Doing Justice to our Farth
A Report of a residential exploring
thc faith dimension of
Church Action on Poverty
Telling Our Own Sto.ies ... .............
Faith Reflection tvlodels - what works?
Padicipants List -..............
'.......,'''''''''''
8
20
Page 2
Introduction
One of the f rst comments L rece led I t'en I told friends I was going to work
(he
for a charly ca led Church Aci an on Poverty was u/hat is that makihg
commenl
Vatican gtve all its maney Ia (he DoarT N4ore than being cyn cal the
ardlosome
once
arnbiguous
which
is
at
name
aboltthe
ng
fefected-someth
controversia Since then have ref ected that any organ sallons wlth three
sLrch loaded words is bound to dfaw a wide range of reactions from diffefent
people Perhaps n the experience of my frjend to assoclate Church with
Foveriy was ironic al best. Forothercit sanexctingchallengetosee
Church and Action together
Thls report comes irom a res denlla that was he d n Ju y 2001 at
Blundellsands. dur ng wlrich 19 membefs of staff grassroots and execurlve
took parl n discLlssions workshaps and ref ect ons on the iaith d menslon ol
CAP lt rnc udes some find ngs from some al our discussions. some ol the
pEyers used and sorne memori€s but t ls hoped ihat th s report w I be
useiulia anyone who is interested ln exp oring how our ideas of chufch
be iefs n socra justice and the need for action can come together
CAP does not have or arg!ably need a m ssion siatement delinlng lh€
priiclp es and be iefs wh ch underpin its actlons TofndoutwhatCAP
ibel eves, you must join the canrpaigns padicpate in the aciions. lisien to the
stor es B;t the faLlh commdment of the ind vidua s ls c ear' and because ol
ths we needto make space fornult!ringthisspiriua side Whatdowe
be ieve we are ach ev ng? What gives us the strength to keep go ng? What
use is the church ln a L th s? However people feel CAP should express ts
faith commitment, through an exp icitheology worsh p resources orsimpy
be it meetlngs Llke this, most wolrld agree that CAP ls a voice a tel er ol
stoies that-has somethlng to offer Chlistian fadh tself' and it s importaft to
let that volce be heard
Stefan Skrimsh re
CAP Research Asslsiant 2007
Page 3
Have we been here before?
Addressfg rhe falhdmefson s nothing nevr to cAP Ateverystageol
CAP s I le its ecommendatiofs lor ooncfeie act on have bee. rooted I
Chrstraf values and n the gospel pe|spective oilustice and an oplon fof ihe
Th s papef descr bes 4 parlicular prolects that CAP has run since it began in
1982, in wh ch ia th reflect on was a specif c featLrre oi the work Thiswli
hopelul y be heLpiu in exp oring how CAP seeks to reiate fa th and soc al
acl on and not see la th simply as an add tiona' element to our campa gns.
Hearing ihe Cry of the Poor (1989)
The Decla.ailon Hearing the Cry of The Pool pub ished n 1989 was one of
the lilst express ofs ol the Christ an foundations oJ CAP'S mlssion
The Dec arat on and the re ated Poverty Network (Autumn 1989) encapsll ate
CAP s non dogmal c and yet committed approach to faiih and action As
Hl ary Russe wfote at the t me, the Declaration was not a man lesto but an
express on of comm tment from each oi its slgnatories. lt identiied the stad
of ihe ninet es as an oppodunity to make choices lor cornmon vrs ons and
values n a wo.ld of global interrel ance and rad ca ly changing technology
ghtloMard afguage oJ' t cannot be right that ' we be ieve and then
'ffom failh io act on present a clear message: we observe unjlst trends ln
soc eiy we profess be ief n a God of love and we have : ca I ng to be pail of
the build ng of a newlust, socalorder, knownio Christais asthe kingdom of
Its stra
God.
CAP recogn ses that nrany feel alienated from church by its fa lure to preach
the gospeloljust ce to its fu Iconc usion - by coluding wih po iceswhich
fall ng as a community ol ove and jusi ce
harm poor peop
e
As ihe Declarat on ise f admits the real va ue ay n how t was taken loMard
endorced, and deve oped, and perhaps a decade onwewouLd need to revse
our analysis and reflection. BLrt ts formu a ho ds tfue io the way that CAP
funciions as a voice of fa th commltment today its ana ysis comes from
gfassroots experience of ihe huri jn o!r society is vs on is bod cal ing lor
noth ng ess than a 'new soc aj ordef ihat rel ects the ccnc.rn oi a I people ol
goodwill and ts motrvaUo. fordoing so Ls falthlu to a Chrstan hope n a
Page 4
ACTS (1990-9't )
Ihe next najor prolect that nvc ved la th rellection was the Action of the
Churcf Ta',/afds a Nerr'Soca Vson proleci n 1990 91 t soughl lo bring the
experief.e and analyss of people wha are themseves marg naiized lo the
centre of CAP'S \r,/ork ln pad cu ar i pli together some of ihe Fundamenia
Va ues thal Lrnderp n the ves of both Chrstlans and non Chrstians experenc ng poverty, a do!!n to eadh theo ogy'
lrlost inte.est ng is its use ol theolos ca magination . f nd ng elements from
ence that can ga n confidence or althof ly by the ways they reso'
nate wth rel glousihemes, va ues orsp ritLra ns ghts or chai enging our own
Po a-. \Ah\o L ',oo l,d6^ r,ad bas- o oups o'
oLrr exper
oa ppop6^co -ord.c. Laa.o c4- b;< rr roqeF
rr
e,ocod < lh-
struggle they experence from dayto day
Experience Encounters Faith (199'l)
This was folowed bythe publcation ofthe Chrstian Acton Journal Experence Encountefs Falth that identif ed the str!gge ofgrassroots cornrnunitles
wlth the fa th oi theif nrembers. People n d lfereii sit!ations and d lfereni
ways, grapp ing with the mean ng of lhe I exper ence and try ng to articu ale
what t disc oses (Hllary Russe l)
Anumberof ariices n the ChrstianActon Journa are perhapstheclosest
CAP has come to spe I ng out what its theology s whist ins stlng that it does
not c a m to be iormu at ng a systematic iheo ogy lor tself is esson for us
now s to see fa th as someth ng ihat g ves ight to olr concrele exper ences.
