80
Council members
We are thankful to each one of them:
Combining deep thinkers and Godly influencers from the worlds of business and politics, as well as senior leaders from across the spectrum of our member churches, the Alliance’s Council grapples with the issues facing evangelicalism today. Our Council represents the Alliance’s diverse membership to act as the source of consensus and guidance on all matters related to the overall direction of the Alliance.
92%
Alex McIlhinney, Andy Frost, Andy Reed, Ann Holt, Arlene Small, Brian Wilson, Carl Beech, Carolyn Skinner, Chris Summerton, Christine Gore, Colin Bones, David Banting, David Bruce, David Jones, David Wilkinson, Derek Burnside, Derek Crookes, Derek Tidball, Dermot D’Callaghan, Elaine Duncan, Elaine Storkey, Eldin Corsie, Fiona Castle, Fran Beckett, Graeme Clark, Graham Sopp, Howard Marshall, Jane Holloway, Jean Gibson, Jennifer Hogg, Jenny Hill, John Butcher, John Dunnett, John Glass, John Langlois, John Mumford, Jon Burns, Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan
of the Alliance’s expenditure spent on charitable activities...
Oleyede, Jonathan Thornton, Julian Richards, Kate Coleman, Keith Civval, Ken Morgan, Kenneth Prior, Lee Rayfield, Lyndon Bowring, Mark Bennett, Mark Russell, Martin Lee, Matt Summerfield, Mick Brooks, Mike Pilavachi, Mike Talbot, Neil Summerton, Nola Leach, Norman Ord, Olu Ojedokun, Pat Storey, Paul Woolley, Pedro Okoro, Peter Grant, Rachel Gardner, Ram Gidoomal, Richard Gough, Rob James, Robert Amess, Roger Forster, Ruth Gilson, Ruth Valerio, Sharon Hanson, Siew Huat Ong, Simon Steer, Stephen McQuoid, Steve Blaber, Steve Holmes, Tani Omideyi, Tim Cawston, Tracey Cotterell and Tricia Marnham
‘We are so thankful to God for His faithfulness, particularly this past year in light of the economic downturn,’ says Helen Calder, Finance & Operations Director. ‘The staff have particularly been grateful for prayers as they undertake their work in a variety of areas.’
Income: £2,523,292
Expenditure £2,396,456
16% member churches
9% GiftAid
7% member organisations
46% 57%
21% member resources and events
11%
Individual members
ministries for change
5%
partnership initiatives
2% other
8% 7% advertising revenue
partnership initiatives
8%
legacies, grants and trusts
publicity and fundraising
3% governance costs
Income
This is a summary of the financial activities for the year ended 31 March 2010. Figures include unrestricted and restricted funds of the charity and the trading activities of EA Developments Ltd. They are taken from the full audited Annual Report & Financial Statements, which are available from the Evangelical Alliance, 186 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4BT
3 ways to get involved… 1
2
3
www.eauk.org/donate
stories@eauk.org
info@eauk.org
We hope you’ve been inspired by the stories of unity that you’ve read about here. Our work depends on your gifts. If you’d like to make a donation please contact us on 0207 207 2100 or via our website on
The Alliance isn’t just about telling our stories, we want to hear your stories of unity and transformation - how you are impacting your communities for Christ. We’d love to know what you’re doing. Send your stories to
Tell us what you think about the Alliance’s resources and how we serve you. Have any of the Alliance’s programmes or resources helped your personal or church witness or ministry? Give us your feedback on
The Evangelical Alliance A company limited by guarantee Registered in England & Wales No. 123448. Registered Charity No England and Wales: 212325 , Scotland: SC040576. Registered Office: Whitefield House, 186 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4BT | Tel 0207 207 2100
IMPACTreport 2009-10
For example, last autumn my wife Ann and I tested the Simplify challenge to live as if on benefits and to give what we saved to charity. In September, I was encouraged when the Alliance Council met with a dynamic group of more than 100 leaders to grapple with key issues of the 18-30s generation.
