poverty
- spoken on a wide range of issues affecting our Church and world including: poverty, racial justice,
I lead on the challenging poverty priority for Durham Diocese and long to see churches meeting the deep needs of their community.
I’m stepping forward to represent ’The People’ - people in our parishes, people in our schools, people in the work force, people in leadership, people in poverty.
That experience gave me a lasting commitment to the worldwide Church and to the connections between mission, poverty, sustainable development and care for creation - all relevant to General Synod. “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you.” ~ Romans 15:7 Five years of experience I jumped into Synod from the start, asking questions, proposing amendments, and speaking in debates on safeguarding, social care, Net Zero, neurodiversity, inclusion and Church governance.
If I was successful in joining the General Synod, I would work hard particularly with those agendas which prioritise those with a reduced voice: whether due to disability, ethnicity, neurodiversity, poverty, sex or gender identity.
Accepting that difference and diversity are a part of life means being aware that the topics of race, wealth and poverty, sexuality, neurodiversity, mental health and well-being are things that affect us all because we are a community.
However, there is also much to celebrate and it is not hard to find signs of God’s work in people and parishes across the land including: growing numbers of young people turning to Christ, burgeoning vocations in some dioceses across all kinds of churches, but particularly those from deprived areas, confirmation and ordination candidates who have journeyed to the church from all over the world and from many different faiths, the growth of new monastic communities like The Nazareth Community, imaginative and sacrificial approaches to poverty and the cost-of-living crisis in so many churches including debt counselling, night shelters and foodbanks.
I have seen how the Church wrestles with the same issues, such as poverty and prejudice, in different societal contexts.
My PhD focused on the way the histories of Victorian church music have been written, attempting to correct some of the common biases, such as a disproportionate focus on London and the South, the erasure of female composers, avoidance of discussions of social issues such as poverty, and a lack of scholarship about parish music and musicians.
Our churches know what it is to minister across rural and coastal communities where distance, transport, aging populations, poverty, isolation and limited resources create very real challenges.
Coach with Christians Against Poverty,
I am also deeply aware that most of us minister in contexts where poverty exists alongside affluence.
I believe it is vital that all our parishes have a place at the table, and that those amongst us experiencing poverty are supported.
Nationalism, and internationalism, migration, social division, housing and poverty
Poverty and inequality have increased, with increasing foodbank use (often run by churches), and our society seems to take a position driven by self-interest.
At the same time, we must not neglect those communities whose experience of poverty and alienation is being exploited by the far-right and framed as fear of the other.
Through my own experience, and that of my wife, who works in social housing management, I have seen the importance of tackling poverty and inequality and of providing decent, affordable homes.
I live this by my work with Micah Liverpool at St Bride's, a joint initiative with the Catholic and Anglican cathedrals to relieve Liverpool residents from social injustice and poverty.
What I will bring to the General Synod I have seen much poverty and depression in the diocese and have an understanding of the national north-south divide.
My experience of refugee resettlement, food poverty and community work has shown me something different: when churches go out into their communities, listen and respond to real needs, relationships grow and lives can be transformed.
As the established Church, we have a particular responsibility to speak without fear for those whom voices in public life exclude or turn against: refugees and people seeking asylum, people living in poverty and working-class communities.
Family breakdown and poverty meant It was a difficult childhood, but I was sustained in faith.
Helping to eradicate poverty: Poverty in Britain is rarely just about lack of money.
I want to see the Church continue to invest in poverty alleviating initiatives such as debt advice, family support hubs, mentoring and food banks.
We see greed and wickedness, disease and disasters, poverty and injustice, lies and deception, and sometimes feel helpless.
I see those around me struggling with poverty, imprisoned by false hope or no hope at all and blinded by the charms of this world.
Synod has done excellent work in recent times: making public statements on national and global issues such as tackling poverty, promoting an increase in adult social care provision, opposing assisted dying, promoting social cohesion and constructive patriotism, speaking up for vulnerable groups minoritised by polarization of political discourse.
A good understanding of the effects of addiction and poverty having worked for a charity supporting the homeless prior to ordination.
My other activities are volunteering for the local foodbank and supporting Christians Against Poverty (CAP) to help clients find a way out of debt.
