Dear Friend,

After the last month of intense discussions about the leadership of this country we thought you might enjoy an outside perspective on Western culture:

“It is fascinating. In the West, you have bigger homes, yet smaller families; you have endless conveniences – yet you never seem to have any time. You can travel anywhere in the world, yet you don’t cross the road to meet your neighbours; you have more food than you can eat, yet that makes many who are overweight miserable. I don’t think people have become more selfish, but their lives have become easier and that has spoilt them. They expect more, they constantly compare themselves to others and they have too much choice – which brings no real freedom.”
The Dalai Lama

God Bless,
Jill Clark
Community Mission

The Foyle Foundation is a large trust that awards grants for work in the arts and learning. Its small grants scheme offers between £1,000 and £10,000 to smaller charities working at grass roots and community level. The projects can support any social need and the total project budget must be less than £100,000. There is no application deadline. Read the guidelines and application form. It can take up to four months to receive an answer.

Last year, Church Urban Fund and London Catalyst launched a new grant called Health and Belief. On average, it awarded £7,000 per project. This year they have joined with The Wakefield and Tetley Trust to offer Health and Belief 2010. Aimed at church projects with an annual income of £150,000 or less, it is looking for projects with a plan to work with relevant health agencies in order to tackle the effects of poverty and health inequalities. Grants of up to £10,000 are available for one year from 1 October 2010. Deadline for the first stage is 30 June 2010. Visit their website for details of other CUF grants.

Porticus UK is a Roman Catholic trust that welcomes applications from community projects with a Protestant basis. Its focus is to fund projects that help the poor and marginalised through strengthening family relationships, enriching education, development of church and its ability to respond, and ethics in practice. It generally awards grants of between £10,000 and £25,000 and there is no application deadline. Read the funding guidelines, download an application form or phone 020 7024 3503 for more information.

The Church of England’s Youth Evangelism Fund is available to ten dioceses across the country. This year, London Diocese is able to apply for the first time. The fund offers between £200 and £3,000 to projects that are planned and developed by young people and use creative activities to demonstrate the love and justice of God to those aged 11-20. Past successful projects have included film nights, art and music events, equipment hire and climbing walls. Complete the simple online application form to register interest. Successful projects will then be contacted.

O2’s Think Big programme offers funding to people aged 13-25 who would like to set up a project in their local community in order to make it better. There is a short online form to join the programme. If selected, the applicant will attend a one-day event and receive £300 to use within three months. After this, the next stage of funding can be applied for. Up to £2,500 is available at the second stage. Examples of past awarded funding include a dance club, music recording and outdoor activities. Funding cannot be used on salaries. Read the FAQs, past successful projects or apply online.

Churches looking for ways to respond to asylum seekers in their community, as well as those with current projects, are invited to attend ‘Help! There’s an asylum seeker in my church’ conference on 26 June at Brunswick Parish Church, Manchester. Jointly hosted by Boaz Trust, Churches Together, Church Action on Poverty as well as several other charities working with asylum seekers, the day will include current legislation about asylum, examples of successful community projects, befriending and ways to campaign for change. It is £15 waged and £10 concessions. To book, download a booking form and send a cheque.

The Diocese of Bradford is responding to the increased interest in community organising by hosting Building a People of Power on 29 June at St John’s Church in Bradford. Rev Dennis Jacobsen from the Gamaliel Foundation will speak about community organising as a model for urban ministry and its effectiveness in addressing major social issues. Rev Dennis had a major influence on American President Barack Obama during his time working in Chicago. It is free to attend. To book, contact Shawna Splawn or phone 07852 137 287.

In Livability’s training survey last year, many people asked for training on how their church can better understand disabilities and develop positive and appropriate responses to disabled people. Livability is hosting Beyond Disability: Creating a more inclusive and enriched church on 8 September in London. Facilitated by Pete Winmill, Assistant Director at Causeway Prospects. Pete has vast experience working with people with learning disabilities. There will be talks as well as activities that could be tailored and used in your church. To book, contact Jill Clark or phone 020 7452 2018.

Tearfund and Livability are jointly hosting The Community Mission Conference on 1 October at Westminster Chapel, London. Aimed at Christians who would like to see their community transformed, there will be inspirational talks by Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton and Alpha course founder, David Westlake of Tearfund and Krish Kandiah from the Evangelical Alliance. In addition, there will be workshops by Christians Against Poverty, Livability and others. Worship will be led by Andy and Jenny Flannagan. It is £20 if booked before 1 August and £25 after that. To book, email Community Mission or phone 020 7452 2018.

There is one month left to receive the early booking discount for Livability’s residential A Conspiracy of Hope: Creating the future one mustard seed at a time on 27-29 October. Facilitators Tom and Christine Sine will speak about the future of the church’s mission within communities in our rapidly changing world. Tom is the author of Mustard Seed vs McWorld and The New Conspirators. The event focuses on learning from each other and gives opportunity for reflection away from busy ministry. Held in Leicestershire at Hothorpe Hall, it is £140 for a shared room and £195 for a single room with the £20 discount for bookings before 30 June. To book, complete the booking form or, for more information, contact Jill Clark or phone 020 7452 2018.

With an increase in the prison population from 44,000 in 1993 to over 85,000 this year, many churches are discussing criminal justice and how to respond to the issue of reoffending and rehabilitation. The Fear Factory is a new film that explores the idea that young people are now being demonised and what can be done to decrease the amount of people being sent to prison. It is £14.95 and a £5 discount is available if you enter the discount code FFLAT. The Fear Factory blog includes current information on how the government is responding to crime and is supported by the major justice advocacy groups.

In order to respond to the increased interest in immigration due to the general election, six myth-busting migration fact sheets were created by the Migration Parliamentary Group. They address the myths of how many people are actually seeking asylum and emigrating to the UK, what the impact is on the economy and how this affects housing and benefits.

After eight years with Livability, Jon Kuhrt is leaving his role as Director of Community Mission to return to working with homeless people. He is joining the West London Mission as Director of Social Work. Jon’s article Social Action at the Crossroads summarises his perspective on the key issues facing Christian social engagement today. He argues that the biggest challenge facing Christian activism is the practical integration of the personal and social aspects of faith and that in order to integrate these aspects Christians need to deepen their theology and renew a sense of missionary spirit.

The 2010 European year for combating poverty and social exclusion aims to challenge the perceptions and stereotypes about the 84 million Europeans living in poverty as well as to motivate action to overcome the barriers people face in getting out of poverty. Their website includes helpful statistics and each month they highlight a particular group of people in poverty. June is focused on disabled people since one-sixth of the European Union is classified as disabled and many disabled people face discrimination and decreased access to work and housing. In response, Livability’s Community Mission website has resources available for churches wanting to respond practically.

A Rocha, a Christian environmental charity that helps people take care of God’s creation, has launched Living Lightly, a new website and monthly top-tips email to help Christians live in a more sustainable way. The website includes down-to-earth practical ideas on how to change your home, office and financial life in order to reflect God’s first call in Genesis to care for his world. There is also a forum where people can swap ideas. Ruth Valerio, author of L is for Lifestyle and founder of Living Lightly, also has a blog with links to resources that can inspire and give hope about the future of the planet.