12
months as the Alliance’s General Director... This annual review covers the period from April 2009 to March 2010, my first year as General Director. It’s been a privilege and a challenge to be here during this pivotal time for the Alliance to unite the Church to see change in our society. Many highlights are listed here, but for me the overriding aspect has been the faithful support - financial and prayer - of our Alliance members. The entire staff team and I are thankful for everyone who partners with God on His vision of unity. It’s been an amazing year.
341
Lords lobbied regarding the Equality Act… Their votes successfully protected the freedom for churches and Christian charities to require that key posts be filled by practising Christians...
This year has seen the high profile Equality Act, which brought together all of the legislation relating to age, gender, race and disability discrimination and now includes the new categories of religion and sexual orientation. We worked closely with other Christian groups to press the Government for an amendment to allow churches to select employees who live in accordance with the church’s beliefs. Following the defeat in the House of Lords the Government accepted this crucial amendment. This is just one of a number of
30
days people lived as if on benefits for
And I will never forget being seated in the tiny historical Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in March for the launch of Biblefresh alongside leaders from across church communities. We prayed for the leaders of our nation as they met in the Houses of Parliament just above our heads. For me, this initiative provides a snapshot of the Alliance’s core ministry: bringing together nearly a 100 different agencies to serve in co-operation rather than competition to help the Church be more effective in mission. As General Director, I am privileged to visit churches and hear firsthand stories of what God is doing all over the country. I am reminded that the local church truly is God’s vehicle of hope, and I believe we have a great future together, so read on and be encouraged…
issues on which we have been able to have a positive impact on the governmental system in the past year. Working in partnership with the financial ministry Stewardship, the public affairs team produced Life Beyond Debt. How the Church can help, a resource aimed at equipping churches to respond to the economic recession. Copies were sent to all Alliance member churches with thousands more requested. The resource contained practical information on what churches can do in their communities, ranging from how to set up a debt counselling centre to money advice tips. The booklet also offered advice on how churches can teach their congregations about campaigning for sustainable economic justice. Following the spate of youth violence that escalated last year, research showed a lot of negativity towards young people in society. The Alliance actively worked to address this as it sought to promote a more optimistic and encouraging approach to young people. Consequently, we published a report looking at youth volunteering entitled: Young People Matter: A Report and Survey of Youth Volunteering. This
The idea was to examine the spiritual hold money has on our lives by working out how much money we would receive in a month if on benefits and gave the rest to charity. ‘It was a shock how little I had left over when I was so hard on myself,’ says Andy Reed, then MP for
Annual Review from the
Who we are
We are the largest and oldest body serving evangelical Christians in the UK. To us, uniting to change society is about promoting unity and acting as an evangelical voice to Government, media and society. We work collaboratively with Alliance members and other evangelicals to present Christ credibly as good news in transforming communities.
What we do Our vision
• • • •
Unite Christians Speak on your behalf Network you Resource you
All over the country, in communities large and small, Christians meeting together, to pray and to plan with a commitment to working together, to see their communities transformed spiritually, socially, physically.
report and survey of youth volunteering found that nearly 40% of all voluntary work carried out by young people aged 14-18 takes place through churches or other religious organisations. The report learnt that among Christians the more frequently a young person attended church the more likely they were to volunteer.
Friday Night Theology (FNT) is the popular weekly email comment on a news event of the week, enabling you to bring Jesus into your everyday conversations. By the end of 2009, over 3000 people were receiving the weekly reflection. 57% of people who receive FNT told us that the resource has helped them in their personal evangelism.
eauk.org/public-affairs Loughborough, who took part in the initiative. ‘It has made me take action, not just think about it. I am now healthier, happier, live a more sustainable lifestyle and enjoyed the experience.’
simplify.org.uk
278
to advising Coronation Street about the baptism of one of its characters, the Alliance has been at the forefront of Christian media engagement’, reports Head of Media and Marketing Charis Gibson.
appearances for the Alliance in the media…
Other media highlights this year have been the BBC local radio coverage of Steve Clifford’s Simplify experience. Over a three week period, Steve did 35 interviews with local BBC radio stations, as well as appearing in the Mother’s Union magazine, Families First, the Baptist Times, Premier Radio and more.