ho'/evef palnfu or rnystef oLrs Fa th a so lets !s communicate beiterwltlr
others and to the churches what cannot be righl n our towns and cities
Local People, National Voice (1993-96)
s Loca People Natlonal Vo ce resource pack, produced n 1993 n
€ludeda Chrstian Reflection onitsp!rpose This draws heav yonwhatwe
CAP
earn ol poverty and soc al action in bolh the O d and New Testameit. lt
feminds us of the central b b cal lhemes of iberat on of the oppressed God s
preference for the poor and marginalzed and the I fe of Jes!s ref ect ng the
sirugg e against unjust structures
tel ng the stor es and expedences of povefty to br ng
othefs coserto understanding God wha in the Christian tradltion is lCenifed
wlth those slrffering njust ce and hafdshrp, and whai God demands ol us n
llght ofth s nlust
Christian Reflection n olherwords. shoud be a
CAP s role rnc udes
ce
Page 5
constant task of CAP gfoups ii nothing e se as a check aga nst tfose wflo
woulo rnlerpret povedy and the love of God irom iheolog cal corrcepts trigh in
ihe sky qLrle femoved from the everyday rea ty of poveily
ilow to app y tirese tirrngs cofcrele y to ihe lfe of CAP has beef an ongo rg
q!esiion The answers wrl change depending on the difecl on ol ts cam
pa gns afd the inpui of ts members PadicLr ar examples have been the
worch p resources io the Pigrimage Againsi Povedy. Tempted io Slde aack
nto
Nl Lrd
So why another event on the subject of faith?
So why have another ever,t on the subiect oJ faith when t rs clear y soTneth ng runn ng through CAP s wolk? lt is a un que chance to ask quesi ons that
we rnight not norma ly dare ask - what s it that we actua ly be Leve we re
doing? - and at least make a slart n look ng fof answe6 togetnet
ln creating a space for d alogue about our faith we can n turn earn to he p
others Lrnde|Stand this deeper element of the r concern lor socia lustice
Pub icatrons and discussonsofthe
kndlrst rneniioned wila ways
be an
lmportanl panof CAPscampaigns gvng peopeadeeperLrnderstanding oi
iheir strugg es and strergth and insp ratlon to overcome them Hopefuly lhls
episode in CAP s lfe w ll sow seeds for belng able to commun cate ihat better
Stefan Skrlmsh re
June 2oo1
Page
CAP's Beginning: What we remcmbered
Hete ate sane of th-- co|jrr'ents nade abaut those landmatk events:
In The Beginning...
Ihalrhersm Landmark pubhcanorrs like Tarlnsend s, Poleiy
in ihe UK end Fanh in The Cttv fi|hting back agatnst Thalchetite values
A sense af oppaftunity fallowtng the electtans haw nust the chutches
A /esporse lo
Sprang out of Chutch Actian on the
Unemptayed Action and Church
The Declaration.".
Gave hape to thase wha were ignored: the unenplayed werc seen as tazy,
Usecl the pastaralcycle: it removed the blane fton being aut af i,\,a(k Faith
imag-ps (of Christiamty Gaspel etc ) \.!ere in canftict
re ecttan sho\ted that aur
wlh aurexperience
Put a hunan face on povelty
'You re na
belterthan me' - peaple's pride preventing then frcn acknawledg-
'Dont bring poti(ics into aurchutch! -the Declaratian rejected by churches and
graups as unqualifiedly pahtiaal
Local People National Voice-..
CAPtookthe risk otgiving a voice ta poat peaple
h.anic lhat such a snatj
argantsatian as CAP should be daing it ratherthan bigger organisatjans. CAp
nas then a resaurce far provtding (hat vaice
Pilgrimage Against Povedy...
- Ltnking up campaigntng, pojcy wark
andfalh reflection
Almos( seemed strange that after aI the palicy, actian wark there was, in
addition, a Pilgtjmagel
Big inpact the everyday encaunters wnh peaple, their questions Wha
knows what seeds were planted. .
- Characterised by prayer
Relgtaus thene, Pilgnnage - detinitely engaging the Church
Came aut af the grass+oots desire far change
Walktng inaginatlvely engaging peapte
Prayer of commitment
Lord. when we dream dreamr or puzzle over the futufe.
When oLr ideal5 are challenged
And the recond best becomes attractive
You are there.
Upretting our eatines5
Conr radicling oL' compromi\e)
qeplac'19 our narow vi,ion
With lhe iight and sound of a better Life.
Picking up the lort stitcher of our devotion
TurninS the random into the real.
And it will alwayJ be so
For you did not tay you were the anrwer
You iaid that you were the way.
You did not ask us to succeed
you atked ur to be faithful.
You did not promi5e ui paradise tomorrow
you said yolr would be with Lrs until the end of the world
Turning the random into the real.
And for thjt we praire you.
