Resourcing Christian Community Action: Parishes and Partnerships
www.How2Help.NetTuesday 7th February 2012
How to serve your community’s needs without reinventing the wheel in every parish: that is the challenge posed by a new project to be launched by the Archbishop of York at this week’s General Synod.The Most Revd Dr John Sentamu emphasised how the nation is facing a prolonged economic downturn which will hit many local communities very hard. Every community will be affected by the recession and the need to build up our social bonds has rarely been stronger.
The report from Professor Hilary Russell - and a new website - respond to Gavin Oldham’s Following Motion in the “Big Society” debate at Synod in November 2010. More than 45 projects and initiatives are covered in detail in the report and form the core of the website.
The Archbishops’ Council and the General Synod (GS1815) have committed themselves to three goals for the present quinquennium – one of them is to find new ways to serve the Common Good of all. The challenge is, “How can the experience developed in churches be shared throughout the church so that people thinking how to serve their community’s needs do not have to reinvent the wheel, parish by parish?”.
“The Church of England will not forget the hardest pressed communities,” Dr Sentamu said. “We are present everywhere, and we will remain present. Our calling is to build community and neighbourliness with the whole people of the nation.
He added: “This is a good example of the Church of England using its national profile to develop resources for the local church to use in ways only locally based Christians can define and decide. Now we must make sure it is known about in the places where it can really help.”
The Church of England has a wealth of experience and skill in serving local communities, built up over decades of Christian witness and action for stronger bonds between people and for supporting the lonely and vulnerable. People can now go into the website, starting with the question or issue that motivates them, and find answers, ideas and examples. They can learn from the mistakes of others and discover what approaches work best.
Synod Member Gavin Oldham said: “This report and website brings together current best practice in Christian community action with the resources and knowledge base needed to multiply those good works across the country. It is indeed a mine of information to help local leaders and social entrepreneurs make their initiatives successful.
“It includes a wide range of support services, access to funding, and help with organising volunteers and administration: all based on a thorough investigation by Professor Hilary Russell over the past year. We hope its publication will lead to increasing awareness of the Church’s efforts to contribute to the common good, which are based directly on the Christian gospel’s core values.”