As world leaders arrive in Cornwall this week for the G7 Summit, leaders of the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches joined dozens of faith leaders to call on the UK government to use its Presidency of the G7 and of the UN climate talks to drive real progress on addressing the climate …
Church leaders’ letter to the new Prime Minister: a no-deal Brexit is gambling with the basic needs of our poorest citizens
An open letter to the new Prime Minister from leaders of 7 Christian denominations expresses concern that failing to agree a deal on Brexit will “hit those held back by poverty very hard indeed”. The Church leaders say they have been “compelled” to write to the new Prime Minister because of …
Rain no barrier to integration of New Scots
In the latest blog about creating a welcoming environment, Sabine Chalmers of Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees writes about the Edinburgh Weekend Club, a regular social integration event for refugees. It was a horrible morning – cold and pouring with rain – and my mind was spinning. We …
From hostility to hospitality
Over the last six months, JPIT has been campaigning for an end to the ‘hostile environment’ immigration policies which are causing destitution, discrimination and distrust in our society. But how can our churches play a part in creating a more welcoming environment for migrants? We begin a …
Meet Your MP: Using our voices
In a guest blog, Revd Katy Thomas, a Methodist minister from Wilmslow in Cheshire, writes about her experience of arranging a meeting with her MP last month. At the Methodist Women in Britain Conference earlier this year, Rachel Lampard from the Joint Public Issues Team spoke about Universal …
Why fair trade is in difficulty, and what we need to do
A personal response by Ruth Murray Traidcraft, the pioneering Fairtrade brand that brought us ‘campaign coffee’ and went on to develop huge range of Fairtrade products, has announced that it proposes to cease trading at the end of the year unless a solution can be found. Along with many others …
Church leaders call for an end to the hostile environment
Responding to the news that the government has temporarily suspended some of the data-sharing measures which form part of its ‘hostile environment’ approach to illegal immigration, leaders of the Church of Scotland, Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches issued the following …
Have we been complicit in the hostile environment?
A guest blog by Revd Dr Michael N. Jagessar, Secretary for Global and Intercultural Ministries at the United Reformed Church. Michael is a URC minister, theologian, speaker and author, and has lived and worked in Guyana, Jamaica, Grenada, Curacao, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and, since 1999, in …
Churches urge end to ‘hostile environment’ policies
A group of major Churches is launching a campaign to challenge the government’s approach to illegal immigration, which they say is leading to destitution, discrimination and distrust. The Baptist Union, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church have joined forces …
“A benefit system which drives families into debt and leaves people hungry is a failing benefit system” say Churches
Speaking on behalf of the Baptist Union, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, Paul Morrison commented on the release of the National Audit Office (NAO) report, Rolling out Universal Credit, saying, “Churches have repeatedly expressed concerns about Universal …