autumn 2011

Kindle a Fla

me

for our 30

th anniversary

See ce

ntre pull-o

ut secti

on

autumn 2012

on the road to Fair Taxesfind out how you can catch the Tax Justice Bus on page 4

CLOSE THE GAPpartnerships of hope and transformationannual conference 2012 and 30th anniversary celebration serviceCross Street Chapel, ManchesterSaturday 10 November 2012, 10:00am – 7:30pm

Book your place now!We ask for a donation of £10 (£3 if unwaged) per person to cover catering and other costs.Use the booking form in this mailing...or call 0161 236 9321, ex 1.or visit www.church-poverty.org.uk/conference

Hear stories of hope and transformation from our grassroots projectsDebate how to build a movement for change with our national partnersLearn about our new partnership with Christian Aid, with a keynote address from their Director Loretta MinghellaLearn how you can partner with us, at a range of training workshopsHelp launch our new vision for the next 10 yearsCelebrate our 30th anniversary with a special service, a keynote address by Revd Dr Giles Fraser, and a birthday cake!

Loretta Minghella, Director of Christian Aid

Giles Fraser, former Canon

Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral

3

Everything seems to be happening at once for Church Action on Poverty! We’re celebrating our 30th

anniversary, launching a new vision for building partnerships and a movement for change, and organising a major national project as part of an exciting new partnership with Christian Aid.

Here are some quick pointers to the ways we’d like you to get involved in all of this:

Help us celebrate our anniversary! Organise a service and fundraiser in your church, using our ‘Kindle a Flame’ resources - see pages 8 and 14.Come to our conference! Join us in Manchester on 10 November (details opposite). We have some really exciting keynote speakers, and the day will include the national celebration service for our 30th anniversary.Catch the Tax Justice Bus! This is our partnership venture with Christian Aid, bringing our campaign for Fair Taxes to a venue near you. See page 4 for more information.Plan ahead for Action Week! Use the enclosed leaflet to order your resources for Poverty & Homelessness Action Week, which will run from 26 January to 4 February 2013.

kindling flamesWe have a busy autumn ahead – with many opportunities for supporters and churches to

take action. Supporter Relations Manager Liam Purcell gives an overview.

Church Action on PovertyDale House 35 Dale StreetManchester M1 2HFT: 0161 236 9321E: info@church-poverty.org.ukW: www.church-poverty.org.ukRegistered Charity no 1079986Company no 3780243

giveKindle a Flame for our 30th birthday See page 8Remember us in your will See page 11

actGet news updates by Facebook, Twitter or email www.church-poverty. org.uk/newsJoin our e-action network www.church-poverty. org.uk/act

prayJoin the Close the Gap prayer community www.church-poverty.org.uk/pray

in this issue4 Act: Catch the Tax Justice

Bus!6 news and events7 Kindle a Flame: 30 years

of Church Action on Poverty

8 Kindle a Flame: get involved

10 Kindle a Flame: our new vision

11 Give: leaving a gift in your will

12 in progress Celebrating changes made by our projects

14 Pray: Kindle a Flame Prayers for our 30th birthday

spark news from Church Action on Poverty autumn 2012

Tax dodging has become big news in recent months. High-profile cases such as comedian Jimmy Carr and Take That star Gary Barlow have hit the news, alongside reports of

corporations both in the UK and abroad slashing their tax bills by using legal loopholes and offshore tax havens.Such has been the outcry that both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have condemned aggressive tax dodging as morally wrong. At the same time, we at Church Action on Poverty have been exploring how we can work in partnership with Christian Aid. Whilst their focus is on poverty in the global South, their work is informed by a theology and set of values very similar to our own. Both organisations believe that poverty is an outrage which robs people of dignity, freedom and hope, of power over their own lives. Both believe in a world free from poverty

and inequality. Finally, both organisations are currently campaigning for tax justice, having seen clearly that unjust tax systems stand in the way of achieving our

vision.

