I think I need to spend some time reading and getting things written down. Matthew (our lead elder) wants me to spend some time writing down my thoughts on the theology of social action and presenting it to him and Dan (another church elder) - something that I actually really want to do, so it'll be good to be forced to have time for it.

All in all, another good week, another week led by God, and another week of productivity!

Apostolic Burden to the Poor

2008-11-04T12:45:00.004+01:00

I want to recommend some talks to you. I have recently listened to a series of three seminar talks from the Newfrontiers Together on a Mission conference 2008 entitled 'Apostolic Burden to the Poor'. They are really excellent - informative, inspiring and challenging. I really recommend you listen to them. Stick them on your mp3 player and listen to them on the way to work, I did.

You can find them here: here (they are down towards the bottom of the page)

Go listen!

My day

2008-10-31T13:34:00.004+01:00

For all that I say I am powering forward in this job (which is true) sometimes it can be hard to work out exactly what to do on a day to day basis. More often than not I am sat in front of my computer emailing various people, or looking at maps, or trawling through organisations and church websites. Today for instance is a bit of an odd one, filled with bits and pieces. Today I:

Contacted various churches in Edinburgh about their social outreach programmes
Tried to find some good videos/pictures to do with UK poverty to use as teaching illustration
Made a vague plan for the next social action prayer meeting

Then this afternoon I am going to meet Joni from chuch who has years of experience working in addiction policy in Edinburgh. Such meetings are a chance for me to learn more about certain areas (in this case drug and alcohol addiction) as well as finding out what those in chuch are interested in and passionate about (plus in this case it's a chance to see Joni's new little baby!). If you are in Kings and want to chat over a coffee please just let me know - I'd love to meet with as many people as possible and really gain a sense of the dreams and passions of our church.

Right now I am trying to work out what to do next week - if I make a plan then I feel like I can get straight to work on Tuesday. But how do I decide what to focus on next? Sometimes there is an obvious choice, obvious things to follow up on, but other times I really have to put thought into it. Doing that presentation last week helped me to realise that I have already reached some logical conclusion points, and so the question is where to take things from here? At the moment my plan is to start making connections with other churches in Edinburgh and find out what they're doing, visit some more local organisations, and also start to focus my research slightly on some of the obvious needs I've discovered. I also want to learn more about other social action schemes around the UK and the world so that I can be inspired, get new ideas, and start putting together some solid ideas for us to start with!

The Dream Center

2008-10-29T12:23:00.004+01:00

One thing I touched upon briefly in my presentation last night was various projects that have inspired me recently. One of these is The Dream Center in LA. "The Dream Center is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization that provides social services and outreach programs designed to meet physical, spiritual, and long-term needs." It was started in 1994 by a guy who wanted to build a church in the heart of a deprived area of LA. They began to reach out to those around them providing food and clothing, and within a year had reached 500 people. Now they claim to reach 40,000 people every month. In their own words:

"We offer opportunities and resources for at-risk youth, low-income individuals, and families to reach self-sufficiency by providing basic necessities and emergency assistance.

In addition to food, clothing, job training and healthcare, we provide educational programs, parenting classes and after-school activities. We also provide residential recovery programs for men, women and teens. These programs are available free of charge to anyone in need.

Through innovative mobile programs we are able to provide critical services to multiple distressed communities. Our unique, yet effective approach to issues within the community involves the mobilization of hundreds of volunteers."

The one outreach that especially caught my attention is Adopt-a-Block (my friend Jude who is doing a very similar job to me for Destiny Church in Edinburgh first brought this to my attention, thanks Jude). The scheme sees people take a 'block' as their own, reaching out to those within that block and serving a wide variety of needs:

"Over 5,000 families are visited weekly on a total of 85 blocks. With the goal of serving, teams ask residents, “How can we help you?” Teams mow lawns, clean homes, paint over graffiti, complete minor home repairs, organize games with the children and visit with the elderly. They also provide emergency assistance, such as food and clothing; furniture is also available."

