The Hopeful Activists' Podcast

What does it mean to follow Jesus today? Abi Thomas dives into the lives of four incredible guests who are living as apprentices to Jesus for this special episode with the amazing team at Proximity.Expect inspiring stories, practical insights, and some surprising moments as we explore:✨ Learning and doing on-the-job discipleship✨ Whole-life discipleship: Bringing Jesus into every corner of life✨ Spiritual disciplines ✨ Jesus showing up on your patch ✨ When the supernatural is ... normal✨ Why Jesus has more faith in you than you might thinkContributors:Matt Britton — Is an award winning theatre maker, who brings the Gospel of Mark to life, word-for-word.Krista Coulson — leader of Eden South Bank, near Middlesbrough.Natalie Williams — CEO of Jubilee+, author and passionate advocate for justice and mercy.Joe Warton — Researcher and author exploring what healthy, whole-life discipleship looks like.Take it Further:Curious about spiritual practices? Check out this work from LICC.Want to deepen your prayer life? Explore the Prayer of Examen.Intrigued by Proximity? Find our more here.Whether you're just starting your discipleship journey or looking to deepen your faith, this episode will challenge and inspire you to put your faith into action. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Abi is joined by researcher-activist Naomi Lawson Jacobs, co-author of the book At the Gates: Disability, Justice and the Churches. Naomi's research tells the stories of disabled people; the stories behind the shocking statistics. Naomi tells Abi about activism led by disabled people, the challenges that disabled Christians face, who and what we should be valuing and the problem with the idea of "inclusion". At The Gates: Disability, Justice and the Churches shares disabled Christians' stories in their own words. These storytellers speak back to a church that has more often told their stories for them, calling for justice for all the disabled Christians who have been left waiting at the church gates.Buy At The Gates: Disability, Justice and the Churches here.Buy The Hopeful Activist book here.

Today, we're bringing you a powerful story from Hannah Bourazza, who courageously shares her journey after the tragic loss of her son, Nathaniel, who was killed shortly after his 16th birthday.Hannah reflects on Nathanial's life and legacy, and her work with Power the Fight, a London-based charity dedicated to ending youth violence. Resources:Power the Fight: Learn more about their mission and how you can support their work.Hannah has written a chapter in When Faith Gets Shaken, by Patrick Regan.Previous podcast episodes featuring Ben Lindsay, founder and CEO of Power the Fight, and author of "We Need To Talk About Race" exploring the charity's innovative strategies:BONUS EP – Power the Fight wins charity of the year!We Need To Talk About Race. The Hopeful Activists' Book - A perfect Christmas gift for the activists in your life!Subscribe to The Hopeful Activists' Podcast for more stories of faith-fueled activism, and don't forget to share this episode with someone who might be inspired by Hannah's journey.

Welcome to another uplifting episode of the Hopeful Activists Podcast! This week Abi is delighted to be joined by Rev Dr Kate Coleman, author, leadership coach, and founder of Next Leadership. Kate shares insights from her transformative book, Metamorph, which explores how leaders can embrace growth. Kate's wisdom is not just for leaders but for anyone to make a difference in the world. Whether you're a seasoned activist or just beginning your journey the church and the world need leaders who are willing to evolve, and go where God is leading.Buy Kate's book Metamorph here and discover resources for your leadership journey with Jesus.You can buy The Hopeful Activists' book here. A great Christmas present!

An extended interview with Ellie Gage on this episode, CEO of Kintsugi Hope, a UK charity working to make a difference to peoples mental wellbeing. Ellie shares brilliantly about culture and how to be a healthy Christian, lessons learnt from her time at CAP in Bradford, and in her new role at Kintsugi Hope.Buy The Hopeful Activist book as an ebook here or in paperback here.