We’re therefore teaming up to spread the word, recruit more campaigners – and urge David Cameron to act on his words and tackle global tax dodging.The two organisations are touring the UK in the Tax Justice Bus, a bright red double-decker, for 53 days starting in August to share the message of tax justice with churches across the country. Tax dodging is big business in the UK. Government figures show that £35 billion is lost every year to tax dodging – more than the amount the Government is cutting from public services. In a time of global recession and austerity, tax revenues are more important than ever. Every pound lost to tax dodging is one less for public services and tackling poverty at home.On a global level, Christian Aid estimates that corporate tax dodging costs developing nations at least $160 billion annually – that’s one and a half times the global aid budget. The focus of the Tax Justice Bus is on the secretive tax havens which enable multinational corporations to dodge their taxes, both in the UK and in developing countries. We’re calling on the Government to make two key changes: to require companies to report on their profits and taxes in every country in which they operate; and to require

tax havens automatically to share information about the money flowing through them with other countries.The Tax Justice Bus will provide information about the issues, resources for campaigning, and a mobile venue for persuading MPs and church leaders to speak out about tax justice. To find out more and get involved, make sure you catch the Tax Justice Bus when it comes through your region!

all aboard for fair taxesThis autumn, we are working together with Christian Aid in a unique way to promote our campaign to Close the Tax Gap. Supporter Relations Manager Liam

Purcell introduces the Tax Justice Bus Tour.

get on board!Here’s how you can

catch the Tax Justice Bus...Take part when the Bus

passes near you – contact your regional Christian Aid

office (details opposite) to find out about local events

Follow the Tax Justice Bus online – we’re on Twitter

as @taxbus2012 , and on Facebook at facebook.

com/TaxJusticeTour2012Make a model Tax Justice

Bus and use it to spread the word in your church

– download the pattern at www.church-poverty.org.

uk/taxbusPray for the Tax Justice

Bus Tour, and for the success of our campaign

for Fair Taxes

We and Christian

Aid believe in a world free from

poverty and

inequality

�act �

church-poverty.org.uk/taxbus

spark news from Church Action on Poverty autumn 2012

hellos and goodbyesRecent months have seen a number of changes to the staff team in Church Action on Poverty’s office...

We have said a sad goodbye to the three staff members who formed our Participatory Budgeting Unit. Phil Teece and Jenny Lazarus have retired, and Ruth Jackson has moved on to work for British Cycling. We thank them all for their hard work which made participatory budgeting such a successful initiative, and wish them well in the future.

And we say hello to Julie Jarman, who has joined the team as our new Programme Manager. Julie will support staff and provide oversight as we develop our new strategic vision (see page 10). She brings a wealth of experience from her time running Oxfam’s UK Poverty Programme, and is already familiar with the work we do in our grassroots programmes alongside people in poverty.

participatory budgeting: the next stepsAs you can read above, the staff of our Participatory Budgeting Unit have now moved on. We are now exploring what comes next for participatory budgeting (PB) in the UK.

Since 2007 when PB was endorsed by the government, Phil, Ruth and Jenny worked tirelessly to set up PB programmes in the UK, which have given people in some of the most deprived communities a real influence over the decisions that affect them. Unfortunately, the funding form central government which supported this work is no longer available.

Two of the freelance associates who have been working with us to develop PB programmes – Jez Hall and Alan Budge – are now working part-time to maintain the work of the PB Unit. They’re holding discussions with councils and other PB specialists to decide what comes next for PB in the UK. If you’d like to know more, you can contact Jez or Alan care of our main office: 0161 236 9321, ex 2.

Meanwhile, we’ll continue helping people call for PB in their communities with our ‘People’s Budget’ campaign – www.thepeoplesbudget.org.uk

church leaders speak out for Fair TaxesIt has been heartening in recent months to see that church leaders – from across the denominational spectrum – have become increasingly vocal in challenging the legitimacy of tax dodging and calling for Fair Taxes.

In April, Catholic Cardinal Keith O’Brien said: “The poor have suffered tremendously from the financial disasters of recent years and nothing, really, has been done by the very rich people to help them. And I am saying to the prime minister, look, don’t just protect your very rich colleagues in the financial industry, consider the moral obligation to help the poor of our country.”

In May, the Church of Scotland pointed out that “Paying tax can be viewed as a social obligation akin to loving one’s neighbour.”

In June, the Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed Church Joint Public Issues Team said: “In an age of austerity, it is the moral duty of individuals and companies alike to pay their taxes according to both the letter and the spirit of the law.”