Page 8
1'e
lling our own sloncs
What has Thcology.got to do with CAI'?
s theology lrre evant and mar-oinalizing an exclusive
academ
actvity done by
cs using a privale language that nobody can Llndefstand and having
ittetodowlhpublc ire? ShoLrid we abandon the te.m theology atogether,
Whaiever we th nk aboLrt theology we may fee that olrr churches teachrfg
bibica lndefstand fg and spriual leaders have litt e or noth ng to say that
satrsfy our th rst for soc al justice Wemaytee that our interpfetaton otthe
Gospeloilustce or of a preferentia option forthe poor, is a mafg na vo ce
that has hti e to do wth ma nstream' church doctrine
Where is the rad ca voice ol theo ogy to be found? How can we use the
Bible Chrlstian langlrage be tels and trad t ons to help creaie and susta n our
vlslon of soc ety and of human wel -being?
Athough ihey may be nrafgiia and strugg ing, there are movernents n this
country that are aitfact ng belevers from a I denorninations and backgrounds.
wh ch cha lenge Lrs to think of theo ogy and laith reilectlon as pract cal
engagrng and actiofrnsp fng actvties The question for CAP is howarewe
a pait of that movement? Do we v/ani to be?
t
Theology does noi have to be done n universities and seminaries
can
a so be done by nof theolog ans grassroois commun I es and ndividuals
engaged in public l fe and te I ng their own siories Thswasthecharacierstic feature of the base communltes frorn which Liberation Theologywas
nspjred in Latin Anrefica [,4arg na]ised groups in ihe []K have a so made
contributions to things llke bib ical crtclsm.social eth cs iturgy and therote
ol the church in po icy decisions
Theology as the Christian voice of oppressed people
a'l . odoE: ed L grl: ((' - 'p- t " ' -,atio.l s: p- BI.LL
Theo ogy is an examp e rellected I the wcrk ol ll\eo ogians I ke Robert
aecklord indeihit Bogha and John SentarnLr ea.h ntherrwayidenriyng
('p
5i,r"
caolh-
ddo
r
L
bd I d-,1', a d116r' 'ga6
aga nsl rac al pfejudrce Fem n st theo ogy iakes as its starting point a critiqle
oiiradrtonaLmale dominated theology afd male readrngs oltl-re bbe To
ne m.i d
e -me
oLeotoo. j4ro.a-".i9.r9
theolog cal roots to the green movement afd draw fg Lrpor teach ngs of the
ntegr ty of creation as d verse as the Celiic trad ji on ga a theory and cosm c
ri...
td
g -o -
Chrst theo ogy
However arguably these voices remarn mostly within circies of people who
are already convlnced of the mportance of academic iheo ogy
Theology as the basis for Chrislian activism
Campaigning movements from wh ch thankfully the fa th communii es have
not con'rp etely shied away. represent anolher aitempi to br ng backtheo ogy
io what concerns peop e most They have cha lenged the dea that the
Christian message is simpy a ca I to persona renewa and inward sprlually
An obviols examp e was ihe Jubi ee 2000 campa gn, which owed much ol ts
success to the nvolvemenl of church groups and re igrous figures. tr/lany ol
the ideas beh nd JLrb ee 2000 had the r roots in .lewish and Chr stian lhink ng
includrng the Gospe perspective oflustice and mercy the iberatof ofthe
sraelites irom s avery and of course ihaorgLnalyJewshconceptofa
JLrbllee year (Leviiclrs
25 8)where debts are forciven
Page
ar menrbefs of the J2000 coali on ike Cafod Chrisl an Ard
and Tead!nd have ong been app y ng Chfrst an vaiues to commanty sup
ported caLrses. What was s gn licant was tfre way rn wh ch Jub lee 20011 made
the theolog cal cofcept of Jubiee p!b ciy fe evant and to man), urgently
Of course Chrlst
The peace movernent has also had cons stent co|ir but ons irom the
churches The anti'n!clear Tndent P oLrghshares carnpaign has aga n used a
bLb ica image (turn ng swords into p olghshares)to empower peop e to
action. Fr Mart n Newall a P olghshares activist was recently re eased from
prison for d sabling a m ltary convoy trlrck that carr es nuc ear warheads for
Britain s Trident Subrnarines Actions iketheseare powefiulsymbols ofthe
radica demands that some fee thelr Christ af fa th cals them io
Other movements lke lhe Catho cWorkers or Pax Chrsti represent a
gfowrng concefn of peop e that soc alJust ce aci ons are s mp y pad of being
church They are iyp ca ly born not oLrt of wel researched doctriies bLrt a
grassrools nterpretat on ofwhat fa th imples to peop es values of soc ety
Faith, evangelism and social action
The cha leige faclng groups such as CAP is, whal does our laith percpective
have 10 do wrlh the rest of society? sthereadangerthatusingtheologyand
relig ors language can create barrrerswth peopewho do notshare our
For some groLrps ii is essent al lhat the relglous element is acknow edged by
a I who encounler them. The high proli e Fa thworks campa gn aunched
before the General Election arg!ed that t is mpossib e io separate fa th
aciion and ndeed evafgellsrn. They cla m that we iare pfojects run by faiihgroups are effectve because oi the fa th of those lnvo ved - and Government
should not lherefore expeci falth groups lo operate jn the saTne way, or use
lhe sarie language as seculai groups
10
we
and shoLr d v,/e - dlaw a I ne behveen soc a ac1 on inspLred by fa th,
srn? Steve Chalke of ihe Falihworks campa gf argues thal
evange
and overl
'o|1r rniefest rn lveliare work stems not from a deslre to recru I brt lrom a
desrfe tD demonstrate God s love I act on (Faithwofks p 86) But whai does
t rlrsa.i to de r]onstrale \rllat evangelLsrn means lrr ihe conterl of s'cia
exc !slon? But ihe relatronshlp between faiih and a.t ofs works the olher
waytoo fathwthouiagroundng nihesoca andportca lea ity thai traps
so many n povedy, cleary does not work'ior.hange Wemust'iecde
whelher socia actLons afe a p atform' for show lrg the ove ol God oI whether
we earn the love of God through those soc al actlons and lnvite the sior es
of be revers and non bellevers a Lke to nlorm that understand ng
can
How different should theologY be?
