Jellicoe: 5 years on

The Centre for Theology & Community l March 14, 2017

In 2012, Austin Tiffany spent four weeks on CTC’s Summer Internship (known then as the “Jellicoe internship”). With applications now open for our 2017 programme, he blogs on the impact of a month in east London…

Five years ago I stepped onto British soil for the first time, having come from Texas for an internship in east London. The project was titled Highway Neighbours, and a team of four of us were tasked to help churches and the local communities in Shadwell and Wapping adjust to the 2012 Olympics, at the time just a few weeks away. Our task was to listen to the needs of the community, using existing structures and leadership of the local churches to distribute information and provide assistance to all living along the Highway.

Beyond words

The Centre for Theology & Community l March 9, 2017

After weeks of learning how to effectively use our words, we were tasked last week at London Witness to capture a message through image alone. Thus, this week’s blog is just that. Check out how participants captured the theme of “light”…

Living under the Father’s gaze during Lent

Community Organising, Prayer l February 27, 2017

As Lent approaches, our Chaplain Sr Josephine Canny OA blogs on how our keeping of the season might relate to our care of God’s creation…

Many of the Churches are proposing that during Lent this year, we reflect on our attitude towards the planet.

Happy birthday, TELCO!

Community Organising, Events, The Centre for Theology & Community l February 25, 2017

On March 9th, The East London Citizens Organisation (TELCO) celebrates its twentieth birthday. CTC Director Angus Ritchie writes about the achievements of Britain’s oldest community organising alliance, and our Centre’s deep roots in its work…

In two weeks, we will be going back to the building where it all started. Twenty years after TELCO’s founding assembly in York Hall in Bethnal Green, 1200 local people will gather to celebrate all that has been accomplished and commit to organising together for another two decades.

Engaging well with social media

The Centre for Theology & Community l February 23, 2017

CTC is running the London Witness programme for the Diocese of London – equipping lay Christians to engage with the media in ways that are confident and constructive. Each week, a participant will be blogging on their experience. Here Frankie Webster writes about week two – which saw the group looking at the finer details of social media; how to utilise each platform to their best advantage, the art of creating a tone through each, and what it looks like to engage well with social media as a Christian.

Letting Our Light Shine: London Witness Media training course starts…

The Centre for Theology & Community l February 16, 2017

Assets not Burdens: Using church property to accelerate mission

The Centre for Theology & Community l February 9, 2017

Tim Thorlby is CTC’s Development Director and he leads our work on research and enterprise. Here he blogs about our new report on how churches use their buildings and the enormous potential they have for mission.

I recently visited a church in north London. Its congregation was small , elderly and gradually declining. The pastor was not hopeful about the future. “What can I do?”

A summer of organising

Community Organising, The Centre for Theology & Community, Urban Leadership School l February 5, 2017

Richard Springer, the Director of our Urban Leadership School, blogs on our summer internship programme. Applications are now open: might it be right for you or for someone you know…?

For over a decade, CTC’s Summer Internship has given a remarkable opportunity to young people interested in developing their own capacity as Christian leaders and directly participating in church based community organising in London.

Making London A Fairer City

The Centre for Theology & Community l and tagged 'Living Wage', Clean For Good, Cleaning l January 23, 2017

Tim Thorlby is CTC’s Development Director. He leads our work on enterprise and is also a Director of Clean for Good. Here he blogs about the latest step on the journey to launching Clean for Good…

We’re nearly there.

For the last two and half years I have been involved in helping to shape, support and bring to fruition a brand new business for London. We are now on the home straight to launch.

Clean for Good is a cleaning company, but one which is different. It is a business with a social purpose. Our aim is to reinvent cleaning and the way that cleaners are perceived – and we want to challenge the rest of the cleaning sector to do the same.

Church planting and community organising

Community Organising, SingSpire, The Centre for Theology & Community l January 14, 2017

Angus Ritchie (Director of CTC and Priest in Charge of St George-in-the-East) blogs on two new church plants which are using community organising to make disciples and challenge injustice…

Through our research and our work with inner-city congregations, we are increasingly seeing a connection between community organising and numerical growth. Churches are likely to make new disciples when they are both willing to work with their neighbours for the common good and intentional about becoming more inviting and accessible to those who want to explore the Christian faith .

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