The Society of Friends has also pointed out that “[Tax dodging accounts for] nearly 9% of UK tax revenue and the efficient collection of this revenue would lessen the demand to cut social and welfare expenditure which is hurting the poorest in our communities so much... The recouping of this money would not harm the poorest and most vulnerable.”

how poor is your parish?The Church Urban Fund has developed a clever online tool which can tell you about levels of poverty and deprivation in any Church of England parish. Just visit www.cuf.org.uk/povertyinengland and enter your postcode to find out more about the level of poverty in your parish and how this compares with other parishes locally and nationally.The Methodist Church has developed a similar resource to provide data about Methodist churches, at www.methodist.org.uk/links/church-webmap-advanced-versionThese are very useful resources, as local data about poverty can be difficult to access and understand.

news

In October, leaders of six denominations helped launch our campaign for Fair Taxes by delivering a letter to the Treasury

730 years of Church Action on Poverty

welfare benefits and tax credits really start to kick in, though already families are reaching the edge and having to apply in droves to charity-supported ‘food banks’. Meanwhile, ‘payday’ lenders and loan sharks move in on the most desperate for cash. For the poorest in our society – including the working poor – the worst is still to come.

In other words, 30 years on, and never has Church Action on Poverty been so needed – to insist on justice for the poor and to publicly challenge the causes of poverty in our society. The El Salvador martyr Oscar Romero insisted that the task of the church was to “tell the truth about reality and to accompany the people”. Church Action on Poverty has been faithful to this mission, working ‘with’ rather than ‘for’ or ‘on behalf of’ the poor, as liberation theologian Leonardo Boff spelled out years ago in his work in Brazil.

My first bill in Parliament in 1988 was to introduce a ‘statutory minimum wage’ It was generally voted down, and not only at that time by Conservatives in government. It was resisted by the trade unions as undermining free collective bargaining. But in 1999, a statutory minimum wage bill was introduced by my government department. And my last act before I stood down from Parliament was to propose a ‘statutory maximum wage’. Needless to say, it got little support.

But perhaps in the long term, the most significant debate I introduced was to plead for a positive approach to tax as one means of bringing about a fairer distribution of income and wealth, and a more equal society. At the time, the very idea of paying taxes was mocked as a form of moral evil. I suspect attitudes to taxes are changing, as the better-off resent the wealthy drawing away.

The real test is to introduce a system that in future gives priority to the poor. That will take a major cultural shift in the present context, but it is one the gospel calls us to – and it is up to the continuing prophetic voice of Church Action on Poverty to both spell it out and demonstrate how to live it.

One of the first public reports of Church Action on Poverty was a pamphlet on Low Pay – using detailed analysis, at the height of three million unemployed, to show that those

employed in work were actually the worst off. At that time, just after the abolition of ‘wages councils’, the idea of the ‘working poor’ was a fresh and radical approach, leading to new demands for a national statutory minimum wage. Those were also the years of a ‘fundamental overhaul’ of the social security system known as the Fowler Review, to which we submitted detailed evidence.

30 years on, it is hard not to ask rhetorically, “What has changed since then?” Yes, there is a minimum wage and even some campaigning for a basic ‘Living Wage’, but it is still the working poor who are being hardest hit by cuts in tax credits. An overhaul of the ‘welfare state’ is underway today, with a future promise of a ‘universal credit’ in 2013 – when basic benefits and tax credits have been substantially cut back to try and push people into work and reduce rent subsidies (which in fact go to high-charging landlords).

If anything, what has changed since the mid-1980s is the language used, reflecting hardened attitudes towards those who are unemployed , sick or in need. The poor today are derided as ‘feckless families’ (with a built-in pejorative against those who are not rich but dare to have more than three children). Those on disability benefits are generally abused as ‘idlers’ and ‘scroungers’, and as for single parents (including those who are tragically young widows) the public message is ‘How dare you stay at home caring for children at public expense?’ Interestingly, it is those in the lowest deciles of income who are subject to this public abuse. Those in the top deciles are tolerated as eccentrics.

The attack on welfare rights and universal benefits is therefore a popular public policy, reinforced by regular media ‘scrounger stories’. The blame for the financial and economic crisis has been neatly shifted from the banks and onto the poorest in society, who are now being forced to pay the highest price. This autumn the cuts in

30 years on...John Battle was the first Coordinator of Church Action on Poverty in 1982, and left in 1987 to become an MP. For our 30th birthday this year, we asked him to reflect on what has changed since then – and what the future may hold.

the gospel calls us to give priority to the poor – and it is up to the prophetic voice of Church Action on Poverty to both spell that out and demonstrate how to live it

spark news from Church Action on Poverty autumn 2012

Kindle a Flame in your church or community with our resource packs!This autumn, we celebrate 30 years of campaigning to Close the Gap between rich and poor and working alongside the UK’s poorest communities. We need your help to make this the biggest birthday fundraiser ever, so we can keep on calling for justice!