How d fferenl should the work oi church Act of on Poveftv be irom say, the
Chid Poveny Acuon Grolp? Shou d ihe iact that we are a chr siian organ say
t on make all our work our pol cy slateinents and campalgns be rad ca
d flerent from secular organ sations?
Agroup oitheo og ans are now argu ng thaitheologica valLres aIe so radically
dfferenttothesec! arorderasto rendertheology andthe chnstan meta
narratve quite rrelevantto po icy changes Supportels of'Radica Orthodoxy argue that reports I ke Unemp oyment and the Future of Work are fea ly
just pjeces of soc a po icy'dressed up as Chulch reports The danger
of th s s io a ow oLrf falth vallres be so high as io leave soc ety to Lls own
world
Y
dev ces
Back Street TheologY
Perhaps closest io CAP s own exper ence of iheology n actLon ls the ro e ot
tath n oca groups ocalaciions and amongst loca people
A range ol loca groups across ihe country are using their exper ences and
commLrn iy strugg €s to share a deeper understanding of the I laiilr' and ol
how God s really ncarnate (involved) in the I own ives
Kenneth Leech BobHolman Davd Rhodes, Water Bruegmann afd John
Readerare some ofthe peope praoising ih s approach of do ng theo ogy n
conrmunity As Kenneth Leech says
'Ofdinary people clo not stop ask ng erlraord rary quest ons l!st because
academ cs have h jacked the ldea ol serious ihoughl. ilreologv as a st uggle
wih the mean ng of lfe and of God rs a backsifeeitas( (Chrstian Acton
JournalSpring 1993)
Page 12
The s gnlficance oi theology n this case s that of dia oglre and story te ng n
of our falth b! nat clng
the le of a commun ty we conre to i nd the trlth
where God is nvo ved n our struggle
There rs a -qrolvrng trad uon of lak ig theo ogy to the streets llrst as Dav d
Rhodes has developed in h s fetreats on the streets in Leeds The u,ork of
groups I ke CAP is thereiore not just hear ng the cry of the poor but renewng
our Chnstian la th on rhe basis of those cries, us ng ref ect on exe.c ses that
might not so ve the prob ems but cedainly deepen and glve hope to ouf
comm tmenis fof change.
@
'What are the challenges for cAP?
CAP has the potent alto bu d upon and earn lrom a lthese approaches t
must conllnue to da theologyslmpy because tlreology needs a newset ol
experls
those who know most lnt mately wl, at it rneans to have hope in a
hopeless word - those who sulfer as God suffers n poverty and isolal on
CAP is we I placed to facllltate localtheo ogians', who are constaitly chalenging olrr trad tiona , sometinres comfodable iheolog es The Latrn Amer
can theo ogiai.lor Sobrino oncesaid thatihe Church desperately needs to
acknow edge that the poor are the nrost valuab e iheolog cal source it has
being closest to experiencing God's involvement in hurnan sufler ng and
giving the highest meaning to the sufferjng ofthe cross andihe hope ofthe
resurfect
t was for th s reason thai Jesus miss on was first of a I spaken
to the desiiiLrte ihe poor and ihe outcast of his own soc ety
on
The same colrld be said oi the need lor church theo ogy in this country to
listen and engage wth ihe voice ofthose sufferng from povedy and
marg nalisalion in our own soc ety Th s prevents theo ogy being lrre evant
and static by constanl d alogu€ and refLection we a low our laith io grow
wlth the experiences of oihers a truth that s not owned by any one group of
peop e bul s nforrfed by the many stories toid by ordinary peop e
Whatever o'Jr personal comm tment. CAP has great potent al to cha lenge
provoke. nform and chaige lhe way we th nk of church and iheo ogy and we
should not shy awaylrom ths responslbi ty
Stefan Skrimsh fe
J
une 2001
Page 13
COURACL
What i5 Courage?
in and not feel
The ability to stand up for what you believe
inferior to other PeoPle
to say and know that You
The ability to say what you really wanl
are a force to be reckoned with
The ability to let Your hair down
work together rather than
The ability to let yorlr heart and mind
control'
allowing one of thes€ to take overall
if necessary
The ability to let bySonet be bySone!
and lo accepl them
The ability to know your opponent
people, with faultt.
as
and to let othert
It taket real courage to be yoLlrself
you reallY are!
you
60
FoR
lT1
see
as
Page'14
What are CAI' Values?
an attem pl to ldent fy how
These were some of our suggestions and
they related to each oiher:'
Page 1s
What is Chrislian about CAP?
Same camments froln
au qroup cliscussio's
ii-n" y."r beliefi
Unspoken uu,1".,,"ndl.g .i taith
ALl"."s
y^,
t,,
Oirrlct for s,orking for.justice 'uit| ntt"" nl faith-motivatior.r
Don't neccssarily rall rbc,ut J"s,rs /o Jesus
Faith elemenr is a lens through $'hich to see rvhat we do
Eternal p.,,p..tiu" .salvatior / bec'r'ing ''n" human
Group 2
or powel + empowelment and its attitlrdes
ls CAP anti-capitali st? . .sbautdftEe, fLom a ChrGtian pctspectivc?
People exptLience their worth , confidence
critigue
lnr.insic value of people Gospel p"*p"'ti"" an'1 as a
Challengnrg church
of othcr rhings...
