Why Fair Trade Begins at Home

Many of us think very carefully about the food we purchase- how far it has travelled; how it has been produced and whether its trading was ‘fair’ enough to enable the farmers to make a decent living.

Unfortunately there’s a global trend for farmers to receive an inadequate share of the consumer price, whether for coffee, bananas, wheat, milk or pig meat.

In the UK the farming community is facing many pressures, and sadly those pressures are proving too great for some.

At the moment there is a threat of TB infection amongst cattle and although milk prices for some farmers have been maintained at current levels, these are still very low. At the same time with the increasing cost of fodder for animals, some pig farmers are finding it difficult to make a living.

A few facts:

·        Of every £1 of food brought by consumers only 7.5p goes to the farmer compared to 50p 50 years ago.

·        Dairy farmers are going out of business faster than ever before because the price paid to them is so low.

·        Farmers are some of the most at-risk occupational groups for suicide.

·        14% of Britain’s total employment depends of farming in some way.

·        Almost all farmers are involved in environmental improvements as a normal part of the farm management.

So how can you help?

Chose local and in season produce.

·        Look out for labels, such as the Red Tractor, LEAF Marque and the Lion on eggs.

·        Ask our retailers, restaurants and pubs where their food comes from

·        Visit the local countryside for a walk or visit a local farm on Open Farm Sunday held each year in June. 

You might also want to support charities that support our farmers. These include:

Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution www.rabi.org.uk

Farm Crisis Network www.fcn.org.uk

The Addington Fund http://www.addingtonfund.org.uk

Thanks to the Farm Crisis Network for much of the information contained in this article. 

Tyne Tees Digital Switch-Over Help Scheme and the Rural Church

Tyne Tees Digital Switch-Over Help Scheme and the Rural Church

Imagine that you are an elderly person living on your own and that your television provides you with company through the day. You may even use the news programs as a way to remind you to take your medications.

You have had the same television for a number of years and are familiar with the controls and it would be difficult for you to get down to town to choose a new one as there is an infrequent bus service and what’s more you wouldn’t be able to afford it.

You see some adverts on the television warning that changes are to be made to your television signal and this all sounds very confusing. The talk of digital signals and special boxes starts to worry you.

However, when the new curate visits to bring you communion, she tells you that there is a help scheme available and that if you phone 0800 40 85 900 they will arrange for an engineer to come and sort it all out for you.

That’s exactly what you have done and a nice young man, well he’s actually in his thirties and reminds you of your grandson, comes and fits a special box so that you can keep your current TV. So when the switch over come on the 12^th of September for BBC 2 and the 26^th of September for all the other channels you have it all sorted.

So where does the Rural Church fit in to this picture?  Uniquely we have people in every Parish in England who are in contact with elderly and vulnerable people in the community who could be missing out on the help scheme and perhaps would appreciate a gentle reminder.

So as part of our Christian witness we can be raising awareness of the help scheme or even perhaps helping our neighbours to retune their TV s.

For more information on the Digital Switch over see www.digitaluk.co.uk

And for more information on the help scheme see www.helpscheme.co.uk

Those eligible for the help scheme include people who are:

Aged over 75 or

Have lived in a care home for six months or more or

Claim (or could claim)

-Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or

Attendance or Constant Attendance Allowance or

Mobility supplement or

Registered blind or partially sighted

Please note that there is a standard fee of £40 but the scheme is free if you receive: pension credit, income support, income –related employment and support allowance or income-based jobseeker’s allowance.  

Micro Combined Heat and Power for Churches and Other Community Buildings 

As we all know technology is continually developing and at a recent national meeting of rural community buildings advisers run by Action with Communities in Rural England I came across a technology which may be of interest to Churches that have access to mains gas.

The principle behind the technology is that as electrical energy is lost during transmission, it is more efficient to distribute natural gas through the gas network and then generate electricity locally using a micro combined heat and power plant (Micro-CHP). The heat energy is then used to heat a home, business or community building and the electricity generated either used in the building or fed in to the national grid for local consumption.

The Government's Microgeneration Strategy has identified Micro CHP as one of the key technologies offering a realistic alternative to centrally generated electricity and it has recently introduced the Feed in Tariff, giving funding to organisations and households that use these technologies.

I have identified two companies that are involved in this technology:

Blue Gen   www.bluegen.info/What-is-bluegen-UK/ 

Baxi           www.baxi.co.uk/products/combinedheatandpower.htm

So, if your Church or home has a gas connection or there is a gas main close by, this may be worth exploring as a way of reducing your energy costs.

Food and Farming                            

As global population rises and our valuable natural resources are under increasing pressure, the need to find intelligent ways of balancing production, consumption and environmental protection are critical.

In recent years there have been food riots around the world as a result of food shortages and rising costs, which are impacting particularly on the poor. There are also concerns about UK food security and therefore Government policy is emphasising production.  So what has driven these changes?

A Perfect Storm

Several factors are coming together that are driving up the price of food across the world and creating what some see as a perfect storm.

·       A growing demand for food and meat, especially in the emerging economies of China and India.

