Get involved and take action: free training this March

People in parishes across Lancashire will be joining us for some special free training this March, aimed at helping them become a more visible presence to help reduce poverty in their area.

Here, our director, Patrick O’Dowd, tells us more about the sessions, how you can get involved, and, most importantly, why he’s hoping they will lead to positive change in our diocese…

If you’re on our website, it’s likely you know that we work closely with people from communities across Greater Manchester and Lancashire to help support them during times of acute crisis, but also for the long-term too.

But, did you know, that people in our local parishes also play a really important part in bringing about lasting change?

With many thousands of people in our diocese experiencing poverty, homelessness, displacement and disadvantage, we’re keen to continue in our mission to help support parishes and equip them with the tools needed to reach out to people living on the margins of society.

With much public rhetoric in recent weeks and months sadly exasperating misconceptions about people in various communities and from a wide range of backgrounds – from refugees and people seeking asylum to those who are disabled or experiencing homelessness, there is much discussion, and not all is positive in helping to bring about positive change.

As Pope Francis said, ‘necks are going to get stiff from looking the other way so we don’t have to see this situation’. He also said ‘…let’s focus on accepting them, on welcoming all the people who need it’, adding ‘…a culture of welcoming, of providing shelter, of offering love, of giving human warmth.’

We’re really grateful to the people in our parishes who take up the call to action to help bring about tangible changes where they live. We hope that our charity is able to support that vital work and help equip communities with the expertise, information and other resources to assist in that mission.

It can sometimes be easy to hear statistics about people in poverty or homelessness in our areas and not really register the details. To see the information and scroll on by. But, our teams at our services across the diocese see first-hand the individuals and families behind those numbers. Many never expected to be in the situation they are in, and we’re proud to work with them, and with local parish communities too, to support them as they transform their lives with dignity.

In this Jubilee year, to help parishes even further in this vital outreach action, we’ve partnered with Resolve Poverty to run a special training session so that they are armed with the knowledge and tools to help them reach out and help.

It’s taking place on Saturday 29 March from 10am to 12noon at St John’s Church Hall, Ivy Street, Burnley, BB10 1TB and you can find out more and book your place here now.

Places are limited so reserving your free place is essential.

We’ll also be running a session for parishes in Greater Manchester soon, so please watch this space…

We’re really grateful to our parish communities for taking action in changing approaches to poverty and exclusion.

You can find out more about ways to take action in your parish here.