Although this is only one of many outreaches done by the Dream Center, it is the one that is resonating with me the most at the moment. I think that this is a key way of really engaging with the local community, building realtionships and serving local need, and I think it is vitally important.

Momentum

2008-10-29T11:54:00.003+01:00

Last night I did a presentation to a group of 9 leaders from my church. When I was first asked to do it I was unsure that I had enough to write about. I felt that because I am still in the early stages I wouldn't have anything sensible to present, that it was just little bits from here and there. However, as I began to pull all the information together, I found that a half hour presentation probably wasn't going to be long enough. I have been doing this job for less than 2 months, and already I feel that I am powering forward, that God has clearly led me down this path and I have total faith that he will continue to do so. I know that I still have a lot to learn, not just in terms of research, but also in terms of how to do this - how to mobilise the church to become passionate about reaching out to the poor and needy, how to make links and connections within the community, how to plan and structure a project. When I started I felt a little bit like a fish out of water, but the fact that I have gotten to this point is testament to all that God is doing. I know that there is no way I could have done this so far without God, He is the one teaching me and changing me, giving me confidence and strength, showing me where and how to research this area. I feel His presence on me and with me in a way that is greater than any other time in my life, and I really feel the weight of all of your prayers, so thank you. Please do keep praying. I still have a lot to learn, a long way to go, and a lot of responsibility, but I an not fearful or worried because I feel the hand of God upon this in a powerful way, and that is why, as I mentioned in my previous entry, my faith for this is growing so substantially.

I am excited, I feel the momentum, I feel that we are entering into a whole new era as a church.

A well needed update

2008-10-24T12:36:00.001+02:00

Apologies for the complete lack of posting recently. I know, I start a blog, tell everyone to read it and then don't even write in it. My excuse is a combination of being away last week, combined with the slight hecticness of having 2 jobs. Last Tuesday and Wednesday I was down in Peterborough for the tri-annual Newfrontiers prayer and fasting (P&F) conference, primarily for church leaders and some church staff. Around 500 of us gathered for 2 days of worship, prayer, lots of tea and juice, more prayer, a little bit of sleep, followed by more prayer. Despite the exhaustion of getting up at 4am to fly down to London, and the hunger that naturally accompanies fasting, it was worth it. It did feel slightly like running a marathon, but the experience of joining with many leaders and learning about what is going on within Newfrontiers worldwide was a valuable experience.

While at P&F I met up with a guy called Peter Lyndon who heads up all the social action work at CCK in Brighton. He was very encouraging and helped to spur me forth in my thinking and ideas. I also found that the importance of delving into social action and of going about it in this way (through research, giving serious time to it etc) was confirmed again and again, through meeting with Peter, through personal prayer, and through hearing others share about works with the poor. In fact, the importance of tackling it in this way keeps being confirmed, over and over again, and each time I get a little bit more excited because I know we are following God's plan for us.

I really do believe that this is a vitally important area for us to be opening up and getting involved in, and I find that the further along the line I go, the more my faith grows that Kings Church can truly be a church that engages with it's local community and that has a huge impact on Edinburgh. At first, although I wanted it to happen, I am not so sure I had real faith to see it happen. But then I remembered that faith isn't about human effort and what I believe we can do as a group of people, but it is about the supernatural power of God changing people. I believe that the vision we have of a church that stands tall and prominent within this city is integrally linked to the work that do with the poor and the local community.

On the whole work is progressing well. I feel as though I am getting on with a good pace and direction. In the last couple of weeks I have had meetings with 2 City of Edinburgh councillors, with the social action worker from Destiny church, and have a couple of others lined up. It's encouraging that certain needs are showing up again and again, such as isolation and loneliness, a lack of youth services and activities for the elderly. There are many gaps in what is going on, but so far these have been showing up as some of the most obvious. I am also feeling encouraged to start something up sooner rather than later. Although the importance of taking time and of research has been confirmed regularly, I also think a balance is needed between sensible research and also just getting on with things. Small scale social action projects or schemes can be a great way of getting the church involved, of seeing the bigger vision and picture, and of actually starting to form relationships in the community and gauge bigger needs. There are various ideas floating around, and I still think it'll be a little while before we launch anything, but at the moment it is looking like sooner rather than later...