·       A growing demand for energy across the world which means agricultural land is being used to grow energy crops. Even in Yorkshire wheat is being grown to produce bio ethanol and oil seed rape is being grown to produce bio diesel.

·       In addition, there is the threat of climate change and pressure on water supplies.

Our Beautiful Planet

We live on a beautiful yet fragile planet, where our very existence is dependent on a few inches of top soil, rain and sunshine.

Recently the government's chief scientist Professor John Beddington delivered what he called a 'gloomy, frightening but optimistic' presentation on these challenges.
Focusing on population increase and climate change, Professor Beddington said food, water and energy poverty remain the fundamental challenges and that 'climate smart agriculture' was needed now. He went on to outline the growing gap between the world's current water supply and the future needs. About 40 per cent more water will be needed by 2030.
He added that the world's population was likely to reach nine billion before 2050.
"Business as usual in the agricultural industry to meet the burgeoning population and demand on resources is going to exacerbate climate change," he said.
"Climate change is happening and it will continue to happen. People have often said that scientists exaggerate this to get research projects, but there’s an enormous body of evidence to show that it's happening."
He condemned the thwarted Rothamsted Research Station GM protestors, saying the science being trialled at the station was 'exciting' and that it was 'very sad that a group felt it should disrupt it'.


The responsibility for change lies both with farmers and consumers.

·       On the one hand famers need to embrace best agricultural practice and modern technologies to ensure optimum levels of production in the most environmentally sustainable way.

·       On the other hand as consumers we need to make intelligent purchasing decisions, purchasing food items with the lowest environmental impact and which have been produced in the most efficient manner.

Sustainable Farming

The good news is that British farmers are some of the best in the world producing quality food to high standards of animal welfare and the environment. They use modern technology with increasing precision and do not use more chemicals than are necessary as they are simply too expensive; alongside their desire to protect and respect the nature and landscape around their land.

Many British farmers are also harnessing energy from the land, the sun and wind to produce electricity and heat as well as fuels for vehicles, homes and businesses. British farmers are also passionate about their animals. That’s why our animal welfare standards are amongst the highest in the world.

A small percentage of British farmers farm organically, however the potential for organic production is limited, as Natasha Gilbert writing in Nature highlights; “Crop yields from organic farming are as much as 34% lower than those from comparable conventional farming practices, the analysis finds. Organic agriculture performs particularly poorly for vegetables and some cereal crops such as wheat, which make up the lion’s share of the food consumed around the world.”

Therefore solely relying on organic methods is not going to produce the food and raw materials the world needs, so would leave many people hungry or paying prices for food they could not afford.

Food Miles
Whilst it might be attractive to enjoy green beans and sugar snap peas and strawberries throughout the year, flying these in to the UK gives them a significant carbon footprint; so it is more environmentally sustainable to choose seasonal vegetables and fruit produced in the UK.
At the same time food miles do not give the whole picture of the sustainability of produce. For example bananas produced in the West Indies and transported in a modern freight ship are likely have a lower carbon foot print than tomatoes produced in a greenhouse heated by oil in the UK.

What we can all do

·       Chose local and in season produce.

·       Look out for labels, such as the Red Tractor, LEAF Marque and the Lion on eggs.

·       Ask our retailers, restaurants and pubs where their food comes from

·       Visit the local countryside for a walk or go on a farm day on Open Farm Sunday held each year in June. 

Lightening your Load

One of the things I enjoy reading is a book that challenges my preconceptions and gets me thinking. I have just read one such book.

The authors suggest that reading the book requires courage, not because of what the book says, but because of what you, as a follower of Christ, should do in response to what you have read.

This is not a book that is designed to undermine faith in anyway, far from it, if anything it sharpens one's vision and faith that the church can rise to the challenge of being who she is in Christ.

The authors’ view is that many of our church practices have their origins not in the Christian community but in the world beyond the Church and in fact the pagan world this they suggest includes.  

• Our focus on buildings
• The way we order our service
• The way sermons are delivered
• A focus around a professional clergy rather than the ministry of all church members
• Dressing up for church and clergy attire and gowns
• The way we finance our churches
• The way we have diluted the sacraments
• Our systems of education
• Much of what goes as bible study

In one sense, I think the authors have gone too far, as one thing that has enabled the church to be so successful in the past, has been its ability to adapt to a changing culture and to baptise what is good even if it comes from a pagan world.

However, the point is that some of the practices that may have been appropriate in the past have become entrenched; and perhaps we need to hold them more lightly. We can then adapt to a changing world and bring the message of Christ to people of our generation; while not being encumbered with methods which belong to the mission of the church in previous generations.

One thing is clear to move forward we have to let go of things from the past that hold us back.

This book will assist us in lightening our load and to be fleet of foot and help enable the church to be the body that she is called to be in this our generation.

Pagan Christianity: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices by Frank Viola and George Barna   http://www.paganchristianity.org/

Growing the Rural Church: A Conference for Rural Church Leaders and Members, which took place in March 2012 at at Scargill House


There are clearly challenges facing rural churches, whatever denominational stream they are from.