for churches…We invite churches to hold a ‘Kindle a Flame’ celebration service over the autumn, perhaps linking celebrations with the feast day of St Francis around 4 October or with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October. Designed to be fun and informative, our new resource, Kindle a flame in your church, contains everything you need to hold a celebration service on the theme of poverty, together with a fundraising

event to raise money to support our work. There’s even an interactive quiz and an introductory video (both available on DVD or on our website) to help the congregation understand UK poverty issues and our work.Order a printed pack by calling 0161 236 9321, ex 1 or download everything from www.church-poverty.org.uk/kindleaflame

learning together…If this has caught your attention and you want to find out more, how about exploring a biblical perspective on issues of the economy, poverty and justice, and how we can make a difference? Download our four-part ‘Kindle a Flame’ Bible study series at www.church-poverty.org.uk/kindleaflame

for friends and families…We’ve also prepared a whole pack of ideas and resources to inspire some creative fundraising events. Kindle a flame in your community will help you to have fun and feel like you are bucking the recession and really making a difference, with a movie evening or swishing party – or get your whole community involved in bag packing at your local supermarket. Whatever you like to do, there is a fundraising idea for you!Order a printed pack by calling 0161 236 9321, ex 1 or download everything from www.church-poverty.org.uk/kindleaflame

join the celebration!We are celebrating 30 years of Church Action on Poverty by raising funds and building partnerships that will enable us to deliver hope and transformation in communities for years to come. Community Fundraiser Clare MacBeath invites you to be part of it.

Want to learn more about how to fundraise in your community?If you get in quick, there are still a few places left on our ‘Kindle a Flame’ training workshop. Plan how you can use the ‘Kindle a Flame’ resources in your church and community, explore how you can build issues of poverty and justice into the worshipping life of your congregation, and pick up some really good fundraising ideas and tips to make your events a success. When Wednesday 26 September 2012

1–4pm Where Micah Room, Church Action on

Poverty, Dale House, 35 Dale Street, Manchester M1 2HF

To book a place, please phone 0161 236 9321, ex 1.

30 years of Church Action on Poverty

www.church-poverty.org.uk/kindleaflame

�

an all-age service of celebration

This is an outline for a celebration service for all ages reflecting on

issues of the economy, poverty and justice, to mark Church Action

on Poverty’s 30th birthday in 2012.

The outline is also being published on the Roots for Worship website,

www.rootsontheweb.com.

planningBackgroundThere has never been a more appropriate time for us to reflect biblically on issues of the

economy, poverty and justice and what our Christian response might be. This year we

join with poets, liturgists and hymn-writers to celebrate our 30th birthday and to kindle

a flame and become partners for change and transformation.

Use this ‘pick and mix’-style service outline to plan a celebration service that suits your

own congregation and context. You probably will not have time to include everything,

but try and have something from each section (Gather, Introduction, Share the Word,

Explore the Word, Respond to the Word, Intercessions and Sending Out). You could use

this alongside some of the suggestions for fundraising found elsewhere in the church

pack or community pack.

Pastoral sensitivityPlease be aware that the theme of this service may be very close to home for some of the

people in your congregation, particularly if they are out of work or living with the threat

of redundancy. You may want to ask people with gifts of pastoral care to be available

at the end of the service in case anyone wants to talk or pray. You may also want to

mention this in the introduction to the service, and invite people to make use of the

pastoral and prayer ministries that are on offer at the end of the service if they would

find this helpful, or to speak with the minister or someone they trust.

Prayers and hymnsSee the sheet at the back of this pack for commissioned prayers and hymns, and other

suggestions for hymns and songs.

ResourcesTo accompany different elements of this service, we have the Kindle a Flame DVD,

which explores poverty in the UK and the connections the Bible makes between

poverty and injustice, and inspires us to make a difference through a story of hope and

transformation. The DVD also includes the Poverty in the UK quiz and a slideshow of

images to accompany the dramatised reading from Luke 4.

You can also find all of these at www.church-poverty.org.uk/kindleaflame.

