Commission for Social Responsibility
We plan to develop a working relationship with a small number of Churches, Circuits or networks identified as committed to Social Responsibility as part of their Mission. This is to explore a two year pilot project for leadership, volunteering and good practice in a clearly defined programme of Social Responsibility
· To connect Partners with other Methodist Churches, Circuits or networks in the London District which intend to learn from their experience
· To increase understanding of how social responsibility projects enhance the mission of the Church and develop a toolkit of Biblical and theological resources.
· To showcase best practice programmes that can be adapted throughout the District.
· To discover talented individuals and what motivates them to undertake community engagement projects
· To engage with other anchor institutions so that the Church is enabled to collaborate with neighbouring faith and secular institutions for the common good
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We plan to create a DVD for the London District to use in developing awareness of the centrality of social responsibility to the Christian faith. For this we aim
· To enlist the assistance of Methodists involved in public life in an education programme on the relevance of social and civic engagement
· To offer a resource to worship leaders, Sunday School teachers and house group leaders to develop teaching and discussion on vocation and volunteering as part of Christian vocation
· To ensure that social responsibility is incorporated in the formation of new Methodist members through confirmation preparation classes.
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We are developing a Healthy Living Programme for the London District to help our families and communities to improve their health and wellbeing. The District will promote an annual Healthy Living Fun Day for all churches to develop their own events which may be for just one day, a weekend or a week of activities.
A number of nurses, doctors and other health professionals in the District will be invited to form a steering group to devise a set of suggestions for what could be included in the Healthy Living Day.
For churches which decide to undertake a more intensive project, the steering group will also develop an outline for a 6 week kick-start programme which can be tailored to the needs of the local church and population.
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Civic Service
We will arrange a Service of Worship for Methodists and others engaged in political and civic life in London. We propose
· To invite the leaders and mayors of all the Local Authorities in London
· To invite all Methodist in London elected to public office or otherwise engaged in civic life - civil servants, magistrates, police officers
· To invite all Methodists serving as Ecumenical Borough Deans
· To provide a reception following the act of worship for networking and showcasing Methodist projects.
The District is supporting two of London Citizen’s campaigns.
The London Living Wage campaign requires all employers to pay above the National Minimum wage and pay the London Living Wage rate of £8.30 per hour (2011-12). All Methodist employers – Churches, Projects and other business or home contracts – are asked to pay for this. This has the support of the Connexion as well as the District Synod which voted to support the London Living Wage in 2009. The Commission is monitoring implementation. Please check that all lay employees are paid the Living Wage in your Church and Circuit.
Strangers into Citizens is a campaign for undocumented migrants to be given a work permit if they have been here for at least four years and not been in trouble with the law.
We will support a programme of engagement by the London District to assist Churches wishing to participate in London Citizens training and campaigning work.We recognise the ability of London Citizens to engage locally, at Borough level and on a Metropolitan basis with business and political leaders. We aim
· To support Churches which are already members of London Citizens
· To enlist the assistance of Methodist members of London Citizens in developing Methodist involvement
· To encourage other Churches and Circuits to consider the benefits of membership
· To strengthen civic engagement and political accountability
For further information on London Citizens please check their website at London Citizens which is affiliated to Citizens UK. You can also check with Madeleine Andrews, Cameron Kirkwood or Paul Regan who have been active leaders with London Citizens.
Poverty and Inequality
The changes to the benefits system and the cuts will bear more heavily on London than any other part of the UK.
London already has the highest level of poverty and Inequality in the UK (or any OECD country except the USA). 28% of poverty in the UK is in London. 44% of children in poverty live in London. (The West Midlands and North East come next.) This is based on 2008 data before the recession hit. Best estimates are that these percentages will rise to 30% and 48% respectively by 2012.
Income inequality is the biggest predictor of poor health and social outcomes as shown by the research published in “The Spirit Level: Why more equal societies do better” http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/resource/the-spirit-level
See our Bulletin for more detail and what you can do.
The Commission also supports the work of Mission in London’s Economy.A sermon on the use of money is a modern version of one of John Wesley's sermons.
Olympic Justice Champions
As part of the Social Responsibility Commission’s remit, we have been asked to take on board the Justice strands of More than Gold in response to the Olympics on behalf of the District. The Justice strands are:· Peace
· Homelessness
· Trafficking
· Fair trade
· Environment
Rev Janet Corlett is our District “champion” on homelessness. The Rev Olufemi Cole-Njie is the “champion” on issues of human trafficking.
There are other opportunities for Churches to engage with the Olympics. In particular we recommend the B&B hospitality which is needed for the families of athletes who are competing. This will be especially needed in London. For further information please check http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentoworld.content&cmid=3251
Night Shelters
Several Methodist Churches in London support winter Night Shelters for homeless people.
A downloadable resource for churches: Shelter in a Pack is a comprehensive how-to kit on how to set up and run a winter night shelter. Download Shelter in a Pack here.
Night Shelters rely on volunteers. If a member of your church would like to volunteer, please contact Housing Justice to see about training and local opportunities.Social Workers
There has been a lot of media coverage of failures in the field of social work. The District is committed to supporting Methodist Social Workers and has set up a Social Workers network. The District contact is Rev Sheryl Anderson.Environment
The Commission is supporting the London Churches Environmental Network.
The District contact is Rev Jennifer Potter.City of Sanctuary
The district is supporting the City of Sanctuary initiative.Research
We are exploring the possibility of an action research programme by the London District to enhance the leadership potential in our multi-cultural Church membership with the assistance of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations.In 2010 the Commission requested a report into the progress of the Thames Gateway Development. The result is this report: London Riverside Church Project Review.
The District undertook research into how many of our churches are engaged in social care and civic engagement initiatives.
The survey found that most Methodist Churches make significant contributions to their communities in respect of services, including activities and groups for the elderly, children and young people, parents and families, and around healthy living.
“In addition, Churches make important contributions through hosting other organisations in their buildings, often at sub-market rents, and by becoming involved in community and faith forums.”
Queen Mary College study ‘Social Care and Civic Engagement in the London Methodist District 2007’.
If you wish to see Prof Wills’ introduction to the report given at the launch event on 9 June 2007 at Westminster Central Hall, you can view her PowerPoint presentation.Roehampton Institute commissioned another research report which was published in 2006 examining Methodism at the national level. Their findings about the extent of Methodist involvement in the community are consistent with our findings. “The more trusting a social group is the more likely its members are to become involved in community activities. The results of this research suggest that Methodist members have high levels of trust and that this is translated into social participation… “Overall, we conclude that Methodist church congregations make positive contributions to their communities. As far as we can tell, Methodists are more engaged in the community than the population at large. Methodist congregations possess higher levels of neighbourhood and general trust, are tolerant of difference and are more likely to be involved in both formal and informal voluntary activity.”
Roehampton study ‘Social Capital and the Methodist Church 2006’Paul Regan, Convenor Social Responsibility Commission
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Last revised September 2011