Poor No More

2008-10-10T14:38:00.000+02:00

I really want to recommend this book to you:

I started reading it yesterday and was instantly drawn in and inspired. It is especially good for those who may want an introduction into some of the issues involved with global poverty, such as trade and climate change. Peter Grant is the international director of Tearfund, so he really knows what he is talking about. The book not only lays the issues out, but explains how and why we should do something about it. It's straight forward, interesting, and inspiring, and full of practical tips. If you have any interest at all in issues of global poverty then I advise you to read this book. Ask me and I'll lend you mine, or if it is already out then I will buy you a copy, seriously. That's how much you need to read this book!

"It is unacceptable that there is extreme poverty in out world - unacceptable because of the suffering that it brings to millions of people, and unacceptable because it could be eliminated. Jesus warned the leaders of his day that they were neglecting 'the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness' (Matthew 23:23). We must seek to share God's priorities. He cares passionately about poor people and commands us to respond to the spiritual and physical needs of the world." (p.13-14)

It can be so easy as Christians to not take notice of the big issues, of climate change and trade and international poverty, but I believe that it is vital that the Church does get involved and does show an interest. Not just in terms of prayer and finance, but also in terms of lifestyle and campaigning. These are issues that shouldn't just be undertaken by a few enthusiastic people in the church, but should be something that we all do. As well as caring about our local community and those immediately around us, we need to wake up and realise how big these issues are and that we can do something about it. Climate change, for example, isn't just about the environment but is also about poverty - changes in the climate are causing huge numbers of people to be thrown further into poverty around the world. Of course these are highly complex issues, but realising that we need to do something about it needn't be difficult.

This book is a great introduction into all of this. Read it.

Daily Life

2008-10-08T15:30:00.004+02:00

So I have given an overview of what I am doing this year, but that doesn't really explain what I am actually doing. Giving a picture of what I do each day isn't easy because no two days are the same, but I guess it would help if I explain what I have been up to so far.

Since I started working a month ago I have just been trying to get a general picture of Edinburgh and what is already going on. Starting work coincided nicely with moving into the new church office which is where I am now based for 2 or 3 days a week. A lot of my time so far has been spent sat at my desk trawling the internet. I have read many different reports written by the council and several organisations that either work with the council or are based in the voluntary sector in Edinburgh. For example, the Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council (EVOC) and Capital City Partnership (CCP) both work with the voluntary sector providing support and resources to those working in the community. CCP has worked closely with the City of Edinburgh Council on monitoring and evaluation in different parts of the city. They have written a series of Regeneration Outcome Agreements (ROA's) which focus on the deprivation and need in different areas and lay out various targets for combatting those needs. I have also discovered Neighbourhood Partnerships, also linked with the council, which are divided by wards within the city, each one working towards combatting needs in their ward. There are lots of other organisations and reports but I can't imagine you want to hear about all of them. I don't know what most cities are like but I had no idea there were this many reports, strategies and committees working to "improve" the city of Edinburgh and improve quality of life and living standards. Altogether they are giving me a good overall picture of what is already going on and how different organisations are working in partnership.

Alongside that I have been looking at general facts and figures to do with housing, population, unemplyment, crime rates etc. For example there are around 468,070 people living in the City of Edinburgh, with around 30,000 pensioners living on their own and 6,000 people currently unemployed. So many people and so much need!

