Blog

Image: ALL ABOUT FREEDOM

18/10/2019

Friday 18th October is UK Anti-Slavery Day and Joy Gillespie, Development Manager with Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland (SOHTIS) explains the stark, modern day realities of this issue and what is being done to tackle slavery in the UK.


Jenny was 14 when she was sold. A British girl, she was groomed by a 70-year-old white British man, sold on and sexually exploited for years, resulting in horrendous physical injuries and psychological trauma.
 
Robert is an Eastern European, a husband and father of four. He came to the UK on the promise of escaping poverty – a better life for his children and employment. He was tricked and forced to work for no pay, to live in unimaginable conditions, and in fear of violence.
 
Every day men, women and children are bought and sold.
 
Human trafficking is widely accepted as one of the greatest human rights issues of our time. Although slavery is illegal in every country in the world, there are thought to be at least three times more people enslaved in the world today than during the period of the transatlantic slave trade from the 15th to the 19th centuries. This is modern slavery.
 
Human trafficking is a complex and often hidden crime. People are abused - used as commodities over and over again for the profit of others. It is an increasing problem in Scotland, having been identified in every local authority, in both cities and rural communities.  with a 70 per cent increase in trafficking victims identified in the first six months of 2019. Across the UK, British men are most likely to be trafficked and subjected to forced labour.
 
Lord McColl, sponsor of the Modern Slavery (Victims’ Support) Private Members Bill, said, ‘Modern slavery is a terrible crime which robs people of their dignity and freedom. For many it also robs them of their future, leaving them without security, a home, an income or a route back into society.’
 
Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland (SOHTIS) is a new Scottish Registered Charity committed to the eradication of human trafficking in Scotland and to ensuring the lasting freedom of survivors. We aim to aim to support those most at risk of trafficking to build resilience avoiding exploitation and help in the rescue of victims.
 
We also know that the survivors’ journey to rebuild their lives is a long and complex one. The risk of re-trafficking is real. We aim to use our anti-trafficking expertise to help survivors rebuild their lives, regain control and make decisions that are liberating and realise their potential.
 
There are positive stories. Jenny was rescued, spent time in a safe house and was able to secure long-term support. She now lives independently, is a voice for the voiceless, and an advocate in places of government. Robert and his family are also rebuilding their lives after crisis care and a long-term support programme. He has a permanent job and the family has a home where they can rebuild their lives. Unfortunately, there are many more like Jenny and Robert who have not yet been recovered or who do not have access to the long term support which means they avoid the risk of further exploitation.
 
Robert said, ‘Without long-term support we were at risk of re-trafficking. Now we are excited and positive about our future.’
 
October 18 marks Anti-Slavery Day. If you believe everyone in Scotland should enjoy this freedom, join us in providing services, donating funds and raising awareness.
 
Contact SOHTIS at enquiries@sohtis.org
www.sohtis.org


Image: Wrestling for Peace

11/10/2019

Building reconcilliation in churches and faith communities.  'Place For Hope' tackles everything from bad behaviour, to theological differences to buildings closures, mediating towards peace in these everyday life situations.  Ruth Harvey, director of this wonderful organisation explains all in this weeks blog.


As I don my thick autumn coat, I think back to a few short months ago when we were facing baking heat and dramatic thunderstorms. The splendour of creation is glorious. Yet we know there is an almost-unstoppable change in the climate. ‘Deep Adaptation’ is being called for across the globe, as we anxiously search for new ways to care for our common home.
 
All change, and the transitions that accompany it, can induce anxiety. 
 
In the work of faith-based reconciliation, we hold out a hope that by working robustly through transition and change we can reach a place of peace and unity – the shalom/salaam – of the Gospel. This is not an easy peace, but a peace wrought out of struggle, turning, listening, and ‘deep adaptation’.
 
Place for Hope supports 35 trained and accredited mediators who travel in pairs throughout Scotland and the north of England, mediating towards peace, hosting very difficult conversations, and building reconciliation in churches and faith communities.
 
Our teams accompany groups in conflict over theological differences, buildings closure, bullying, communication issues, management concerns, bad behaviour, transition and change:  the ordinary things of life.
 