In my view Christians Against Poverty (CAP) could be promoted and its use encouraged more as a preventative measure to help those in debt from falling into the homelessness net.
Synod should empower the whole Church to embody the upside-down kingdom of God, speak with courage about poverty and human dignity, and share the Christian faith confidently in contemporary society.
This involved significant culture change and proactive leadership in areas of poverty injustice, refugee integration, climate change, modern-day slavery, reconciliation in a colonial context and addressing the housing crisis in practice as well as advocacy.
In 2020 Lovechurch took on hosting and staffing the town’s Christians Against Poverty (CAP) debt centre.
The Church was left a £11.6 billion endowment for ‘the cure of souls in parishes where such assistance is most required’, yet Church Action on Poverty shows that 40% of church closures occur within the 10% most deprived parishes.
This has included 30 years as director and treasurer of a small housing association, trustee of St Bernard’s charity supporting women in financial difficulty because of ill-health, and Finance Officer for Off The Fence, seeking an end to social and spiritual poverty in Brighton and Hove.
Public witness: I want the Church to speak and act with those affected by poverty, injustice, conflict and environmental harm, while keeping the good news of Jesus Christ and his offer of salvation central.
I still chair the Cornwall Independ- ent Poverty Forum and remain very aware of the poverty and social exclusion with which too many people across Cornwall struggle.
At the most recent York meeting of General Synod, I organised a fringe event on church- es responding to rural poverty entitled “You Can't Eat the View.” This showcased our own Diocese of Truro Pretty Poverty report and helped bring the often-hidden reality of rural poverty to wider attention.
As an active member of the Cornwall Inde- pendent Poverty Forum, I continue to hear about the challenges faced by individuals and families across Cornwall: low incomes, insecure employment, housing pressures, transport difficulties and the additional costs that can accompany rural life.
It is about mission — and about tackling poverty, exclusion, youth crime and the inequalities that affect our communities.
This has included serving on a steering committee to help establish a Christians Against Poverty debt centre, which now works across the deanery.
A study by Church Action on Poverty showed that 40 per cent of closures fell in the 10 per cent most deprived parishes in the country.
Too many churches serving areas of significant deprivation continue to do extraordinary work with too few resources, and having grown up on a council estate, I know firsthand the realities of poverty and disadvantages.
• Poverty: no less of a challenge is our
Climate change and poverty are the greatest challenges in our world, both locally and internationally.
I have spoken on a wide variety of subjects – including churches engaging with rural poverty, parochial fees, funding for local and parish ministry, support for clergy in retirement and the Prayers of Love and Faith.
In these groups I represented the Church of England and the voice of faith communities, bringing that voice to areas such as inclusive economy, poverty reduction, and the Council’s Third Sector strategic planning.
so I will also support efforts to reduce the epidemic of loneliness, social isolation and existential distress prevalent in so many of our young people and congregations, help parishes to meet their environmental objectives whilst fully recognising the unique challenges they face with their historic buildings, and would also, I hope, contribute to important debates on social and biomedical ethics including those around poverty and exclusion, racial justice, Al, assisted dying, genetic modification, gender identity, spiritual abuse and climate change amongst so many others, so please do consider voting for me.
Responding to poverty
Having served in two of the most economically challenged parishes in our diocese, I know first-hand the poverty experienced by others.
Responding to poverty is central to the life of the Church.
Outside of our benefice I am a volunteer Money Mentor for Community Money Advice (which recently joined forces with Christians Against Poverty) and a Tearfund Speaker, as I am passionate about alleviating poverty both in this country and in the developing world.
located in a post industrial, former coal mining area, marked by significant deprivation and poverty, but also by resilience, strong identity, and deep community spirit.
I have contributed regularly to Synod debates, speaking on a wide range of issues including poverty, clergy pensions, safeguarding, vocation, racial justice, chaplaincy, funeral poverty, clergy discipline and public policy.
My understanding of poverty and deprivation is not simply theoretical through my academic background in Social Policy, but comes from sustained, lived experience of ministry in some of the most deprived communities in the country.
A Commitment to Social Justice Grounded in both personal experience and parish ministry, I bring a deep understanding of poverty, deprivation, and inequality.
