THE Anglican Communion is helping to give a voice to vulnerable communities during the COP26 summit in Glasgow, the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, has said.Bishop Graham (see photo), a member of the Church of England’s environment working group, has been at the summit this week, among the many Christian people and organisations lobbying and praying in Glasgow.“Leaders from all faiths are on the same page about climate chaos and environmental crises,” she said. “When we focus on something as big as this, our differences fall into perspective.“With tens of millions of members across 165 countries, the Anglican Communionbrings a global perspective to the conference that’s untainted by national interests. One of the many benefits of an Anglican presence here is giving voice to the plight of the small island states, which are already becoming slowly submerged by rising sea levels.”The Archbishop of Canterbury met President Wavel Ramkalawan of the Seychelles — one of these small island states — on Monday. The Archbishop posted on Twitter a photo of the two men praying, and wrote: “It was an honour to meet with the President of Seychelles, who as well as leading one of the world’s smallest islands is also an Anglican priest. We spoke and prayed together about the climate crisis, and the Christian calling to work for justice and never give up hope.”The UN summit began on Monday and Tuesday with a segment focused on speeches by world leaders, some telling of their hopes and fears about the climate crisis and outlining the actions their countries will be taking.Bishop Graham said: “The pledges made in the first days of this conference are good, but we need to hold our leaders to account on delivery. There are terrible consequences for our planet if we fail. Looking ahead to the rest of the conference, I hope that climate finance will become front and centre in the discussions here in Glasgow, and pray that the voices of indigenous peoples are listened to during the negotiations.”Among announcements that have been made so far are a commitment by India to reaching net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2070, and to have half its electricity powered by renewables by the end of the decade.More than 100 countries signed a new commitment to halting, and reversing, deforestation by 2030, and committed more than £14 billion to doing this. There was also a new agreement to reduce methane emissions, which are one of the most potent greenhouse gases, caused by the mining of fossil fuels as well as some farming practices such as cattle-rearing.The early days of the summit were marked by huge queues. Although the president of COP, Alok Sharma, said that this would be “most inclusive COP ever”, many civil-society delegates were excluded from numerous parts of the negotiations.Glasgow residents also experienced disruption as police blocked off parts of the city centre when world leaders attended an evening reception with the Prince of Wales.Despite this, the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Revd Mark Strange, said that Glasgow was taking it in its stride, and local people were helping lost visitors with the friendliness that the city was known for. “The Scottish Episcopal Church has been working alongside the Anglican Communion delegation,” he said, “and we’ve also spent time with the World Council of Churches delegation, ensuring direct communication between those inside the Blue Zone and those seeking to have a say from outside.“I have had the privilege of helping to present the Glasgow Multifaith Declaration and an interfaith vigil in the centre of the city. We are present, praying, worshipping, and sharing with many organisations and individuals. These have included buying sleeping bags for chilly overseas delegates, sharing worship in the cathedrals and churches of the city, marching with activists, and sharing our stories. Above all, we are here praying and encouraging.”He said that he was taking seriously efforts to help tackle climate change: “The SEC, and those of us in Glasgow for COP, are very aware that we’re not doing this for ourselves but for those who were unable to travel, and those whose lives and communities will suffer most from climate change: our partners across the Anglican Communion. The power of the Anglican Communion is that we share our values with people across the whole of the world, highlighting the needs of every person in every community.
St Mary the Virgin, Fawley, launched the Friday prayer group in the first week of lockdown in March 2020. Led by a local congregant, Julia Ogilvy, the group has seen around 50 people regularly attend in the churchyard with more than 100 people joining at Christmas.Julia explained: “The usual congregation for our fortnightly Sunday service is around eight people whereas we have at least 50 regulars who like to attend Friday prayers whenever they can.” The informal nature of the outdoor setting also helped congregants feel safer during the pandemic.Julia said: “By standing in our churchyard we feel we are at the centre of our community. “Our prayers always include a list of first names of people in need of prayer – often running to 30 or more people known in the village. “We tend to stand in a circle for no more than 15 minutes with one person leading the prayers – with the theme ranging from friendship, home, living with uncertainty and welcoming strangers. “We typically include poetry and a Bible reading that fits our theme, the Lord’s Prayer and general prayers that are written specifically for that week.” The prayer group has been a success outside of the church as well.The increased use of the churchyard helped spur members of the local community to set up a group called Friends of Fawley Church.Julia added: “We have a renewed sense that the churchyard is a shared space for the benefit of the whole village.”
The requests for small grants are detailed, varied and at times heart breaking. A fast food worker needs to buy a pair of shoes as part of his uniform before he starts his job.Another man has been helped to buy new tools so he could return to work. He sold his tools earlier to fund his mother’s funeral.Some are refugees, with one listed as needing help with travel costs to therapy sessions for PTSD after fleeing his country. Many are from people living with mental and physical ill health. There are families and individuals who were just getting by before an item such as a cooker or fridge broke. Others have been unemployed and need help in the weeks before they receive their first wages.The Acts 435 charity was founded just over a decade ago by the then Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu and launched at the General Synod of the Church of England. It relies on a network of trained advocates based in more than 500 churches and local charities throughout the UK to act as intermediaries for people in need. Donors are able to give directly in response to requests posted on the charity website. The number of people it has helped has risen by more than 50% since the start of the pandemic. In February last year there were 334 people who were helped but this figure rose to 513 two months later, after the first lockdown. Demand has remained at the same level since.Acts 435 Executive Director Jenny Herrera (pictured) said she believed that the charity was now facing the ‘calm before the storm’ this winter.“We have so many people in need, and we always pray that God will provide people who will come along and help. We are a small team and we would love to partner with more churches and reach more people.”
