Christians to celebrate transformational role of faith in society

Christian social activists will gather in London this week to celebrate the transformational role of faith in society.

Speakers at the Faithworks conference range from leaders of faith communities in cities that have been rocked by gang violence, to government ministers responsible for community cohesion, as well as radical activists living counter-culturally.

The conference will address the issue of how sustainable change for good can be brought about in our communities.

Rev Malcolm Duncan, leader of the Faithworks Movement, will use the conference to call on both government and the church to recognise and invest in the importance of faith in society.

To fail to do so, he will argue, would be to walk headlong into national apathy, disintegration of communities and weakening of citizenship.

He will point to Christian-run projects that are bringing real and positive transformation to their communities, and call for greater recognition of the local church's power as an agent for change.

"Talking about community cohesion without talking about the role of the local church would be like talking about the Union Jack but only mentioning blue and white, and not red," he said.

"A healthy society has got to have a space for faith - if you close that space and push faith out then you will radicalise people. Ignoring the faith of individuals is bad for citizenship, ignoring the faith of groups brings disintegration to communities, and ignoring faith nationally weakens both democracy and society.

"My challenge to government and society is to give us a place, not privilege. And my challenge to the church is to be who you are, to be confident that your faith changes society for the good."

During the conference, the Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities, will explore what makes a healthy community, while the Rt Rev James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, will explore the role that spirituality has on the life of a change agent.

Delegates will also explore how principles of business and enterprise can be used in transforming communities, and how partnership working is vital for sustainable change.

The role of leadership will also be explored, alongside a celebration of the 'unsung heroes' of our communities. A raft of new resources to help activists engage effectively with those around them will also be released, including three new books and the new Faithworks Magazine.

Other speakers include the Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Minister for Competitiveness at the Department of Business & Enterprise, Shane Claiborne, founder of the Simple Way Community in Philadelphia, Steve Chalke MBE, founder of Oasis and Faithworks, and Rev Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance.

The Faithworks Conference takes place at London's City Temple from Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 November, and tickets are still available. For more information visit www.faithworks.info/conference

Faithworks is a movement of thousands of individuals, churches and organisations motivated by their Christian faith to serve the needs of their local communities compassionately and inclusively, and to positively influence society as a whole.