We must also continue to respond faithfully to the outcome of the Living in Love and Faith process, loving and caring for all God’s people, as well as engage with wider societal challenges, including debates around assisted dying, poverty, health, and social policy.
I support Christians Against Poverty as a befriender and serve on the board of Community Foundation Wakefield, a local charity supporting vulnerable families and groups.
West Leigh is a place of considerable strength and neighbourliness, but also of poverty, poor health, insecure employment and social isolation.
This fuels my passions for education, addressing issues of child poverty and addressing educational under-achievement.
Bringing the Rural Voice to General Synod One of my earliest contributions in the Synod chamber was during a debate on poverty and the Church.
I spoke because poverty is not an abstract issue in the communities I serve.
I spoke particularly about rural poverty and hardship often hidden behind hedgerows and closed doors: families struggling with the cost of living, inadequate transport, isolation and limited access to services.
So why does poverty always seem to arrive at the parish first?
Although our communities can appear prosperous, rural poverty, domestic abuse, loneliness and isolation are often hidden, while poor transport and digital connectivity create real inequalities of access.
We have embraced the four Diocesan priorities particularly in challenging poverty.
In early 2026, General Synod voted to recommit to ending poverty.
This quinquennium is when we must build the structures that will make it real: a Faith in the City for our own day, working to the maximum the gifts we have as an established church, with our presence in every neighbourhood, our voice, our buildings and our wealth – putting them to work against the systemic injustice of poverty and homelessness.
Although we may be fortunate to live in beautiful areas, the beauty often conceals poverty, poor access to services through a complete lack of public transport and connectivity, as well as social isolation and health inequalities.
Inclusive and affirming Poverty and justice focused Prayerfully driven
Poverty and
I'm a member of Church Action on Poverty's worship and theology collective and have written liturgy for their resources.
My parish is one with very high levels of poverty, and my vision of church is one that challenges issues of social and economic justice.
The outer estates context of my ministry, and my involvement in issues of food poverty, knife crime and flags, have given me valuable insights into the ways in which the church needs to both respond to, and influence political debates around, economic inequality and national identity.
I co-founded Love Your Neighbour, a charity which brings together churches and organisations to tackle poverty, debt, addiction, unemployment, homelessness and loneliness.
In Church on the Margins, 2023, Church Action on Poverty found that 40% of closed churches fell within the 10% of the most deprived parishes.
The Church must not abandon the disadvantaged and those living in poverty, and well-resourced churches play a key role in the local delivery of the Christian mission to bring good news to the poor.
I was pleased to be part of a Fringe meeting with the other Truro reps on rural poverty.
The meeting was organised by Revd Andrew Yates and explored Truro Diocese’s Pretty Poverty Report.
It is also important that the national church continues to invest in resourcing mission and evangelism in areas of poverty, particularly in many northern towns and cities such as exist in our own Diocese here in Manchester, and if elected I will continue to support LinC funding which is vital to us in Manchester.
It is very important to me that inclusion is not seen as being only about sexuality or gender but about issues of disability, class, race, age, poverty, mental health.
For the last 11 years I have coordinated along side a group of volunteers a food share project which serves over 100 families weekly who experience food poverty in our community.
2 Poverty: Until recently I served in a parish placed in the bottom 5% of the country in terms of social deprivation.
We ran two community centres, seeking to help in the areas of food poverty, social isolation, mental health, education and more.
I believe in a faith-based and community-led approach to tackling poverty, injustice and violence, prayer and faith in action, providing support and love free of judgement.
My work with the marginalised and socially excluded has given me a deep understanding of poverty and exclusion, and enabled me to develop both communication and advocacy skills.
My successful studies have enabled me to travel the world and experience the broad panoply of human life, in all its glory and complexity, its highs and lows, its grinding poverty and brash luxury, living and working in seven different countries (the United States, Germany, Russia, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong), in the course of which I have learnt a variety of languages – including Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese.
My legal work, social-housing experience and environmental commitments have convinced me that the Church must speak and act credibly on poverty, insecure housing, discrimination and the climate and ecological crisis.
Protection of communities, relief of poverty, care of creation, education and the dignity of every person are aspects of the Gospel and can be used to love our neighbours.
It has given me a real insight into the challenges faced by our young people growing up on estates, at risk of poverty and violence – particularly through gangs and drugs.
