The Group was founded in 1991 as an ecumenical Catholic initiative. Its ecumenical status has been fully sustained with support from Anglicans, Methodists, members of the United Reformed Church and Quakers. Meetings are occasionally attended by those with no religious background. The Group meets monthly at different church venues in the town. Attendance has grown from an initial six to an average of 20 over the last three years (with maximum in excess of 30). The annual programme * is planned in advance by the Group as a whole every November and comprises talks, some interactive items and an annual shared meal with a spiritual component. Each event concludes with a short reflection and silent and communal prayer. We do not necessarily have themes but we try to achieve a balance between international, national and local issues. Our speakers are both lay and clerical and they range from those in the local community and representatives of non-governmental organisations, to bishops (three to date), our MP and two members of the House of Lords. However, a strong inter-faith theme has emerged over the last six years not only involving speakers but also visits to a mosque and Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist temples (with another to a synagogue planned).

Basically our aim is to provide a focus for the presentation and discussion of Christian social teaching in the broadest sense over a wide range of practice and we have developed a strong tradition of interactive discussion. We are, as one of our members recently put it, with no smugness, a “thinking” group struggling to understand and explore our Christian faith in the context of the positive and negative aspects of contemporary society. We do not as a Group involve ourselves in practical action since we are too small and lack adequate resources apart from making donations in support of our speaker’s interests. However, our members are encouraged to get involved as individuals and there has been commitment derived from our meetings to local initiatives such as those concerned with homelessness, substance abuse, victim support and immigration to name but a few. At national and international levels, there has been support for individual and non- government organisations in developing countries, dealing with torture and its consequences and the injustices of Arab/Israeli conflict. Also the highly successful Strategy Group which established Stourport as a Fairtrade Town sprang from within our J and P Group.

Two couples, one Anglican and the other Catholic, and occasionally others, organise and run the Group on not-for-profit lines based on voluntary contributions at meetings, currently set at £1-50 per person. Communication is via e-mail and post with a circulation of around 50. A brief report * of each meeting is sent to all including the local press; its contents are occasionally used in various local church newsletters.

Is the Stourport model, or parts of it, more widely applicable? A difficult question to answer since so much depends upon parishes and local ecumenical situations which are enormously variable. What are the key components of whatever success has been achieved? We would place at the top of the list having an attractive and varied programme planned and publicised well in advance and involving strong and continuous lay commitment. We would add clergy support, if possible, shared responsibilities for the initiation, organisation and running of meetings and good and uninterrupted communication in terms of publicity, record keeping and circulation. Finally, don’t be worried initially about low numbers attending meetings!

Derek Smith (Co-Chairman)

*See Commission website www.birminghamjandp.org.uk

Below is a comprehensive calendar of events for 2009 organised by the Stourport on Severn Ecumenical Justice and Peace Group. It is a very active group, as you can see. We hope to have a write up from a member of this group on the website in the near future.

STOURPORT JUSTICE AND PEACE GROUP

2009 PROGRAMME (revised May, 2009)

DATE EVENT/SUBJECT/SPEAKER VENUE

January 21 Zimbabwe Today St. Michael’s

Miles Tendi – Zimbabwe and

Oxford University

February 18 Meeting Cancelled St. Bart’s

March 18 Business and Crisis

Derek Fradgley -

Wesley Methodist

Company Director

April 29 Report on Palestine Areley Kings

Clare and Denis Neville - Methodist

Amos Trust

May 20 Tanzania 2009: a Working St. Bart’s

Visit

Margaret Paton - Volunteer

June 10 Shared Meal – Stourport St. Michael’s

Forward (Liz Durnell)

