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The View From Here
As archbishop he increasingly spoke out against the social injustice and violence that was taking the country towards civil war. I was fortunate enough to visit El Salvador with Christian Aid and the church there is still at the forefront of trying to address poverty, inequality and violence as they see that as being intrinsic to their faith.
Every day we see horrific images of death, destruction and displacement coming from Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. Across Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory and Lebanon lives have been shattered, families grieve, and poverty is further entrenched. Shamefully, war is more profitable to many than peace, and weapons companies spend billions of dollars on lobbyists to protect their interests.
It reminds me of what Reverend Mitri Raheb from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem said about the Bible being all about small people being crushed by empire and asking ‘God, where are you?’ Peace seems elusive, and yet we dare to hope.
We hope because we see people who espouse empathy – those who give generously, those who write to their elected representatives to call for a ceasefire, those who pray unceasingly, and those incredibly brave people who put their lives on the line to deliver aid and medical assistance surrounded by danger. People who refuse to be enemies and do the incredibly hard job of resisting the easy narrative and work to build trust and communication across divisions. People who can see the image of God, in the other.
Our partners work to bring hope in incredibly difficult circumstances. We’re grateful to the Scottish Government for a £175,000 grant from their Humanitarian Emergency Fund to support our partner the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, as they distribute food vouchers to communities struggling in the face of prolonged drought. Coupled with work to improve water access, income diversification and tackling gender-based violence, this support is a lifeline to the most vulnerable.
South Sudan is the focus of our Christmas Appeal this year. At our Christmas Carol Service James Wani, Christian Aid’s country manager for South Sudan, and Mayadah Tarazi from the Young Women’s Christian Association Palestine will speak to us via video, and we will have John L. Bell, Siskin Green and Fischy Music with us in person.
The service takes place on the 11 December at 6:30pm at New Town Church, George Street, Edinburgh. All are welcome, please register to come in person or for the live stream link.
Val Brown