‘From debating divine judgement on Newsnight after the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi,
Our coverage has been varied, both across different media platforms and the topics we’ve been asked to comment on. We appeared on BBC1’s The Big
365 12
Questions a number of times, and radio interviews included Talksport and Radio 5 Live. Our response to parliament’s decision to allow churches to carry out civil partnerships was featured in the Times and the Telegraph, while the Mail on Sunday ran our quote on Channel Five’s first terrestrial TV casino. And we have continued to embrace social media as a means of communicating directly to our audiences. Our Twitter feed, EAUKnews, is followed by nearly 700 people, and our Twitter passion play, Easter (LIVE), was followed by 3,000 people across Twitter and Facebook and also attracted more traditional coverage in the Telegraph.
days of prayer for Scotland...
75,000
South Asian Christians estimated to be living in the UK…
‘This has been our vision: that people would be praying for Scotland every hour of every day throughout the year,’ says Fred
Drummond, National Director for Scotland. ‘We believe that prayer is the magnet for mission, and there is a sense that God is beginning to stir His people in Scotland.’
eauk.org/scotland
months before the next annual review...
Over the last six months, the Directorate has developed its strategy to see the Alliance in a better position to fulfil its purpose of uniting to change society. Implementation of this programme and structure will begin in September 2010, continuing to recognise unity (working together) and advocacy (voice) as the two key areas of activity where the Alliance is uniquely positioned to benefit both Church and society.
They represent the eight countries of South Asia and a range of languages and ethnic backgrounds, part of the 2 million South Asians from all faith backgrounds in the UK.
1
eauk.org/media
3078
person needed to effect change...
‘The dynamic of one person envisioned by the Spirit to bring wellbeing to our world is an unstoppable force,’ says Forum for Change co-ordinator Marijke Hoek. This is the aim of Forum for Change, to weave a network of similarly orientated people for strategic action in education, business, sport, politics, media and the arts.
eauk.org/f4c
450
people attended the launch of the Cymru Institute for Contemporary Christianity (CICC)…
‘In three venues on three consecutive nights in March, hundreds of people gathered in Swansea, Cardiff and Colwyn Bay to listen to some of the UK’s most prominent Christian leaders,’ reports Elfed Godding, National Director for Wales. CICC, set up by the Evangelical Alliance Wales working in partnership with the Bible Society in Wales and the South Wales Baptist College, aims to help Christians apply the Bible to contemporary issues.
hours donated by our volunteers…
‘In a year that has seen us retain our Investors in People certification, we owe a huge debt to our volunteers who work in all our
The South Wales Churches’ Refugee Network, an asylum and refugee-related Christian group, was established by Evangelical Alliance Wales last year following the Alliance’s Don’t be a Stranger campaign. Chaired by Jim Stewart the Welsh Alliance’s National Assembly Liaison Officer, the group meets regularly to share information, identify training needs and help equip churches who serve in this area. Jim says, ‘We have seen encouraging developments in the way secular groups within the refugee and asylum seeker sector relate to us – with a growing appreciation across the board of the contribution that churches are making to the lives of refugees and asylum seekers’.
national offices, for their assistance and expertise in administration, events and other areas’, says Head of Human Resources, Marine McKenzie. One of our volunteers says of her experience, ‘I always thought giving was just financial. I wasn’t cash rich, but could set aside some hours each week to help. I’ve particularly enjoyed interaction with members, seeing how the Alliance equips them on a local and national level.’
eauk.org/getinvolved
400
people attended Kingdom Come…
‘Seeing all in church leadership flourish and be supported in their roles was the aim of Kingdom Come in February,’ says Stephen Cave, National Director for Northern Ireland. ‘Another highlight was the Not Just a One Night Stand conference, part of the Northern Ireland National Marriage week, helping 16-30s discuss sex and relationships.’
