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Churches working for peace and justice

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JPIT’s Review of 2021

Blog · 16 December, 2021

2021 has brought more unexpected twists and turns. As it rolls to a close, the JPIT staff reflect on the things which brought them some joy this year (and offer some recommendations!). Wishing you a joyful and peaceful Christmas, from all at the Joint Public Issues Team.

Roo

Favourite read: The Positive News Website!
Favourite podcast: The Unbelievable Truth (BBC Sounds)
Favourite headline: Builder of ‘Britain’s biggest model railway’ kept it secret from his girlfriend
Favourite campaigner: Jackie Weaver – campaigning for more effective democracy, one parish council meeting at a time
Favourite place: Parkrun every Saturday morning at 9am – it’s great to be back!

Matt

Favourite book: Beyond a Boundary by CLR James. A masterful memoir on cricket, colonialism, race and politics in the 20th century.
Favourite podcast: Too many to pick one! For politics and current affairs – The New Statesman Podcast. For faith and politics – Politics in the Pulpit! For fascinating conversations with interesting people about their deepest values – The Sacred. For cutting satire – The Bugle. For pure surreal nonsense and light-hearted fun – Three Bean Salad.
Favourite Twitter account: the parody skits from the likes of Matt Green, Michael Spicer and Rosie Holt have been very amusing interruptions to what is often quite a bleak scroll…
New hobby: spending hours in the kitchen learning how to make roast dinners and delicious curries (without using sauce from a jar!).

Steve H

Favourite TV comedy: Ghosts for a comedy (BBC) and Vigil for a drama! (BBC)
Most memorable news event:  “Activist groups hail ‘historic win’ as Dutch court orders multinational fossil fuel company to cut CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030“
Favourite place: The Old Airfield Campsite, Bransgore, The New Forest

Dave

Favourite book: Elif Shafak: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World. A profoundly moving book about friendship and death on the margins of society.
Favourite album/song: I would never have said I was a great fan of Danish Black Metal but Ella by Myrkur (off their album Folkesange) is a beautiful and evocative reimagining of traditional Nordic folk music…
Favourite place: This year I discovered Cragside in Rothbury, now a National Trust property but the UK’s first ‘green energy’ house. The house illuminated by hydro-electricity and powered by hydraulics was built by William Armstrong (who also invented the Armstrong Breechloading Gun, just shows we are all contradictions!).

Paul

Favourite book: Jason Hickel’s ‘Less is More’. A cunning blend of History, Economics, Environmentalism and potential apocalypse alongside some hope
Favourite film: Dune – Dad and daughter’s first Cinema trip to see a grown-up film together; pure post lockdown dad joy!
Favourite TV show: Lego Ninjago; the only thing that helped my 8-year old son survive the trauma of home-schooling
Favourite campaign: Commission on Social Security: People who use the social security system designing a new social security system, and doing a better job than anyone else so far. Read about it here!

Steve T

Favourite book: Voices on the Move (Domnica Radulescu & Roxana Cazan)
New skill: House hunting (not sure it’s a skill I’m mastering)
Favourite campaign/campaigner: ☹ (it’s been a tough year for campaigns)
Favourite place: Screen 5, Row P, Seat 10 Odeon Cinema

Ryan

Favourite book/read: Lost Cat by Mary Gaitskell – I found it in a dusty bookshop this summer and read it in an afternoon. It is a sharp but hopeful reflection on love, loss and welcoming the stranger (both human and feline).
Favourite podcast: Surely everyone has said The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill?
Favourite headline/most memorable news event: Antonio Conte joins Spurs!?!?! Maybe Cat Smith resigns from the shadow cabinet…
Favourite album/song: Apparently ‘Happier Than Ever’ by Billie Eilish is my most played song this year. I don’t know if that very cool?

Beth

Favourite book/read: This year I discovered my new favourite author: Lisa See. I have read two of hers so far my favourite being The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.
Favourite podcast: I’ve listened to lots of great podcasts this year but The Intelligence by the Economist or No Such Thing As A Fish.
Favourite social media channel: The pandemic introduced me to the joy of TikTok which I have been enjoying this year. Seeing clips of adorable animals, book recommendations and home DIY tips is endlessly entertaining!
Favourite place: This summer I visited Scotland for the first time and visited so many beautiful places including going swimming in the stunning Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye.  

Hannah

Favourite book: The Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman – I got totally lost in the characters!
Favourite TV show: The Dog House on Channel 4 – quality cute animal escapism
Favourite headline: ‘Polling Booth set up in car park after church warden overslept’ (how British…)
Favourite place: Feeling a bit chilly paddling in the Cornish sea!

Filed Under: Blog

Hannah Brown

I am the Campaigns and Church Engagement Officer for JPIT. My role involves working with the team to ensure that our campaigns are run effectively, and helping to empower local churches to engage with social justice and effective change-making. I have a background in local church partnership and engagement, and enjoy exploring how we communicate for effective change. I am particularly excited to see how JPIT can empower the church to be a voice of hope and transformation, particularly for those marginalised and disempowered by the systems of society.

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