Prayer and Reflection -

Rev. Philip Kearney

July 15 Gypsy, Roma and Travellers St. Bart’s

– the Forgotten Minority

Rev. John Paxton – Social

Responsibility Officer

September 9 Inter- faith Relations in the Areley Kings

Midlands Methodist

Canon Owain Bell

October 7 or 14 Visit to Buddhist Temple Birmingham

November 11 Review of 2009/ 2010 Programme St. Wulstan’s

December 9 Justice and Peace - Key Issues St. Michael’s

Rt. Rev William Kenny CP –

Auxiliary Bishop, Birmingham

Meetings take place on Wednesday evenings at 7.30 p.m. except for that on June

which will commence at 6.30 p.m. Further information from Derek Wood

(01299 823619) or Derek Smith (01299 403969)

STOURPORT JUSTICE AND PEACE GROUP

Record of Meeting, July 15th, 2009

Apologies: None

Present: Pauline and Richard Amis, Elaine Barbour, Stephen Davis, Ruth Gascoigne, Helen Golding, Peter Grantham, Vi and Andy Higgs, Sally Jones, Philip Kearney, Ken Mothersdale, Alan and Pat Norris, Kathryn and John Parkes, Elizabeth and Malcolm Russell, Beryl and Derek Smith, Alex and Filippo Vaccaro, Robert Wagstaff, Margaret Whale, Sally Willoughby, Mary and Derek Wood

Topic:

Gypsy, Roma, Travellers

The Forgotten Minority

Rev. John Paxton

Social Responsibility Officer, Diocese of Worcester

John started by listing our personal impressions of gypsies and their lives. Some fourteen ‘characteristics’ were described by different members of the audience. They ranged from physical characteristics, lifestyle, family relationships and bonding to language, education and social acceptability.

John’s commentary on these submissions formed the basis of his introduction and gave him the opportunity to expand on some topics. For example, having ‘no roots’ is embedded in gypsy culture, however, many now lived in houses. Poverty is widespread resulting in much deprivation and there are social problems in communities. Lifestyle certainly affects education, although determined efforts are being made in this county to counter this. Bonding is strong within and between families and at higher levels, resulting in geographical and ethnic groupings. e.g. the Roma (Romany Gypsies and the Irish) are separate from travellers. There is a culture of ‘getting round red tape’. However, if settled there is a willingness to pay taxes. Sometime inter-family rivalry can cause administration and organisational problems. All in all, gypsy/traveller communities are vulnerable because of their many differences from other more dominant social groups, even to the extent of suffering the equivalent of persecution and abuse.

In the remainder of his presentation John focused largely on the situation in Worcestershire. Regular caravan counts are carried out and pitches classified into six categories, the highest having separate utilities. A more static way of life is increasing; perhaps overall as high as 50%. There are currently 488 pitches in Worcestershire (25% of those in the West Midlands) with 74 in the Wyre Forest area and over 300 in Wychaven. Christianity with an evangelical orientation is quite strong.

The Gypsy, Roma, Traveller Partnership Service deals specifically with specific problems in the following areas;

· Accommodation – the development of appropriate, high standard housing on new sites in association with local authorities and the encouragement of involvement of the communities in planning, figures prominently in this work. Documentation and a 15-minute DVD have been produced. There are some problems with communication and literacy.

· Education – resources are insufficient but appropriate books and other teaching materials are available. Several languages have to be accommodated.

· Health – infant death is higher and life expectancy some 10 year less than in the rest of the community. This needs to be rectified

· Prison visiting and ex prisoners

· ‘Racism’ and general prejudice

In terms of making progress in these areas public support is important. Misrepresentation in the press and dissemination of ‘racist’ views are being countered and some progress made. Positive responses have been achieved e.g. committed and enthusiastic police representation on the Partnership Service. The churches are playing their role via the provision of marriage and other sacraments, and the promotion of pastoral unity by breaking down barriers between communities.

Next Meeting:

Inter-Faith Relations in the Midlands

Canon Owain Bell

Rector, St. Mary and All Saints

Kidderminster

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Areley Kings Methodist Church

Areley Common, Stourport on Severn

7.30 p.m.

Owain is well known for this work with those of other faiths. He has been involved with our past interaction with Jewish, Moslem, Sikh and Hindu local communities. This meeting gives him an opportunity to update us on the general situation in the Midlands and is a forerunner to our visit to a Buddhist temple in October

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