"
"
ciir".ion tLrr h'ings vou to ivork rvirh other hack-
Ecumenical -.o.n'on."u'"'
Vorking
togethcL as N{cans and
End
involvcs comprornisc' groiving
togerher
Grory
j
A voice crying in tbc rvildctness
origins our of thc conr"", ofThatchenstn
A resoulce drat people can dr'*v frcm
,t proPhetic voice, on tlie edge
F,,un""
"fLife
Beirg a rlhrisrian
as
Means,
nor
End
oflife
Jesus: d"n'""s,,"t.s rhat fullness
Page T6
( Ar an0
S
,inninoc
D(:).........)..
A pefsonal v
evr'
Ihefies irofi or/r d,scrssiah of what ts chrsttan abaul CAP? \rerc then
canparcd wilh this sumnery af CAPs origtnal' valLies written by Hilary
R.,ssell, rrha is ane af cAP s longeststanding executve mefttbers
Origins
ChLrfch Action on Povedy began near y twenty years afier conJerences when
peop e invo ved n soc al responsibi lty work n the churches shared ihe r
concerns aboulthe percrstence oi poverty and nequa ty n an aflluent
society' They saw the need to put pover(y on boih church or po itical agendas When it began CAP was rlrnn ng aga nst the tide of mosl opinion boih n
what it \,!as saying and in ihe fact of a chLrrch-related organ saiion saying lt
Educational, theological and political aims
Ffom the stad, CAP attempted
'
io ra se awareness about poverty ins de and outslde the ohurches recognis
jng thal many people n the pews shared ihe stereotyprcai views of the med a and suburban Britain
I
'
tomake explicilconnectionsbetweensocia andeconorn c ssues andchrsiian think ng and to do theology in lhe conierl ol the I ves and cirolmstances of the (maieria ly) pooresi
'
to recognse that the Gospel is about the whoe of iie and that poltcal
nvo vemeni s a necessary step to overcoming povefiy
Theological assumptions
How paar peopl-. are treated js the tauchsione tor the vatues that
infarn aji oul
thaught. Darctes and aclion it is central ta aut Chflstrarfa lh t.scehtrattaaur
patL(Lcat chall--nqe (Heathg the oy
ofthe paot)
These aims were based upon certain assumptions about the narure of
the Christian faith and its imptications:
_nr'',r-fdl..rrao..,a,ao,
irtao-6.56
.06 g
-ea
o
cerned with cond iions and re at onsh ps hefe and no\(/
s good news to the poor concern about poverty s not
oernanded mere y as an eth ca duty but as iitegra tc our fa th
that Christianlty
that Christ an ty speaks as mLrch to po itica , social and econom c inst tlr
tons and re ationships asio personat ones: it is about sacia and economic
luslce as wet as persona change
npovedythatweffdcod ihat God.s Spirt speaks
through lhe cies afthe poor and the vutnerable (a expose aur ilusians and
break thei pahter over us calhng us ta aur praper task of r1larking far the
energing King.lam, resbring us ta the hunan story s authentic theme
p)
that it ls amongst lhose
\HTC
rhal poveny s not lust abolt having too ft e money Apart fram a l the
assoc ated iorms of deprvation lexclusiof) it s about retationshtps and
power . povedy is more fundamenta ty a socjalthan an economic con
cept The poor afe the people whorn the rest oi us dont notice 7 ihose
lvtro lorm no padofthe catcu at on made bythosewho setthetone and ca I
the tune asio howwe I we aredorng (Nicho as Lash fiom a ecluregven
rn T988 an edited vefs on of\,!hich was in povedy Nehvo/ik Sprifg i9a9)
that pad ol the response of the non-poot thefefofe musi be tc siart to nonvotve peop e rn povedy and to re in-
tice to chafge our catculations. to
Page T8
Some memories
of fhe Saturday workshops
Liberating Scripture - Chris Howson
L beratr.g Scriptlre was a .ha lenge to r€ad the blble with d fiy hands.
ook ng lor the meaniig beh fd a terl thai s a ways wrltten ffom a socia
conten and n the words of Mosaia, rddenwthclasscofilci Howdowe
read the b b e? Whai assumptions oi power and p ace, llb€rative or oppressive, do we br ng to otrf ntefpretat on oi the Gospel sior es ior nstance? And
lnaly, howdowetakethosesiones and usethem n olltlorkplaoe? We
concuded that twas noi by hav ng a b bleto hand blt Ln ourmemories ofthe
stories and parab es. and the way we retell them, ihat bible readlng becomes
creaUve and productive This came out In group rete I ng ol GospeL stor es
Whai siicks in your head as mpodant? whai pads wou d you rather fo€et?
how do you make t re evant io your own conie\t? OLrf indiv dual accounts of
b b e stories. and the way we use them were indeed unique rellecting our
own backgrounds exper ences and essons earnt and it was encouraglng to
speak of our memorles ol scripture as serving their origina purpose n
iouching percona lythose whom we workwith
What in God's name are we doing?- Tony O'Riordain
The question, What rn God s name are we dolng? focussed on the experi
ence oi hornelessness b!t rea ly app ied io al our flghts aga nst socla
exclusion What difierence does i make in iack ing soclal inlLrstice that we
beleve in a God who makes a i peop e rnhsown mage? Doeslt pfact
ca1ly, make any dilference? does I make our work easler? The wealth ol our
own exper ence with the margina ised showed thatihere are no easy answers
to ihese quest ons f ght ng as we do aga nsi inst tutions and atiitudes that
e
Pefhaps the very values that motivate our
systen atica y devalue peop
persons and the uncondli onal love ol
dlgn
iy
of
all
work lor instance the
peop
e s exper ence of people who ieel
evely
day
by
cha
lenged
cod are
letally unlavable ln ihe words of a young home ess rnan fhe very thoughl
ihai ihere might be a Gcd depfesses me The group recognlsed lhe value of
efcount€rs. oJ working a ongside peop e, knowlng tlreir fames and aff rm ng
end
the r digrity s mp y by be ng
a
Evening PraYer
6od of Jultice
keeP us liJenl
\Xlhen the only wordt lve have to ultef
Are oner of Preiudice.