eauk.org/wales
eauk.org/northern-ireland
The Evangelical Alliance launched the South Asian Forum (SAF) of the Evangelical Alliance earlier this year to encourage, support and equip South Asian Christians for mission, and to represent their concerns to Government, the media and the wider Church. Ram Gidoomal, Chair of SAF, says, ‘As a minority within a minority we need a voice to respond quickly and with unity to pertinent issues, such as pressure on Christians in Pakistan and the on-going fragility of that nation, persecution of Afghan believers, or the intense suffering caused by the divisions in Sri Lanka.’
eauk.org/saf
20
organisations working together for the 18-30s generation... Research shows that only a third of Christians under 30 consider themselves to be leaders in their churches. Alistair Stevenson, Public Policy
Officer for the Alliance in Scotland, says, ‘This is a challenge the Alliance is taking seriously, and an 18-30s leadership team is consulting young adults all over the country to frame a strategy to build a more stable future for the UK Church.’
eauk.org/slipstream
An image from a Biblefresh project using the prefix of ‘NOW I…’ asking people how the Bible has changed their lives
99
2011 marks the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible. The Biblefresh initiative is aiming to make it the year of the Bible by helping to equip the Church to regain its confidence in and appetite for the Scriptures. ‘A unique aspect of Biblefresh is its unifying work in bringing together a diverse group of nearly 100 different organisations, festivals, colleges and publishers that are involved with the Bible, but have never worked
organisations working together with
in partnership before,’ says Krish Kandiah, Executive Director for Churches in Mission at the Alliance. The initiative resources churches with practical and inspiring ways to engage afresh with God’s Word in the areas of Bible reading, Bible training, Bible translation and Bible experiences. Churches are already planning art exhibitions, school assemblies, fashion shows, photography competitions and Bible-reading marathons for the year-long celebration in 2011.
biblefresh.com
278
to advising Coronation Street about the baptism of one of its characters, the Alliance has been at the forefront of Christian media engagement’, reports Head of Media and Marketing Charis Gibson.
appearances for the Alliance in the media…
Other media highlights this year have been the BBC local radio coverage of Steve Clifford’s Simplify experience. Over a three week period, Steve did 35 interviews with local BBC radio stations, as well as appearing in the Mother’s Union magazine, Families First, the Baptist Times, Premier Radio and more.
‘From debating divine judgement on Newsnight after the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi,
Our coverage has been varied, both across different media platforms and the topics we’ve been asked to comment on. We appeared on BBC1’s The Big
365 12
Questions a number of times, and radio interviews included Talksport and Radio 5 Live. Our response to parliament’s decision to allow churches to carry out civil partnerships was featured in the Times and the Telegraph, while the Mail on Sunday ran our quote on Channel Five’s first terrestrial TV casino. And we have continued to embrace social media as a means of communicating directly to our audiences. Our Twitter feed, EAUKnews, is followed by nearly 700 people, and our Twitter passion play, Easter (LIVE), was followed by 3,000 people across Twitter and Facebook and also attracted more traditional coverage in the Telegraph.
days of prayer for Scotland...
75,000
South Asian Christians estimated to be living in the UK…
‘This has been our vision: that people would be praying for Scotland every hour of every day throughout the year,’ says Fred
Drummond, National Director for Scotland. ‘We believe that prayer is the magnet for mission, and there is a sense that God is beginning to stir His people in Scotland.’
eauk.org/scotland
months before the next annual review...
Over the last six months, the Directorate has developed its strategy to see the Alliance in a better position to fulfil its purpose of uniting to change society. Implementation of this programme and structure will begin in September 2010, continuing to recognise unity (working together) and advocacy (voice) as the two key areas of activity where the Alliance is uniquely positioned to benefit both Church and society.
They represent the eight countries of South Asia and a range of languages and ethnic backgrounds, part of the 2 million South Asians from all faith backgrounds in the UK.
