We serve a God of justice – this resource can help us all to use our voices and our votes to help make tackling poverty a priority.
Revd Gill Newton, President of the Methodist Conference 2023-2024
A resource for small groups, introduced in 2024 and now updated for 2025
Poverty hurts. It blights the lives of people in the UK and around the world.
But poverty is not inevitable. Choices that are made, and that we make, force people into poverty and trap them there. This means we can make a difference. By using our voices and our votes, by using our heads and our hearts and by deepening our understanding of God’s love for all God has made.
With a new government in office, we believe that this is the time to speak out as a Church and show our political leaders that another reality can exist where poverty doesn’t hold anyone down, and that together we can get there.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Christian Aid, Church Action on Poverty, The Trussell Trust, and other partners to create resources to help you and your church gain a deeper understanding of experiences of poverty, and enable you to call for action.
Two versions are available: the full course with six sessions, and short version which takes around two hours.
The short course
The ‘Act on Poverty’ short course includes resource packs for one 2 hour session, downloadable below. The pack contains:
- The main course pack – Guidance on running the session
- A group leaders guide – extra tips and advice
- Resources to use within the session
- Slides for presenting the course
- Audio and Video content to support the session
This session can also be run as two separate sessions.
Poverty is virtually a synonym for powerlessness, and as an abstract noun seems unshiftable and unalterable. But this course breaks it down into elements that have a specific cause and can be addressed in direct ways, thus impacting the issues and empowering the participant. If you’re bewildered by human suffering and looking for ways to break through the despair, this condensed course is the one for you.
Revd Dr Sam Wells, Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, London
The Resources
The Longer Course
There is also a longer version available for you to use. The ‘Act on Poverty’ longer course includes resource packs for six sessions, downloadable below. Each pack contains:
- Guidance for a short Bible study
- Audio recordings of conversations featuring anti-poverty practitioners and activists, many with lived experience of poverty in the UK and worldwide
- Questions and prompts for small group discussion
- Inspiring videos from churches taking practical action on poverty
- A guide to simple steps your church can take to advocate for change
You can also use each pack as a standalone session to explore the issues most relevant for you.
This new resource offers an excellent – though challenging – perspective on poverty and the Biblical vision of the kingdom of God and I commend it warmly.
Rt Rev Dr Pete Wilcox, Bishop of Sheffield
The sessions
Click on the sessions below to find everything you need for each week. This takes you to the resources on the Christian Aid website.
As followers of the Jesus way, we are called to become actively outraged and turn the tables of inequalities over, so that we can begin to sow seeds of hope, justice and prosperity.
Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church 2023-24