I would want to contribute to debates and working groups on issues of poverty and serving those on the margins.
The move from a formula (funding going to dioceses determined by need and poverty in the parishes and dioceses) to grants for projects reflecting “Vision and Strategy” in 2017 has not had the anticipated outcome and has contributed to a growing bureaucratic burden at the diocesan and national level.
There are many areas of concern for our Parishes from small village churches concerned for buildings, for our hardworking Clergy and their spiralling costs and lack of numbers; to bigger Parish Churches, some who have a vast range of mission fields, extreme poverty, complex pastoral needs and the cost-of living impacting ministry and congregation alike, from every angle.
• Helping people look for ways out of food poverty, as Support Coordinator for
Network, GY Unity Project, GY Housing Alliance, Norfolk Anti-Poverty Alliance, and GYBC Homelessness Prevention Board;
I have spoken in debates on food poverty and sexuality, made written submissions to consultations on several issues as well as asking questions on a variety of topics.
© Does not lose sight of problem of poverty, division and mistrust in society, mental health challenges and the urgency of courageous gos- pel shaped social action to serve people and communities on the margins.
Poverty, loneliness, isolation and lack of services can be hidden in communities that look very different from the outside.
This also includes protecting our own clergy, guarding them from poverty.
Since my late teens, I have served on various church committees, and become involved in other charitable and community groups, currently being a trustee of Encompass (a charity supporting those who are facing poverty, homelessness and addiction in North Northants), the Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust, Rushden Parochial Charities, Ridley Hall Cambridge, Peterborough Diocese Good Stewards Trust and Anglican Mainstream, a national charity.
BE A STRONG VOICE FOR THE POOR: I will continue challenging poverty in rural and urban
communities and speaking about funeral poverty, homelessness, food banks, struggling farmers and the responsible use of Church investments.
I've asked 30 questions on matters from safeguarding to racial justice, finance, governance and ministry. I've offered 14 speeches in debates on: assisted suicide, codes of conduct for lay officers, disability, funding priorities, governance, LLF, national care service, neurodiversity, poverty, racial justice, representation, safeguarding, and the value of work. I was elected by Synod to the Committee for Ministry of and among Deaf & Disabled People (CMDDP), a sub-group of the Archbishops' Council.
This will include looking at how investment funds are used and apportioned, safeguarding structures in response to the Makin review, raising and paying for vocations, continued work on sexuality, renewing trust between the laity, clergy, Bishops and the NCIs, our response in bringing peace to a divided nation, providing hope in a cost of living crisis and deeply embedded poverty and inequality, and the rise in Christian nationalism.
I believe we need to be active partners in addressing issues that affect the wider community, including domestic and global poverty, the impact of climate change, and the importance of racial justice.
During my first two years on General Synod, I have actively contributed to debates on Living in Love and Faith, working-class vocations, safeguarding, mental health, poverty and pension reform.
I saw the effects of poverty in council estates, rural communities and coastal areas alike.
I am open minded about how this equips parishes from across all our traditions and localities but especially those struggling deeply with poverty and deprivation, both urban and rural.
My heart and focus and preferences do remain with those people and places that are suffering the most from injustice and exclusion, poverty and isolation.
This is something that the Deanery Synod are investigating under their current “No one left behind” project tackling poverty.
Poverty, of course, is not limited to social housing estates, and having witnessed first hand the challenges facing those living in ‘hidden deprivation’ in both rural and coastal areas I commit to bring awareness and missional- focus to those living in poverty of all kinds in our Diocese, be that financial, food or infrastructure based.
Prior to this, I was an intern at Christians Against Poverty.
I believe that poverty, inequality, and social exclusion should be central to our mission.
I try encourage the church to listen to the professional engineers charged with controlling global warming, so that a solution to the problem can be developed which does not involving putting an increasingly large proportion of the population into poverty.
I have a heart for pastoral ministry, including a passion to address rural poverty.
Over that time, I have asked formal questions, made speeches, and proposed amendments on issues based around my Gospel passions – parish churches in low-income areas (LInC), poverty and disability.
Foodbanks & The Essentials Guarantee (July 24) – I spoke to the sad importance of Food Banks, and the need for basic support for people struggling with food poverty.