In this second episode of our brilliant collaboration with Proximity, Abi Thomas explores how to keep going for the long-haul when you are living and working for justice in urban estates and beyond. Wherever it is you're trying to make a difference, you'll find practical wisdom for keeping your activism centred on Jesus and preventing burnout and we'll hear from four incredible guests who share their experiences of finding strength in challenging circumstances.And Abi isn't just talking about s lowing down—she's giving you space to actually do it. You'll find space to rest and reflect with words from the Bible and beautiful music from Emma Grant.Trigger Warning: This episode touches on some real-life struggles, including burnout and mental health, with mentions of suicide. If that's not what you need today, we have lots of other episodes to inspire you instead.ContributorsDai Hankey – Church planter, founder of Manumit Coffee and Red Community and author of Hopeward. Sam DH – A church leader from St Barnabus, Hattersley, in Greater Manchester.Natalie Lane – From the Life Centre in Salford.Ellie Gage – CEO of Kintsugi Hope.With grateful thanks to Emma Grant and her team for permission to use her fantastic music. You can buy her album Friend in the Fire here. You heard: Coming Home and Eyes on Me.And to Matt Britton for reading Psalm 23 to us.Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans can be bought

Ahead of an online event on the 9th August Abi speaks to Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana about racial justice in the UK. For tickets visit:How can the church in the UK respond to the violent disorder?We also discuss the intersection with climate justice, mental health and how the UK church can respond and recover.

Abi has been out and about again, visiting the wonderful people at Leeds Craftivists to hear about their collaborative and crafty campaigns. Including campaigns around food waste, the cost of living crisis and local transport.If you want to know more about the principles behind craftivism, we have two episodes here and here with Sarah Corbett, author and founder of the Craftivist Collective. Or you can buy her books here.Abi met Emma Temple and Anna Bland, who co-founded the Leeds Craftivists. I was also able to talk to Husain Alogaily, who co-founded Compost It, a fantastic organisation collecting food waste from households and delivering it to local growers who then turn it into compost. The Leeds Craftivist group is open to anyone who loves to craft for change.To donate to The Praxis Centre please visit our website (scroll right to the bottom) or go to PayPal here.

A super short episode to draw our attention to the new resource from Jubilee+ called Voting Like Jesus. Natalie Williams calls on Christians to engage with politics, to pray and to look honestly at our own hearts, as we face a general election.

The first in our exciting new series in collaboration with Proximity, a new resource hub for urban Christians. In this episode we discover the joys and challenges of following Jesus on an urban estate. We'll hear from Allan Finnegan from Emmanuel Baptist Church in Netherton in Liverpool, Tom Grant, also from Emmanuel Baptist Church and Head of Proximity, as well as Tal Watkins and Marie Robinson from the Netherton Community Grocery. And finally from Bishop Philip North, who tells us that there are two stories: amazing life and hope on urban estates, and also a church that has deep inequality within its structures. Allan's GoFundMe for his treatment is here.Clip from Britain's Got Talent used with permission.

Meet the Hopeful Activist team, including the authors of The Hopeful Activist book and find out why we are so proud of it! Most of the team came to The Lodge Café in Bradford to hear the story of how a subsiding building became a thriving community space and find out how to be a hopeful activist. Abi also speaks to Thobekile Ncube from Harare in Zimbabwe, to hear about her contribution to the book and how her view on hope has changed.Ezekiel 37 can be read here.Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™With thanks to Beth, Rich, Eilidh, Rachel and Thobes.

Brian D. McLaren is a very well known author, speaker, activist and public theologian and joined Abi from his home in Florida. Brian works with Father Richard Rohr at the Centre for Action and Contemplation and is proud to be an activist! We talk about Brian's new book Life After Doom, covering:how to welcome the reality of our climate crisishow to be contemplative and protect your mind and what's the problem with hope?We also talk about the parable of the rich fool and the Lord's Prayer ..."may God's dreams for the earth come true."

Grace Hills has been digging up the grass verges, planting fruit trees and increasing the biodiversity on her street, with the help of her neighbours and their children. Abi met two of the children who are part of her Flower Fairies group, where Grace teaches them to enjoy and appreciate nature, and to do plenty of planting, despite living on a suburban housing estate!If you're a gardener this is a good episode to listen to whilst you're doing some digging and planting, and if, like Abi, you appreciate nature, but don't see yourself as a gardener, we know you'll be inspired by the small steps that started Grace Hills on her guerrilla gardening journey. We also talk about being a neurodiverse Christian activist, a subject we'll return to soon!You can find Grace on Instagram @sparkingcommunityThe book she mentioned is called Get Guerrilla Gardening by Ellen Miles. You can find out more about guerrilla gardening here and there's a beginners guide here.

