I think the scriptures can give confidence to people today who want to challenge the powers that be, about the situations that are causing them harm. Today is Church Action on Poverty Sunday, an opportunity to reflect on the work of that organisation. Years back I helped to organise an event which we called the Liverpool Poverty Hearing which took place just days before the 1997 General Election.
On that occasion, held in a city centre Friends Meeting House, eight people with direct experience of living in real poverty in Liverpool were courageous enough to share their stories with an audience of the city’s decision-makers, business leaders, and parliamentary candidates. Their truthful, expert, voices were for once given a platform to be heard. The powerful ones were there to listen, and learn.
Karen from Norris Green spoke of the pain of having to face leaving Liverpool to gain meaningful work and move out of the poverty trap she was in.
Barbara from Everton suggested that poverty now was worse than in earlier generations because of an increase in social isolation.
Matt from Everton spoke of life on invalidity benefit – no cinema, no books, no means to make provision for his long term illness – and asked, “do I have to live in poverty all my life?”.
Jo, a graduate unable to find work, described life on £44 a week.
Dawn from Kirkdale, a mother of four, her partner on a wage just £1 above unemployment benefit, described the pain of being unable to provide properly for her young ones.
Ann, homeless through a series of events linked to her estranged husband’s violence against her, said that she’d be dead if she’d stayed with him and asked, “Why, because I chose to stay alive for the sake of my children, should I be forced to live a life in poverty?”
And Eric from Everton explained the ‘benefit trap’ that he and his wife were in because of her low income job. [2]
As a consequence of that meeting we formed Merseyside and Region Church Action on Poverty; and in the intervening years members have continued their campaigning, carried on organising events of these kinds.
Some of our grassroots people have been involved in parliamentary consultations and face-to-face meetings with ministers. And, in those rare and special times when the powerful truly stopped to listen, these consultations contributed towards some genuinely positive changes of policy.
So, today, we give thanks for Church Action on Poverty; people doing the same work today as the woman in Jesus’ parable, whose persistence overcame the resistance of the powerful ones.
Ellie Malhotra reviews a new play, a much-needed wake-up call for change that restores power to voices that are too often ignored.
