Christian Aid is Christianity in action
God’s heart for the poor is revealed throughout scripture. And so is the mandate to care for the vulnerable and to speak up for the silenced. Everything Christian Aid does comes back to this responsibility. Christian Aid was founded in 1945 as the churches response to the refugee crisis in Europe. Today, our work in more than 50 countries and our campaigning activities in Britain and Ireland are still firmly rooted in Christianity. We are the churches agency; uniting people across the globe from all denominations and networks in prayer and service.
But to be world-changers, we know we need to motivate others. Christians are called to be ‘salt and light’ in the world – to live out the gospel and affect the whole of society. That’s why Christian Aid advertises to the general public, works with other organisations, and urges political leaders to change their policies.
Christian Aid is not about converting people. But, it is about mission. During Christian Aid Week alone, 300,000 people take faith beyond the church to inspire others to work for change.
Christian Aid puts God’s heart for people first
There is no one who isn’t made in God’s image; no place beyond the reach of love and justice.
Jesus ministered outside of accepted social barriers; he healed people, regardless of their beliefs. He celebrated the life-giving actions of the good Samaritan. Christian Aid follows this example – we, too, are unafraid to get involved in complicated places.
Places like Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. As the churches’ agency, we represent people with many different perspectives on the Holy Land. But our first priority has to be the needs of all people affected by the ongoing conflict there. We’ve received some criticism for this, but we’re not afraid of that. People come first.
This pure focus also inspires who we work with. We have many church partners, but we also work with people outside the church. We want to be able to reach places that desperately need help. And these may be places where there are no church partners, or where non-Christian organisations can make a bigger impact.
Is there anyone, or any place, which God would not want us to reach out to? We don’t think so.
