Community Organising: One church’s story of success, in a year!

Community Organising, The Centre for Theology & Community l and tagged 'Living Wage', Citizens UK, Community Organising, Ealing, Simon Cuff, West London Citizens l September 15, 2014

Revd Dr Simon Cuff, Assistant Curate at Christ the Saviour, Ealing and a Research Associate at CTC blogs on the different Community Organising has made in just a year in his parish…

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since our first foray into the art of Community Organising. In September 2013, Andy Walton from CTC introduced the concept of community organising and led a listening session at our ‘Kids in the Community’ youth group. We listened together to the needs of our young people and their concerns about the local area. It was here that we first heard how our teenagers often felt unsafe travelling to and from school on public transport.

Fast-forward to the end of April this year, our young people had shared their concerns with those of students from the nearby William Perkin Church of England High School, and we were all gathered at a West London Citizens accountability assembly. That evening, the candidates for leader of the local council were asked to do four things. One of them was to host and fund meetings with schoolchildren from across the borough and key stakeholders in public transport.

Cleaning up: CTC helps ethical business scoop Dragon’s Den award

The Centre for Theology & Community l September 5, 2014

CTC’s Development Director Tim Thorlby blogs on a promising project at a City of London church…

Our latest project brings together an unlikely mix of big business, local government, an ancient city church and the communities of east London. The connection? Dirt and rubbish.

The story starts with the Parish of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe – a 13^th century institution in the City of London, now home to decidedly 21^st Century global businesses like Baker & McKenzie. The new Vicar, Revd Guy Treweek, has been working to re-establish the church as a base for serving the community. So, as well as regular church activities, it also now home to “Suited and Booted”, a charity which provides smart clothes and interview training for the long-term unemployed and the church has also recently become a collection point for the Hackney Foodbank.

Buxton is back!

Community Organising, Just Money, Urban Leadership School l and tagged Buxton, Community Organising, Conservative Christian Fellowship, Frank Field, Thomas Fowell Buxton l September 2, 2014

Our Faith in Public Life officer, David Barclay, blogs about the second year of our pioneering leadership programme for young Christians…

The Buxton Leadership Programme is ready for its second year! The programme gives talented young Christian leaders a unique combination of experience in Parliament alongside a chance to practice church-based community organising. The aim is to help develop a new generation of Christian leaders in public life who can bring the experiences of inner-city communities into dialogue with Westminster. Alongside the practical placements the programme provides opportunities for reflection and personal development, including input from some of the leading Christians in public life in the UK. The Programme is named after Thomas Fowell Buxton, the heroic abolitionist who was an MP in the East End.

Citizens Hong Kong: Community Organising across the world

Contending Modernities, The Centre for Theology & Community, Urban Leadership School l and tagged Community Organising, Hong Kong l August 27, 2014

CTC Director Angus Ritchie is spending August in Hong Kong – where he is helping to train local leaders in community organising. In this blog, he reflects on the opportunities and challenges of organising in new countries and contexts…

Broad-based community organising (as practiced by Citizens UK and CTC) has its roots in the Chicago of the 1930s. As times have changed, and as it has been taken up in different contexts, it has had to adapt. But the core principles remain the same: building a more relational culture; being positive about power (so that people in the poorest communities build relational power – ‘power with’ – as a counterweight to the dominant power – ‘power over’ – exercised by a privileged minority); developing grassroots leaders through action, and through all of this, strengthening the institutions of civil society.

Inspired by the experience of the diaspora communities in London, there is now interest in broad-based organising in a number of African countries.

Jellicoe Internship 2014 – we had a ball!

Contending Modernities, Urban Leadership School l and tagged Community Organising, Internship, Jellicoe l August 13, 2014

The Director of our Urban Leadership School, Revd Tim Clapton, blogs here about the Jellicoe Internship 2014. (This summer we had people from a wide variety of backgrounds, who were placed with churches across east London and used Community Organising skills to help improve the area…)

We have been preparing for Jellicoe 2014 for the past seven or eight months with a good deal of recruiting and the organising of accommodation and placements. July suddenly arrived with a cloud of excitement and activity and now it is August and Jellicoe 2014 is all over, done, finished, even the evaluation report is almost written.

