Archbishop to deliver keynote speech at public issues conference
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will give the keynote address at the ‘Love your neighbour: Think, Pray, Vote’ conference organised by the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church.
This will be the third such conference arranged by the three churches and will be held at Coventry Central Hall on Saturday 21 February 2015.
The ‘Love your neighbour: Think, Pray, Vote’ conference has been designed to enthuse and equip delegates to be effective Christian disciples in the build-up to the UK’s general election on 7 May 2015. The Archbishop’s address will set the scene for a day of reflection, discussion and Bible study focussed on how churches and individual Christians can help create a more just society.
During the day delegates will be able to choose from a number of workshops covering issues such as poverty, housing, peacemaking, immigration and climate change, as well as sessions dealing with the practical issues of encouraging churches and communities to be an active part of the political process.
Rachel Lampard, Joint Public Issues Team leader and policy adviser, said, 'The ‘Love your neighbour: Think, Pray, Vote’ conference will explore how we can work together as a people of faith to challenge political leaders to focus on the needs of the most vulnerable.
'The Conference aims to help us put Christ’s call to ‘love our neighbour’ at the heart of everything we do in the run up to May’s General Election. By responding to the needs of the disadvantaged and marginalised we hope Christians will use their vote to help to create a world that better represents God’s Kingdom of justice and peace.'
Archbishop Justin is committed to ecumenical working and building links across the denominations and is attending this conference as a guest of John Ellis, moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church.
Mr Ellis said, 'Archbishop Justin has been a champion of social justice both in the UK – where he has shown great leadership in tackling payday lenders and in the reform of the banking system – and internationally where he has provided a much needed voice for peace and reconciliation in Iraq and Sudan. It is great honour to have Archbishop Justin as the keynote speaker at the ‘Love your neighbour: Think, Pray, Vote’ conference.'
For more information, and to book your place at the ‘Love your neighbour: Think, Pray, Vote’ conference, please visit the JPIT conference page. Doors open at 10am, with the conference stating with worship at 10.30am and ending at 4pm.
Baptist Times, 05/09/2014