Teams (2/3 of CoE) are usually accidents of geography and poverty not theology, and more prone to the friction the PLF process created.
Mental Health & The Church (Feb 26) - In areas of poverty, people with mental health issues are over represented, and clergy under-resourced to meet those needs, and so prone to mental health issues.
Throughout history, Christians from different backgrounds have spoken prophetically on issues such as slavery, poverty and injustice because they understood that faith has public consequences.
Having grown up in Glasgow and having worked in numerous areas of deprivation, I have seen the effects of poverty and social injustice first hand.
immigration and integration, and also with a variety of issues associated with poverty.
-My maiden speech at synod was on the topic of poverty, speaking on a motion which had begun
I have found my voice and was chosen to speak on a number of issues, poverty and ministry in communities where so many people live on the margins.
Whether the debate is about childhood poverty, the care system, pensions, safeguarding, AI, neurodiversity, accepted forms of worship, racial inequality, the energy crisis, clergy welfare, global warming, human sexuality and “equal marriage”, or global issues, those working daily at the “chalk-face” must have a place in the discussion and their voices heard.
We need more peace, less poverty, more care for individuals and good care of the planet of which we are but temporary stewards.
With support, lay people can be key to this work. ● Humbly tackling big issues: Since we know and trust God, we think differently about national and global issues like justice, the environment, wealth and poverty, racism and migration, class, prejudice and housing.
While for many in our region poverty, unemployment, and addiction is part of daily experience, this is countered in many places with a gritty resilience and determination, tempered with good humour and positivity.
I believe I would bring the following to General Synod: Firsthand understanding of poverty, addiction and recovery, enabling me to represent people whose experiences and voices can easily be overlooked. Experience of living and ministering on a council estate, where effective ministry requires us to look beneath presenting behaviours and understand the deeper challenges people face. A commitment to listening carefully, reasoning thoughtfully and speaking with diplomacy, including when there is significant disagreement. Patience and compassion for people whose lives are complicated, chaotic or different from my own. A deep commitment to the local church as a community in which people can encounter Jesus, experience genuine belonging and begin to rebuild their lives. A desire to ensure that the Church of England remains accessible to those who may feel that its traditions, structures and institutions are not meant for people like them.
Whether speaking about safeguarding, governance, inclusion, poverty or parish ministry, I have tried to bring the lived experience of this ordinary parish and civic ministry into our national conversations.
RACE, POVERTY & THE MARGINS Tabled amendments
on poverty and social justice ensuring that those in our poorest parishes, those from BAME communities, and others often unheard can shape our common life.
I will work for a Church in which people living in poverty, disabled and neurodivergent people, those experiencing mental ill-health, people of every culture, educational and social background, and people of every age are able to belong and flourish.
It means forming disciples, nurturing children and young people, serving those experiencing poverty, caring for creation, and working ecumenically, across faiths and with those of good-will for justice, peace and the common good.
I believe that St George's has modelled inclusive mission across the social spectrum by operating a CAP (Christians Against Poverty) debt centre, Fresh Hope, our ministry to the vulnerable and homeless, and SHEP (Stamford Housing and Essentials Project), providing white goods and furniture to those in need of emergency help, all set in the wider context of the ministry of a parish church committed to the local community.
Tackling Poverty
I believe that the Church of England, as the national church, needs to be present for everyone in society with a bias towards the marginalized and those caught up in poverty, and if elected I will continue to speak up on this issue.
I have consistently looked for practical ways in which churches can support communities through projects that ease financial pressures and the isolation poverty brings.
• Tackling Poverty supporting post-
I am passionate about social care issues, workers’ rights and particularly the way companies treat their employees, poverty and homelessness, youth work Equipping our poorer parishes so that they may help those in their local community to encounter Jesus.
As a charity trustee bring an understanding of the hidden loneliness and poverty in seemingly idyllic rural settings and the challenges of delivering services in ‘hard-to-reach’ communities.
My time spent as a social worker in Child Protection and with Children Looked After brought me face to face with many areas relevant to Synod, such as understanding and working with diversity, an awareness of the poverty in our Diocese, what it is like for our congregations to live on the frontline in the workplace and experience of safeguarding practice.