In this blog newly appointed ECCR chair, Geoff Moore, introduces himself and shares how he became involved with ECCR.
I am writing to introduce myself as the newly appointed Chair of the Trustees of ECCR. I have been a Trustee since June 2020 and in that role have supported ECCR through a great time of growth and renewal. I would like to thank the ECCR staff team, partners and trustees for their passion for this work, in particular I would like to pay tribute to Christopher Stockwell and the other retiring Trustees, for all that they have done in building up ECCR to the position it is in today.
But how did I become involved in ECCR in the first place? I had become aware of it many years ago, and was on the Newsletter mailing list. And then I saw that they were advertising for new Trustees, at just the point when I was coming up to retirement and beginning to look for opportunities such as this. I was Professor of Business Ethics at Durham University Business School (and remain an Emeritus Professor there), so the area of Corporate Responsibility was one I knew well. I had also been involved in the Fair Trade movement, as a non-executive director of Traidcraft plc, Traidcraft Exchange and, currently, as a Trustee of their pension fund. In addition, I helped establish and was a non-executive director and, for a period, Chair of the Board of Shared Interest Society Ltd. – the organisation that finances Fair Trade. So, I had quite a bit of financial and governance experience to draw on in becoming a Trustee of ECCR, particularly with ECCR’s focus on finance through its two programmes – Money Makes Change and Church Action on Tax Justice. I hope I can draw on that experience as I now take on the role of Chair.
But there is, of course, another part to my story which explains my involvement in ECCR. As a Christian I have been increasingly challenged by the God of justice as well as love, who comes to us manifest in Christ (I am writing this on the day of Epiphany), and who is revealed through the Holy Spirit’s activity in our hearts and in the world. Justice takes social, racial, environmental and economic forms, and I have increasingly seen how I am part of the problem of injustice. And I long, instead, to be part of the solution – of justice realised in our times.
ECCR is part of that solution – working towards a world where money is used to shape a fairer, greener future. We have an opportunity through ECCR to influence individual Christians and Churches, and Christian denominations more broadly, to embed these concerns particularly for social, environmental and economic justice in their lives, prayers and actions, and so to work with and influence the communities and societies of which they are a part.
That’s why I’m involved in ECCR. I expect that’s why you’re involved too. Together we can enable ECCR to fulfil its potential and play its part in bringing in the justice inherent in the Kingdom of God.
We want to see a world where money is used to shape a fairer, greener future. With your support we can continue to resource and equip Christians across the UK to better connect their faith and finance.
Congratulations Geoff! This is wonderful news, thank you for sharing.