The slightly more interesting side of all of this has been contacting and meeting with people. I have written letters to all kinds of prominent people in the community - counsellors, MSPs, the chief of police etc, and asked their personal opinions on needs in Edinburgh and on which services they would like to see established. I have looked at many different charities databases and contacted lots of charities and organisations, hoping to meet with a wide variety/cross section. Although in many cases I am waiting on replies, I am slowly starting to get somewhere. Through meetings with Amica Pregnancy Crisis and Penumbra (working in the area of mental health) I have been able to chat about their particular area of work and gague opinions on current needs and services.

On the side of all this I have had our first social action prayer meeting, started this blog, been reading inspirational and informative books and magazines, feeding back to the elders, trying to get my head around the theology of social action and occassionally stopping for biscuits, cups of tea and office chat.

At first I found all of this quite hard to get into, not really knowing where to go or how to proceed, but God has been opening many doors and I feel like I am slowly starting to get somewhere. In many ways I have felt a bit like I did when I started my disseration last year - I am surrounded by so much information it's often hard to know how to make sense of it and start collating it. Trying to keep on top of it all can also be a problem. But thanks to my extremely organised parents I do have a rather sharp set of organisational skills that I am quite enjoying putting into practice! And I really am enjoying this - I am excited to see where God is going to take us and am excited about personal growth and growth as a church. I have already been challenged in many ways and am having to overcome various personal fears and grow in both confidence and in faith.

And this is only the start of month 2!

The beginning

2008-10-03T11:02:00.012+02:00

I am well used to blogging, but it is not usually something I do publicly! However I wanted a place where I could write not just for myself but also for those within my church and those who are supporting me this year (and I guess anyone else who is interested!) My aim for this blog is that:

Those within my church can understand what exactly I am doing this year and see how I am getting on
I am forced to constantly review what I am doing, how it is going, and make sure I can explain it clearly and coherently (at least that's the plan!)
I have somewhere to spill general thoughts, wonderings, ponderings and readings as I go along

I think a good place to start is by explaining exactly what I am up to this year and why.

For 3 days a week I am volunteering with my church looking into the area of social action. I believe that as the body of Christ we should be actively serving the poor and the needy in our community, engaging with those around us not simply by serving a practical need but also by forming relationships. Throughout the Bible it is clear that the poor are very close to God's heart. I believe this is not something that the Church should simply be involved with as a side project, but that serving the poor should be integral to everything we do as followers of Christ (plenty more theology on this to follow). In terms of setting up an actual 'social action project' it is something that we as a church have touched upon before but have yet to really delve into. So this is where I come in!

We want whatever we do as a church to be well grounded so that it is serving a real need and is ultimately sustainable. My job at this point is research and has 4 parts to it:

Researching Edinburgh as a whole, looking at social needs in the community and social projects that are already up and running
Looking at us as a church and what resources and passions we have
Looking at various other Newfrontiers churches and seeing what we can learn from them
Praying, seeking God, and helping to get the church behind the vision of a church fully integrated in the local community, serving those around us

From roughly now until Christmas I will be mainly focusing on no.1:
Edinburgh - There is a lot already being done in the city in terms of community and social outreach and we do not want to cover something that is already being done. So, in brief, my job right now is to find out what is already being done so that I can see where there are gaps and where there is still obvious need.
This part of my research is divided into two sections - the collection of 'hard' and 'soft' data. Hard data comprises of the facts and figures, crime reports, assessed needs in the area, current organisations etc. Soft data is the opinions of people in the area, both of those in official positions such as MSPs, councillors, policemen etc, and also those living in the area.
When put together, all of this information should give us a fairly clear analysis of the current social needs in Edinburgh.

This is an area that it is very tempting to rush into - the waiting can be frustrating - why can't we just start something now? But I really believe that to do this well, it is going to take time. It is a massive area and if we really want what we do as a church to be effective then it's going to take patience, not just because research takes time, but also because it's vitally important to spend time corporately seeking God first to see where He is leading us.

There is so much more that I want to say, but I think I shall leave this opening entry here!
Plenty to follow...