Pan London Churches Serious Violence Summit

Published on 15 December 2018, by Ruth Turner

This is what the Lord says:
“A sound was heard in Ramah.
It was painful crying and much sadness.
Rachel cries for her children.
And she cannot be comforted,
because her children are dead!”
Jeremiah 31:15

What can my Church do? What can the wider Church do?

Violence rose by 20% in this last year and not just in London. Causes are complex but poverty, mental health, government spending and social exclusion all contribute.

Sophie Linden (Deputy Mayor for Crime and Policing) thanked us as Churches for the work we are doing with the families affected by murder.

Revd Les Isaacs OBE (founder of Street Pastors) commented that one of their key successes is removing weapons from the streets. We as Church are good at social justice, yet 119 people lost their lives this year.

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Waste not, want not

Published on 13 December 2018, by Ruth Turner

Last week I went into a meeting at The Venue, with an empty shopping bag. At 1pm every Wednesday food that would otherwise go to landfill is distributed to anyone who comes.

But there was no food.

Waste Not Want Not was started by Hadas on the Doddington and Rollo Estate. She relies on a volunteer driver to go with her to the New Covent Garden market at 6.30 am to pick up surplus fruit and vegetables. The volunteer was ill and couldn’t go.

I have a car, should I volunteer or not? People were relying on the food being there so I delayed my meeting and went for my car.

End result? I felt encouraged and it was fun!

Waste Not Want Not is the first project in Battersea which collects surplus food from nearby markets and distributes it through local community and youth centres. Find out more here: https://do-it.org/organisations/waste-not-want-not-battersea

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Artist’s Gathering

Published on 10 December 2018, by Ruth Turner

On 20th October nearly 30 artists and creatives gathered at St George’s Church for a morning exploring how arts and creativity can enhance worship, support social justice initiatives and increase community flourishing.

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A murder. A meeting. A voice

Published on 08 December 2018, by Ruth Turner

I was at a meeting for the Doddington/Rollo Estates about the murder of Ian Tomlin. People were angry and frustrated. One woman checks her corridor every school day to make sure she doesn’t take her 4-year-old past a dead body.

The person chairing had a difficult job. One woman behind me spoke and then shouted at him:

‘Don’t shut me down – don’t shut me down’ and I thought of a passage in the Bible.

Blind Bartimaeus’ cry in Mark 10:47 – ‘Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me!’. Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet…

Have you ever been in a situation where you have been ignored, hushed up or talked over? I have and I tend to shut up.

What does Blind Bartimaeus do? but he shouted all the more ‘Son of David, have mercy on me’.

When people try to stop us speaking what do we do? Each one of us has a voice – what are we doing with it?

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