Our vision of hope
Our goal to empower communities to serve, lead and speak reaffirms our commitment to supporting churches and mobilising Christian social action across England.
We move into 2023 on strong foundations. Over the past year we have embedded our new strategy and maximised opportunities for change and development. Our fundraising has remained stable and even grown in some areas, despite the ongoing challenges presented by the cost-of-living crisis. This is thanks to the generosity of our supporters – thank you for being with us over the long-term and sharing in our vision.
We plan to keep investing in equipping churches and mobilising Christian social action. The next 12 months will be a critical time for us to amplify the voices of local communities who are struggling, and celebrate the important role churches play in supporting them.
We will add further resources to our Growing Good toolkit that will help churches who have already begun that journey to understand how social action in their community can be connected to discipleship and growth. As our Places of Welcome network grows, we will support this network and local co-ordinators with practical advice and resources, equipping people to make a bigger difference in their local community.
We will listen to churches and communities to understand their developing needs as we journey together through the cost-of-living crisis and provide relevant tools for churches so that they can support communities. Through the stories that we hear from local people we will amplify their voices and the distinctive value of faith-based social action to influence policy and decision makers to bring about systemic change to people’s lives.
We also know that the impact of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis will continue to be felt in the years to come. This is a critical time to serve and care for the most marginalised people in our communities. We will continue to support the Together Network, building a movement of faith based social action that serves local communities. And we will work with local partners across England to provide personal care to people facing homelessness.
The Reverend Adam Edwards, Acting Group CEOAs a Christian organisation, we are motivated by a vision of the world as God intends it to be. We are passionate about building communities where material needs are met and everyone feels connected, valued, and loved. All of this is in the hope that, together, we will build confident, connected, hopeful and flourishing communities.