In response to recent riots and protests across the UK, Redeeming Our Communities and Welcome Churches have joined together to launch the ‘Finding the Peace’ initiative. ‘Finding the Peace’ aims to promote peace, healing, and reconciliation across the UK. Emily Shepherd, CEO of Welcome Churches, tells us more:
We have all been shocked to see the news of riots and protests spreading across the UK, in response to the violent attack in Southport where three young girls were killed. Whilst the riots have, hopefully, died down, there is still the question of what our communities will look like now, and whose voices are being heard.
We all want to live in safe homes, in safe communities. Over the last few weeks, many of us have felt less safe and more fearful about whether this is still possible for ourselves and our loved ones. Personally, I have heard different concerns about and viewpoints on the recent riots and protests, and who is to blame. I know many people who have been afraid to leave their homes in recent weeks, and who are very concerned about whether their community is still a safe place to live. There are lots of voices, especially on social media, which are contributing to our opinions of who is welcome in our society today. How should we respond in these troubling times?
One option is that we bury our concerns and try to get on with our lives. This can seem attractive as we are all hopeful that life can go back to normal. However, the underlying tensions and concerns that the riots and protests showed, from people of many different points of view, are still present under the surface. There are still concerns about whether riots could happen again, and whether our communities are safe. Is there a better way for us all to respond to address these concerns as communities, and as churches? Is there a way that we can bring our communities together at this time, and learn from those we live alongside?
These are some of the thoughts that have led Redeeming Our Communities and Welcome Churches to join together to launch the ‘Finding the Peace’ initiative. ‘Finding the Peace’ aims to promote peace, healing, and reconciliation across the UK. By working together, we believe we can demonstrate how love can overcome fear at this time. With your generous support, we want to respond with better solutions to the violence we have seen in our communities recently.
Redeeming Our Communities (ROC) empowers local people of goodwill to work together for safer, stronger communities. Their vision is to transform the whole nation from the grassroots through their unique Asset-Based Community Development programme. They work with existing community groups, agencies, local activists and positively motivated residents, helping them discover each other and find new ways to collaborate by pooling resources for the common good.
Welcome Churches equips local churches across the UK to welcome refugees arriving in their communities. With 1,400 churches in their Welcome Network, they are able to resource local churches quickly to respond to the needs of people seeking refuge and asylum in their communities.
By working together, ‘Finding the Peace’ aims to bring long-term, lasting peace to local communities across the UK. We are celebrating communities coming together, and churches playing their part in bringing healing and long term peace to our neighbourhoods. This will create communities where everyone is welcome, and where no one needs to live in fear.
We are currently working to launch collaborative projects that encourage cross-cultural understanding and contribute to the neighbourhood’s overall peace and prosperity. In the coming months we aim to facilitate initiatives which will enable communication, cooperation and celebration in local communities. This will begin with listening to the experiences of different communities across the UK, and acknowledging the different viewpoints that are held.
When responding to new needs that we see, the faith and belief of generous individuals is vital. Both ROC and Welcome Churches have seen time and time again how the generosity of individuals forms an essential foundation for pioneering initiatives to bring much-needed change. We are delighted to be working with Stewardship to inspire generosity for such a time as this.
To resource communities to adapt to these challenging times, we are seeking generous individuals to join with us to respond quickly to these unique circumstances. We have currently identified more than 40 communities particularly at risk of riots and protests recently that we could offer support to. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and will enable more communities to ‘Find the Peace’ for the future.
You can donate to the ‘Finding the Peace’ initiative, through our Stewardship page.
Comments