Those Who Show Up: A conference Report

Last night at St James-in-the-city church, Liverpool, CSM held an event for both delegates at the Labour party conference and local people to come and be inspired to step up and engage with politics locally and nationally.

Set on the edge of Toxteth, on a real economic dividing line in Liverpool, St James-in-the-city is a real life example of much of what was discussed during the evening.

It is a church that, until recently, has been derelict for around 40 years: a poignant symbol of a lost and forgotten community in real need.  It was the perfect setting for a dialogue centred on hope for communities, meaningful engagement with tough issues and long term commitment to see holistic transformation in peoples’ lives.

As the evening began, Andy Flannagan briefly shared his passion for political engagement and some of the thinking behind why CSM exists, focussing particularly on the need to not just ‘shout from the sidelines’ about important issues in our world, but also to ‘whisper in ears’. 

He spoke about an emerging generation, passionate about justice and wanting to be heard, CSM and other groups exist to provide a point of entry to take that passion further, to engage with those who make political decisions, not merely demand things from them.

Susan Elan Jones MP then spoke about her story, how her faith has influenced and had interplay with her political life.  She spoke of conversations she has with her constituents about faith groups in politics and the common assumption that large national decision making is not the place for the Church to be involved, that in some way it is too murky a world to get involved with and maintain faithful integrity.  Jones, however, was adamant that ‘the greatest Christian action in British history dealt with large national and global issues’ using Wilberforce as a prime example.

She admitted to being a little nervous when it came to the relationship between faith and politics, wishing to ensure that decisions are always based on real needs and public policy, not religious fervour. However, the evident passion that springs from a context of faith is needed in the political realm to see lasting change. 

She ended her comments with the assertion that the Church has a vital role to play in British politics, and in particular, the Labour party. If the party is to be representative of all communities, communities of faith must play their part.

Neil Short, the Vicar at St James’s, then spoke about the issues on the ground in the local vicinity and the mission the church has in working with local people.

As he set the scene regarding some of the challenges they face in Toxteth, his message time and time again was that it is simply not good enough to sit and sing hymns and pray as a local church. Church has to make a difference or it is dead.

Neil took us through some harrowing statistics from unemployment rates to teenage pregnancy figures in the region and set out some of the church’s objectives to combat social depravation.

Growing a congregation at St James’s is only the beginning, the real focus for the church is to ‘give away’, to give time, money, volunteers, expertise and anything else they can to those in their community.  The church desires to be an expression of God’s kingdom in Liverpool, and that kingdom is always outward looking.

Neil explained how Liverpool’s long history as the hub of the trans-Atlantic slave trade had affected the locality and the church in particular, which was at the centre of the industry, and spoke of his determination to ‘Reverse our history’.  The church owns up to the past and allows it to spur them on in the future, to be a church that brings blessing to the world, reversing the trend of the past.

In order to do this, St James’ has ambitious plans to become a hub of the local community and encourage positive growth in many ways.  Taking a holistic approach, the church aims to meet people’s needs in education, accommodation, welfare, already expressed in the church’s ‘purpose groups’, an alternative to purely bible study groups, which focus on various needs in the community whether that be prison visiting, youth work or raising awareness of justice issues.

Neil’s passion and vigour speak as powerfully as the words he says and Andy spoke highly of this project and those around the country seeking to regenerate forgotten communities.

There is a need for us to find and use language that people can understand, to get a sense of what we are doing and why, too many Christian groups play down their beliefs around the table with politicians. 

But Andy pushed home that Christians don’t need to be apologetic about what drives us, we just need to find a language to communicate it effectively, ‘holistic transformation’ is the language we speak, inward and outward change.

Roz Gladden, deputy leader of Liverpool council, introduced herself and told her story. She spoke of the joy that she has in her job as cabinet member for adult health and her distress at being forced to consider what services have to be cut to meet the government’s £50 million cuts to Liverpool council, an area of special need.

Roz spoke of how she and her colleagues regularly visit those working with vulnerable people around Liverpool and work as closely with those on the ground as possible. Seeing the work they do day to day has inspired her and helped her work at a relational level with agencies and projects across the city.

She spoke openly about her own struggles with a former difficult and abusive relationship in which she felt trapped and helpless, but has come to realise God’s plan in her life as she is able to come alongside vulnerable young women who endure similar experiences today.

She described her ability to relate to these women as a gift from God, but is desperately scared that projects that work with them will lose their funding.

Andy reasserted the need to meet the challenges we face in any area of life, and particularly in politics with a resolve to usher in the kingdom of God and with a unified vision quoting an African proverb ‘If you want to fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’

After a time of prayer we split into groups and discussed the following topics:

•          What help do you need to be a faithful witness in politics in this world?
•         What is your primary passion for your community?
•          Seek wisdom from your group as to how they might flesh some of those passions out through political engagement.

Lastly, Jane Corbett, Liverpool councillor for the Everton ward and cabinet member for child services, took us through some of her journey of faith and political engagement.

Her discovery that because she believes in God as loving creator of the world, and has given himself for the world, the people of God should be at the centre of regeneration and decision making on society has taken her on a long journey with deprived and needy communities.

 She spoke about joining with communities, coming alongside people and being part of the process of change rather than the often counter productive top down approach that some local authorities had exemplified in the past. People don’t want things done to them; they want to be part of the process, part of a community that is going somewhere. In that spirit Jane spoke about the need to listen to young people and children, who are often acutely aware of the greatest needs in communities.

The ultimate aim for Jane in her work is to help build communities, strong communities with a positive identity. Communities where people are outward looking, where the gap between rich and poor isn’t just smaller but no longer serves to define someone’s status and worth and to allow God to guide her in the tough decisions she has to make day by day.

Andy ended the night emphasising a key theme to the evening’s discussions, that of unity. Unity under Christ for Christians of all political persuasion, unity in the face of an arduous task that can seem insurmountable, but as Neil Short, the vicar of St James said, ‘Can it work? Yes – because we can do it, because God can do it and because we have to.’