Focus on London 2011 - Poverty: The Hidden City

Written by Rachel Leeser of the GLA Intelligence Unit, this latest in the Focus on London series presents a detailed analysis that reveals the scale and distribution of poverty in the capital. Beginning with a 'what we mean by "living in poverty"' section, it outlines the complexities of the picture. Information is presented in a form that is digestable even for statistic phobic. Not only does it underline the scale and distribution of poverty in one of the richest cities in the world it throws new light the simplistic 'north south divide' analysis often applied nationally. Download the pdf

Also see our earlier blog on Responding to the Financial Crisis and the parish resource published by the Contextual Theology Centre.

Responding to the financial crisis

The Contextual Theology Centre has just launched a new resource for parishes - equipping churches to engage the wider community in conversations on faith and the financial crisis.  The pack is endorsed by both the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral and the co-ordinator of faith liaison at the Occupy LSX camp outside.

The Centre's research blog has a digest of theological reflections on the camp and the issues it raises, and will soon include some reflections by its Director Angus Ritchie on Christian engagement with Islam and Judaism on faith and finance.

November Update

It is inter faith week! (and Prison's week) so first up a reminder of events at the London Inter Faith Centre; youth dialogue on Friday 25th November with the Al Khoei Mosque in conjunction with the Christian Muslim Forum (full details) and an inter faith pilgrimage walk on Sunday 27th. See LIF's events page

The walk links nicely with a recent page on The London Boroughs' Faiths Network all about the Olympics - one of the events is the South London Inter Faith Group's focus on faith trails across the city. Read more and see a very useful time line for next July.

Also for inter faith week but running until 4th December is the Three Faith Forum's exhibition Faith in the City at RED Gallery, 3 Rivington Street EC2A 3DT times vary and there are special events on particular days.

Which links nicely with a more personal exhibition by Nicholas Nash at St Mary-le-Bow this week from 7.30 each morning until 6.00 in the evening except 4.00pm on Friday.

Also at St Mary-le-Bow Friday 25th November at 6.00pm the Cheapside Debate in Prisons Week – speakers will be Professor Andrew Coyle (Director, International Centre for Prison Studies) and Helen Kersley (head of nef’s Valuing What Matters programme); Joshua Rozenberg (journalist and broadcaster) chairs. All welcome, refreshments afterwards.

Monday 28th November St Peter’s Church, Liverpool Grove, LONDON SE17 2HH a seminar with Michael Mata, 'Learning from a Social Earthquake - What can we learn from the Los Angeles experience?' How churches and faith groups work together to build community in LA. This event is hosted jointly by the Diocese of Southwark and the Mission and Public Affairs Division of the Church of England.

Then on Wednesday 30th November The next JustShare lecture, also at St Mary-le-Bow is intreagingly titled 'The Spirituality of Economics' given by Kathy Galloway (Christian Aid Scotland).
Alternatively on Wednesday 30th November this time at Heythrop College is the last in the present series of lectures from the Centre for Eastern Christianity. 'The Syrian Orthodox Church and its Diaspora:modern history and contemporary challenges' from 4-6pm given by Sebastian Brock, Reader Emeritus in Syriac Studies, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford.

One Voice Europe was recently in town and have offered to set up sessions for Church youth groups about the current situtation in the Holy Land (with Israeli and Palestinian contributors via Skype) contact sharon@onevoicemovement.org.uk if you are interested.

From Churches Together in England comes an invitaion to view some videos on Christian Muslim Engagement - a resource for inter faith week and beyond.

Our friends at St Ethelburga's have some volunteer opportunities.... see the link on their 'Get Involved' page.

STOP PRESS for those who have arrived by an emailed link please see the new parish resource to enable them to engae with the wider community about faith and the financial crisis available from the Contextual Theology Centre news page

All Saints Update

It is a busy time of festivals among many faith groups. Last week saw celebrations for Diwali. The Archbishop of Canterbury sent greetings to Hindu communities in the UK. Read the message and news of the launch of the Hindu Christian Forum.
Staying with Lambeth, The Revd Dr Toby Howarth, Secretary for Inter Religious Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury and National Inter Religious Affairs Adviser for the Church of England
gave the 2011 PEN lecture at St Marylebone Parish Church last night. We hope to bring a recording of this to the PEN website in the coming days. You are invited back to St Marylebone next Monday 7th November for the 2011 Marylebone Service (an Interfaith Celebration of Marylebone - the international village). Please be seated by 6.40pm and RSVP to parishoffice@stmarylebone.org

EventsThe latest in the series of St Paul's Institute debates takes place st St Mary le Bow on Friday 4th November, 6.00pm entitled 'Microinsurance: protecting the poor in emerging markets’. Chaired by the Revd Raymond Singh (Vice Chair of the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility) see details.
Tuesday 8th November 2.00 - 4.00pm The Centre for Christianity and Interreligious Dialogue, Heythrop College is hosting a lecture 'The Prophet Jonah: An Odyssey through three religions' by Professor Anthony H. Johns. In the Australian National UniversityCampion Room, Heythrop College.
Wednesday 9th November Power, Poverty and the Church at St John's Waterloo. Details were in the September update or book here
Thursday 17th November 4.30-6.15 p.m. Friends House, Small Meeting House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ The Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility's open debate 'Vulnerable Workers, Trafficking, Pornography and the Economics of Exploitation: London 2012 and beyond' Also at 6.15pm on the same evening Theos launches the report Turbulent Priests: The Archbishop of Canterbury in Contemporary English Politics contact Theos for an invitation.
Inter Faith Week is 2oth to 26th November also see The Inter Faith Network for the UK E- Bulletin

Books and Publications
The report on the research project 'The Mosque in the Comunities' is now avialable from Faith Matters.
See our blogs on Jesus Through Asian Eyes and The Story of REinspired
Also recommended The Price of Freedom Denied: Religious Persecution and Conflict in the 21st Century published by Cambridge University Press
The latest in the series which report on the Building Bridges dialogue process (this from the 2008 round) will be published shortly by Georgetown University Press edited by The Revd Dr David Marshall Communicating the Word: Revelation, Translation, and Interpretation in Christianity and Islam has an Afterword by Archbishop Rowan Williams.

Which brings us back nicely to where we began ........Happy All Saints tide