Yesterday I contributed to a residential weekend for curates in the Diocese of Chelmsford on Presence & Engagement organised by the Greater London Presence & Engagement Network. This is what I had to say as my introduction to a panel session exploring non-institutional approaches to Presence & Engagement:
Prior to ordination I worked in the Civil Service for Jobcentre Plus. What I found there was that the multi-faith nature of urban Britain combined with the diversity and equalities agenda meant that those working in employment and training services needed to understand their customers and employees who were part of faith communities. This development provided an opportunity for me to work on the development of a Faith Communities Toolkit for Jobcentre Plus which provided information for staff on the nine world religions (including Christianity) represented in the UK and ideas and guidance on contacting and working with people of faith. Since ordination, through consultancy work for the Muslim-led multi-faith agency Faith Regen Foundation, I have also been involved in preparing similar resources for staff at Sainsbury’s, Calder UK Ltd and the learning and skills sector, more generally.
Based on these experiences, I want to say two things initially. Firstly, all workplaces have to address engagement with people of faith because of equalities legislation, multi-faith workforces and/or a customer/supplier base that includes those who belong to a faith community. Therefore, every person in your parish, wherever that parish is located, who has a job is engaging with people of other faiths. This means that there is no longer any validity to the argument that, because my parish is not located in a multi-faith area, I do not have to engage with the issues raised by Presence and Engagement. If you are to actively support your parishioners in their daily lives making connections between their faith and their work, you must engage with inter-faith issues.
Secondly, equalities legislation (including the Regulations on Religion and Belief) represents a huge opportunity for Christians and the church in the UK, because it legitimates the raising of faith-related issues at work. This legislation, for example, says that you can ask your employer what provision they will make for people to pray during the working day. An employer has to address that issue if it is raised. They don’t have provide a prayer room or time for prayer unless it is reasonable for them to do so, but they do have to consider the issue, respond, and give reasons (which can then be discussed and debated) if they choose not to act.
So, I want to encourage you – on a one-to-one basis and in parish discussion or study groups – to encourage people to talk about workplace issues and engaging with people of other faiths at work. Two resources that will help with that are, firstly, the Living with other faiths materials from PEN which start by getting people to list where and when they encounter people of other faiths and then explore ways of turning casual encounters into a more active engagement and, secondly, the Christians in the Workplace materials from the Diocese of Chelmsford which include a list of workplace issues that have links to faith and discussion of what people meant by workplace spirituality.
My experience of engaging with these issues in the workplace is firstly, that it is possible to do it; secondly, that it provides a platform for people of all faiths to legitimately speak about their faith commitment in the workplace; thirdly, that relationships with colleagues deepen through knowing more about each others’ underlying motivations; and fourthly, that your own faith deepens as you come to know more about the way in which others practice their own faith. I see these four things as linked to the Parable of the Good Samaritan which is a story about relating to people of other faiths and which challenges us to show care for those who are of other faiths but which also goes beyond that to challenge us, as it is the Jew in the story who receives help from the Samaritan, to receive from those of other faiths. The workplace is a key context in which such encounters and engagement can occur.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sixpence None the Richer - The Melody of You.
No comments:
Post a Comment