There is no place for racism in the political act of shaping a world as God intends it to be

Over the course of the past few weeks, in some communities across the country, we have seen a significant rise in the use of St George’s 'cross' and Union flags. Their use is not universal, and the rationale for flying the flags, it seems, is mixed, complex and complicated when those who feel compelled to fly share their rationale for doing so. This is true also for those who were drawn to London for the various marches that took place last weekend.

At Church Urban Fund, we work with people of all faiths and none, clear in our own core that Jesus preaches love and forgiveness, and we, united in the Spirit of God, are called to do the same. We have a presence across England through our Places of Welcome venues, churches that are using Growing Good to connect with their local communities, Together Network partners and Near Neighbours programmes. We profess the importance of an asset based community development framework, which values the complexity of local relationships. We believe that the local matters, that neighbourhoods matter, and that our relationships matter.

We also know that many people from all different faiths, backgrounds, cultures and places are fearful and anxious for myriad reasons, yet we believe that Jesus speaks of a perfect love that casts out all fear, not an increase in a fear which demands that sides are taken, people cancelled and cultures demonized.

We are clear that there is no place for racism in the political act of shaping a world as God intends it to be. God works in every culture, and the Spirit of God has no borders. But we are also clear in the need for a wider political dialogue about issues such as immigration, inculturation and freedom of expression, and we believe that we have a democracy which should allow for such process. Our charitable objective of telling the truth about poverty is our mechanism for contributing to this dialogue, evidenced in lived experience and not projected threat.

Across our programmes, we have seen the impact that welcome, calm presence, justice and hospitality make. Our impact reports on these programmes give clear evidence of churches and other faith groups providing significant stability and hope in times of rising levels of threat and fear. We believe that the Church in England, especially, has a significant role to play in shaping resilient communities, rooted in love and forgiveness.

As each neighbourhood responds in its own way, we are asking that our partners (churches, charities, networks, hubs) share their experience of how local neighbourhoods are responding to the current societal tensions that are being fuelled, primarily, through social media feeds. We believe that this neighbourhood approach has the greatest impact in a relational and not transactional way. If you would like to share the work that you have been doing, and are willing for us to share that work more widely in our networks as an example of what faith communities are doing to bring about cohesion in our communities, please do contact our Deputy CEO Adam Edwards adam.edwards@cuf.org.uk

We are keen to listen, and to share your stories across the networks and in doing so we will share hope through the importance of imaginative and life giving human connections.

If you are thinking of ways in which you can be a place of hospitality and cohesion in your communities, you might want to look at our Places of Welcome network, or our Growing Good materials, especially our course on hospitality, and our new resources on justice.

Do let us know if we can be of any further help too.

With our love and prayers,

Rob