On Saturday 19 November we relaunched as the JustMoney Movement with our national JustMoney conference, gathering together Christians from across the UK to discuss how money is connected to our concern for the climate crisis, poverty and inequality, and to call for action.
The JustMoney conference took place at St Andrew’s Church, Short Street, London, and contributors included Ruth Valerio (Tearfund) who talked about our consumer power to tackle the climate crisis and how we can use our money to shape a greener world. You can watch her contribution here. (apologies for the technical difficulties which mean the sound is quite poor quality)
We had workshops on using our money for good and campaigning on tax justice and there were opportunities to pray, reflect, and take action, writing a prayer or note in a (reused!) plastic bottle to show our commitment to tackle the financing of plastic pollution.
In the afternoon there was a fascinating panel discussion on the intersections of economic and racial justice with Alton Bell (Movement for Justice & Reconciliation – MJR) and Elaine Bowes (Pentecostal Credit Union – PCU) on the different ways that Black Christians have responded to these challenges, with MJR using education and awareness raising as a tool for seeking reparation and reconciliation, and the PCU who seek to strengthen their own communities from within – through the formation of a specific credit union to finance Pentecostal churches.
Our final speaker was Rachel Lampard who leads the Walking with Micah Project of the Methodist Church. She talked about our need to “share our stories of justice, as Christians and churches and as the JustMoney Movement rooted in our understanding of a God who is just, and whose greener, fairer world we glimpse even in the turbulent world around us.” Click on the following links to view her notes and presentation.
The conference began a new season for our organisation, drawing together Christians and churches together as part of a broader movement for change – connecting faith and finance to help tackle the widespread injustices in our world. In the midst of the cost-of-living scandal and the climate crisis, this movement is more needed than ever.
Sarah Edwards is Executive Director of the JustMoney Movement