Churches are being urged to renew efforts to tackle deprivation on their doorstep this Poverty Sunday (June 22) and use the Church Urban Fund (CUF) look up tool to highlight poverty in their parish.
The highest average rates in the country of adults with no qualifications, poverty among working age adults and child poverty are three examples highlighted by the tool, revealed in three separate dioceses.
The Bishop of Manchester, David Walker is calling for prayer and a pledge to act in support of the Poverty Sunday campaign being run by CUF.
Through a nationwide network of joint ventures with dioceses CUF is offering fresh ways of both supporting churches in their practical activity in local communities and providing them with the tools they need to speak up and speak out with real traction about what is happening locally.
The resources include the Poverty look up tool, which provides information about a variety of poverty indicators for every parish throughout England. The tool is available online at http://www.cuf.org.uk/poverty-england/poverty-look-tool and as a mobile app for iOS and Android devices.
The statistics show there are people struggling with poverty in areas of every diocese – often with parishes within miles of each other showing great disparity.
In the Diocese of York there is a 53% variance across the Diocese for child poverty, between 3% and 56%.
The Bishop of Manchester, Rt Rev David Walker, a trustee of CUF, said, “The widespread effects of poverty can be felt in every parish in this country. For this reason, I’m urging the church to pray and pledge to act this Poverty Sunday.
“Whether it’s struggling with benefits and having to rely on foodbanks, or coping with isolation and low self-esteem, the church has a vital role to play in addressing the needs of so many in our society.”
The Rev Paul Hackwood, Chairman of CUF, said, “Poverty Sunday is an opportunity for the Church to reflect on one of its primary callings, to show compassion to the poorest in society.’ All Christian people are called to take poverty seriously and we hope that these resources will equip the Church to effectively reach every community to tackle poverty.”