J+ Voices: Short Report #2
Have you ever wondered how people who come to your social action projects really feel as they walk through the door? We all hope we are welcoming, and we work hard to try to remove any shame or embarrassment, but are there ways in which we are unwittingly causing people to feel uncomfortable?
If you’ve ever wanted to know what people coming to your projects really think, you might be interested in Jubilee+ Voices.
Jubilee+ Voices is an advisory group made up of people living on the lowest incomes. The purpose of the group is to hear about people’s experiences of church-based social action and regular church activities, so that we can listen, learn and share lessons with churches across the UK.
These voices matter, and our hope is that those who have lived with the impact of poverty will shape our work at Jubilee+ and the work of local churches, so that together we break some barriers and bring change.
Our second advisory group recently gathered in Hull and, at the bottom of this post, you can download a short report summarising their feedback and recommendations.
One theme that emerged from discussions together was the early equipping of new Christians. This was compared to the story of the woman at well, who returned to her own community sharing the good news of the gospel.
How can leaders recognise evangelistic gifting, and encourage this, ensuring that salvation doesn't mean removal from unique contexts, but rather gospel witness within them?
One suggestion made in the report was the buddying-up of new converts with mature Christians with gifting and wisdom in the area of evangelism.
Another common challenge in church life that the group identified was when mature Christians, integral to their story and journey of belonging, moved on. A recommendation to come out of this shared-experience was pre-empting key transitions like this by developing a plan, as well as a broad base of support for new Christians (particularly those whose story includes experiences of poverty and marginalisation).
To read more key findings please feel free to download the short report below.
If you'd be interested in finding out more about Jubilee+ Voices, why not join Rosie Hopley on the next Partner Church Zoom, on Thursday 20th April at 7.30pm, where she will be expanding further on lessons learned so far (sign-up here).
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If you are interested in becoming an advisory group participant (or know someone whose contribution would be valuable), get in touch via rosie.hopley@jubilee-plus.org
