CHURCH LEADERS PLEDGE TO THE NATION

With Easter this weekend, HeartEdge partners YourNeighbourhood.org want to get the message far and wide that the Church is here for the nation. So, this Easter, together with them we are asking 1000 UK Church leaders to publicly commit to supporting their local communities, to bring a message of hope, so that no-one will be alone, without the help they need, during the COVID-19 crisis.

Here's a message about the pledge from Russell Rook:

Dear friends,

Please sign our YourNeighbour.org pledge to the Nation and encourage church leaders in your network to sign too.

Our nation is suffering, daily life is out of balance, the Covid-19 crisis is making life a challenge for everyone across the UK. For Churches in the UK this will be an unusual Easter. However, while our celebrations may look different, our message of hope remains the same.

This Easter we want to bring Churches together to send a united message to our nation; our pledge as church leaders across the UK. Our pledge is that we are committed to playing our role, alongside other groups, institutions and organisations, to bring hope to our communities.

With Easter this weekend, we want to get the message far and wide that the Church is here for the nation. We would like 1000 UK Church leaders to publicly commit to supporting their local communities, to bring a message of hope, so that no-one will be alone, without the help they need, during the COVID-19 crisis.

We are working with press and media to publish this pledge this weekend. Join us in spreading good news this Easter. You can read, and sign the full pledge here

Whatever the future holds, churches in the UK stand ready, willing and able to serve. We are praying for our country and our communities, and committed to caring for our neighbours in days and years to come.

Thank you for everything you are doing to support local churches at this time of crisis

Many blessings,

Russell Rook

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The Alarm - The Stand.

Proud to protect refugees

Today I spoke up for a great British tradition – refugee protection.

2011 was the 60th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention, the international treaty which guarantees refugees’ rights. British lawyers played a crucial role in drafting the Convention and the UK was one of the first countries to sign. The Refugee Convention has saved millions of lives and no country has ever withdrawn from it.

Throughout the lifetime of the Convention, the Refugee Council has worked to protect refugees. To mark and celebrate 60 years of refugee protection, the Refugee Council is asking 10,000 people to join with them in calling for refugees to be treated with dignity and respect. I’ve just signed up - please add your voice today at www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/refugeeprotection.

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Duke Special - Salvation Tambourine.

Slavery-Free London pledge

With less than a year to go before the start of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games, Anti-Slavery International are launching a new campaign for a Slavery-Free London to draw attention to the potential risk of an increase in modern slavery connected to the 2012 Games, and ensure more is done to stop it in the run up to and during the event.
While human trafficking and forced labour are ongoing problems in London and accross the UK, Anti-Slavery International is concerned that the 2012 Games could exacerbate the current situation.

The mass influx of tourists could fuel a greater demand for cheap, temporary labour in jobs already vulnerable to the use of forced labour, including hotel cleaning, food packaging in factories, construction, and catering. It is likely criminal gangs may use the Games to lure people to the UK for jobs that don't exist, only to exploit them elsewhere. Traffickers forcing children to beg or pick pocket may also see the Games as a business opportunity, focusing their activities in locations with large crowds. And workers overseas making Olympic-branded sportswear and souvenirs available on our high streets are also at risk of forced labour.

The eyes of the world will be on London during the summer of 2012. Let's make sure it's Slavery-Free!

If you support that aim, please sign the Slavery-Free London pledge to help Anti-Slavery International call on the Government to ensure one of the positive legacies of the Games includes greater action against modern slavery. Find out more at www.antislavery.org/slaveryfreelondon.
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Vangelis - Chariots Of Fire.