Could you help the Methodist Church put its money where its mouth is?

"In my life, I have seen the devastating impact that the exploitation of wealth can have on communities. We have a requirement to use our wealth with compassion, wisdom and love, both as individuals and as a Church. Being involved in ethical investment helps me to do that.”

The Revd Dr Vincent Jambawo, superintendent of the Stockton Circuit in the Darlington District, has been a member of the Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Investment (JACEI) for nearly five years.

JACEI was set up to help ensure that Methodist money is invested ethically in line with Methodist principles. It advises the Central Finance Board (CFB), which has legal responsibility for investments, on a range of ethical issues such as banking, human rights, climate change and employment practices. The CFB engages with companies, acts in coalition with others to push for best practices, or, in the most serious cases, disinvests from companies or whole sectors.

In the last year, the Committee has looked at how Methodist money can be used to safeguard children’s rights, encouraged CFB in engaging with banks over the financing of the fossil fuels sector and developed a policy on investing in AI.

JACEI is currently recruiting new members. This is a voluntary role, with a commitment to four meetings a year, online or in person. “You don’t need to be an expert in ethical investment”, reassures Vincent. “You just have to be curious about ethical investment and committed to it. Members of the Committee bring transferable experience – from work, study, voluntary activity or lived experience – in ethics, business or theology, or some of the issues that the committee looks at.”

“I think that JACEI is the most important strategic expression of justice in the Methodist Church,” concludes Vincent. “I would really encourage anyone who is interested in helping our Church to put our money where our mouth is to consider applying to join the Committee.”

To find out more and to apply to join JACEI, visit https://methodist.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/Advert/4216651?cid=1885&t=Member-of-the-Joint-Advisory-Committee-on-the-Ethics-of-Investment