Newsletter 119 August 2020
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Dear Friends
I hope this finds you well, and having had the chance to enjoy
a break over the summer months. This year we have had to face new challenges, and speak out on new and growing issues. As activists and those speaking
out for peace and justice, it’s important that we remember to take time to
pause and renew our energy in the pursuit of change.
In this newsletter, we have stories of lived experience to
share, encouraging us all to ask what we, as churches, could do to end homelessness.
We have an invitation for you to help us build more targeted campaigning based
on constituencies, and a chance to ask your MP to Lift the Ban.
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As we move into the autumn, we will continue to face new
challenges, as well as new chances to make change. We pray that we might be
able to speak collectively and distinctively as people of faith, and share a
vision of a society where all are able to live life to the full.
As always, if you have any comments, questions or stories
you would like to share with us, please email us on enquiries@jointpublicissues.org.uk.
Every blessing
Hannah & the JPIT Team
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What will you do to end homelessness?
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During the pandemic, we discovered that it was possible to practically
end rough sleeping overnight, if the political will was there.
As we move forward together, we can’t just return to the way things were
before, with mass rough sleeping across our cities and towns. It’s crucial that
we respond now.
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That’s why we want to start a conversation about what we can
do differently to end homelessness. To do this, we need to invite those with
lived experiences of homelessness to be central to any discussions we have as congregations.
Over the coming months, we’ll be amplifying the voices of people who have experience homelessness, by sharing their stories and asking them what they want churches to do to end
homelessness.
Find out more, and listen to these stories here:
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A
new report from the Lift the Ban coalition provides new evidence of the
benefits of ending the ban on asylum seekers working in the UK.
We’ve
discovered that a change in policy could bring net gains for the Government of
£97.8 million per year, and that it is supported by 71% of the public.
We’re inviting you to write to your MP, to ask them to
support this change and bring those seeking asylum in the UK into the
community. Over 2000 people have already contacted their MP – join them here:
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Do you want to get more involved by campaigning for Lift the
Ban at a local level? Discover the coalition’s new Local Activism Pack. It
includes advice on winning backing from your MP, involving local decision makers,
engaging with the media and getting others involved.
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“A United Kingdom: Navigating Nationalism” with Dr Lisa Cameron
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This month’s Faith in Politics podcast features SNP
MP Dr Lisa Cameron, who discusses Scottish independence, how Christians engage with nationalism as well as the disproportionate impact
of lockdown on those with disabilities. Cameron and Rosella then muse on the
historical implications of “Christian Nationalism” and question how our faith
and understanding of nationalism interact.
Listen on Spotify, Soundcloud, iTunes, Podcast Addict and other platforms.
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On the 75th anniversary of nuclear attacks on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, Cameron asks what could COVID-19 teach us about responding to the
threat of nuclear weapons, and considers how christians might respond.
Read it here.
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Our team leader Rachel Lampard asks how the Church can speak
out against Anti-Semitism, responding with humility and by listening carefully.
Read it here.
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We
responded to an article by Tim Farron suggesting that Christians should be
engaging with their MPs on a range of issues, rather than coming across as another
‘predictable lobby group’. We suggested that Christians can build a constructive relationship
with their MP and help keep justice for everyone on the political agenda.
Read it here.
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Local Campaigning – Call for Constituencies
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As JPIT, we want to equip you to campaign effectively on
issues of justice and peace. Often, we will invite you to contact your elected
representatives about particular nationwide or local issues.
To help us do
this effectively, we’d like to gather more information about which constituency
you live in. This will help us produce more targeted campaigns which
involve JPIT supporters whose local MPs have responsibilities for a particular
key policy area.
If you’d like to be included in this, click the button below to email us with your name and the name of
your constituency. If you’re not sure of your parliamentary constituency, you
can send us your postcode instead, or enter your postcode here to find out.
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We will only use this information to let you
know when we would like you to contact your local MP for a particular campaign.
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Creation Time and Climate Sunday
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Many churches observe Creation Time or ‘Season of Creation’
in the month of September. This year is a great chance to launch your
involvement with Climate Sunday, as we focus on Climate Justice in the
lead up to COP26.
You can find resources to get your church involved using the links below.
Creation Time Resources
Climate Sunday
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Alcohol Health Alliance
The Alcohol Health
Alliance UK (AHA) wants to hear people’s views about how COVID-19 has affected
alcohol harm and what the government should do to tackle it. Your answers will
help put the key issues affecting people on the government’s radar and convince
them to take action. You can let them know your views here, before 19 August.
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All We Can
For girls like Nawalat in Uganda,
bicycles are more than a means of transport – they are a way to break the cycle
of poverty. This year, you can join All We Can and be a part of the change that
is happening. Support All We Can’s Change Begins with a Bicycle campaign
using the resources available to order or download from allwecan.org.uk/cycle.
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