13 Christians aged between 19 and 41 joined us for the month of July. Seven were from Oxbridge and London universities, one from the Assemblies of God Bible college and five from congregations in east London. This is the first time Jellicoe has recruited interns from the east London Christian communities and it was excellent having such rich ethnic diversity. We gave participants a solid grounding in Community Organising, but we also spent a good deal of time in the first week getting to know each other and attending spiritual reflection sessions led by our chaplain, Sister Josephine.

Supporting Christians to change the world through Community Organising

Community Organising l July 22, 2014

Centre Director Angus Ritchie blogs on some new ways in which CTC is supporting churches involved in community organising…

The Contextual Theology Centre was founded in 2005 by Christian leaders involved in London Citizens – and over the years, we have provided opportunities for those involved in community organising to root their work more deeply in prayer and theological reflection. As Simon Cuff’s blog reminds us, around the world, congregations both provide the ‘beating heart’ of community organising and can use its practices to help them grow and flourish.

Faith – the beating heart of Community Organising, worldwide

Community Organising l July 21, 2014

Fr Simon Cuff, Assistant Curate at Christ the Saviour, Ealing, blogs for us about a recent trip to Chicago with several other Christian leaders from Citizens UK…

Staff from CTC and clergy in our partner churches, have returned after an intensive week of learning and sharing experience with others involved in faith-based community organising. ‘Faith Institutions and Industrial Areas Foundation Organizing’ was the theme for around 100 clergy, organisers and lay practitioners of the craft of community organising from across America, Germany, Australia and the UK.

We met outside Chicago at Mundelein Seminary (University of S. Mary of the Lake) – a significant venue. Saul Alinsky, the father of community organising, had influenced a generation of Mundelein seminarians (e.g. Msgr Jack Egan) when he began organising. The desire to have a similar impact in a new generation provided the motivation for this gathering.

Near Neighbours Grants Fund re-opens

The Centre for Theology & Community l and tagged Near Neighbours l June 25, 2014

Our Near Neighbours Co-ordinator, Revd Tim Clapton, blogs on the new money available to apply for in eastern London…

Near Neighbours has been running successfully for the past three years. Here at CTC, we’ve had the pleasure of co-ordinating the training and grants to the diverse communities of eastern London. So many amazing small projects have been boosted by receiving funding.

That’s why we’re delighted that £1.8 million in small grants has been made available over the next two years, for diverse local communities to develop relationships and transform neighbourhoods for the better.

This money is split between various centres across the country, offering financial support to gather local people to make a positive and lasting impact in their communities.

Making the most of our assets? The new London Churches Property Forum

The Centre for Theology & Community l and tagged Housing, Housing Justice, property l June 10, 2014

Our Development Director Tim Thorlby blogs on the first meeting of London’s newest Forum – the London Churches Property Forum – which the Contextual Theology Centre helped to set up. The Forum will help churches to network and share good practice about (and maybe begin to co-ordinate) how they manage their properties…

In May, in a packed room, a brand new Forum was established, organised by the Contextual Theology Centre and its partners. The London Churches Property Forum brings together the key property decision-makers from nearly every major Christian denomination in London, as well as a number of Christian Housing Associations and other Christian charities with an interest in property. The Forum provides an opportunity to share good practice and co-ordinate decision-making and even – eventually – investment.

Church Growth: what does it mean in multi-faith London?

Events l and tagged Church growth, Presence and Engagament, Stephen Cottrell, Stratford l June 3, 2014

CTC Director Angus Ritchie blogs on an exciting event on 17 June which goes to the heart of a major debate within the church: What kind of growth should Christian congregations be aiming for?…

Jesus tells a number of parables which relate to fruitfulness and growth. The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed – initially the smallest of all seeds, but growing to be the largest of the garden plants, becoming a tree in which the birds can come and find a home (Matthew 13). By contrast, Jesus also tells the parable of the fig tree, which is unfruitful for three years – and is to be dug around and given manure one last time (Luke 13).

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