Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com A number of years ago I was co-leading a seminar at the Greenbelt festival on homelessness. In this context, we knew there was a danger that it would simply be full of people agreeing that homelessness was ‘A Bad Thing’ and that ‘the government should do more’. So to mix it… Continue reading ‘Does charity work?’ Challenging the non-profit comfort zone
Category: Social action
‘Life to the Full’: Labour Party Conference sermon
The text of a sermon I gave at the Labour Party Conference Church Service on 22/9/24. The bible readings were Isaiah 65: 17-25 & John 10:7-18 In the field of homelessness, where I have worked for 30 years, you cannot avoid the twin issues of politics and faith. Rough sleeping is a sensitive political issue… Continue reading ‘Life to the Full’: Labour Party Conference sermon
The messy reality of grace & truth: seeking justice in my community – by Nick Graves
I clearly remember that Friday. It was a typical Food Stop day at our church, a time when we open our doors to offer local people struggling financially the opportunity to choose £20-30 worth of food and interact with experts and support services. But that day, amid the familiar sea of faces, a new group… Continue reading The messy reality of grace & truth: seeking justice in my community – by Nick Graves
‘Christian social action may have grown but it needs to mature’: Grace, Truth & the Common Good
Last Monday I gave a lecture titled Grace, Truth and the Common Good: the future of Christian Social Action, in memory of Frank Field at the London Jesuit Centre. You can watch the lecture below. I am introduced by Jenny Sinclair who leads Together for the Common Good and the lecture starts at 5 mins… Continue reading ‘Christian social action may have grown but it needs to mature’: Grace, Truth & the Common Good
Grace, Truth & the Common Good: a lecture in honour of Frank Field
"Church-based social action has grown significantly in the last 20 years, but it needs an appraisal. Too often social action projects can become disconnected from efforts for justice, deepen a sense of dependency in those they serve, and end up drifting in a secular direction." I am very honoured to have been asked to give… Continue reading Grace, Truth & the Common Good: a lecture in honour of Frank Field
‘Am I going to be sent to Rwanda?’ Thinking Christianly about asylum
by Benjamin Welby & Andy Brims Vineyard English School, run by Croydon Vineyard church In the nondescript hotel lobby doubling as our makeshift classroom, Tariq*, a new student, lingered after class. Anxiety etched on his face, he asked: “Am I going to be sent to Rwanda? I’ve got a domestic worker visa…my wife is pregnant.”… Continue reading ‘Am I going to be sent to Rwanda?’ Thinking Christianly about asylum
Clueless wanderers or confident explorers?
Photo by cheptu00e9 cormani on Pexels.com I have had an encouraging response to my article Justice, Empowerment and Faith: the future direction for Christian social action. Christianity Magazine re-published it and I have had emails and messages from agencies around the world. And last month, a diverse group of 30 senior leaders of Christian social… Continue reading Clueless wanderers or confident explorers?
The problem of proselytism; the urgency of evangelism
I want to reflect on three scenarios I have experienced this week: Scenario 1: Last Sunday I gave the talk at my church on the passage in John's gospel when Jesus is tried by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. I focused on Pilate’s question ‘What is truth?’ (Watch the sermon here). After the service, I… Continue reading The problem of proselytism; the urgency of evangelism
The sins of social action
On a cold night in late November, I was running our church’s drop-in evening meal called The Vine. Each week, around 30 people come along for company, a quiz and a good hot meal. It’s a modest but positive contribution to our community’s well-being. Our guests have a wide range of needs, but what most struck me… Continue reading The sins of social action
Soothing poverty or slaying it? – by Phil Conn
Photo by Timur Weber on Pexels.com I’ve spent the last couple of decades working in social action and for the last 15 years almost exclusively with those experiencing street homelessness and its surrounding issues. In the last three years, I’ve moved into full time church leadership. For this reason that I was acutely struck by… Continue reading Soothing poverty or slaying it? – by Phil Conn
Grace + Truth 