1
eauk.org/media
3078
person needed to effect change...
‘The dynamic of one person envisioned by the Spirit to bring wellbeing to our world is an unstoppable force,’ says Forum for Change co-ordinator Marijke Hoek. This is the aim of Forum for Change, to weave a network of similarly orientated people for strategic action in education, business, sport, politics, media and the arts.
eauk.org/f4c
450
people attended the launch of the Cymru Institute for Contemporary Christianity (CICC)…
‘In three venues on three consecutive nights in March, hundreds of people gathered in Swansea, Cardiff and Colwyn Bay to listen to some of the UK’s most prominent Christian leaders,’ reports Elfed Godding, National Director for Wales. CICC, set up by the Evangelical Alliance Wales working in partnership with the Bible Society in Wales and the South Wales Baptist College, aims to help Christians apply the Bible to contemporary issues.
hours donated by our volunteers…
‘In a year that has seen us retain our Investors in People certification, we owe a huge debt to our volunteers who work in all our
The South Wales Churches’ Refugee Network, an asylum and refugee-related Christian group, was established by Evangelical Alliance Wales last year following the Alliance’s Don’t be a Stranger campaign. Chaired by Jim Stewart the Welsh Alliance’s National Assembly Liaison Officer, the group meets regularly to share information, identify training needs and help equip churches who serve in this area. Jim says, ‘We have seen encouraging developments in the way secular groups within the refugee and asylum seeker sector relate to us – with a growing appreciation across the board of the contribution that churches are making to the lives of refugees and asylum seekers’.
national offices, for their assistance and expertise in administration, events and other areas’, says Head of Human Resources, Marine McKenzie. One of our volunteers says of her experience, ‘I always thought giving was just financial. I wasn’t cash rich, but could set aside some hours each week to help. I’ve particularly enjoyed interaction with members, seeing how the Alliance equips them on a local and national level.’
eauk.org/getinvolved
400
people attended Kingdom Come…
‘Seeing all in church leadership flourish and be supported in their roles was the aim of Kingdom Come in February,’ says Stephen Cave, National Director for Northern Ireland. ‘Another highlight was the Not Just a One Night Stand conference, part of the Northern Ireland National Marriage week, helping 16-30s discuss sex and relationships.’
eauk.org/wales
eauk.org/northern-ireland
The Evangelical Alliance launched the South Asian Forum (SAF) of the Evangelical Alliance earlier this year to encourage, support and equip South Asian Christians for mission, and to represent their concerns to Government, the media and the wider Church. Ram Gidoomal, Chair of SAF, says, ‘As a minority within a minority we need a voice to respond quickly and with unity to pertinent issues, such as pressure on Christians in Pakistan and the on-going fragility of that nation, persecution of Afghan believers, or the intense suffering caused by the divisions in Sri Lanka.’
eauk.org/saf
20
organisations working together for the 18-30s generation... Research shows that only a third of Christians under 30 consider themselves to be leaders in their churches. Alistair Stevenson, Public Policy
Officer for the Alliance in Scotland, says, ‘This is a challenge the Alliance is taking seriously, and an 18-30s leadership team is consulting young adults all over the country to frame a strategy to build a more stable future for the UK Church.’
eauk.org/slipstream
An image from a Biblefresh project using the prefix of ‘NOW I…’ asking people how the Bible has changed their lives
99
2011 marks the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible. The Biblefresh initiative is aiming to make it the year of the Bible by helping to equip the Church to regain its confidence in and appetite for the Scriptures. ‘A unique aspect of Biblefresh is its unifying work in bringing together a diverse group of nearly 100 different organisations, festivals, colleges and publishers that are involved with the Bible, but have never worked
organisations working together with
in partnership before,’ says Krish Kandiah, Executive Director for Churches in Mission at the Alliance. The initiative resources churches with practical and inspiring ways to engage afresh with God’s Word in the areas of Bible reading, Bible training, Bible translation and Bible experiences. Churches are already planning art exhibitions, school assemblies, fashion shows, photography competitions and Bible-reading marathons for the year-long celebration in 2011.
biblefresh.com
80
Council members
We are thankful to each one of them:
Combining deep thinkers and Godly influencers from the worlds of business and politics, as well as senior leaders from across the spectrum of our member churches, the Alliance’s Council grapples with the issues facing evangelicalism today. Our Council represents the Alliance’s diverse membership to act as the source of consensus and guidance on all matters related to the overall direction of the Alliance.
