Churches and Christian organisations have long been meeting the needs of their communities where no other support can be found. This week sees the spotlight being shone once again on their expertise as church, charity and community leaders are invited to advise on collaboration projects to address the growing need for assistance for the millions affected by the cost of living crisis and political uncertainty.
The ChurchWorks Summit gathers together government ministers, MPs, church leaders and experienced professionals from charity partners to discuss ways they can strategically respond to community needs. The summit will be structured around the three work streams of the ChurchWorks Commission: wellbeing, family hubs and the cost of living crisis.
Held on November 16 at Methodist Central Hall in Westminster, the summit will be co-hosted by Chair of the ChurchWorks Commission, the Bishop of Durham, The Right Reverend Paul Butler.
Bishop Paul Butler said: “The Church was at the forefront of community action through Covid, and now heading into a season where we know many will be needing support we can be a tangible offering of God’s love once again. This summit is an opportunity for the Church to partner together in a strategic response to social action, and start a national conversation on the role the church can play in wellbeing, family care and the current economic crisis.”
This summit provides the opportunity for national church leaders to connect, to deepen their understanding of the current context around family hubs, wellbeing and the cost of living crisis, and to hear about practical ways in which they can respond.
Initiatives such as The Warm Welcome Campaign will share how they have seen a national partnership of over 3,700 community organisations registering to help the forecasted one in four people unable to afford their new energy bills this winter. Partners such as Spurgeons, Safe Families and the Gather Movement will also share their experiences of the church collaborating with family hubs and opportunities for this to be done elsewhere.
David Barclay, Campaign manager of the Warm Welcome Campaign, added: “This summit gives us a chance to connect with others in the room and to discuss opportunities for the national church to collaborate with the government as well as opportunities for individual churches to connect with local authorities. The country is facing a devastating cost of living crisis as well as political uncertainty, and the impact of initiatives such as the Warm Welcome Campaign have proven that this country underpinning of compassion that is outworked through our community organisations and partnerships, and we can make a real difference.”
The ChurchWorks Commission works to continue to enable churches to collaborate with one another and with the government so that they can support their communities in recovering from the last two years. There is opportunity for the national church and individual churches to respond to these three issues through the support of partner organisations through the commission.
To find out more about the ChurchWorks Commission, the Summit and the upcoming ChurchWorks Wellbeing Conference in March 2023, please visit: www.churchworks.org.uk
