Churches Commission for Racial Justice Focuses on Anti-Racism

The Churches’ Commission for Racial Justice (CCRJ) will shift its focus this month to the funding of racial justice work in communities.

|TOP|CCRJ is a commission of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) which has been reshaped to work more closely with the Churches Together bodies in Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England.

British and Irish Churches, including those of Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Reformed and Pentecostal traditions, have renewed their commitment to work, think and pray together, while facing the reality of diminishing resources to fund the ecumenical work they wish to continue.

Well-known for its anti-racism work, the Churches’ Commission for Racial Justice, is responsible for ‘Asylum Voices’, which documents the experiences of asylum seekers and was published in 2003.

Each year CCRJ produces a pack of resources for Racial Justice Sunday to guide churches to pray for an end to misunderstanding, racism and injustice. Thousands of churches and schools across the country join in the annual focus, always held on the second Sunday in September.

Racial Justice Sunday looks to provide an opportunity for churches to raise money for the Racial Justice Fund. The innovative projects supported by the Racial Justice Fund will now be central to CCRJ’s work and from that will flow other actions of solidarity, campaigning and education, tell CTBI.

For thirty years the Fund has provided grant support to organisations and projects working to combat racism, and to empower black and minority ethnic communities throughout Britain and Ireland.

The fund was recently renamed and re-launched in the House of Lords and now new staff have been appointed to take forward the work more powerfully than ever.

|AD|Andy Bruce (Manager) and the Revd Claudette Douglas (Research and Development Officer) will not be two of the leading members.

Andy Bruce brings to the post experience both as a Baptist minister in leading and developing multicultural church and community life and as moderator of the Baptist Union Working Party on Racial Justice.

Claudette Douglas, who was trained for ordination by the World Council of Churches, the All-Africa Council of Churches and Theological Education Network, at United Theological College in London, is a non-denominational minister, an actress and a theatre educationalist.

Claudette Douglas said: “Through an innovative process of engagement the Racial Justice Fund is able to effectively target small organisations who have usually been left out of the loop. For many small isolated projects, this Fund will act as a lifeline that brings with it a network of resources and developmental support that will enable the projects to more effectively meet the needs they were set up to address.”

The new staff will build on the achievements of the Revd Arlington Trotman, Most Senior Apostle James Ozigi and Richard Solly who have left CCRJ.

Bruce said, “All of them long-serving and much respected members of staff, whose energy and expertise will be sorely missed. The calling to take a prophetic stand for justice and work for transformed human relationships is central to Christian faith and the task for the Churches’ Commission for Racial Justice is just as urgent now as it was in previous generations.”

CTBI this week published ‘Asylum Principles’ which will enable the Churches to speak with one voice on asylum issues. A similar document is set to follow which will focus on migration.

Copies of Asylum Principles are available from CTBI Publications via www.ctbi.org.uk