Our church runs a weekly drop-in meal called The Vine where we welcome a whole range of different guests. Some are homeless, many are vulnerable and lonely, and everyone seems to appreciate the fun, food and friendship we share. Last Wednesday was a great evening with the whole church building buzzing with life. The young… Continue reading The contributory principle: everyone can do something for others
Frank Field: socialist, conservative, Christian
Frank Field, the late Labour MP who represented Birkenhead for 40 years and died last year, will always be one of my political heroes. Last year Together for the Common Good invited me to give a talk in his memory, and this month, an official Frank Field Memorial Lecture has been inaugurated. The first lecture… Continue reading Frank Field: socialist, conservative, Christian
Prophet or Provider: what is the church’s role to those on the margins?
On Tuesday 21st October, I am very honoured to be giving the annual Hook Lecture at Leeds Minster on the title: Prophet or Provider? How can we be a prophetic voice for change while meeting the needs of people at the margins. Watch this 90 second video introducing this topic: https://videopress.com/v/2VVdXYfZ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fvideos.files.wordpress.com%2F2VVdXYfZ%2Fdoc-20251010-wa0000-1_mp4_std.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true We are living in… Continue reading Prophet or Provider: what is the church’s role to those on the margins?
The judgement on all religion
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com For many years, a devout Muslim man lived next door to us with his family. He was just about the best neighbour that it is possible to have: friendly, kind and generous. He was very tolerant of the noise our young children made and cheerfully threw back the many balls… Continue reading The judgement on all religion
Don’t judge a book by its cover Mr Jenrick – by Joe Aldred
Robert Jenrick MP and current Shadow Justice Secretary, Photo: Flickr I was born in Jamaica, a former Spanish then British slave colony. My father migrated to this country as a young man to find work to support his family and I joined him when I was in my mid-teens. I am a descendant of enslaved… Continue reading Don’t judge a book by its cover Mr Jenrick – by Joe Aldred
Facing the tragic cost of homelessness
Today is World Homeless Day and this week it was announced that 1611 people died homeless in the last year in the UK. It is a tragic statistic which exposes the raw human cost of homelessness. A reality that shames our society. Crisis Behind every statistic is a story of a son, daughter, brother, sister,… Continue reading Facing the tragic cost of homelessness
“You’re important, we’re in charge”: grace & truth for kids
Photo by Josh Willink on Pexels.com I was on a train recently sitting next to a parent who had two young children with her, a girl of about 5 and her younger brother aged about 3. The girl was trying to read a book but the brother kept hitting the book out of her hands… Continue reading “You’re important, we’re in charge”: grace & truth for kids
Rage stoked by the Machine: the algorithms are against us
Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com Nothing reveals the health of a culture more than how well people disagree with each other. And this is especially true within local communities. This is why terms like community cohesion and social capital have become important because they describe a vital sense of relational connection and commonality that… Continue reading Rage stoked by the Machine: the algorithms are against us
Exclusive Inclusivity – by Tobias Mayer
Photo by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto on Pexels.com "It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences" Audre Lorde, September 1979 I like inclusivity. Who doesn't? But I've started noticing an interesting paradox in inclusive spaces. By going to any length to include the traditionally excluded… Continue reading Exclusive Inclusivity – by Tobias Mayer
Disunited kingdom: peace-making in a time of polarisation – by Tony Uddin
Photo by Efrem Efre on Pexels.com Last weekend’s ‘Uniting the Kingdom’ march underscored just how divided our nation is. Amidst the accusations and counter-accusations, demos and counter-demos, most of us are left asking how on earth we got here? I certainly have a dog in this fight. I am half-Bangladeshi and half-British, and a hundred… Continue reading Disunited kingdom: peace-making in a time of polarisation – by Tony Uddin
Grace + Truth 
