• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Joint Public Issues Team

Churches working for peace and justice

  • Home Page
  • Who We Are
    • Six hopes for society
  • Issues
    • Economy
      • Tax Justice
      • Reset The Debt
      • Living Wage
    • Environment
      • Net Zero in My Neighbourhood
    • Poverty and Inequality
      • The Cost of Living Crisis
      • Universal Credit
      • Truth and Lies
      • Enough
      • Rethink Sanctions
      • Faith in Foodbanks
      • Housing and Homelessness
    • Asylum and Migration
      • Refugees
      • End Hostility
      • The Asylum System
    • Peacemaking
      • The Arms Trade
      • Nuclear Weapons
      • Drones
      • Peacemaking resources
    • Politics and Elections
      • General Election manifesto suggestions
      • Elections
      • Meet Your MP
      • Art of the Possible
      • Brexit
    • Other Issues
      • International Development
      • Modern Slavery and Exploitation
        • Forced labour in fashion
  • Get Involved
    • Newsletter
    • Events
  • Resources
    • Advent 2022
    • 10 Minutes on… podcast
    • Newsletter
    • Politics in the Pulpit?
    • Stay and Pray
    • Season of Creation
    • Prayers
    • Public Issues Calendar
    • Poetry
    • Small Group Resources
  • Blog

Questioning injustice

Blog · 2 February, 2018

JPIT’s newest team member, Simeon Mitchell, introduces himself.

For as long as I can remember, I have had more questions than answers. Why can’t I walk on the grass? How do I know that I’m real and not just in a dream? Why is the sea blue when water isn’t?

As I grew older and was exposed to some of the realities of the world, many of my questions became more pointed and focused on issues of injustice. Why is a quarter of the world hungry when the planet produces enough food to feed everyone? Why do we spend so much money on weapons if we don’t want there to be wars? Why doesn’t someone change the system if it doesn’t work?


When I learned more about the Christian faith in which I’d been brought up, I discovered echoes of my questions in the raging of the prophets and the laments of the psalmists, and encountered a Son of Man who answered them with his actions as well as his words. I also discovered a community which does not settle for the world as it is, but is inspired to work towards realising the vision of God’s kingdom.

Fired up by my questions and encouraged by my faith, I got involved: in church, in campaigns and causes, in politics. My political awakening coincided with the fall of Berlin Wall, when I saw the potential of ordinary people to bring about change – an experience later reinforced by my participation in the Jubilee 2000 movement for debt cancellation.

Eventually my involvement led to opportunities to pursue a career working in organisations concerned with social justice – focused on housing and homelessness, then fair trade, then, for the last sixteen years or so, on global poverty and international development. I have held various responsibilities, but a strand running through it all has been a passion to engage Christians in thinking through the implications of our faith for responding to the realities of the world we live in. For allowing our questions to drive our ideals and our activism. And to walk a path of discipleship which means offering answers and alternatives, too.

It is therefore enormously exciting for me to be joining the Joint Public Issues Team, which since its formation has offered such powerful and prophetic witness on behalf of the churches across a range of vital issues, and to be working for the URC, with its strong commitment to generous inclusivity and to speaking out in conscience on matters of justice and peace.

I am still full of questions, and I am looking forward to working with our church members, colleagues and partners to help people engage with some of the issues facing our society today – not only by demanding answers from those who hold power and responsibility (which includes all of us, of course), but also by playing a part in proposing solutions as well.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Faith, Meet the Team

Simeon Mitchell

I became interim JPIT Team Leader in April 2021, and have the privilege and responsibility of coordinating the work of the team. I was previously Deputy Team Leader, and have been Secretary for Church and Society for the United Reformed Church since January 2018. My background is in international development and enabling Christians and churches to respond to issues of global poverty and injustice. I live in Oxford with my wife and three children, and am a preacher and lay leader in my local church.

Previous Post: « Response to the Government consultation on gambling machines
Next Post: Celebrating the Representation of the People Act »

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Posts

  • COP28 – Benchmarks for success
  • As COP28 approaches
  • The Autumn Statement will not halt growing poverty and destitution
  • Why must every social security announcement feature a big threat?
  • There’s an election coming…
  • The Rwanda plan has failed, but churches can help steer a better course
  • Church leaders respond to net zero announcement
  • Introducing Sienna
  • Introducing Annie
  • Loss and Damage in the run up to COP-28
  • Conflict Prevention and ‘A New Agenda for Peace’
  • The Illegal Migration Bill becomes law
  • Voter ID: the Consequences
  • Why the US should change course on sending cluster munitions to Ukraine
  • Interest rate rises: is there another way?
  • Banning boycotts and divestments – have we not learned anything from South Africa?
  • Sanctions don’t work – but they are increasing anyway
  • Environment Sunday – Hope in the face of Climate Crisis
  • Response to the Government’s White Paper on Gambling
  • 1450+ church leaders oppose the Illegal Migration Bill

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter

Footer

Follow us

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • x
  • youtube

Quick links

Stay and Pray
Politics in the Pulpit
Faith in Politics podcast
Public Issues Calendar
Useful Links

Our work

About Us
Meet the Team
Join the Team 
Internship
Our Newsletter

Contact us

25 Tavistock Place London WC1H 9SF

Tel: 020 7916 8632

enquiries@jpit.uk

Copyright © 2023 · Showcase Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in