Ross' Christmas Letter 2023 by CARE User

ROSS HENDRY CEO of CARE

DEAR FRIEND, ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.’ Galatians 6:9,10, NIV It’s been just over a year since I took over as Chief Executive of CARE. The past 12 months have flown by, and I’ve been able to meet so many wonderful people, from the incredible team here at CARE, to faithful, Christ-honouring politicians from across the UK who are determined to live well for Him. I’ve also met some of you at our supporter events, now back in-person after a threeyear hiatus. As I reflect on the last year, I’m encouraged that God is at work in our national life. Amidst the chaos of our national politics, we’ve seen genuine encouragements. For example, a dangerous assisted suicide bill in the House of Lords failed to pass and we helped brief Peers to speak against an equally dangerous assisted suicide amendment. Extreme proposals around further liberalisation of abortion laws were stopped. On support for modern slavery victims, we’ve seen the UK government move towards our position and in Northern Ireland, we worked with MLAs to secure a guarantee of at least 12 months help. Yet looking back should always be to help us engage with the present and look ahead. 2023 is a big year for CARE. We will celebrate two significant anniversaries and will be setting out our new vision and ambitions for this generation and the next. From late Spring, we will mark 40 years of CARE’s witness and work in the public square. We’re also marking 30 years of the Leadership Programme which has seen 350 leaders equipped to serve Jesus in public life. I’ll write to you later this year about our longer-term plans. But I want to focus now on a new area of work for CARE and one that involves engaging on one of the biggest and most challenging public policy challenges of our time.

The cost-of-living crisis will challenge millions of families: the impact of higher prices, due to inflation, will be compounded by a tax burden that has increased to its highest levels since the 1950s. And the value of Universal Credit is due to fall by over £500 per year for our least well-off families. There will be many voices speaking about the cost of living, and much good work will be done by other Christian charities focusing on material needs. But it is also important that CARE speaks into the cost-of-living crisis, given the impact it has on many of our historic areas of work. Financial pressures on families lead to a whole host of other social ills. Family breakdown already costs around £51bn, and 1 in 4 women are likely to experience domestic violence during their lifetime. The levels of both are likely to rise as money worries put more pressure on more marriages. If we don’t act, we may see more abortions as young mums, all too frequently abandoned by the dad, feel they simply cannot afford to care for a baby. Debt drives others into prostitution and sexual exploitation, while others turn to gambling and substance misuse to find a way out or forget about their problems. In seeking to campaign on behalf of vulnerable families and propose realistic, hope-filled policy solutions for the Government to consider, we will also be helping address the root causes of wider social challenges. At a time when many will see the economics as the be-all and end-all we need to redouble our efforts to highlight the wider social ills that have the potential to be the real legacy of a cost-of-living crisis. I’m telling you all this so you can pray for the team at CARE as we continue to advocate on behalf of some of the most vulnerable in our society. Who can ignore the call of God in Isaiah 1:17 to: “seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow” or in Psalm 82:3-4, “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy”. To keep up to date with our campaigns and our work, can I encourage you to sign-up to our weekly newsletter, Impact Direct? You can either fill in the carrier with your email, or use our website, or contact our main office. More than that, if you can financially partner with us, I would love you to do so. Would you consider sending us a gift at this time? No penny is ever wasted at CARE and will be used to help us produce the research and evidence to engage policy makers at the highest level. Yours faithfully,

ROSS HENDRY CEO of CARE

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