Revd Phil Jump offers some reflections in response to the refugee crisis. Our faith identity is rooted in stories of migration. Abraham left his home in Ur in response to God’s call and promise – and the story of Moses and the Exodus remains a defining narrative for Jews and Christians alike. …
Blog
Lament for Aylan
So small, so still So beautiful in life So unbearable in death Carried by the sea Carried by our tears Carried gently in strong arms. O God Open the eyes of those with power To see your children in their desperate need; Open the arms of those in government To welcome those who come to our …
A Prayer for the Situation in Calais
The Rev Phil Jump, Regional Minister for the North Western Baptist Association and JPIT Team Member from the Baptist Union of Great Britain, has prepared this prayer to coincide with the publication today of a joint statement by our church leaders on the situation in Calais. God of all …
A statement on the situation in Calais
A joint statement on the situation in Calais from the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Church of Scotland, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church Dr Jill Barber Vice-President of the Methodist Conference The Revd Lynn Green General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great …
You don’t get to call it a Living Wage unless you can live on it
Today’s budget ended with the Chancellor announcing a “National Living Wage”. The name was right, the marketing was cunning but sadly the policy bears no resemblance to a Living Wage. The Living Wage is an ethical principle converted into a wage rate; today’s “National Living Wage” is a welcome …
#rethinksanctions:Responding to your MP
Hundreds of people have contacted their MP about Benefit Sanctions. Some of the replies have been positive. The replies which have been less positive have used a shared set of arguments. Below are the arguments used in support of the sanctions regime and our response to them. We hope this may help …
Think Pray Vote… What’s next?
The dust has settled and we now have a new Parliament with many new faces. Your Member of Parliament (MP) has the opportunity to influence decisions at the heart of government and she or he is your link to engaging Parliament in the issues that you care about. We’d like to encourage you to take …
Praying after the Election
‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The words above come from Psalm 46. They are a response to several realities that the Psalmist outlines in earlier verses; not least that “nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall”. We might not …
JPIT Prayer Update – For those in peril on the sea
The statement made this week by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev John Chalmers reflects the sentiments of many, and expresses eloquently our Christian response to the devastating news of the hundreds of deaths of refugees seeking to cross from Africa into Europe. We are dismayed that …
“If we claim to love our neighbour” – a new hymn inspired by our election 2015 resources
Andrew Pratt of the Manchester & Stockport Methodist District has written a powerful new hymn called “if we claim to love our neighbour”. He was inspired to do this by a presentation that our Team gave at March’s Synod meeting, based on our Love your neighbour: think, pray, vote resources, which …