Teach u5 to face the woundl in ouf own feafil
COD OF JUsTICE, CIVE U5 POWER OF sPEECH
TO REsIsT INJUSTICE. OPPREsSION AND HATE.
NOT ONLY ON OUR OWN BEHALF
BUT FOR OTHERS WHO ARE NOT HEARD'
MAKE U5 PEACEMAKERs AND REfiORERS OF THE STREETS
6od of Power. keeP us lilent
ihat we may listen reiPectfully
To anolhe- Per(or'\ Pa:n
Without trYing to fade or fix it'
For you are present within each one of ur
So
6OD OF POWER, CIVE U5 COURA6E
TO SHARE OUR CIFTS OF SPEECH
TO COMFORI UPHOLD AND STRENcTHEN'
NEED
LET U5 BE A CLIMPSE OF YOUR LOVE TO THOSE IN
6od of love' in the tilence of our heaftt
Cive ut words of welcome. acceptance and renewal
5o that when we tPeak
Our wordJ come from
YoLl
COD OF LOVE, CIVE U5 VOICES OF PRAISE
TO CELEBRATE EACH OTHER
AND THE CLORIE5 OF CREATION
BELIEVIN6 THAT WE ALL LIVE WITHIN YOUR BLEsSIN6
AMEN
O \l/ild Coose Publi.aiions
Page
Faifh Reflection
Models What
Works?
Ovef the years CAP has sk ven to enabte grassroors peopre io exp ore
rhe
6." d:,. rr-, --.I9o
tr4.'1 I.e g,ro.,A'.d1
ov,o od- id:oo.e1 .-.,.-o..6 on- _t/ a..o
:cLr6o'Do
-e,o
The mode is known astire pastoialCyce and has been wrttef up in d fierenl
ways I CAP resoufce packs such as Local peop e Nationa Vo ce pLgrtmage
Agarnst Povedy Vs on nto Acttof and most recent y Debt on Our
Do'orstei
The PastoralCycle consists olthe lo low ng st€ps or srages.
POVERTY
4
Acnoi <--------fEEn{don
Worklng,through the pastora Cycte is as chaleflg ng as rne concepr s
starghi forward The who e idea is thar you nrove thiough each ol
ihe stages
oegtnnlng wth experence fo lowed by analyssand so
. untilyou arriv;
back at ihe experience
This looi can be used on
k nds of tssues alrd prob ems and t s des gned to
help local gro!ps make sLrre as far as possible that when they decide t;
act on
a pad cu ar prob em or issue then the action wt I be the right sorl
of
a
When a prob em rs dertifted it ts imporlant ta lsten to those who have
d rect
expenence ot rt eg unemployment lone parenthood debi low pay
home_
essness Eavrng isiened to the expe. ences you need to analyse what you
have hearrj Ths coutd be n termsotf fdlng outabolrtthewderpcture
oe. lan:otc: rgl,{ o"soa,on,jrto ,. aa.a ..
)t
vvho rs b.feTrlrnq ano ,ho s osrnq.
Having deve oped ar analysrs of ihe problem peop e are then aske{t io
reftect
cn what ihey have heard either by !s/ng the r faith or va Lre
systenl
Th s siage
s
mpod?nt as
t s th"
and shou d have a d rect bear
n-q
wh ch the ensu ng actron ls bu 1
act
on decrded ife Cvc e coft nues
the
has be3f achreved and t'en bacK Io
bas s
of
oi
tlrro!gh the aci or to .ereb'atln-o
",rrat
ch-..k ng o!l the ne',{ -'xpef ences
Faith Refleciion
g
There are many ways of br ng ng our laith or va les lo bear on any ven
ica
to
our
Bib
ook
that
we
is
importani
ans
I
for
Chrisl
s tuation However
and
ot
Jesus
the
I
fe
to
explofe
this
is
ol
doing
guidarce
One
mo.lel
roots for
say
ng
\o
someth
may
have
fe
which
po
ng
his
I
nts
dLrr
key
about
the
think
about the ssue ol pove y d reci y and ind rect y Praci ce oi ot]r lalth n many
of the mainslream churches s ofien based around the b dh deaih and fesLrc
rectlon of Chr st and a tho!gh the itlrrgrcal year drar/s attent on to sorlre or Ite
things that happef n beifr'een these are fot glvef ihe same place within o!'
!!or;hjp afd ca ls lor act on The loL owing is the dis''rssicn held dLrr ng the
\rhalthey tet
resident al Those prese|ir/ere asKed to reilect corectve v or
were tlre key po nis dLrf frg the iie of Chr st from trls b dh to resLrrrect or
Page 22
lffi"l-er
Binhor
f$d.4
maqr aidoEpn4 betrur+ rubd
Pr6ei|alond]sGisglgmp]"
rempbronsOa6axsoodrniE ircrdyrems)
nrc
l;,,b
sE
(
mFtun€
cf cd:baiotr)
[b. _l
EiL./ r.ro Jerusa eh lParm
Dearh
Kigdonftme-=.-.
orres's
eid6y)
i(
-!eeq"t'n
Page 23
Taking lessons from the Residcnlial
,{'JOP.E,SFGULAF. I"{/CRS/'P RESOI/PCF:S
.A EMPAWEF LACAL GRAUPS
WE qELIE'|E
3
DA
f U RGI CAL yEAR : LEART!
