Yesterday I had a clear-out of old paperwork and came across the 2002 annual report of Tunbridge Wells Churches' Social Responsibility Group. In my Project Developer capacity I wrote the following article for the report.
The Church of England document Faith in the City 1985 makes the point that Christians generally find it more congenial to express their discipleship by helping individul victims of misfortune or oppression, fewer are willing to rectify injustices in the structure of society. To be a protagonist of social change may involve challenging those in power. Faith on the City argues that many Christians are not at home in the tough, secular milieu of social and political activism. As I stated at the Gift Service at St Luke's Church, if we are cast in the role of creative opposition to the policies of local authorities and government agencies then so be it. Tunbridge Wells Churches' Social Responsibility Group takes as its inspiration the commandment to love our neighbour, the strand of biblical writing that demands the advent of a fair and just society and the injunction to have a preferred option for the poor.
The report highighted how TWCSRG moved forward its social inclusion agenda through membership of a number of organisations and partnerships:
- West Kent Community Legal Services Partnership
- Tunbridge Wells Community Safety Partnership: Youth Strategy Group
- Connexions partnership Reference Group
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Homelesness Strategy Groups: adults and young people
- KCC Social Services District Partnership Group
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Community Plan Steering Group (chair)
- Credit Union Development Group
No comments:
Post a Comment