Blessed unity

VOLUNTEERS are amazing! Last week over 250 of them gathered at an event organised by Christian Action Nottingham (CAN), the local network of Christian social action projects.

The aim was to celebrate the volunteers’ achievements and to say thank you for all their efforts.

Bishop Paul Williams, of the Anglican diocese, Bishop Thipa, of Calvary Family Church, Lillian Greenwood MP, Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry and others lined up to express their thanks on behalf of the city.

A recent Faith Action Audit conducted by Transforming Notts Together and the Cinnamon Network has counted 1,268 volunteers giving 128,000 hours in the last year. This is probably nowhere near the true, much higher figure: engaged in such wide-ranging activities as housing homeless people, supporting asylum seekers, visiting people in prison, befriending the lonely, providing foodbanks and so much more.

It was a great event with great stories of the difference volunteers make. It was also the first time we’d ever tried to bring together all the different volunteer groups from churches and Christian charities. This event represented the growing unity across the church in Nottingham as we seek to work together to bless the city.

At a personal level this felt very special for me. When I first began to develop what is now Hope Nottingham, 15 years ago, there was very little joined-up working of any kind, and Hope Nottingham was started to do something about this. In recent years, however, more and more likeminded church and community leaders have begun to work in true partnership and make a bigger difference together than they ever could apart.

It was a real privilege for me to speak at this event and celebrate the tremendous progress that we have made. This comes at a significant time, as I have just passed on the leadership of Hope Nottingham at a time when it feels like the level of co-operation between churches and charities groups is better than it’s ever been, and getting better still.

Of course, there are many challenges at this time, with household bills still rising and the lingering affects of Covid on mental and physical health.

However, we have seen repeatedly that there are many wonderful volunteers willing and able to rise up together to serve and bless those in need.

My favourite psalm says, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity…for there, God pours out blessing: life forevermore.”