Pancakes, Lent and Fairtrade Fortnight

Happy Pancake Day! May you enjoy the very best pre-Lenten treats with your free range eggs, organic lemons and fair-trade sugar!

We had a fascinating discussion on the nature of social justice and the part it plays in our lives at the Bohemia last week. If you missed it, you can read the discussion notes on in the post below. Do share your ideas in the comments!

No gathering this week, but with the start of Lent, we wanted to plug two campaigns that you might choose to get involved with over the next few weeks. Both represent interesting opportunities to interrupt our busy lives and think about how our choices affect others. See below for details – let us know if you take one of them up!

Our next gathering is next Wednesday (20^th) at Coffee Republic and will be about Fairtrade ahead of FT Fortnight the week after. Its sure to be a good one, so get it in your diary now. Get it in your friends' diaries too – the more the merrier!

40 Days of Water

Help provide clean water to people in Africa this Lenten season by making water your only beverage for 40 days!

Give up something this year for Lent that will change the way you think about water and change the life of someone in Africa. While you give up your morning coffee, soda at lunch, glass of wine in the evening, etc. Keep a track of what you would have spent on that drink, and at the end of 40 days, donate the money you saved to Blood:Water (or WaterAid!) and provide clean water to communities in Uganda.

While you give up your morning coffee, soda at lunch, glass of wine in the evening, etc. keep track of what you would have spent on that drink, and at the end of 40 days, donate the money you saved to Blood:Water Mission and provide clean water to communities in Uganda.

Find out more: http://40days.bloodwatermission.com/ 

40 ACTS

Lent is usually about 'giving stuff up', isn't it? What if you could add something transformational to the traditional?

What if you could give up chocolate and give the money to your favourite charity?

What if you could turn the TV off and spend more time helping your neighbour?

What if your Lent, this year, was a preparation for a lifetime of big-heartedness?

Find out more: http://www.40acts.org.uk/

What is social justice?

At our gathering at The Bohemia last week, we discussed what we understood by the term 'social justice' and how it fits into the life of a Christian. These were the discussion notes we used to inform that conversation.

What do you think?

What is social justice?
"Social justice is what faces you in the morning. It is awakening in a house with adequate water supply, cooking facilities and sanitation. It is the ability to nourish your children and send them to school where their education not only equips them for employment but also reinforces their knowledge and understanding of their cultural inheritance. It is the prospect of genuine employment and good health: a life of choices and opportunity, free from discrimination."            

Mick Dodson, Annual Report of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

In the Bible, the concept of social justice is described using the Hebrew word tzadeqah, meaning to be “right with God and therefore committed to putting right all other relationships in life.”

Tim Keller, Generous Justice

"We often dismiss injustice, poverty, trafficking, homelessness and hunger as the result of poor social, economic, or political policy. It is vital for us to understand that injustice grieves God and is contrary to his will and purpose... [Our efforts to eradicate injustice] is not simply social service or social action; it is the wider work of redemption...

The only true transformation happens from the inside out. It is the transforming presence of the Kingdom of God in the world that ensures the true presence if justice... at both a personal and community level."

Strickland & Roberts, Just Imagine – The Social Justice Agenda

Q: What strikes you about these descriptions of social justice? How do they compare to your own understanding of social justice?

Justice, mercy and faithfulness
"What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Micah 6:8 

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees – hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law - justice and mercy and faithfulness."

Matthew 23:23 

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness [justice] and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

Romans 14:17

Q: Does this ordering of the three elements of our relationship with God surprise you? 
Q: Do we get the balance between justice, mercy and faith right in our own lives and church? 


What’s the difference between justice and mercy?
"Mercy is like the ambulance at the bottom of a cliff, ready to help those who fall. Justice builds a fence at the top of the cliff to protect them from falling in the first place.

Mercy wipes the tears from the eyes. Justice asks, 'Why are you crying?'

Mercy welcomes the hungry to gather round God's banqueting table. Justice addresses why some are under the table aching of hunger while others are sitting on top of the table aching from gluttony.

Mercy seeks and saves those lost in darkness. Justice asks, 'Why is it dark? Who is keeping it dark? Who is benefiting from this darkness? Is it I, Lord?"

Brad Jersak, Can You Hear Me?

A prayer for the would be activist
May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers,
half-truths and superficial relationships,
so that we may live deeply in your heart.
May God bless us with anger at injustice,
oppression and exploitation of people,
so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain,
rejection, starvation and war,
so that we may reach out our hand to comfort them and turn their pain to joy.
And may God bless us with enough foolishness
to believe we can make a difference in the world.

Franciscan Benediction

Forthcoming gatherings

Our next gathering will be the first week in February, a pub session looking at the question: "What is social justice?" This is going to be a bit more structured than some of our pub chats to date, and I'm sure it will prove an interesting discussion, so do come along to take part. That's 8pm on Weds 6th February at the Bohemia in North Finchley.

Our next gathering at Coffee Republic will be on 20th February, when we will be looking at Fairtrade food ahead of Fairtrade Fortnight (25/02-10/03).

See you on the 6th...

Covered in bees

At our last gathering, Friends of the Earth came to tell us about their Bee Cause campaign.

Bee numbers in Britain have fallen dramatically in recent years. Three bumblebee species are already extinct.

Many factors are causing bees' decline - from habitat loss, to disease, to climate change. There is also growing evidence that some pesticides harm bees.

Bees are essential to our food supply, economy and quality of life:

• They pollinate 75% of our most vital crops and favourite foods. Without bees it would cost UK farmers £1.8 billion a year to pollinate our crops. That's more than it costs farmers to produce all the milk consumed in the UK every year.
• They're essential to our gardens, parks and countryside. Bees and other insects help pollinate over 75% of our plants, which in turn are vital to our insects, birds and animals.

Friends of the Earth are calling for the Government to adopt a National Bee Action Plan to ensure the way we farm our food, plan our towns and cities, and protect our wildlife, is better for bees. They are also calling each of us to plant bee-friendly flowers, buy local honey or go on a Bee Walk. You can help bees at home, out and about, or in schools.

In response, Justice Matters members spent time constructing bee hotels to make bees welcome in Barnet. Have a look at the photos, sign the petition and maybe make your own bee hotel!

Sing for Water!

Before Christmas, some of us spent a day dressed up a toilets in Brent Cross shopping centre to raise awareness and funds for the water and sanitation charity, WaterAid (who themselves came to speak to Justice Matters in one of our very early gatherings in November 2011). 

In March, Elaine has organised another fantastic opportunity to support this great charity and this important cause. Details in the poster below - we hope to see lots of you there!

Move Your Money

Last year we looked at the idea of ethical consumerism and choosing to spend our money with greater care. 

Where you keep or invest your money is also an important ethical decision. Move Your Money is a resource to help people make informed, ethical banking decisions. We're planning to have Joel from MYM come along to Justice Matters some time this year, but if you can't wait, you can hear him speak at this event hosted by the London Green Party on 4th Feb. 

If you go along, let us know what you learn! 

The British 10K London Run - 14th July 2013

JM member Ann-Marie and her house mate Angela will be running the London 10k in aid of 28 Too Many later this year (just 164 training days to go, girls). They'd love you to come along and cheer, sponsor them (giving page coming soon on www.28toomany.org), or even run with them. You might even get your own snazzy 28 Too Many t-shirt to wear!

Speak to Ann-Marie or visit the website for more details.

Shared from the Justice Matters Facebook Page