“Without justice and love, peace will always be the great illusion.” Archbishop Helder Pessoa Camara Annual Report GRASSROOTS 2019-2020 - 1 - Visit Our Website: www.grassrootsluton.org.uk Email Us: [email protected] Call Us: 01582 416946 Write To Us: GRASSROOTS Programme 47 High Town Road Luton Bedfordshire LU2 0BW Like / Follow Us Online: www.facebook.com/grassrootsluton www.twitter.com/grassrootsluton Charity Registration Number: 1163427 - 2 - Contents Message from The Revd Canon David Lawson (Chair, GRASSROOTS) Page 5 Message from David Jonathan (Director, GRASSROOTS) Page 6 Church Related Community Work (CRCW) Page 8 Spirituality of Justice Page 10 Working with Women Across Faiths & Cultures Page 12 Near Neighbours Page 14 Inter Faith Relations Page 16 Working our way through the Covid-19 Pandemic Page 18 Black Lives Matter (BLM) Page 20 Conclusion Page 22 2019-2020 Financial Summary Page 23 Meet the GRASSROOTS Team and Trustees Page 24 - 3 - Acknowledgement of Thanks GRASSROOTS is blessed to have the support of many funders, partners and volunteers, and we wish to say thank you for enabling our work to continue and grow: Funders: Volunteers: Allder Trust From Churches, Other Faith Communities and of no particular faith Church of England Diocese of St. Albans affiliation: Luton Council of Faiths Methodist District of Beds, Essex and Herts Near Neighbours Fund Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton Anwer Usmani United Reformed Church Thames North Synod Ciaran O’Brien Carol Bond Fahad Matin Partners: Marie Burns Bury Park Beech Hill Council of Churches Nila Soni Churches and Other Faith Communities in Luton Pari Rashid Daughters of the Holy Spirit Rasitha Madusanka Ghar se Ghar Thakor Morarji Luton Council of Faiths New Creations - 4 - Message from The Revd Canon David Lawson (Chair) Monday 23 March 2020 will be a date that goes down in history. It was the day that the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced that people must stay at home, shop once a day for necessities and only take one short form of exercise per day outdoors – so called ‘lockdown’ had begun! This year’s Annual Report covers that period, which for charities like GRASSROOTS, has been a challenging time. Prior to ‘lockdown’ we said farewell to Karen Campbell and her work as a Church Related Community Worker, all of which was acknowledged at a farewell event in February at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Luton. Karen has now moved to the new post of United Reformed Church Secretary for Global and Intercultural Ministries. We send her our prayers and good wishes for this new and exciting challenge. We are glad that Kim Greig’s role as Near Neigbours Programme Development Officer is secured until the end of March 2021. We hope and pray the other staff and their programmes will continue to thrive. It was also sad to bid farewell to Right Reverend Peter Doyle, Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton but at the same time we are glad to welcome the new Bishop David Oakley who is known as “pastoral, discerning and faithful” and is popular for his gentleness and fidelity to the teachings of the Church. A highlight of the year, pre ‘lockdown’, was the visit to Luton of Barbara Glasson, the new President of the Methodist Conference. The team was privileged to spend an hour with Barbara in the GRASSROOTS’ office, sharing with her GRASSROOTS involvement and commitment to the community in Luton. We were also able to accompany her on the rest of her visit to the Town Hall, for a reception at the Hindu Temple and Community Centre in Hereford Road. Barbara has a particular interest in and commitment to communities like Luton from her own work in Liverpool and Bradford. ‘Lockdown’ has forced many organisations to find new ways of communicating remotely and Grassroots is no exception with us hosting our first Trustees ZOOM meeting in June 2020. This was not an overly business meeting but more to have the opportunity to share with the team and trustees how we were all living with the pandemic and ‘lockdown.’ Throughout ‘lockdown’, the huge number of activities and involvement by Grassroots in so many areas of Luton’s life, has demonstrated Grassroots ‘response- ability’ to the challenges thrown up by the pandemic. Sadly, the death of George Floyd in the United States in May 2020, led to worldwide protests and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement. GRASSROOTS is ‘motivated and nourished by the spirit of justice and peace’ and this is why racial, economic and environmental justice issues are at the heart of much of GRASSROOTS work. The Annual Report once again reflects the range of work undertaken by the team and their commitment to ‘offering a different point of view’. The Black Lives Matter Movement is a reminder that there is still much work to be done. As ever my personal gratitude to my fellow trustees for their wisdom, contributions and expertise, freely and lovingly supporting the