Rachel and Rich (authors of The Hopeful Activist) listen to Abi's interview with Dr Andy Knox, author of Sick Society.Dr Andy Knox argues that our society is broken because we have built it on values that are not working for too many people. Sharing moving stories from the people he has met in his clinic as a GP, we see a system that is stacked against certain people in society and is profoundly unjust. Arguing against "hero leaders", and for hosting, listening and working together with love at the core, Andy challenges us to be outraged by the injustice in our society, and then do something about it.To buy Sick Society visit Boz Publications.

Laura Young has been leading a campaign with groups supporting health and the environment and at the end of January their campaign to have disposable vapes banned in the UK was successful!The campaign is just 16 months old, and has made a huge impact, with legislative change now around the corner and Abi was delighted to be able to talk to Laura so soon after this amazing result! Laura, also known as LessWasteLaura is an award winning climate activist, environmental scientist, and ethical influencer. for more ideas on waste reduction visit her linktr.ee@lesswastelaura across social media

Thanks so much to Sarah Edwards and Rosie Venner from the Just Money Movement for answering some tricky questions in today's episode. If you've ever asked questions of capitalism, if you've thought about whether direct action or becoming a shareholder is the best way to make change in our financial systems, or if you feel like you don't have enough money to make a difference anyway, you'll find something in this interview for you!Find out more about the Fair Tax Mark here.

A great interview with the Rev Dr Ash Barker today! For over 30 years Ash has lived on the front line of urban poverty with his family, and Ash is the founder of Seedbeds, which is all about growing the capacities of urban leaders where they live. I went down to Birmingham to meet Ash at his community church building and there are so many riches to mine from him and we'll also hear more from James Crystal, who we heard from in our Christmas episode about his experience on the Change Makers Programme, which Ash Barker set up. Find out more about Generosity Dinners here.

A special episode about faith and mental health. Please be aware that this episode includes reference to sexual assault, suicide and self-harm. Today we hear from three brilliant contributors. Aaron Shah from Worship on the Streets shares his personal mental health journey. His book is called Being Still, A Quiet Revolution and you can get a copy here, or by signing up at his Patreon. You can hear more from him on this previous episode.Bryn Abbott works for Mercy UK and talks to us about The Big Christian Mental Health Campaign. Do look at their website for more details on The Freedom Course.James Crystal is a mentor to young men coming out of prison with the brilliant organisation In2Out. He is also a speaker and he shares his story of recovery from addiction and mental health struggles.For other support with your mental health visit the NHS here if you are in the UK. You can also get support from The Samaritans.

Pete Portal was born in the UK but has lived in Cape Town, South Africa for the last 15 years. We all have feelings of failure and disappointment, in this conversation we learn to reframe our view of success within Jesus' framework.Pete shares about the continuing impact of Apartheid on his community and how the Tree of Life Community are seeking to be a sign that another reality is possible. This includes hosting a programme for young men coming out of addiction and gang activity and also a home for abused women and children. Tree of Life is a 24/7 prayer community.You can buy Pete's book here and find out more about it here.Henri Nouwen's book In the Name of Jesus can be bought here.

Abi and Rich get together to discuss deep interviews with artist Barbara Keal and liturgist and author Cole Arthur Riley. They delve into embodied and contemplative activism and creative responses to injustice and trauma.We hear all about the Coat of Hopes - there is a 10 minute video here telling you more about the project.Cole Arthur Riley also shares about her book This Here Flesh and her digital project Black Liturgies.Other helpful resources: Nine Fold Path - a resource to help you work through Jesus' Beatitudes.Our episode on Peacemakers seems particularly apt at the moment.

What if 9 sayings from Jesus could change the way we see and act in the world? The Nine Beats Collective have been creating music based on The Beatitudes and Abi went to meet some of the musicians ahead of an evening of their music in Leeds. Abi spoke to Rob Tayler, Heatherlyn and also Steve Bassett doing a visit to the wonderful Meanwood Valley Urban Farm We also hear from Katie Dowds, senior pastor at Lighthouse Church in Leeds and also teaches at the Leeds School of Theology. Katie memorised the 9 beatitudes and tells us about the impact on her life. Music used by permission of the artists, with our grateful thanksHeatherlyn's new album Heatherlyn's Musical Apothecary is available now!If you're listening to this on release day, Friday the 29th August, you still have time to catch the final date of the current tour, which is at the Oasis Centre in London, 1 Kennington Road, SE17QP at 7pm. More details at 9beats.orgMUSIC:RIVER, live recording at Acoustic Nights at The Barn at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm, from the album Dance of the Deep from Nine Beats Collective. WILD WORLD (Euro Remix), Nine Beats Collective, Performed by Barry Taylor, Music & lyrics: Barry TaylorIN RECOVERY Performed by Heatherlyn Music: Tony Bean Lyrics: Tony Bean/HeatherlynWHAT CAN LOVE CREATE? Performed by Heatherlyn Music: Heatherlyn Lyrics: Steve BassettWILD WORLD (Euro Remix), Nine Beats Collective, Performed by Barry Taylor, Music &

Huge congratulations to Ben Lindsay, founder and CEO of Power the Fight and all the staff for their award of charity of the year at the Charity Times Awards 2023. And Ben also won Social Media Leader of the Year!We thought a great way to celebrate their win would be to remind you of this inspiring interview with Ben from 2021.Power the Fight is an incredible charity tackling violence affecting young people. One example of how they do that is running a therapeutic support programme which is reducing school exclusions in London. In this interview Ben shares his spiritual journey with Abi, we talk about how and why he founded Power the Fight, including the importance of prayer and lament in that journey. We also touch on his incredible book We Need To Talk About Race. There is another episode with Ben that covers more of the topics raised in the book in our archive here.Donate to Power the Fight here!

We are revisiting an archive episode this week, whilst Abi puts together some exciting new episodes over the next few weeks!In this episode Abi and Sarah Small, from Proximity Network and the Message Trust dive into the controversial area of where evangelism and social action meet. With contributions from Krish Kandiah, Deirdre Brower Latz from Nazarene Theological College, Simon Guillebaud from Great Lakes Outreach, Joel Edwards, Richard Reddie from CTBI, Amy and Ben Woodfield from The Antioch Network and Chris Lane from St Mellitus College and Langworthy Community Church.We'd love to hear what you think. Contact abi@praxiscentre.org

John White from Hazelnut Farm in Bristol tells Abi about his own climate conversion, and his church which is connecting people with both creation and our creator. He also has some great challenges around Net Zero and growing vegetables. Plus the Golden Turnip challenge!Book recommendation: What I Stand for is What I Stand On by Wendell Berry.Twitter: @hazelnutfarmcomFacebook: Hazelnut Community FarmInstagram: hazelnutcommunityfarmYoutube: @HazelnutCommunity

Vanessa Nakate is a renowned Ugandan climate activist, Abi talks to her about her faith , feminism, her brilliant book, A Bigger Picture and the importance of listening to activists from countries in Africa. Of course this makes the infamous incident where Vanessa was cropped from a photograph of activists at Davos all the more painful.Hear more about the Vash Green Schools project installations here.

Pastor Dewey Williams is a man who has endured a lot of grief, but who has found great joy in Jesus, and through his encounters with men and women on death row in the American justice system. An incredibly joy filled man and a challenging interview.CW: We hear about the death of Deweys father, which happened in tragic circumstances as Dewey's sister was experiencing paranoia and schizophrenia. We also talk about the death of Dewey's daughter, Charity, of health complications. More info on Dewey's book and where to buy it here.The joy filled episode with Lynda Sterling is here: Look Again ArtistWe'd love to hear how you are finding joy in your activism too at the moment!Social Media Links:@DexterityBooks (FB, IG, TW)@Deweymtm (IG)@DeweyWill (TW)

Mekdes Haddis is with Abi to speak about mission trips, charity and hospitality. Mekdes was born and lived in Ethiopia until she went to college in the US and her book called A Just Mission: Laying Down Power and Embracing Mutuality is a challenging read for anyone who has been involved with missions work, or been on the receiving end.Her book is called A Just Mission: Laying Down Power and Embracing Mutuality The documentary Stop Filming Us, can be found on Netflix. The trailer is here.

Three incredible young people from Bradford share the interviews they have created especially for us. Ryan, Faith and Julia are from an incredible local youth project called e:merge. Abi has loved working with them to gain the technical and interview skills they have needed and we are so impressed with the results. The Highs and Lows of Community NursingRyan chose to speak to his sisters community nurse Sam Barrett.Saving Lives and the Dark Humour That Comes With ItFaith interviewed her neighbour and paramedic Jon Robinson.Boys, Sex Education and Andrew TateJulia decided to interview Kirsty Ferguson from Step2.Grateful thanks to the Jerusalem Trust for their financial support for this episode.

Chris Ward is a speaker on the experience of homelessness and works at The Daytime Hub in Gravesend (see below) for people experiencing homelessness in Kent. He shares his story of addiction, homelessness, friendship, church and choosing life every day. Chris also talks about how to share hard truths with people and the incredible work of The Daytime Hub. Jon Kuhrt has worked with people affected by homelessness and poverty for 30 years. He is a former government adviser on how faith groups address rough sleeping and is now CEO of Hope into Action, who partner with churches to enable them to house and support people. His brilliant blog can be found here .Jon met Chris at an event at Greenbelt and they have been friends ever since. The book Chris and Jon wrote together can be bought here.Gravesend Methodist Church and Community CentreCHARITY NUMBER 1132238To make a donation to their work:Account name - Daytime Hub Gravesend MethodistAccount number - 55347668 Sort code - 30-93-6

A huge Happy Easter to you from Abi and all the Praxis team! A short Easter episode for you today, to celebrate the joy of Jesus' resurrection. We are going to delve back into the archives to one of our earliest episodes, back in 2019 when Rich Gower interviewed Jack Wakefield from Tearfund. Find out more and sign up for Praxis Labs 2 on our website.The Bible for Everyone: Scripture quotations [marked BfE] are reproduced from The Bible for Everyone, copyright © John Goldingay and Nicholas Thomas Wright 2018. Used by permission of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK. All rights reserved.

Amar D. Peterman is an author and constructive theologian working around faith and public life, including his work at Interfaith America.Amar has a regular column in Sojourners, including this article on Good Friday as well as a newsletter This Common Life.How do we understand the cross today? Why does Jesus call us to take up our cross and follow Him? How should activists spend Good Friday? Some rich and provoking theology in this special episode for Good Friday.

Is prayer a form of activism? Can we pray in hope when we are feeling weighed down or weary of injustice? What can other cultures teach us about how to pray?Abi spoke to Philip Powell from The Justice Conference and Lynne Paterson from Tearfund. They share their journeys of prayer and give us a practical and theological guide of how to pray, listen and remain hopeful in a world of injustice. Tearfund prayer guide.The Justice Conference is on tour! Book your tickets now.You can donate to Tearfund's Emergency Appeal for people impacted by the earthquake in Syria and Turkey here, as well as accessing their special prayer guide.Sandra Maria Van Opstal from Chasing Justice also shares her experiences of worship and work against injustice in her community in Chicago, and how time spent lying face down on her carpet before God is vital to her life. She reminds us of the power of silent prayer - to help us remember that we are the created and not the creator. You can buy Sandra's book The Next Worship here.Subscribe to Chasing Justice to be sent a copy of the prayer "Audacity to Thrive" guide Abi talks about. Find out more about The Hopeful Activists Community here.

Abi is joined by Elaine Storkey, philosopher, sociologist and theologian and author of “Meeting God in Matthew”. Also Helen Syrop, founder of Hope Housing and homelessness expert and Jen, an adoptive parent and currently researching faith group responses to hardship in the UK. We take a beautiful walk through Matthew and along the way talk about that John Lewis advert, the sentimentality around Homelessness at Christmas and how to find beauty in the mess.A HUGE thank you to Dr J for allowing us to use his track Immanuel (God With Us), you can support him and say thanks by buying his latest music at Bandcamp.A very happy Christmas to all of you, and thanks for being with us this year. See you in 2023!

