Working with faith groups

Mar

2010

I get a lot of correspondence from people of faith, and indeed those without faith commenting on faith issues. Faith issues have been in the news a lot recently and it is one of the exciting things about Brighton: we have a vibrant faith community.

Over the past weeks and months I’ve spent time with faith groups to find out more about the massive contributions they make to the community and hear more about their concerns and views. In the past few weeks, for instance, I was pleased to meet with Archie Coates of St Peter’s Church to find out about the work he and his team are doing. I was delighted to join a service at Gloucester Street Baptist Church a few Sundays ago to talk about my values and also hear from worshippers there. In February I joined the YMCA at their Sleep Easy event to highlight the problem of homelessness.

I’ve also enjoyed a longer association with Fareshare, a charity backed by Churches Together in Sussex that redistributes surplus supermarket food to people who need it. I volunteered for a day with the team last year and was hugely impressed by the tremendous work they do and the boost they give to all sorts of vulnerable people.

Church and faith groups of all kinds make a variety of contributions to our city’s life, in particular tackling poverty on the ground. As an anti-poverty campaigner in my work life, I’m keen to support them. For me, one of the most striking things about the work these groups do is the focus and importance they attach to self-esteem and developing confidence, often having a transformational effect on people’s lives. Whether it’s the volunteers themselves or the people getting the help, making sure that people are valued is at the core of the work. I’m always impressed with that and think that anyone, regardless of their personal faith, can support that too.

Share this: