Advocacy and Campaigns

The following sections provide information and links explaining how to use your voice to speak out against injustice locally and globally.

Environment | Micah Challenge | Fairtrade | Breathe | Stop the Traffik

Environment

Genesis 2:15, ‘The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it’. If the world is created by Jesus and for Jesus we should treat it with honour, dignity, respect – there is something sacred about it.

The Bible also tells us to care for the poor, and one of the greatest threats facing the world’s poor is the damage that we are doing to the environment. Climate change always affects poor communities the hardest, bringing droughts, floods, malnutrition, increase in disease, and even death.

Interested in the environment? Try these links:

A Rocha
http://en.arocha.org/ukmembers/index2.html
A Rocha is an international conservation organisation working to show God's love for all creation.

The Christian Ecology Link
www.christian-ecology.org.uk
Offers insights into ecology and the environment to Christian people and churches.

Creation Care
www.creationcare.org
EEN is a unique evangelical ministry whose purpose is to "declare the Lordship of Christ over all creation" (Col. 1:15-20).

Eco-Congregation
http://www.ecocongregation.org/
Eco-Congregation is a programme for churches to help them take spiritual and practical steps to care for God's creation.
 

Micah

Micah Challenge is a global movement of Christians, Christian organisations, and churches united in their concern to fight global poverty. The movement was borne out of the need for a long term commitment to campaign to ensure governments around the world meet the Millennium Development Goals, made in the year 2000 to alleviate poverty by 2015.

The inspiration for the movement comes from the Biblical prophet Micah: “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah Challenge calls us to ensure justice is done, to embrace mercy in our hearts, and to be obedient to God’s commands regarding the poor.

To find out how to get involved visit http://www.micahchallenge.org.uk/takefive/
 

Fairtrade

HTB is now officially a Fairtrade church. Fairtrade is a really simple way to ensure that trade is working for farmers and workers in developing countries. More of us want to know where our shopping comes from and that the people who have produced it have received a fair deal. Millions of farmers depend on selling their crops to survive, but if they earn less than it costs to run the farm, they face hardship – ultimately they may lose their land and their livelihood.

The Fairtrade price includes a premium which is set aside for farmers and workers to spend on social and environmental projects or to strengthen their organisations. This ensures communities have the power and resources to invest in long term improvement.

Find out more!

* Check out www.fairtrade.org.uk for campaign news, supporter events and information on the farmers and workers behind Fairtrade
* Check out TRADECRAFT's webpage and online shop http://www.traidcraft.co.uk/
 

Breathe

Breathe is a Christian network aimed to inspire us to live well for Christ in a consumer culture. Breathe grew out of a sense of feeling isolated and trapped in consumer culture, and feeling hunger for change, but little inspiration about what to do. It is about encouraging us to change the way we live; about dethroning money, shunning the rushed and shallow lives we get locked into, and detoxing our souls from consumerism, and launching into radical, blessed, sacrificial and fruitful lives. It provides opportunities to connect with others who care about these issues, and contemplate change in a consumer-obsessed society.

Why not get inspiration by visiting the website http://breathenetwork.org/
 

Stop the traffik

Human trafficking is a contemporary form of slavery. It is now the third largest source of income for organised crime, exceeded only by arms and drug trafficking.

STOP THE TRAFFIK is a global coalition which aims to:

* Expose people trafficking
* Lead governments to action
* Unlock freedom

If you would like to join HTB's response to this please contact us at social.transformation@htb.org.uk

http://www.stopthetraffik.org/