Can churches really change communities? Where is Jesus in the permacrisis? Where are the signs of hope?Abi had a special treat a few weeks ago...to visit the Jubilee+ Churches That Change Communities Conference. Abi interviewed several of the contributors to the conference and you can find the full interviews on the Jubilee Plus Podcast, but here at The Hopeful Activists we get to hear some highlights from:Kat Osborne is the CEO of Safe Families.Sam Ward is the Directory of Ministry at The Message Trust in Manchester.Natalie Williams from Jubilee+Charlie MacDonald from Jubilee+, author of Overflow.

Questioning allegiance outside St Paul's Cathedral and worship that changes a government: powerful interviews today from Jon Swales and Andy Flannagan and we hear about Rich's work with waste pickers: Fair Circularity Initiative. Jon Swales shares his liturgy for the climate crisis and tells us about Lighthouse, a church for people "battered and bruised by the storms of life". We also hear why he was re-affirming people's baptismal vows in a paddling pool at a protest outside St Paul's Cathedral one week, and another week going into the Cathedral for Queen Elizabeth's funeral. Where should a Christian pledge their allegiance?Free access to Jon's book here:Lament and Hope: Prayers for the Climate and Ecological EmergencyTwitter: @jonswales77For more on the climate action visit Christian Climate Action.Andy Flannagan, singer songwriter and Executive Director of Christians in Politics shares his passion for truthful worship, lament and getting involved in making a difference. How can worship leaders avoid just leading to the holy climactic moment, but instead lead people into lament, righteous anger and intercession?We also talk about Changing the Soundtrack and Those Who Show Up.Andy Flannagan's music, "You are God and We are not" and "Your Spirit Groans for Peace" used with permission, and with our thanks.

Straight from COP27, the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt this week two climate campaigners help us to pray for good outcomes:Jessica Bwali, climate campaigner at TearfundLaura Young, climate campaigner and Tearfund AmbassadorThey have taken some time out to give us some things to pray about this week.

We'd love you to join us on our next Praxis Labs 1. You can hear the experience of two people who have done Praxis Labs 1 in this episode and then sign up here!Thanks to Lau Ciocan and Jen Horne!Lau Ciocan is the Director of Mentoring Advocacy Network (MAN), a platform raising awareness on men's issues and mental health, shaping the conversation on masculinity. For MAN, Lau hosted several webinars and published numerous blog posts. Recently he launched the Mentality Podcast as a place to explore what healthy masculinities are about. You can connect with Lau on Instagram or Twitter @man_mentoringYou can connect with Jen on Instagram @jenstudiesdevelopment

Hi everyone and welcome to the 101st episode of The Hopeful Activists' Podcast! Thanks for being with us on our journey of learning, worship, prayer and action, it's been an absolute privilege to hear your stories and to bring you the stories of others over the last 100 episodes. We have decided to use this episode to do what we are constantly recommended to do by the amazing activists we get to speak to on the podcast, to recenter ourselves on God, to worship, to be honest before him and to pray. Some incredible activists, some known to you, some unknown, have brought us prayers, bible readings and reflections for this episode. This episode is all about the love of Jesus, about the wonder of God, about the power of the Holy Spirit. I hope you find space to worship, to reflect and to pray, and this is an episode that you can come back to.We are originally putting this out in a period of national mourning, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. For some people this is a time of sadness and grief, others are sad and aggrieved by the inequality, or limits to protests, or other unjust events. Wherever you are right now we hope that you will find this episode a place to rest, to recenter, to remember who you are and who God is, and to worship.If you would like to listen to any of the music again (and more worship and protest music) here is a Spotify playlist:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3iUMLMgc8F1KcVb3GAFPYp?si=NKIKWyHZTTGhQvYZWYG82A&utm_source=copy-linkWith grateful thanks to:Jesus!Musicians and Spoken Word:Salt of the Sound licensed via Echoes Blue MusicLucy Grimble and bandKatie DowdsMicah BournesDrJPrayers and Reflections from:Poppy Williams from 24/7 Prayer IbizaVictoria Armstrong from Oasis GortonNatalie Williams from Jubilee+ and author of Invisible DividesRuth Valerio from Tearfund and author of Saying Yes to LifeLisa Sharon Harper speaker, activist, artist and author of

