A Trussell Trust volunteer

A record number of Scottish people are turning to charities to help them feed their families as they struggle financially, according to an investigation.

Breadline Scotland, broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland, found that many people are relying on food banks and charity kitchens as prices rise.

According to the Office for National Statistics, food and soft drink prices rose by 4.6 per cent in the year to March 2012, but for many people benefits and wages are not going up, leaving less money for food.

The Trussell Trust, a Salisbury-based Christian charity which runs the UK’s only network of food banks, fed nearly 129,000 people last year, including 6,000 people in Scotland. Its Glasgow presence at Glasgow Elim church in Govanhill is one of nine Scottish projects opened in the past year.

All food is donated by the public and sorted by volunteers. Care professionals such as doctors and social workers identify people in crisis and issue a food voucher. Clients receive three days of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food in exchange for their food voucher. Foodbanks also make time to chat and to signpost clients to other helpful services.

The Salvation Army in Scotland also say they have seen an increase in people, particularly pensioners, approaching them for food.

Captain Stephen Turner said: “The most recent thing, and it’s very unusual in my 15 years of experience, is that actually we’ve had requests from older people on pensions who are just beginning to struggle with day to day living.

“That is unusual because they tend to be proud and very reluctant to ask for help, so if they are asking they are probably in serious financial difficulty.”

• More information at the Trussell Trust,  BBC Scotland and Press Association.

• Photo: Trussell Trust on Facebook.

Dr Williams: 'Banking sector has refused to reform its practices'

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has thrown his weight behind the Occupy protest at St Paul’s Cathedral in London by saying that society is paying for the “errors and irresponsibility” of the banks. His intervention comes in the wake of another resignation at the cathedral over whether the protestors camped outside should be evicted.

In an article for the Financial Times, Dr Rowan Williams said the banking sector has refused to reform its practices, and failed to curb what he calls “still-soaring bonuses”.

Dr Williams writes about the so-called Robin Hood Tax: “This means a comparatively small rate of tax (0.05 per cent) being levied on share, bond, and currency transactions and their derivatives, with the resulting funds being designated for investment in the “real” economy, domestically and internationally.

“The objections made by some who claim it would mean a substantial drop in employment and in the economy generally seem to rest on exaggerated and sharply challenged projections.”

The Archbishop said: “There is help to be had from a bold statement on our financial situation emerging last week from the Vatican. This document, from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, is entitled ‘Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of Global Public Authority’. It contains, with sharp critical analysis, a rather utopian vision of global regulation. But, more important, it offers recommendations that seek not to change everything at once but to minimise the damage of certain practices and assumptions.”

• Read Dr Williams’ full article.

• Read ‘Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of Global Public Authority’.

• Photo: Anglican Mainstream.

The Church of Scotland has announced an ambitious plan aimed at regenerating eight of the country’s poorest areas.

Moderator: 'A different approach is needed'

The Kirk’s Chance to Thrive scheme will see churches reconfigured as community spaces, complete with facilities to benefit everyone living in the area.

Download an information document from the Church of Scotland website.

Five of the eight churches involved are in Glasgow and the others will be in Larkhall, Stirling and Dundee. Church officials selected the eight areas from 19 applications from around Scotland.

The pilot project is expected to last five years and is intended to help communities bring about changes to their area, rather than relying on agencies to impose change from outside.

If successful, the scheme will be rolled out to other areas around Scotland.

The Right Rev David Arnott, Moderator of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly, said: “Despite the massive public investment of recent years, many of our poorest communities a generation ago tragically remain our poorest communities today.

“Particularly in the current economic climate, a different approach is needed. Over the last decade the Church of Scotland has doubled its commitment to Scotland’s poorest neighbourhoods.

“Through Chance to Thrive we are well placed to play our part in the transformation of a number of these areas.”

In Glasgow, St Mark’s in Drumchapel, Tron St Mary by the Red Road flats, Cranhill Parish Church, and Maryhill Parish Church are involved in the scheme.

Castlemilk East Parish Church and Castlemilk West Parish Church will work together in the hope that within five years, both will be united in a new building.

The Rev Dr Martin Johnstone, who organises the Kirk’s work in deprived areas, said: “In many of the post-war housing schemes, churches provided the first community facilities, helping to create and support the community, and the churches are committed to remaining there even when others walk away.

“Over the past 10 years we have learnt some critical lessons, including the importance of starting small and focusing on the local. We also know that real change comes about when people who live in local communities are really listened to and supported to become the architects of change.

“This is not primarily about buildings – it is about people and their aspirations for the places where they live.

“It is about a model of regeneration which recognises the importance of interdependence, that in order to build places where we all want to live everyone needs to be involved.”

The scheme will be launched at the Scottish Parliament tomorrow evening at an event hosted by Alex Neil MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment.

• Full story at The Herald.

'Breaking Barriers' is the theme for Poverty & Homelessness Action Week 2012

Scottish Churches Housing Action has linked up with the Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland to put on this event. Entitled Homelessness: achieving the 2012 pledge?, it will take place at the City Chambers, Edinburgh from 10am-3.30pm on Friday 30 September. It is free, and open to housing and support staff, homeless people, councillors, church members, volunteers in homelessness projects, and campaigners.

Speakers will include Mary Taylor, Chief Executive of Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, and Raymond Young, long-standing supporter of Scottish Churches Housing Action and housing activist. Participants will be encouraged to speak from their own experience of working towards the target, and to say what more needs to be done to tackle homelessness effectively.

Churches Housing’s Chief Executive Alastair Cameron says, “The 2012 target promises an entitlement to settled housing for almost all homeless people. It was set 9 years ago, and we have enthusiastically supported it. We are asking local authorities how they are doing as the crucial date approaches, and what will be needed to make it stick. Churches play a big part in helping homeless people with accommodation and support, and we believe there’s more we can do.”

The seminar is part of a process of gathering views about progress towards the 2012 target, and prospects beyond. Over the summer, Churches Housing will interview local authorities about their experience. This information will be presented to the seminar. Church assemblies in 2012 will consider progress, and hear new ideas about strengthening their work to tackle the problems of homeless people in Scotland.

The homelessness target, set in 2002, is that by 2012, everyone applying as homeless, except those who had intentionally made themselves so, would be entitled to settled housing. This is one of four housing-related targets that the consultation paper addresses.

“We have said to the Minister for the first time that it looks as though the target may not be met,” says Alastair Cameron. “Scotland hasn’t been building enough new affordable homes to meet the target, and the current spending cuts mean that councils won’t be able to maintain the support arrangements that are vital.”

In a letter to the Minister, Churches Housing says the charity remains a wholehearted supporter of the target. If it is not met by 2012, efforts should be redoubled to achieve it subsequently. This requires action at local level being supported by a strong lead from the Scottish Government.

“As a national organisation with a track record on training and developing new volunteering projects, we at Churches Housing can make a contribution,” adds Alastair Cameron. “Central and local government and the voluntary sector all have roles to play in reaching this ambitious and historic target.”

• Full story, briefing paper and response at Scottish Churches Housing Action.

Precious with her mum, Florence

Right Reverend John Christie will address over 2,000 Church of Scotland Guild members at their annual meeting in Dundee’s Caird Hall.

The Moderator will base his speech on the Guild’s key theme for the 2010-11 session, “called to love mercy”.

And he voiced his bitter disappointment at Home Secretary Theresa May, after she refused to intervene in the Mhango’s case following a joint letter from himself, Alex Salmond and Cardinal Keith O’Brien: “There are certainly for the three of us, and many others, good reasons for them to be allowed to stay in Scotland.

“This is an opportunity for compassionate love and it would be disappointing, to say the least, if the they are deported.

“The New Testament is full of examples between the tension of the law, and grace and compassion. In these set of exceptional circumstances I believe grace and compassion should prevail.”

After Florence left her violent and abusive husband, the pair no longer had the right to stay in the UK.

Precious, 10, and her mother lost an immigration appeal at the High Court in London and were ordered to return to Malawi in July.

The family, who were staying in Cranhill in Glasgow, hope to appeal against the deportation ruling, but could now be removed at any time.

It is hoped that the Guild, staunch campaigners against injustices such as human trafficking and domestic abuse, will add their support to the battle to keep the two Malawian asylum seekers in Scotland.

National convener Helen-May Bayne is expected to announce that Guild members raised almost £1 million last year, including funds for congregations and work outwith the Church.

• Full story at the Church of Scotland.

Parish priest Fr Joe Sullivan provided them with a moving account of ten years ministering in the city’s East End. In an intriguing talk, titled ‘The Coby Ziggy Fleet meets Heterodox Augustinianism’, he explored how his own theological studies related to the nitty-gritty of life for young people in an economically deprived Glasgow estate.

The Coby Ziggy Fleet is one of the gangs which many young people drift towards in more deprived areas. Fr Sullivan’s constant refrain to them is simple: “You are not rubbish”. Rather than abandoning the poor, as so many other sectors of society have done, the Church is called to be alongside people on the margins.

The visit to Ruchazie was part of the ‘Visions for the Future’ International Theological Summer School hosted by Scottish Churches House in Dunblane.

Twenty-two participants from 14 countries took part in the two-week study visit which included trips to Edinburgh, St Andrews, New Lanark, Paisley and Iona, as well as Glasgow.

Midway through the course, the students were joined by Archbishop Mario Conti, Rt Rev John Christie, Moderator of the General Assembly, Bishop David Chillingworth, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, and theologian Elizabeth Templeton for a panel discussion.

Referring to the centenary of the 1910 Edinburgh Ecumenical Missionary Conference, the Moderator said: “You are blessed when you can teach people how to cooperate, not compete”. Bishop Chillingworth, recalling his experience in Northern Ireland, called for “absolute consistency in the search for truth, while remaining open to people”. Borrowing the motto of the Knights of Malta, ‘Defence of Truth — Service of the Poor’, Archbishop Conti warned against the “heresies” of resignation and fatalism in an increasingly “post-Christian” world.

• Full story in the August 2010 edition of Flourish.

Among the works on show…

Artists for Mary’s Meals’ exhibition in Glasgow this month will feature the work of some of the country’s foremost painters and sculptors – and the proceeds will ensure that children at a school in Malawi receive a meal every day.

Work from over 50 renowned Scottish artists including Jolomo, Rosaleen Orr, Hugh Murdoch, Yvonne Watson,  Jonathan Shearer, Robert Mulhern and Sarah Bookless will be for sale at the exhibition, which starts on June 19 at MacGregor Fine Art, 34 West George Street.

All the exhibitors will donate a percentage of their sales to Mary’s Meals, which runs school feeding projects in 15 countries. Iain Macgregor, the gallery owner, has waived his commission.

“We’re so excited about this year’s exhibition,” said Netta Ewing, one of the organisers. “We had a fantastic response from artists and visitors last year, and are hopeful that we will be able to build on that with another wonderful event in June.”

• Full story at Mary’s Meals – ‘a simple solution to world hunger that works’.

• Exhibition from 11am-9pm 19-26 June, MacGregor Fine Art, 5^th floor (lift access),  34 West George St (near Queen Street Station), Glasgow. Entry is free and Mary’s Meals supporters are welcome to attend.

• Exhibitors include Hugh Murdoch, Jolomo, Tim Pomeroy, Victoria Maxwell Macdonald, Calum Macfarlane Barrow, Hugh Montgomery, Mary-Clare Cornwallis, Denis and Claire Pidgeon, Davey Smith, James Orr, Doreen Davis, Douglas Davies, Jenny Hulse, Nancy McHarg, Hamish Montgomery, Charles Monteith Walker, Tim Pomeroy, Katie Sweeney, Gregor Smith, James Orr, and James Davis.

The Prime Minister’s comments come in a new book in which the three main party leaders write open letters to the churches.

“I have always believed that the public square is more than a marketplace. Our common realm is not and cannot be stripped of values – can never be merely a place for calculation, contract and exchange” Brown writes.

“So I do not subscribe to the view that religion should somehow be tolerated but not encouraged in public life – that you can ask people to leave their faith at the door when they enter a Town Hall or the Commons’ chamber.”

Referring to the Christian contribution to British politics in general and the Labour Party in particular, he says that both congregations and Christian charities “have been Britain’s conscience on issues from debt cancellation to child poverty, to the good stewardship of the Earth.”

“The lessons of the gospels need not be kept separate from political life. If Christians engage with politics, we can together build a society where wealth helps more than the wealthy, good fortune serves more than the fortunate and riches enrich not just [the rich] That is why I entered politics, and [it is] the vision which inspires me still.”

In their respective contributions, David Cameron talks about the contribution of the churches to society and Nick Clegg about the contribution of children.

The book, entitled: “No Spin, Sleaze or Scandal…. Just politics” has been written jointly by Labour MP Andy Reed, Conservative MP Gary Streeter, Liberal Democrat MP Steve Clegg and Krish Kandiah, the Evangelical Alliance’s Executive Director of Churches in Mission.

The book, published by Authentic Media, is aimed at “political novices” and is being promoted as offering “spiritual inspiration for political involvement, practical advice for getting started, creative suggestions for connecting with digital democracy as well as stories, twitter feeds, interviews and case studies.”

• Full story at Ekklesia.

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Right Reverend Bill Hewitt (centre) with Rev John Humphreys, Synod of Scotland Moderator of the United Reformed Church; Father Chris Boles SJ, representing Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Scottish Catholic Church; Leslie Stevenson of the Religious Society of Friends; and Dr William Reid, representing Rev Lily Twist, Chair of the Methodist Church of Scotland.

Scottish Clergy Against Nuclear Armaments (SCANA), a new pressure group which aims to place Trident at the heart of the General Election campaign, was launched at Holyrood today.

Those taking part included representatives of the Church of Scotland, Roman Catholic Church, Religious Society of Friends, United Free Church, United Reformed Church and Methodists.

A Church of Scotland spokesman said: “For a long time the Christian community has led the way in challenging the morality of nuclear weapons. This upcoming General Election offers an opportunity in a way that has rarely been seen before to challenge the philosophy that nuclear weapons are necessary for modern warfare.”

The Moderator of the Kirk’s General Assembly, Right Reverend Bill Hewitt said: “There is a real chance that the renewal of the Trident system, which is due very soon, could be overturned if enough political pressure is applied. Especially, at a time when voters are asking hard questions about how we best use our tax revenues for the benefit of the maximum number of citizens.”

The initiative also includes a specially produced post card for members of congregations to send to prospective candidates and MPs in the run up to the election, urging them to put nuclear weapons and Trident at the forefront of their campaign.

• Find out more about the Trident postcard campaign.