Time for action and the dynamics involved

Revd Dr Margaret Jones reflects on the way that community-based partnerships can emerge in response to identified local needs

In June, when Marcus Rashford heard that the Government was refusing to give vouchers during the summer holidays to the 1.3 million children who received free school meals in term time, he was ‘pulled up short’. The thought of children possibly going hungry appalled him and he knew that something had to be done. Consequently, he raised the profile of the issue to such an extent that it secured a change in Government policy and families received vouchers.

Some two years ago, at an Archdeacon’s Visitation, we heard that this same concern of child food poverty during the school holidays had led Transforming Lives Together (Chester), one of the Church Urban Fund’s Joint Ventures, to start an initiative called Filling the Gap. I was ‘pulled up short’ at the prospect of children in my community potentially going hungry and, as a Parish priest, I knew I needed to respond. In the parish, I started asking questions and engaging in conversations with different groups of people across the community. The result is that we began to develop our own initiative, which we called Stay and Play, and, during school holidays have offered free sessions for families that include a range of activities and games and a sandwich, crisps and fruit lunch.

In the Bible, a clear theme that runs throughout the Old Testament is God’s bias for the poor and disadvantaged. In the Gospels, the life of Christ exemplifies the incarnation of ‘caritas’ and it calls for a response from his followers. However, Christians are not alone in feeling a concern for those who are struggling, and with many other institutions and organisations now also addressing issues of social justice, there is much more of a blurring of the lines between the religious and the secular. This offers the Established Church an opportunity to engage with others in local communities to address social justice issues and, particularly in urban communities, there are now increasing numbers of radical, innovative partnerships developing.

Those addressing these issues frequently come from different backgrounds with inevitable political, social, ethical or moral differences, but this, it seems, does not inhibit the success of these partnerships. Once an issue is identified, the next step is to engage in dialogue with others sharing that concern, to ask questions about it and to listen to others’ opinions. In this way, through give and take, it is possible to reach a common understanding and agreement in how to address it. As potential stakeholders converse and risk putting forward their ideas and opinions, they achieve what Hans-Georg Gadamer describes as a ‘fusion of horizons’ (Truth and method, 2004). This common agreement achieved through dialogue and the consequent fusion of horizons enables stakeholders to work collaboratively rather than competitively in these partnerships.

During the last decade, and since the financial crash of 2008, increasing numbers of these new radical partnerships have begun to appear, and this, in turn, is helping rebuild community. For instance, a Manchester city councillor described how, in the culturally and ethnically diverse community of Moss Side, the necessity of setting up a food bank had galvanized local groups into cooperative action, drawing in organizations, including a Church that had never previously engaged in any local activities. He commented:

It’s slightly ironic that it’s food banks which have brought us together… You’d rather there were other ways rather than necessarily through the sheer mechanics of food banks, which are necessary.

Through research that I undertook for a Doctorate in Practical Theology (2018) I identified the way that dialogue, collaboration and networking are facilitating the growth of these emerging community-focused social enterprises. These partnerships have been endeavouring to meet social justice issues, including now addressing challenges created by the pandemic. They often grow organically as they respond in a flexible and fluid way to identified needs. Being able to recognise and value the assets and resources already available is also important in this context, as the Vice Chair of a local community partnership in South Manchester commented:

The traditional way of doing things with and to a community was to ask what their needs are, look at what the gaps are and then Services would try and fill the gaps … But this new approach doesn’t look for the needs and the holes, it looks for what the assets are and builds on them. It made such sense that … we started doing that with a number of different people who we could see as ‘community diamonds’, people who we felt had some potential.

Identifying the ‘community diamonds’ and helping them to ‘flower’ in their community is a defining feature of these new organic partnerships. For instance, in one deprived area in South Manchester a woman, aware that their local area lacked a parent/ carer and toddler play area, bought a dilapidated Scout Hut to develop an appropriate facility and worked with a range of agencies and organisations to achieve this. Collectively, the community brought her ‘vision’ to fruition. Similarly, a young man, with support from the City Council and other agencies, has taken a lead in developing a large community allotment in Moss Side:

It’s now all run by the community – chickens and eggs and it’s a hive of activity and a meeting place … in an area that’s very deprived.

Developing relational contacts with groups and organizations is essential for this style of partnership to flourish and this requires a broker acting as ‘go-between’ in its development. In the context of this new model of partnership, those leading them seek out, build relationships and negotiate with other potential partners. Importantly, this involves working with rather than working or providing for those who need support and, as a result, power is not only held in tension but is redistributed. This gives more autonomy to the vulnerable, and allows them to find and fulfil a more active role in society.

Being ‘pulled up short’ and ‘fusions of horizons’ are elements of Gadamer’s Hermeneutical Circle. I have found that these new community-based partnerships operate on similar principles to those of his circle but, in fact, they form a spiral. (See Partnership Spiral diagram below.) Being pulled up short by a specific need motivates a person to take action and is leading to a growing number of radical organic partnerships. As people join in solidarity with others in these new community-based social enterprise partnerships and begin to respond effectively to social justice issues, this also offers a practical way for Christians to show love and care for the poor, the vulnerable and the disadvantaged. Further, by offering ‘caritas without strings’, Christians are able to witness to God’s concern for those who are struggling. It does not mean that Christians or the Church always have to take the lead. There may already be initiatives going on with which to engage, as an Eden Team member discovered in a deprived area of East Manchester:

We began to see all over as we opened our eyes that justice and peace and joy were at work in that estate in a really tough area, in a really difficult situation … And we joined in with the mission of God rather than us doing our thing and hoping God joins in with it. It was a huge change for us..…and instead of kind of blustering ahead and doing every project we could possibly think of … we started to stop doing that and appreciate how all the other groups in the community were also bringing justice and peace and joy and often they were doing it a lot better than we could. And so we started to join in and see how we could genuinely serve the other projects and the other groups.

The coming months are going to be a challenge for so many as the pandemic continues to threaten livelihoods and people’s financial ability to support their families. It is not an easy time for the Church either, but this crisis offers Christians a unique opportunity to work with others, and those struggling too, in addressing these issues and to show God’s love and care for all people.