Prepare the spaceLay red, orange and yellow fabrics over a table to create a focal point. Add some ceramic

pots and/or colourful glass (or glass nuggets or beads) and/or wrought iron (such as a

horse shoe or candlestick). Add strips of people holding hands made out of skin-tone

strips of card.

when

30 years of Church Action on PovertyFind out what your money can do at www.church-poverty.org.uk/kindleaflame

photocopy and pin up!more available online!

help us

please come along!

where

what

30 years of Church Action on Poverty �

are you ready for an autumn packed full of challenges and events?There will be lots of ‘Kindle a Flame’ events and challenges this autumn. Get involved where you can!

In September we will be launching our Kindle a Flame Shopping Challenge. Raise money for Church Action on Poverty without it costing you a penny, simply by changing the way you shop for 30 days. Think you are up for it? How about keeping a diary or blog and let others encourage you and share in your experience via Facebook or Twitter? Visit www.church-poverty.org.uk/kindleaflame or call 0161 236 9321, ex 1 to find out more and take part.

In October we will be inviting people to ‘buy’ or ‘sponsor’ slices and candles on the birthday cake to be shared at our 30th birthday celebration service in Manchester. Again, visit www.church-poverty.org.uk/kindleaflame or call 0161 236 9321, ex 1 to find out more and take part.

In November we celebrate with our annual conference and a special celebration service, welcoming guest speaker Revd Dr Giles Fraser as keynote speaker, and sharing real tea and cake – yum! See page 2 for more information.

In December, as many families across the UK struggle to celebrate Christmas together, how about sending your friends and family a Church Action on Poverty Christmas card? There were some fantastic entries in our competition to design this year’s card. See the back page of this newsletter to order your cards now!

birthday cake prayerYou can’t go wrong with tea and cake – and so ROOTS for Worship editor, Gill Ambrose, has written a birthday cake prayer to serve up with our celebrations.

God of the poor,whose love encircles the world, spreading joy into the hearts of all who draw near to you, kindle our determination to work for justice;light up our minds with knowledge of your will; inspire us with the oxygen of determination so that we can work for the cake to be sliced more fairly, and at the end, dance with all your people in the party of

heaven.We ask this in the name of your Son, our Lord, who was born a refugee.Amen

© Gill Ambrose, 2012, used with kind permission

Gill Ambrose is the editor of ROOTS Adult & All Age, an ecumenical worship and teaching resource, and has kindly published the ‘Kindle a Flame’ service online at www.rootsontheweb.com.

Gill Ambrose

spark news from Church Action on Poverty autumn 2012

This autumn marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of Church Action on Poverty, and the need has never been greater. We are in the middle of the most prolonged squeeze on household incomes in modern times. Yet we remain the sixth wealthiest nation on the planet. Poverty remains as scandalous, unnecessary and immoral as it was back in 1982.

But 30 years on, it is increasingly clear that excessive wealth, inequality and poverty are inextricably linked – and it is less and less possible to tackle them in isolation. There is a pressing need to narrow the growing gap between rich and poor in the UK – not only higher than at any time in the past 30 years, but growing more rapidly than in any other developed nation. Church Action on Poverty is not just an organisation, but a community of people across the UK, who believe that we are compelled to take action to realise our vision of a fairer world. That vision is founded in our Christian conviction that we share a common humanity, and it is our Christian duty to act on these values. At our annual conference and birthday celebration in November (see page 2), we will launch Building a Movement for Change, a new vision statement for Church Action on Poverty. It sets out the ambition and direction of our work for the coming decade, as we strive to bring about real and positive changes in the lives of some of the poorest individuals and communities across the UK. The new vision has been built on in-depth consultations over the past year with staff, trustees, members of our wider movement, and the people and communities we work with. It builds on the work and achievements of the past years – and hopefully lays a foundation for building on these over the years ahead. The framework will provide a guide and stimulus for members, supporters and anyone else who shares our vision and wishes to work in partnership with us. It will help us to build a powerful movement for change over the coming decade. 30 years on, we remain passionately committed to working alongside people in poverty and communities as they struggle to fight poverty and bring about change for themselves. We hope you will join us in this task!

building a movement for change

National Coordinator Niall Cooper explains how we are marking our 30th anniversary by looking ahead to the future.

our visionThe new vision statement will be launched at our conference in Manchester on 10 November, and included in our January mailing. Here is a short summary of the aims which will inspire our work over the coming decade:

Building a more just society. Narrowing the gap between rich and poor by challenging policies and structures which create inequality and by holding those with power and wealth accountable.Building capacity to exercise power. Enabling local communities to have a more effective, stronger public voice, and to bring about change for themselves. Building a movement for positive change. Creating strategic alliances which mobilise churches, communities and others to come together to drive change.Changing public perceptions. Celebrating positive images of people in poverty and challenging negative media representations, by communicating stories of life in unequal Britain, and of how people are able to bring about change.