FRAII CHRISIIAN AID / CAFOD
Lt
WARSHIP
/REFIECIIANS
/N THE II/EII/SLETTEF
\
,ECLARAI/CI] A SIAIETI{
IHA| DEIIAI|DS A RESPI
WHEREDAWE
- LOCAI\Lf RAA| ED
I
A'|AOL FAR USE]N
WARK. A'REITIINDER
CORE VALUES
CREAIING ACIIVE
R ELA| IA N SH I P & I TlfER ACfrcN
PL.OYI"IENf SIJ N D AY/
LENTEN PRAGRAM E:
'SHADOWNG'
EXIERT
A' AI'
U N EM
CAUSES'
LlI!K]NG NAfIANAL
fA
/NIEFIIAI/oIAL /ssllEs
LENI AND THE LlVTlG WAGE
cAMPA/G^/ D/SCUSS/OAI
What does it heal ta tie oh ninihum
wage as .toing Lent ? Are w inptyjng
thal
no.e .n tun)n1ua Mge ae pema|eiUy
tn Lenl and
is
thee hape fot lheh af
fheatasrcet and Liturytcat tana|| , uh
nlese were seen nat as concrete plans. Dut tdeas. ,seeds,that
CAp
may.en,caurage to gto\r'/ in the future, as v,/e
search for ways to cjeepen
our faith and share it with atherc
Page 2.,i
On Hope
A recurring theme from ihis relidential waj that of rope Here
are Some v,/ordt thaf encourage u, io calry ihat forward in our
Deep in ourtelvel we carry hopei
if thal is nor the care. Inote . ro hope.
Hope ir a quality of the roul, and does not depend on
whai happent in the world.
Hope ir not to foretelL or foreJee.
It it a difectednerr of the Drind,
a directednelr of lhe heart,
anchored beyond the horizon.
llope in thit deep and powerful meaninS
l5 not the lame at happinesl becaure all
SOer
we
,
or readineJs to devote yourrelf
to that which har rucceii.
Hope ir to work for lomething becaure it is good.
and not only because it hat a chance to,ucceed.
Hope is not the rame al optimism
neither it it the conviction that romething will end
well.
R"rher ir 'l tl-e (eidin!y il"at \orneil-ing i\
meaningfLrl, irrerpective of the outcome
the reJult.
(Vaclav Havel)
Page 25
Does CAP need a fa.ith sfatemcnt?
Dufifg our resident
.
.
c e3r that r/e were seeK ng I'r' lri ngs
cl our ',v!r( n ihe terms of oLr 'a th
o' oirr ia th n tne re? ll'r' oI nL r \rr'orK
a i beczrne
fg
Af rndefstand tg
An undersian.i
!s I ihe vr'orksuop ,\'arl3d to do nr'as to .o aLrorale on ouf
IndLVldua \rnderstand:ngs and so iorn the beg nn ngs c'a shafed
Lrnderstanding of the dyrram c tlrai fe ates and feeds botl' ourwork a'd oLrf
fa th lt s hoped that ln so do ng we w I nave a starting po nt thet can be Lrsed
to embody both our fa ih and oLrrworkv/iho!tdivld ng these aspecls and
separat ng one from anothef What arose was an undelstandlng oftlre
hermenutlc cycie ihat js CAP theo ogy
W:at those oi
Kathy had stressed that ourwofk s an exD'ess on arrd a I v ng out oi oLrI faith
and t s ihereby no ess a theo ogy than iberation theo ogy oI ltrndamenla
systematlo theo ogy And ln mafy r/ays i lvas th s that we were seeKng lo
g;asp on the one hand On the other hand \l/e d d not u/ sh to wf te a m sslon
statement but we wanted to work towafds the prod!ci on ol some tools that
can be applied both to ourv/ork and to expressng this ln popu anst Language
accessible to other Chast ans; and I o!r iaith interpleting ihe gospels n the
langLrage of o!rwork expressed th s as hav ng severai ihemes that were
n re ating ourworkto olr lath each inforr ng the oiheras tools
that can be used to expla n the gospe frorn olrr perspectrve ano exp arn ollr
work from a ia(h persPectve
pr;in;It
The process of our workshoP:
prjor t es to ar se through fememberjng iire va ues that were
expressed thfoughout the weekend afd how o(rf vr'ork s Christ an We then
fel ected upon lleaf ng the Cry of the Poor wh ch r/r'e fe i echoed what we
were presenty engaglng wth and n comparng and conlrastlrg th swolkwLth
ouf remembel ngs we not ced the diffefence n anguage Wh le both may be
seen as liturg cal expressions of o!f v/ork 'tsearing the Cry of the Poor lvas
expressed n mofe tfaditlona theo ogy whl e the angLrage ol our va Lres
re ated more to our ev€ryday lse rf ihe workp ace Hearing the Cry olihe
Pool deta ed our be reis and staiemenis of \,'/rong thal wo! d incur acl on to
remedy the nlustLce
Wea owed our
Brief notes on the results of ouf workshop:
We found ihat we c.Lrld categor se cLrr bra nsto|nled va 'res intc be r3ts and
rurlhef
acl ons t s hoped that these br el notes can f.rm the basLs for
j!rther
express
on io
givrng
expanding our underctand ngs on the one hand
pad'lthe
as
ing
our
stofv
teL
crf fa th and on the other hand
ouf
^ork;nd
gospel
story There wefe tvr'o r(ey polnts that emerged lrorn our dLscLrssiof
Page 26
T A prlnc pel prvor pa nl vr'as the re at onship b€i"^/eef rec aim ng the gospe
ihe ang|age of bolh the gospe and poverty was fformed by our bel ef
ihatthosewe wofr{wih cn ihe marg ns afe theiouchsione ofsocrety We
a d arar- _e*rar-gso r-ego<pe -o_
exper ences oi polerty. so a so oLrr work cn poverty is moi vated and niormed
by oLrr be ef in the gospel A dynamrc between understand ng and aciron
which may be app ed to both olrr Chisi an express on and the poveriy
and
2
There s a so a dyfanric iretween the corarnon shared points ol referefce,
whchLnChristan ife are epitomised by creaiion ife death resLrrrectof. and
savation and the perspectlve ffom the rnalgins.
