This post is kind of a part 2 to my earlier post on Newtown’s Mayor’s Civic Service at Hope Church this morning (see below) and also relevant in a week where “God” is all over the national media with the Pope’s visit.
I was pleased to read this article in the Mail this week. The Conservatives have said that the new coalition ‘Does God’ and that religious faith will be restored to the heart of British politics.
The Conservative’s Lady Warsi said the previous government had got things ‘profoundly wrong’ on faith. Alistair Campbell once said the Labour government did not ‘do God’
Lady Warsi went on to say that the last government was also too suspicious of faith’s potential for contributing to society and because of these prejudices they didn’t create policies to unleash the positive power of faith in our society. She insisted faith groups played a key role in David Cameron’s vision of a ‘Big Society’.
I was pleased to read her reference to “Street Pastors”, as this is a scheme that Hope Community Church has started in Newtown. Teams go out into the town on Saturday nights until 4am to work as street pastors making sure that people are less likely to run into trouble after a night out.
I’m not a Street Pastor myself, but I was very involved in helping the Church gain the support from the Town and County Council. The scheme now runs with the full backing of the Council and local Police.
Referring to the government’s commitment to faith based groups; Lady Warsi went on to comment that “I don’t just want to say to you that you have a lot to contribute to building the Big Society. I want to tell you that for me you are at the heart of society already and key to its future, and that this government will be on your side.”
Posted by russellgeorge 
