Inspiration as justice-seekers gather

A national gathering last weekend offered energetic encouragement to persist in working for peace and justice. The ‘For Goodness Sake!’ conference was held in Derby and organised by the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) on behalf of the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches, and the Church of Scotland. It attracted 200 participants from across the country, for a day of inspiration, resourcing and building connections.

Opening the event, JPIT’s team leader Simeon Mitchell acknowledged it was a difficult time to be a justice-seeker and a follower of Christ, but then asked when it had ever been easy. He invited participants to draw strength and energy from meeting together and the opportunities to listen, learn, pray, speak and act for peace and justice through the day.

In the first keynote address, the Very Revd Sally Foster-Fulton, a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, explored the question of ‘what is ours to do?’. Drawing on the wisdom of the gospels, she outlined a range of practices for justice-seekers, including remembering who you are, persistence and passive resistance, and listening to those on the other side. A panel of activists from different generations dug more deeply into her reflections.

Listening spaces enabled attendees to hear more about a range of issues from those who brought lived experience and expertise. These included poverty, refugees, the environment, responding to the rise of the far right and a live link to the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem to hear voices from Gaza and the West Bank.

In the second keynote, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford, who came to the UK aged 14 as a refugee from Iran, addressed the subject of ‘holding onto the good’. At a time when “binary opposites rule and try and seduce us into their corner, we must resist the temptation to do likewise”, she argued. She urged the Church to embrace its marginality, remain faithful and humble, and “sing a new song for and from the margins”.

A recurring theme through the day was the importance of building relationships across divides, including with politicians. Local MP Catherine Atkinson was interviewed about her motivations for being involved in politics, and how churches could relate well to MPs, modelling a conversation that churches were encouraged to hold in their own localities. Steve Tinning, the Baptist Union’s Public Issues Enabler, talked about his experience of nurturing connections with his local MPs, and how that had resulted in a number of issues being raised successfully in parliament. Through JPIT’s Constituency Action Network, churches are being offered support in building positive and purposeful relationships with their MPs.

Workshops equipped participants to consider how they might do good through their use of money, bring justice issues into worship, tell different stories, recognise how social action and social justice go hand in hand, and explore the links between theology and activism. People were encouraged to join in with current campaigns around child poverty and standing with refugees. Stalls from a range of charities and campaign organisations offered further ways to get involved in taking action on different justice issues.

At the start and end of the day, worship was led by members of the Wild Goose Resource Group of the Iona Community, with whom JPIT has entered into a new ‘resourcing partnership’. The event concluded with this hopeful prayer of commitment:

Reshape us, God
until in compassion, in courage,
in tenderness and tenacity,
we reflect your goodness in the world.

Make us builders of justice
rather than bystanders of inequity.
Make our communities laboratories of kindness,
and signposts to a more loving world.

Then, in us, through us,
and if need be, despite us,
let your goodness come.

The keynote addresses from the conference were recorded and can be watched at jpit.uk/conference

Simeon Mitchell
12 November 2025