We seek kuth throLrgh revelalion thatderves fromthe margins ot socety and
'he \ r We e e eiri)re.eator'lro-gho.'pactceorpa1'rp"Lro1
the encounier lve oiler ttrose in poveriy and those n power break ng do\,vn the
bafrlers and ass!rnptions through dialogue Thls process tefmed tfiologue to
oes. o-a -fdo^" r "ddrollodidLoa r- rao.e-pd.efo e.ecl'o"
wh ch may aso be understood asthe resultolcansdeflng understandifgs
oiher than yoLrr own, freeing the part cjpants lrom the ties oi lhe r persona
nterests lt s thrs relationsh p wh ch gives !s the key io enable us to read the
signs of the llmes and acknow edge them withLn ihe eterna siory of God a
slory de ivefrng us ic the lul fess ol lfe, salvai on and I berat on Oiher values
and actions we bra nstormed nc Lrde those llsted be ow not ai of which are
d rectly a igned or necessary ihe sole algnment but t s a staftl
Polltcal and economc adjusimeni
DisnLty
lcreated n ihe mage of God)
Relailonshps, eg all-party gro!p
chrisiianity is a v/orldly re sion
Poverty 6 ihe iolchstone ior socrety
Reclalmlns the sospel and
Recaming the gospe and Language
Poverty ls lhe touchstone ior
Empowerment & chaleng ng
power (ufjlsvfase powea
AiJirmai on-through ie ing siorles
Blidng a new society for al
Standing vith the oppressed
No statisUc can deny the
trlth of
Reading lhe s gns of the lmes
Page 27
Residential Fro.gramme
5 5 30Pn
5 pnl
D nnel
dlaiogue of CAF s ofLg
tne Begrnn ng Presentat on & open
n'r' CAD beg nn ng?
D sc!ss on Ln lnrees 1 Vthat was
2 V,/hai va Lres do I associate ' /ith CAP'
81spm
SatudaY
8am
9am
915 am
930am
'n
Endlng PraYer
BreaKTasI
Openlng Prayel
RecaD on Vesterdr) s less on
.jj-o "'pq.".:rr. s \ta ao-cc1 ')taiEa( \a e10
do with mY wo'k ln CAP?
945am
CAP?
Gro!p Drsc!ss cns Whzt is Chrisi an about
10 45 am
11 15 am
12 an
Feedback lrom grouPs
130pm
dolng?
Warkshop 1:Wlrat ln God's name are we
330pm
6pm
7pm
8pm
9pm
915 pm
n!
Wofkshop
2
Io'y
Liberating Scr pture - Chris Holtson
Dinner
mean?
Llqht poetry session lvhat does my narne
CYcle
Pastora
the
on
R;fLections
Dec de opt ons for SundaY mornlng
End ng Pray€r
Sunday
8
o
anr
ii ,-
Bfeaklast
Ooen no WorshlP
'i"-." ""'
'ooc
^o'|'c
-^o
oD
"D" "t
'Fe 'o
"ar I
3l Lenten Act on and the m nlTnr'r'n wa!
4 iJoes CAP need a fath statementr
1015 am
10 30 am
l1 30 am
'\2 am
Collee
Taking essons iiom the resl'leni al
End nq \rvorshiP ard ELrchar st
LLrnch & DePatt
Page 28
Resources List
The lollowing s a selectron ol books suggesred by padicipafis and some
wh ch were usefu rn the research that was done if preparing thts residential
Poor
Hom€
Faith n Da* Places
Praylng the Kingdonr
The Bible, Th€ Church
&lhe Poor
J
Power to ihe
Laurie
Holman
Faith n lhe
Bob
Poverry close to
Hilary Russetl
David
Poweress
Wo*s
oi
Lberalron
Faith
The Spirliualry
Rhodes
Ellior
Charles
j998, Lion pubtish n!
1996, SPCK
1985, Dafton, Longman and Todd
C Boff 1989, Burns and Oates Ltd
cr€en 1987, firtarchal p ckertng
Jim Wallis
2000, Random House
Pixley &
P Casaldatga &
J i/aia
Vigil
1994, Burns &Oates Lid
Ch shan Aci on Joumal 1982; Povedy Nelwork Aulumn 1 989 - Hear ng the Cry oi rh€ poorj
Poverv Network Summefl99l AC lS;Chnstian Aciion Jolna 1993-Expe.ience
Encounterc Failh'Povedy Nehxofk Feb 1996 -Localpsopte NationatVoice Tempied io Stjde
Back Into [,4ud -Worship resourc€s for P]lgrims, July.t999
Page 29
I'articipants
David A en
Janet Ashton
Thomas Best
Nlal Cooper
Erik Cramb
Dav d Cross
Carol Cross
l\,4afgaret Fostef
Kathy Galloway
Wyn Goggins
Julie Green
Chris Howson
Anna Pascall
Chris Lawrence-P etroni
Stephen l\,4atthews.
Tony O'Riorda n
Stefan Skr mshire
Nlal Tudor
llluslirliotrs by suzanne skirchire
csldc desigi3 by peter Dinqle &Jeniy Peaison