92%
Alex McIlhinney, Andy Frost, Andy Reed, Ann Holt, Arlene Small, Brian Wilson, Carl Beech, Carolyn Skinner, Chris Summerton, Christine Gore, Colin Bones, David Banting, David Bruce, David Jones, David Wilkinson, Derek Burnside, Derek Crookes, Derek Tidball, Dermot D’Callaghan, Elaine Duncan, Elaine Storkey, Eldin Corsie, Fiona Castle, Fran Beckett, Graeme Clark, Graham Sopp, Howard Marshall, Jane Holloway, Jean Gibson, Jennifer Hogg, Jenny Hill, John Butcher, John Dunnett, John Glass, John Langlois, John Mumford, Jon Burns, Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan
of the Alliance’s expenditure spent on charitable activities...
Oleyede, Jonathan Thornton, Julian Richards, Kate Coleman, Keith Civval, Ken Morgan, Kenneth Prior, Lee Rayfield, Lyndon Bowring, Mark Bennett, Mark Russell, Martin Lee, Matt Summerfield, Mick Brooks, Mike Pilavachi, Mike Talbot, Neil Summerton, Nola Leach, Norman Ord, Olu Ojedokun, Pat Storey, Paul Woolley, Pedro Okoro, Peter Grant, Rachel Gardner, Ram Gidoomal, Richard Gough, Rob James, Robert Amess, Roger Forster, Ruth Gilson, Ruth Valerio, Sharon Hanson, Siew Huat Ong, Simon Steer, Stephen McQuoid, Steve Blaber, Steve Holmes, Tani Omideyi, Tim Cawston, Tracey Cotterell and Tricia Marnham
‘We are so thankful to God for His faithfulness, particularly this past year in light of the economic downturn,’ says Helen Calder, Finance & Operations Director. ‘The staff have particularly been grateful for prayers as they undertake their work in a variety of areas.’
Income: £2,523,292
Expenditure £2,396,456
16% member churches
9% GiftAid
7% member organisations
46% 57%
21% member resources and events
11%
Individual members
ministries for change
5%
partnership initiatives
2% other
8% 7% advertising revenue
partnership initiatives
8%
legacies, grants and trusts
publicity and fundraising
3% governance costs
Income
This is a summary of the financial activities for the year ended 31 March 2010. Figures include unrestricted and restricted funds of the charity and the trading activities of EA Developments Ltd. They are taken from the full audited Annual Report & Financial Statements, which are available from the Evangelical Alliance, 186 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4BT
3 ways to get involved… 1
2
3
www.eauk.org/donate
stories@eauk.org
info@eauk.org
We hope you’ve been inspired by the stories of unity that you’ve read about here. Our work depends on your gifts. If you’d like to make a donation please contact us on 0207 207 2100 or via our website on
The Alliance isn’t just about telling our stories, we want to hear your stories of unity and transformation - how you are impacting your communities for Christ. We’d love to know what you’re doing. Send your stories to
Tell us what you think about the Alliance’s resources and how we serve you. Have any of the Alliance’s programmes or resources helped your personal or church witness or ministry? Give us your feedback on
The Evangelical Alliance A company limited by guarantee Registered in England & Wales No. 123448. Registered Charity No England and Wales: 212325 , Scotland: SC040576. Registered Office: Whitefield House, 186 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4BT | Tel 0207 207 2100
IMPACTreport 2009-10
For example, last autumn my wife Ann and I tested the Simplify challenge to live as if on benefits and to give what we saved to charity. In September, I was encouraged when the Alliance Council met with a dynamic group of more than 100 leaders to grapple with key issues of the 18-30s generation.
