“I’ll help serve breakfast!” This week we are celebrating some of the stories of congregations from our churches who have taken up the challenge to meet their local MP. Each congregation was able to demonstrate their concerns for the local area, express their hopes and dreams, and invite …
Faith
Three generations of women and the vote
This photo was taken in 2014 at a march held to commemorate a suffragette rally that took place in Walthamstow, east London, in 1910. This is my mother, my daughter and me, three generations marching together for equality and to honour the women (and men) who fought for the vote for all. So as …
Womanhood and faith
What the vote means to me Turning eighteen is a pretty big deal, suddenly you can buy alcohol, serve on a jury, buy fireworks and sue or be sued, just to name a few. Of the rather interesting and sometimes random things that you can do once you reach eighteen, I see voting as an incredibly …
A sacred place?
I grew up fascinated by the stories that I heard about suffragettes. I was also brought up to understand that voting is a very important responsibility. I was first entitled to vote at the 1997 general election and my parents made a bit of a fuss about it and were very keen that we should make our …
A hard won right
What the vote means to me 1974 was an exciting year in British politics, with two General Elections. I wasn’t old enough to vote, but the second fell on my 15th birthday – so I remember well having a day off school! From that day onwards I couldn’t wait to be 18 and to vote. In the 1979 General …
The privilege of challenging oppression
What does having the vote mean to me? In my ministry in Wakefield and in Yorkshire I have met many people from other countries who are seeking asylum. Commonly they are seeking refuge from oppressive governments which they have no power to oppose and no mechanism for changing. For me, being able to …
Questioning injustice
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 …
One hundred days as a ONE Intern
Reflections Yesterday marked my one hundredth day as a ONE Programme Intern. Following an application filled out partly as a means of procrastination the day before an exam and a Skype interview at the ungodly hour of 5am New York time, I write this from the Joint Public Issues Team Office on the …
Brave New World?
It is difficult to escape the feeling that we are living in changing times. Politically speaking, change is the order of the day at local, national and international levels. Elections have yielded some rather unexpected results. We have seen the successes of rank outsiders such as Donald Trump …
Conversation and Conservatives
This month we have a delegation of church leaders attending each of the four biggest party conferences, alongside The Salvation Army and Quakers in Britain. We have already been to the Labour and Lib Dem conferences. This week: the Conservative Party Whilst the media coverage of party conferences …