Church Action on Poverty is

not just an organisation,

but a community

of people across

the UK

11give 11

Why should I make a will?If you die without making a will, the law will decide what happens to your estate, and it may not go to your family or loved ones or your favourite charities. Making a will ensures that your wishes are carried out, and that family and loved ones are provided for. It also helps to avoid misunderstandings later on.

How do I make a will?It is very easy and straightforward, and most people will consult with a solicitor or legal adviser who will explain what to do. You can telephone them for advice on charges before you decide whom to use.

What do I need to consider?You need to add up the value of all your assets (e.g. house, car, bank balances, shares, pensions and any other valuables) and deduct any liabilities (eg mortgage, loans and any tax owed).

How can I protect my loved ones?You need to decide who your beneficiaries will be before meeting your solicitor. Your first consideration may be your family and any special friends, then you may choose to leave a gift to Church Action on Poverty.

I already have made my will and now wish to leave a gift to Church Action on PovertyIf you already have a will and want to add a gift, your solicitor or legal adviser can write up a ‘codicil’ (a straightforward legal addition to your existing will).

What are the legal words I need to use?It depends on your gift, and your solicitor or legal adviser will assist you with this. An example of a residual bequest would be:“I give XX% of the residue of my real and personal estate to Church Action on Poverty, registered charity number 1079986, Dale House, 35 Dale Street, Manchester M1 2HF, and I direct that the receipt of the treasurer or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my executors.”

How does it affect my tax?Currently, any amount you leave in your estate over the inheritance tax threshold is subject to inheritance tax. All gifts left to charities are exempt from inheritance tax. Your solicitor or legal adviser will provide you with further advice.

leaving a gift in your will

We are inviting supporters to mark our 30th birthday by planning perhaps the most thoughtful kind of gift. Supporter Relations Manager Liam Purcell offers

some advice on setting up legacies.

By including

Church Action on Poverty

in my will, I can continue

supporting its outstanding

work beyond my own lifetime

Helen Hood is a member

and trustee of Church

Action on Poverty

If you are interested in leaving us a gift

in your will, please visit www.church-

poverty.org.uk/legacies, or contact me

on 0161 236 9321, ex 1 or

liamp@church-poverty.org.uk

and ask for a legacies leaflet.

spark news from Church Action on Poverty autumn 2012

celebrating changeOur grassroots projects help people who are poor or excluded to find their voices, and take action. We celebrate some of the things they’ve achieved in the last few months.

helping Deafblind people catch the bus!Church Action on Poverty’s Community Pride Unit uses Schools of Participation – a unique, participatory form of training – to help some of the most marginalised people in society tackle their own problems.

A recent School was for Deafblind people – who are often isolated from mainstream communities. They shared how they face serious barriers when using public transport, particularly buses. A lack of information and communication means they have to rely on drivers and other passengers to tell them when they are approaching their stop. They

wanted to influence three things: audio/visual signs on buses; signage on buses and at bus stops; and driver training on Deafblind and other disability issues.

We are supporting the group as they work for change. They have met with representatives from First Bus and Transport for Greater Manchester; collaborated with the campaigning group TravelWatch; written to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker MP; and received media training. Next they hope to meet their MP, Hazel Blears.Follow CPU’s work online at www.communitypride.org.uk or twitter.com/Community_Pride

I feel imprisoned

if I can’t get out.

Public transport

is my only means

of getting around

including the excludedOver the past year, our ChangeMakers team have used a combination of participatory budgeting and community organising techniques to find out some of the real challenges facing poor communities in Manchester.

Meeting with parents in the Moss Side area of South Manchester, we heard about the huge problem of young Black people being unfairly and excessively excluded from education. Parents lack the power and confidence to challenge decisions made by schools, leading to many young people’s life chances being blighted.

ChangeMakers staff are now working with parents and our partners in the area, to set up a mediation service that can help parents and schools work together and achieve more constructive solutions. We’re also talking to the national Children’s Commissioner, who pointed out earlier this year that the same issue affects poor communities across the UK.

We think we have a unique approach which could deliver real chance on an intractable and important issue.