Episode 100!!!Our planned worship centred episode will be with you shortly, but in the meantime Abi and Rich share what they have learnt from interviewing over 100 Christian Activists on healthy and sustainable activism. STOP:Natalie Collins, speaker, writer, campaigner, leader on issues of abuse, exploitation and gender.Natalie's interview is here.Rev Edwin ArrisonAnti-apartheid campaigner and friend of Desmond Tutu.Rev Edwin's interview is here.LOOK:Ben LindsayAuthor, CEO of “Power the Fight”, Speaker and ActivistBen's interview is here.Jo Musker-SherwoodFounder of one of the UK's fastest growing climate charities and now Climate.EmergenceJo''s interview is here.LISTEN:Rev Dr Sam Wells Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields and author.Sam's interview is here.GO:Jared HodgesonHope at Home co-founder.Jared's interview is here.Mariam TadrosRegional Director, Asia-MENA for International AlertMariam's interview is here.Campaign SuccessesIf you need encouragement, this episode features 3 amazing campaigners and their sucessful campaigns.We would love to support you! Find out more...

We are hearing more about the Cost of Living Crisis every day, but what can churches do now and to prepare for the difficult winter ahead? How do we read the Bible in the context of poverty and how can the church act prophetically?Natalie Williams from Jubilee Plus is seeing the impact of the cost of living crisis now and gives amazing practical tips for churches to prepare now for the winter ahead. The TLG training that Natalie mentioned can be found here.To explore becoming a Jubilee Plus partner church click here. This is a brilliant way to get support, training and expertise on anti-poverty action.Chris Shannahan Principal Investigator from the Life on the Breadline Project shares his unique and important research into poverty in the UK, and how the church is responding. What is the church doing with its influence and roots, or should we be doing more? To find out more and sign the Anti-Poverty charter here.You can invite someone to speak about the charter in your church, and the Life on the Breadline project website has some fantastic resources for churches and small groups.

What do the penguins of Robben Island have to do with peacebuilding? The full, deep and challenging interview with Rene August on peacebuilding and reading the Bible in locations that have painful histories.You can join the Hopeful Activists' community here.

If reconciliation is core to our faith, what does that mean for peacemakers? How do we deal with the tension between pursuing justice and truth as well as peace and mercy? And in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, how do we act for peace?Abi hosts with Billie Anderson from Tearfund and member of the Praxis team. With thanks to:Jonny Clark from Corrymeela and Guardians of the Flame.Robi Damelin from Parents Circle Family Forum Mariam Tadros from International AlertAlex Evans from Larger Us and the Larger Us PodcastRené August from The Justice Conference and The Warehouse

With the UK government's "Homes for Ukraine" launching Rich and Abi explore how to best support refugees from all over the world.We hear from refugees about what they need now they are in the UK, and from an experienced host, and founder of Hope at Home, Helen Hodgson about her misgivings about the government scheme, racism, how to spot signs of trafficking and the simplicity and blessing of opening your home.For more information:Hosting:Hope at HomeFull episode with Helen and JaredFamily Reunion:Refugee ActionDigital Inclusion:Action FoundationDo you have concerns about modern day slavery? Call the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700 or the police on 101. In an emergency always call 999.

Abi and Rachel take an epic journey through the ethics and practical challenges of giving and fundraising. What's wrong with giving money to orphanages? What about racism in fundraising? Why is our gut compassionate reaction not always right? How do we move from charity to justice?With grateful thanks to:Daniel Jones from Stewardship. Information on the Stewardship Giving Account here.The article mentioned by Rachel is here.Genelle Aldred from GA Consultancy. Buy her book here. Email Abi first for a free copy: abi@praxiscentre.orgCaleb Parik from Effective Altruism for Christians Lawrence Bettany who mentions the following books:Robert D. Lupton Toxic CharitySteve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, When Helping HurtsDarren Walker From Generosity to JusticeLisa Adjei from The Sankofa Collective and Christian AidSarah Hinton from St Stephen's Church, West Bowling and Shine West BowlingShelley Malko from Futurekraft

Rev. Edwin Arrison, an anti-apartheid activist and close friend of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, tells us about the life of The Arch, and his own life of activism and hope.Edwin now works for the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation and is Director of the Volmoed Youth Leadership Training Programme.

