Photo by Ann H on Pexels.com Over 25 years ago, our church started doing an extraordinary thing. Every Saturday, it opened its doors to the people who lived alone, lived out on the streets or hung out in the vicinity of the church. Many of them would gather early outside the doors - along with… Continue reading ‘But you’re good at this sort of thing’. Engaging with poverty is for the whole church – by Gavin Howard
Category: Church
Community, commitment & conviction (and cake). A week I’ll never forget…
Over the last 18 summers, being a part of the Lee Abbey Youth Camp in Devon has been a great blessing to our whole family. However, last year I had a clear sense that it should be my last one, partly because of a growing idea to be involved in something more local. A vision… Continue reading Community, commitment & conviction (and cake). A week I’ll never forget…
Faith expressed through love: my favourite ever ‘work’ day
Images from Adam @norfolkweddingphotography / tomorrownight.com Almost 18 months ago, I arrived at one of Hope into Action's houses in Norwich to meet some of our tenants. A woman called Susie opened the door, welcomed me in and made me a cup of tea. Susie had not been in the Hope into Action house for long but… Continue reading Faith expressed through love: my favourite ever ‘work’ day
Beyond deconstruction: why I choose to reconstruct my faith – by Tobias Mayer
Photo by Su00e9rgio Souza on Pexels.com In recent decades, 'deconstruction' has become the standard term for dismantling one's inherited religious beliefs—a stripping away of layers to find what is 'real'. But what, really, does it have to do with faith at all? Where is Jesus in the deconstruction narrative? Too often, it looks like a… Continue reading Beyond deconstruction: why I choose to reconstruct my faith – by Tobias Mayer
There is no Christianity without the local church
Photo by Maiko Valentino Bu00e1ez Brito on Pexels.com There is no shortage of Christian resources available to consume by yourself: the best sermons, the most brilliant worship music and the deepest contemplative prayer are all available online. But following Jesus cannot be done in isolation: Christianity is not an individual spiritual self-help programme. Jesus does… Continue reading There is no Christianity without the local church
‘Counter Christianity’: transaction or community? – by Jon Swales
Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com These reflections were stirred afresh at the Hope into Action annual conference, Rooted: Homelessness Ends in Community and in particular during the seminar Rethinking Poverty and Our Response facilitated by Jon Kuhrt and Rachel Arnold. There is a kind of Christianity that excels at projects. The foodbank is… Continue reading ‘Counter Christianity’: transaction or community? – by Jon Swales
Walking the way of love with those on the margins – by Debs Green
Photo by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto on Pexels.com I've had the privilege of working for Hope into Action for the past seven years. We provide supported housing for people experiencing homelessness, but we are passionate about offering far more than just accommodation. By partnering with local churches, we address not only the poverty of resources, but… Continue reading Walking the way of love with those on the margins – by Debs Green
East of Eden: Unite the Kingdom – by Jon Swales
Note: This poem was uncomfortable to write and may be uncomfortable to read. It holds together voices that clash — bishops, marchers, migrants, parishioners — in order to lament the fractures of our nation and to seek Christ at the centre. The discomfort is part of the truth. Thomas, parish priest, opens the Bishop’s statement… Continue reading East of Eden: Unite the Kingdom – by Jon Swales
The jolt I needed to talk about my mental health – by Ash Wilcox
Photo by Emmanuel Codden on Pexels.com I was a successful professional, a Head of Communications, full of confidence and creativity. I had won multiple awards, was a Fellow in my industry, and was used to managing large teams with budgets into the millions. And to my friends, I presented as a more laid back, seemingly… Continue reading The jolt I needed to talk about my mental health – by Ash Wilcox
Resisting the secularising drift of social action
This article was recently published in the magazine Baptists Together. At Streatham Baptist Church, we host a community meal on Wednesday evenings called The Vine. A wide variety of guests come along – some are sleeping rough and struggling with addictions but most are facing the challenges associated with isolation and basic poverty. The purpose of The Vine… Continue reading Resisting the secularising drift of social action
Grace + Truth 