13in progress 13

a better deal for thousands of people on low incomes!

Thrive is our partner organisation on Teesside – an Institutional Based Power

Organisation (IBPO), representing groups who have a concern for justice in their

area. Thrive believes that people have a right and a responsibility to define their

own destiny, to participate in the decisions affecting their lives, and to shape the

social, moral, political, economic, physical and spiritual environment to include

their values.Over the past couple of years, with support from our campaigners in

churches across the UK, Thrive has successfully persuaded rent-to-own

companies to listen to the concerns of their vulnerable low-income customers.

Thrive’s leaders – themselves customers of this £350 million industry – have

met with representatives of the lenders in a series of roundtable events in

Westminster. They’ve negotiated significant changes to the practices of these

large companies. The Thrive team have now begun work on another project. They are working

with the lending companies to help them share information about their

customers. This would enable people on low incomes to build up a credit history,

get a better deal and ultimately move onto more affordable forms of credit.

It could save significant amounts of money for the hundreds of thousands of

Britain’s poorest households who are forced to rely on the higher-cost end of the

credit industry.

Follow Thrive’s campaigns online at twitter.com/ThriveTeesside

or facebook.com/thrivestockton. Find out more about Fair Prices and extortionate

credit at www.church-poverty.org.uk/closethegap/whatarewecallingfor/fairpricesThrive leaders take the campaign for

affordable credit to Westminster. Left to right: Kath Carter,

Maureen Hagan and Carol Giles.

spark news from Church Action on Poverty autumn 2012

Karen Stallard is minister of Union Chapel Islington, a congregational church, and has been in ministry in the inner city for 10 years. Her training in performing arts and theology shines through her ‘Burning bush’ call to worship, where she invites the whole congregation to take part in an active prayer.Ruth Harvey is a minister with the Church of Scotland and a Quaker. She works in the area of ecumenical adult spiritual formation, and has written a responsive opening prayer encouraging us in ‘Being the change we want to see in the world’. A gifted poet, she has allowed us to use her ‘Burning bush’ poem as part of our ‘Share the Word’ reflections.Sian Murray Williams is a Baptist minister and a tutor at Bristol Baptist College. Focusing on writing for an urban context, using down-to-earth, everyday language, her litany of confession recognizes that so often we have failed to get the message of the good news, and calls us to focus on the “there-really-is-more-to-life-than-this good news… [the] courageous, risky, yelling-out good news”!Jan Berry works in theological education in Luther King House in Manchester and Holy Rood House in Thirsk, and enjoys writing new material for worship and prayer. Her ‘Longing for justice’ intercessions (opposite) grapple with the effects of the continued economic downturn, and remind us of those at the sharp end of cuts and redundancies.

Ruth Burgess is a retired youth and community worker and a member of the Iona Community, and is known for writing and encouraging others to write blessings. Here she has gifted us a gentle but fiery ‘Walking the talk’ blessing (opposite), anointing us with hope, truth and joy in every step of our journey and every moment of life.Graham Adams is a congregational minister and theological educator who has been working in inner-city Openshaw, East Manchester since 2002. He has blessed his congregation, and us, with new hymn words written to well-known tunes. He encourages us that, just as the slave trade was ended, so too we “dare to dream of freedom from the oppression of poverty and injustice”. Janet Wootton is Director of Studies for the Congregational Federation. She writes on mission, ministry and worship, and is editor of Worship Live (published by Stainer & Bell). Her most recent book was a survey of women’s hymn-writing: This is our Song (Epworth). Here, Janet uses a popular and upbeat Christmas tune to sing of “the Spirit who speaks in tongues of flame” and to ask “the God of justice, through us, to set our world alight”!

set our world alightIn celebration of our 30th birthday, many writers kindly gifted their time and creativity to write us prayers, poems, hymns and litanies for the ‘Kindle a Flame’ resources. Community Fundraiser Clare MacBeath presents a little bit more about the writers, and a sample of some of the prayers.

If you would like to join our Close the Gap prayer community, please visit www.church-poverty.org.uk/pray, or call Amanda on 0161 236 9321, ex 1.

Sian Murray Williams Ruth Harvey

Karen Stallard

Graham Adams

focus on the

there- really- is-more-

to-life-than-this

good news… the courageous,

risky, yelling-out good news

1�pray

Download the whole ‘Kindle a Flame’ worship and fundraising resource at www.church-poverty.org.uk/kindleaflame. Or call 0161 236 9321, ex 1 to order a printed copy.

The Spirit speaks in tongues of flame (Tune: Sussex Carol)

The Spirit speaks in tongues of flamethat offer hope in darkest night,sets thought and language running freelike sparks in tinder catching light.Come Holy Spirit, dancing fire.Kindle in us your heart’s desire.

And Jesus drew the Spirit’s breathTo shake the values of his day.He sat at table with the poor –The rich and mighty stayed away.Come Jesus, come in burning rage.Speak your good news to every age.

For God is known in blazing firethat sparks the power of

prophet’s worda call to act on poverty –a call that must not go unheard.Come God of justice, God of

mightBy your word, set our world

alight.© Janet Wootton

Janet Wootton

Longing for justiceWhen we hear of cuts in jobs and services,rising prices, and increasing unemployment,where the news is of hardship and recession,God of the fire and flame hear the cry of your people and kindle our longing for justice.

Where people are imprisoned by debt,by poor housing and run-down neighbourhoods, where they are caught in the vicious cycle of

poverty God of the fire and flame,hear the cry of your people and kindle our longing for justice.

Where people are worn-down by ill-health, ground down by lack of food and warmth, where vision and hope are lost in the struggle for

survival God of the fire and flame, hear the cry of your people and kindle our longing for justice.

In the daily abuse from families and neighbours, where communities become no-go areas of

desolation where division and exploitation oppress the poor, God of the fire and flame, hear the cry of your people and kindle our longing for justice.

When we long for transformation when we are called into partnership for change, when we take the risk of prophetic action God of the fire and flame, we hear the cry of your people, and our hope is kindled into working with you for justice. Amen

© Jan Berry, 2012Jan Berry

Walking the talk: a blessing May God the maker bless you;God who speaks words of freedom and justice,God who walks what he talks for ever.May God bless you, with hope. Amen

May Jesus the teacher bless you;Jesus who speaks of Good news for poor people,Jesus who talks and does the business.May Jesus bless you, with truth. AmenMay God the Holy Spirit bless you;the Holy Spirit who speaks in fire and stillness,the Holy Spirit who dances what she announces.may the Holy Spirit bless you, with joy. Amen

May you walk and talk with God who loves you forever,every step of your journeyevery moment of your life. Amen©Ruth Burgess, 2012

spark news from Church Action on Poverty autumn 2012

One of our winners is a beautiful watercolour design by Eltje Mueller-Stewart, aged 13, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The judging panel really liked the idea of the homeless/holy family set in the modern-day context of a shop doorway, contrasting the human cost of poverty with the price of a pair of shoes – congratulations, Eltje!

Our other winner is a stunning mixed-media collage design by Yvonne McCrudden, aged 13, from Darwen, Lancashire. The judges really liked the simple message bringing hope and the use of a nativity scene in silhouette contrasted with the blaze of colour in the star – congratulations, Yvonne!

kindle a flame at christmas!Over the summer, we invited young people and children to design a Christmas card to commemorate our 30th anniversary. Community Fundraiser Clare MacBeath is delighted to announce not one but two winners – a testimony to the quality of entries we received.

Many thanks to all those who put in time and creative effort in sending in their entries – we were very impressed with the standard of artwork and the careful thought that had gone into all your designs. A selection of the entries is available in an online gallery at www.church-poverty.org.uk/christmascards

I want to Kindle a Flame this Christmas. Please send me..._____ packs of 10 ‘Homeless/holy family’ Christmas cards @ £4 a pack_____ packs of 10 ‘Hope’ Christmas cards @ £4 a pack

I would also like to make a donation of £_______ towards the work of Church Action on Poverty.I am a UK tax-payer and would like Church Action on Poverty to treat this and all future donations as Gift Aid. I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify.

I enclose a cheque for the full amount, payable to Church Action on Poverty.Name: _________________________________________________________________________________Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Postcode: ___________________________Telephone number: ______________________________________________________________________Email address: ___________________________________________________________________________

Please send me emails about your campaign to Close the Gap between rich and poor.

order your cards now

Help raise money and show your

friends, family and colleagues

that poverty is an issue you

care about.Order your

‘Kindle a Flame’ Christmas cards by returning the

form below, or online at www.church-poverty.

org.uk/christmascards

Return this form to Freepost RSHB-TUGR-RAGU, Church Action on Poverty, Dale House, 35 Dale Street, Manchester M1 2HF