Beth and Abi look at the Arms Trade, and activists who are fighting for peace, including Mary Sprunger-Frose who has spilled her own blood at nuclear weapons facilities, and Mike Martin, who turns guns into garden tools with the help people impacted by gun violence.Grateful thanks to:Alan StorkeyAlan StorkeyGuardian Investigative ArticleMariam TadrosInternational AlertCommunity Score Card informationMary Sprunger-FroseStrength in CommunityMike MartinRawToolsBeating Guns Buy the book in the UK here.Martin TillerChristian CNDInvesting In ChangeShane ClaiborneShane ClaiborneKirsten BayesCampaign Against Arms Trade

Amongst the mixed responses to COP26, how do we carry on with action for climate justice and keep hope alive? Abi Thomas and Rich Gower find out.If you would like to look at Emma Major's climate justice art during the programme click here.Thanks so much to all our contributors, in order of appearance:Promise SalawuRenew Our WorldTearfundRachel ManderA RochaFaith for the ClimateYoung Christian Climate NetworkSue WillsherWriting here on campaigning for TearfundEmma MajorSee more of her work hereKuki RokhumEFICORJo Musker-SherwoodClimate EmergenceJo's interview "How to Stay Well When the World is Burning"Sarah JordanHope For The FutureTrainingEventsSarah CorbettCanary CraftivistsShop

What does justice for refugees look like? Isabel Pedro joins Abi Thomas as we speak to asylum seekers, refugees and other advocates for justice for people seeking sanctuary in the UK.With thanks to:Neelam Banaris from the Snowdrop ProjectBenafsha Yaqoobi and Mehdi Salami from RahyabSonia Hicks from the Methodist Conference and Together With RefugeesBillie Anderson from TearfundWomen for Refugee Women[Sign up to our prayer text message service and do get involved with the Day of Action on the 6th November - in Glasgow, or at other locations across the UK. You can find out lots more from on our dedicated COP26 page here.]Furaha Mussanzi from the Millside Centre . More from her YouTube channel and 10x9 storytellingDave Smith from The Boaz Trust and Jubilee Plus Refugee NetworkSue Butler from Welcome ChurchesAhmed Al Rashid from UK Welcomes RefugeesFor help writing to your MP try Write To Them

This week you get to meet the rest of the Praxis Team on our day away in Birmingham, and Abi also spoke to poet, beatboxer, MC and writer Testament about the power of words, the meaning of "woke" and he performs his rap Eclipse exclusively for us.Find out more from Testament here:https://www.testamenthomecut.comAnd buy his album here:https://homecut.bandcamp.com/album/no-freedom-without-sacrifice[grateful thanks for the permission to use "Breakdown" in this episode]To join the bookclub contact us here:https://praxiscentre.org/community/

Can poetry make a difference?Bruce Gulland and Laura Darrell have used their skill with words to share their perspectives and shift other people's. They share how the arts can be a great tool to communicate and bring healing.For more work from Bruce:https://brucegulland.comTwitter @brucegullandAnd for more of Laura Darrall's work:Insta and Facebook: @lauradarrallwritingTwitter: @lauradarrall#itaffectsme campaignInsta, Facebook and Twitter: @itaffectsmeHuge thanks to Bruce and Laura for sharing their work with us.

Jo Musker-Sherwood led the climate lobbying specialist organisation, Hope for the Future, until she couldn't anymore. The urgency of the climate crisis is putting pressure on many people in the environmental sector. Jo's experience of burnout, and her recovery has led her to research and resource others with emotional resilience strategies.Jo explores how re-connecting with nature, her faith and her daily strategies for dealing with eco-anxiety have been key in her recovery.Jo's blog is here:https://www.climateemergence.co.uk/blogYou can book the events mentioned here:https://www.methodist.org.uk/wellbeingandactivismhttps://hopefulactivists.captivate.fm/selfcareclimateeventThe camping trip Jo talks about was with Change In Nature. More information here:https://www.changeinnature.org