We often find nested beneath a presenting issue can be years, sometimes decades of difficult behaviour, buried for the sake of ‘peace.’ While churches are organisations, they also operate like families, with accepted practices being handed down over generations. Norms become habits, and habits embed and present as culture, as ‘just the way it is here.’
 
Our vision is to nurture a counter-culture of mediation, reconciliation and the transformation of relationships, so that every place of worship will be a ‘Place for Hope’. We don’t bring a magic wand or a drafted script. We bring robust companionship, dedicated practitioners unafraid to go to the hard places, un-phased by the rage, guilt, despair and depression that often accompany such conflict.
 
There are parallels to the journey of reconciliation in scripture. The despair and lament of Good Friday followed by the not knowing of Holy Saturday, then turning when the time is right to the hope of Easter Sunday is a holy pattern of conflict transformation.
 
From Thursday 31st October – Saturday 2nd November, we meet for the Gathering in Glasgow on Conflict and Faith. We are delighted to be joined by partner organisations committed to faith-based conflict transformation, celebrating both the diversity that distinguishes us, and the synergy that we share. Workshops, worship, keynote input and time for networking will be hallmarks of the Gathering.
 
Please help us make this a turning point for our communities and for our churches. Join us – and please also pass on news of the event to those who may be interested.
 
We settled on the dates for the Gathering in Glasgow before 31st October 2019 was declared B-day. Whatever happens in the political sphere on Hallowe’en, let us remember that we will gather in Glasgow in the season of All Saints and All Souls, when we remember and give thanks for all those who have held and nourished, protected, challenged and led us courageously in the past. We pray for all, great and small, who lead us now and in the future.
 
Visit https://www.placeforhope.org.uk/events to sign up for the Gathering in Glasgow, or to join our Peacemakers Network. Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook for up to the minute news of events and training opportunities.
 
Ruth Harvey, Director, Place for Hope


Image: Divine Renovation

04/10/2019

This week in our blog Fr Jamie Boyle reflects on his desire to move his ministry, and that of his parish, from a "maintenance model to a missionary model"  read how he got on.


Almost two years ago I was asked “Have you read Fr James Mallon’s book, Divine Renovation ?” After a bit of encouragement I started to read the book and it made a lot of sense. I identified with many of the issues Fr James writes about and was very interested to discover how I could move my ministry from a maintenance model to a more missionary model.

In December 2018, we started a Divine Renovation reading group in the parish, meeting weekly throughout Advent and into the New Year to discuss the book. This provoked some great discussion as we reflected on the reality of our parish and the church in general.

It was plain to see that we do indeed spend much of our time looking after those who already come to church and not much time actually “going out to make disciples”.

This was a time of great reflection, thinking about how life is in our parish at the moment and honestly evaluating how we live and work as a parish and church community. We identified our need to be more outward looking and also how we need to build up our liturgies, especially on Sundays, so that those who do come to church might be more spiritually nourished and inspired to “Go make disciples”.
In February I attended the Divine Renovation conference in Birmingham - a great experience with people coming together to hear the experience of parishes who had already started to move from maintenance to mission.

We then held a parish assembly where I explained my “vision” for St Francis Xavier’s, outlining where I would hope we would be in ten years. The main focus was an introduction to the Ten Values of Divine Renovation and how we can apply them to the life and ministry of our parish.

These values are: 1) Giving priority to the weekend. 2) Hospitality. 3) Uplifting music.  4) Great Homilies. 5) Building a meaningful Community. 6) Clear expectations. 7) Strengths-based ministry. 8) Formation of small communities. 9) Experience of the Holy Spirit .10) An invitational church.

There was a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm as we invited people to reflect on parish life as it is just now and how it could possibly look in the future. People embraced the need to continue to build up our community and have a deeper sense of going beyond the doors of church to invite others to experience God’s presence and love in their lives.

Our journey has now started and we’re slowly beginning to see the fruits of our efforts. We have run several Alpha courses, which are a great evangelisation tool, not just for non-Christians but also a great way for Catholics to grow and develop in their relationship with Jesus Christ. As a parish we are becoming more intentional of becoming a joyful and inclusive community on fire with the love of God. Please God, we will be inspired to use our God given gifts and talents to bring that love and joy of God to those who have not yet heard the Good News of His love for them.
 




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