Church Army takes hope to the streets

Church Army has announced a new campaign in response to last summer’s riots across England.

Hope on the Streets has been launched to highlight the many ways in which people’s lives are being changed for the better through the work of the church.

Church Army chief executive Mark Russell said he had been struck in the midst of the riots by “the hopelessness with which so many people live their lives”.

“Homelessness, unemployment, addiction, low self-esteem, lack of ambition, all of these things contribute to thousands of people living their lives without any sense of purpose,” he said.

“It is into this world that the message of Jesus needs to be heard, a message of freedom, a message of transformation but above all a message of hope.”

Mr Russell said Church Army was committed to taking the Gospel to the very margins of British society.

“Together we can bring the hope of Jesus Christ into more and more lives, and that is how we will change this nation.”

He welcomed last month’s independent report into the unrest, which identified 500,000 “forgotten” families.

The report added that a lack of community cohesion, poor parenting and limited opportunities for young people were contributing factors.

Church Army said it was redoubling its efforts to draw alongside marginalised and vulnerable people in response to the report.

Mr Russell continued: “We were all horrified by the shocking scenes as the riots spread across England in August 2011.

“At the heart of this report is a desire to see stronger communities and to encourage people to have a hope in a better tomorrow.

“For 130 years that’s been Church Army’s mission, and we will redouble our efforts to help the most marginalised people in our society, and see ‘hope on the streets’ of our nation.”

Baroness Sherlock, who served as a member of the Riots Communities and Victims Panel, said: “I am delighted that Church Army has responded so positively to our report and congratulate Mark Russell and his team on the work they are doing to help marginalised individuals and communities in some of the most deprived parts of our country.

“It is only by ensuring that everyone has a stake in our society that we can hope to avoid a repeat of the riots of 2012.”


Find out more at: www.churcharmy.org.uk