wonderful and engaging work of Grassroots! - 5 - Message from David Jonathan (Director) State of Hate 2020 Report launched by HOPE NOT HATE (www.hopenothate.org.uk) highlights that political fundamentalism, majoritarianism, xenophobia and general intolerance are contributing significantly to the rise in identity politics. The report points out that the traditional far right parties are weaker than ever before, but what is perturbing is that far right ideas are influencing the mainstream politics now, not just in Europe but all over the world. In such a context, it fits well what the President of the Methodist Conference Revd Dr Barbara Glasson said at a meeting with 40 representatives from Luton’s different faith communities during her visit to Luton. She said we’re all called to love and acknowledge our shared humanity. At times, it’s costly, but it’s the only way to change the world. What she said underpins the work of GRASSROOTS; glimpses of this work are mentioned in this report. The inter faith relations work undertaken by GRASSROOTS in partnership with LUTON COUNCIL OF FAITHS, is a testament of how in a town like Luton, where 78% of people are religiously affiliated and 130 plus different languages are spoken, we are working constantly to build, enhance and strengthen resilience of the town for harmonious co-existence in a very complex context of inter-community relations and communities’ relationships with service providers, local authority, charities, other public sector and community organisations. Our capacity to act as a buffer and a neutral space for communities and individuals to share their concerns and aspirations, remains an incredible resource for the town and our innovative projects transcend the traditional interfaith work often seen. The Methodist President during her visit on 2nd March 2020 also highlighted the role played by women especially those working behind the scene and their political significance in an ever-changing socio-political landscape. She said the most effective change comes from the bottom up; yet this is often demeaned as simply social or domestic activity. This affirms GRASSROOTS work undertaken in its project “Working with Women across Faiths and Cultures” in partnership with ‘Ghar se Ghar’ (Hindi/Urdu words meaning Home to Home). The Methodist President had also said that ‘racialising’ or ‘criminalising’ whole communities of certain ethnicity and faith should not be acceptable. Sadly, we have seen a lot of it happening during the Covid-19 pandemic, whether blaming China for the Coronavirus, or labelling black, minority and ethnic (BAME) communities as being irresponsible during the lockdown. Our projects Spirituality of Justice & Near Neighbours Programme are therefore so much more important in the current times as it challenges any form of scapegoating and encourages and inspires all to work together for the renewal of our creation, but particularly to uplift those who are vulnerable and those who are on the margins. The report ‘Disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19’ launched in June 2020 by Public Health England (PHE) highlights some concerning findings around the impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities. Black Lives Matter protests have also highlighted racial and structural inequalities. GRASSROOTS pledges itself to continue addressing these concerns, besides the growing Islamaphobia, anti- Semitism, anti-immigrant rhetoric in the post-Brexit & Covid-19 contexts. It may all look too big an agenda to work on, but Margaret Mead’s words are always so encouraging; Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. - 6 - The President of the Methodist Conference Revd Dr Barbara Glasson during her visit to Luton on 2nd March 2020 met with GRASSROOTS Team & Trustees, visited Luton Town Hall, Hindu Temple and met Luton’s different faith communities Revd Canon David Lawson greeting with Mayor of Luton Cllr Tahir Malik at Town Hall Fairtrade Gifts from Luton Fairtrade Shop run by talks of Luton Investment Framework – £1.5 GRASSROOTS Luton billion investment transforming the town Sanjiv Kumar of Guru Ravi Dass Sangat Luton Visiting Shree Sanatan Sewa Samaj Hindu presenting a Cooking Recipe Book created as Temple in Lewsey Farm, Luton and met with the part of a Near Neighbours funded Project Hindu Priest, newly arrived from India - 7 - Church Related Community Work (CRCW) Project Church Related Community Work (CRCW) is a ministry of the United Reformed Church (URC) concerned with bringing about positive change in local communities. It encourages the local church to consider 'What does it mean to be a meaningful Christian presence in its place?' The Luton Project was different. Here, the CRCW was called to work with the Bury Park Beech Hill Council of Churches, comprising: Bury Park United Reformed Church, Oakdale & Beech Hill Methodist Churches, All Saints with St Peters Anglican Churches, Holy Ghost Catholic Church & Asian Christian Fellowship.