12
months as the Alliance’s General Director... This annual review covers the period from April 2009 to March 2010, my first year as General Director. It’s been a privilege and a challenge to be here during this pivotal time for the Alliance to unite the Church to see change in our society. Many highlights are listed here, but for me the overriding aspect has been the faithful support - financial and prayer - of our Alliance members. The entire staff team and I are thankful for everyone who partners with God on His vision of unity. It’s been an amazing year.
341
Lords lobbied regarding the Equality Act… Their votes successfully protected the freedom for churches and Christian charities to require that key posts be filled by practising Christians...
This year has seen the high profile Equality Act, which brought together all of the legislation relating to age, gender, race and disability discrimination and now includes the new categories of religion and sexual orientation. We worked closely with other Christian groups to press the Government for an amendment to allow churches to select employees who live in accordance with the church’s beliefs. Following the defeat in the House of Lords the Government accepted this crucial amendment. This is just one of a number of
30
days people lived as if on benefits for
And I will never forget being seated in the tiny historical Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in March for the launch of Biblefresh alongside leaders from across church communities. We prayed for the leaders of our nation as they met in the Houses of Parliament just above our heads. For me, this initiative provides a snapshot of the Alliance’s core ministry: bringing together nearly a 100 different agencies to serve in co-operation rather than competition to help the Church be more effective in mission. As General Director, I am privileged to visit churches and hear firsthand stories of what God is doing all over the country. I am reminded that the local church truly is God’s vehicle of hope, and I believe we have a great future together, so read on and be encouraged…
issues on which we have been able to have a positive impact on the governmental system in the past year. Working in partnership with the financial ministry Stewardship, the public affairs team produced Life Beyond Debt. How the Church can help, a resource aimed at equipping churches to respond to the economic recession. Copies were sent to all Alliance member churches with thousands more requested. The resource contained practical information on what churches can do in their communities, ranging from how to set up a debt counselling centre to money advice tips. The booklet also offered advice on how churches can teach their congregations about campaigning for sustainable economic justice. Following the spate of youth violence that escalated last year, research showed a lot of negativity towards young people in society. The Alliance actively worked to address this as it sought to promote a more optimistic and encouraging approach to young people. Consequently, we published a report looking at youth volunteering entitled: Young People Matter: A Report and Survey of Youth Volunteering. This
The idea was to examine the spiritual hold money has on our lives by working out how much money we would receive in a month if on benefits and gave the rest to charity. ‘It was a shock how little I had left over when I was so hard on myself,’ says Andy Reed, then MP for
Annual Review from the
Who we are
We are the largest and oldest body serving evangelical Christians in the UK. To us, uniting to change society is about promoting unity and acting as an evangelical voice to Government, media and society. We work collaboratively with Alliance members and other evangelicals to present Christ credibly as good news in transforming communities.
What we do Our vision
• • • •
Unite Christians Speak on your behalf Network you Resource you
All over the country, in communities large and small, Christians meeting together, to pray and to plan with a commitment to working together, to see their communities transformed spiritually, socially, physically.
report and survey of youth volunteering found that nearly 40% of all voluntary work carried out by young people aged 14-18 takes place through churches or other religious organisations. The report learnt that among Christians the more frequently a young person attended church the more likely they were to volunteer.
Friday Night Theology (FNT) is the popular weekly email comment on a news event of the week, enabling you to bring Jesus into your everyday conversations. By the end of 2009, over 3000 people were receiving the weekly reflection. 57% of people who receive FNT told us that the resource has helped them in their personal evangelism.
eauk.org/public-affairs Loughborough, who took part in the initiative. ‘It has made me take action, not just think about it. I am now healthier, happier, live a more sustainable lifestyle and enjoyed the experience.’
simplify.org.uk