DIOCESE OF LIVERPOOL RACIAL JUSTICE STATEMENT

In response to the tragic murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the Church of England’s report From Lament to Action in 2021, Liverpool Diocese has sought to practice racial justice in all areas of our church and school communities. In 2022 Liverpool Diocese approved a 5-year racial justice strategy ‘From Repentance to Repair’ with the aim of catalysing a change of culture in the Diocese that will see the principles of anti- racism embedded in our structures and processes.

We acknowledge that racism is a sin. It fails to recognise God’s likeness in the people it targets. Racism blinds us to the reality of the suffering many experience, and it is therefore contrary to the essence of the Gospel and the great commandments given to us by Jesus to love God, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. (Mark 12:31)

We know that people from UK Minority Ethnic and Global Majority Heritage have been victims of racial prejudice, and that the church has at times past, and present contributed to this racism.

The Church in the Diocese of Liverpool financially benefitted from the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and whilst we have made some progress towards reconciliation through the work of the Triangle of Hope we know that work is not complete.

We recognise that racism has advanced unchecked in our churches and local communities as we have failed to engage in and communicate the celebration of different ethnicities and the understanding that we are all one in Christ (Galatians 3:2).

We commit to championing our belief that all people are wonderfully and fearfully created in the image of God (Psalm 139: 14 and Genesis 1: 27) and are of equal worth.

We believe in transformation. Through an awareness of sin, confession and amendment of life, the Holy Spirit can and does change hearts and minds and can bring healing beyond our imagining (Romans 12:1-2). We will do all we can to challenge racism and create opportunities for the Holy Spirit to stir all people towards a more just and equitable society. We recognise that the mission of the Church is the mission of Christ, and we recommit to the fourth mark of mission: To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation.

We recognise both the urgency of the challenge, and the scale of the change needed. We repent for those times we have consciously and unconsciously engaged in racist or discriminatory processes, policies, attitudes or behaviours.

We commit to the work of becoming an anti-racist Diocese¹ . A Diocese that:

• Educates people to understand what racism is and how it has evolved both within society and in our specific culture
• Empowers people of all ethnicities to become aware of the racist ideas we hold and work to move beyond them
• Evaluates its policies, procedures, behaviours and actions to identify and remove racist practices and support new policies that promote equality for all

Approved by Bishop’s Council on 5^th December 2023

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¹ Adapted from Ibram X Kendi, How to be an Antiracist (One Word 2019)

Our commitment to the environment and becoming Carbon Net Zero by 2030

In February 2020, members of the Church of England’s General Synod set new targets to reach a point where by the amount of greenhouses gasses released in to the atmosphere as a result of church life are reduced to zero or balanced by removal out of the atmosphere (otherwise known as “net zero”) by 2030.

During the Synod debate, Bishop of Salisbury, Nick Holtam said “Synod has set an ambitious target for the whole Church of England to respond to the urgency of the Climate Crisis. To reach Synod’s target of 2030 will not be easy, and requires each of us to hear this as an urgent call to action. But this is a clear statement of intent across the Church and to wider society about our determination to safeguard God’s creation. This is a social justice issue, which affects the world’s poorest soonest and most severely, and if the Church is to hold others to account, we have to get our own house in order.”

The Diocese of Liverpool is committed to meeting the challenge of protecting the environment and meeting our ambitious Net-Zero Carbon targets.

Taking care of our environment is central to safeguarding the integrity of God’s creation. As resources are depleted, the atmosphere polluted and ecosystems and habitats destroyed through human activity, the earth’s ability to meet the needs of its inhabitants, including people, is compromised.

By committing to the two strands of Net-Zero carbon and Eco Church, as a diocese, we have the opportunity to work together towards a safer and more just world.

In 2019, the Diocese of Liverpool gained the bronze Eco Diocese award. This puts us amongst only 8 other dioceses who have achieved the award. We are now progressing work towards the Silver Eco Diocese award

We are committed to the 5th Mark of Mission “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.”

If you would like to know more, please contact the Diocesan Environmental Officer: phil.leigh@liverpool.anglican.org

How to become an Eco-Church

Eco Church is an award scheme for churches that take the environment seriously and want to demonstrate that the gospel is good news for God’s earth. There are currently over 25 Eco Church awarded churches in the diocese of Liverpool and more than 70 churches have already registered.

An Eco Church is based on a self-assessment of how the church is “caring for God’s earth in different areas of their life and work”.

Eco Church works through 5 key areas of church life:

• Worship and teaching
• Management of church buildings
• Management of church land
• Community and global engagement
• Lifestyle

Churches gain bronze, silver and gold awards by registering online and working through these 5 categories and filling in the survey (see printable version of survey). There are many relevant resources available on the Eco church website and also some Eco Church case studies and webinars on the national CofE website.

Register as an Eco Church online and login – it’s simple and starts your journey. You don’t have to be doing any activity – just sign up.

For extra support email when registering as an Eco Church, contact: annie@faiths4change.org.uk

Together Liverpool is a social action charity that aims to equip Churches, Communities and Charities to bring hope, resources and support to their neighbours, so they can make a bigger difference in their communities.

Together Liverpool works across the whole of the Diocese of Liverpool – including Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, Halton, Warrington, Wigan, West Lancashire and Liverpool.

Through their work, Together Liverpool aims to:

• Encourage and support more social action through creating a Network of Kindness
• Work in partnerships to tackle and prevent the root causes of poverty
• Connect and promote social action activities which generate community and social inclusion

To learn more about what Together Liverpool offers, please visit: Initiatives – Together Liverpool

In the Diocese of Liverpool, we celebrate the inclusion, contribution, and ministry of disabled people, acknowledging that the church community is only complete when all are welcome, and the partnership that should exist between disabled people and those who are non-disabled.

We all must remember a disability can present itself in a range of forms, from a physical impairment to a mental or learning disability and that disability is often invisible. However, the way in which one defines or characterises a disability is open for debate, what one individual views as a disability, may not necessarily hold true for other individuals with a similar impairment.

As a church, we recognise that we have not always been as inclusive and welcoming as we should be. We acknowledge that disabled people have often faced barriers to belonging and participation that have devalued them and their gifts. But, within our Vision, the diocese is making a new commitment to diversity and inclusion and seeking to be a church in which all people feel they can belong as unique and valued children of God. This of course also fits with our keen work for Justice in all things.

Diocesan Disability Advisory and Support Groups

The Disability Advisory Group and the Disability Support Group are both chaired by Rev Laura Leatherbarrow, the Diocesan Disability Advisor. Laura currently serves as a parish priest at St Cuthbert’s Church in Croxteth Park.

The Disability Support Group is a safe space where we can talk about issues that are facing people with a disability in the Diocese. We bring issues from our own churches and this is a supportive place for people to listen and understand. The issues that have been raised in the Disability Support Group feed into the Disability Advisory Group.

The purpose of the Disability Advisory Group is to discuss the issues that have occurred in the Disability Support Group. Those in this advisory group ultimately advise the Bishop and provide recommendations about how the Diocese can tackle and address the issues that disabled people are facing.

Through these groups, we aim to support parishes, deaneries, and the Diocese in ensuring that our buildings, activities, and services are welcoming and accessible for people with a disability. This work includes mentoring, disability access audits for churches; disability awareness sessions for parish or deanery groups; other forms of training, and individual advice to parishes on disability issues.

If you would like to know more about this work or if you would like to join the Disability Support Group, please contact Laura Leatherbarrow: laura.leatherbarrow@liverpool.anglican.org Alternatively, please contact Merab Gill: merab.gill@liverpool.anglican.org