With pressure building on a reduced number of paid leaders and clergy, historic buildings to be maintained and communities made up of a cross section of new arrivals and families that have lived in an area for generations, it is not easy pulling the threads together to grow the rural church.

However there are many positive signs of growth from around the country as rural churches have responded to these challenges.

The conference took place in March 2012 and papers are now available at

http://www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/library-of-good-practice/item/8749-growing-the-rural-church

For the twitter feed from the event see #scargillrural

For details of other events from the Scargill Movement see http://www.scargillmovement.org/

Woodland as a Metaphor for Church Decline Growth and Life

At a recent Rural Theology group we were discussing the nature of the church and how in some ways the kingdom of God and the church reflects the character of God reflected in his creation and in this case an ancient mixed broad leafed woodland. We were fortunate to have as a member of the group Geoff who used to manage an estate, which included a remnant of ancient woodland, which is being restored.

Geoff dropped a comment in to the discussion that a sign of healthy ancient woodland is that it contains an amount of standing dead timber. This left us a bit stumped at the time. Since the meeting I have been reflecting on this trying to understand, what it might mean and if there is a message in this analogy for the church today.

++Rowan Williams has spoken about the importance of the mixed economy in the church; with old established models of church existing alongside fresh expressions of church. I know when I have mentioned the concept of Fresh Expressions that some people in established models of church feel anxious about this; may be they feel this could mean radical change and a loss of what they hold dear.

At the same time I know others are excited about the possibilities of developing of Fresh Expressions of Church. I also know from being a student on a Fresh Expressions Mission Shaped Introduction Course that for a fresh expression of Church, there needs to be some sacrifice or change made to the existing or established church to allow space and to provide resources for a new expression of church to develop.

In thinking about this and the ancient woodland and Geoff’s comment I can see some connections and the analogy with the ancient woodland which may provide a wider understanding of the nature of church growth, development, inter-dependence, decline and death.

We need to understand that the whole of the woodland and not a single tree is the metaphor for the church we are considering.

One thing that I have noticed is that, if we respond to where people are at and allow the church to grow there, the world is in fact a fertile environment for the growth of the church.

This is in comparison of trying to impose something from outside or expecting the world to join us where we are, in our buildings and in a way, we like to worship.

In a way this is bit like identifying the new growth in a wood and seeing, which young trees can be supported and encouraged and the under growth cleared from around them so they have the space to grow.

In woodland the mature trees will produce thousands of seeds, many of which fall to the ground and sprout up. Some will be grazed by animals and birds while others will not have enough light to thrive due to the shade of older trees.

However; if space is created in the woodland due to an older tree falling then where it stood will grow young saplings which will be feed on the nutrients released from the decaying wood of the deed trees. While at the same time other tress in the woodland will be providing shelter from the wind for the young tree to grow.

The new young trees don’t look much like the older tress they are replacing, although they will formed from the same DNA. However; when they grow into maturity they will gradually take the form of the tress they replace, which are their parents.

For woodland to thrive it’s essential that some trees die and space is created for the growth of new trees. Thus the process of new birth, growth, decline, death and decay is a natural part of the woodland process. Without it the woodland would not be healthy and provide the diverse habit ancient woodlands are known and valued for.

In fact, if we interfere with this cycle the ecology of the wood becomes distorted and there is not a balance between old and young trees. This produces the potential for a catastrophic event such as a woodland fire or significant wind damage caused by all the trees blowing over together.

When such a major event happens like a forest fire and there is mass destruction and it may look as though the woodland is gone for ever, yet we know in such circumstances that very quickly the woodland will re grow. Although it will take many years before the woodland is returned to a healthy mixture of young growth, mature trees, dying trees and standing and fallen dead timber.

My conclusion from this is as a church we need to see the bigger picture and not be too preoccupied with a single tree in the woodland. Secondly we must realise that there has to be lots of new growth, only some of which will grow into mature trees.

This is part of the richness of the economy of God and not a failure. We should accept that some congregations will naturally be declining and perhaps need to be given permission to disband in order to give space and allow new expressions of church to grow. Which will be supported out of the resources released from the disbanded congregation?

This may not be that farfetched as it may seem and for example forms part of the strategy of the Diocese of Toronto which has sought to identify congregations which are declining and to work with them so their buildings can be released for new expressions of church. There are a number of examples of churches taking this approach in this country. This has meant that new vibrant congregations have replaced what was previously declining. In some case such as Wesley’s Play House at Howden Clough the congregation is now actively supporting the development of a new expression of church, which now meets in their building.

These new expressions of church will be growing in the context of the environment or context in which they are placed and will be free to develop structures and methods of operation which are appropriate to that environment or context.

In many respects a church that is able to plant new congregations within it or alongside, which are different to those which precede it, are acting like healthy ancient woodland with a mix of young and old trees. Whilst churches that don’t allow space for new congregations to grow within it or alongside and resourced by it are like a group of ancient standing trees all of the same age that are vulnerable to be blow over and be up rooted by the high winds of a rapidly changing culture.

Paint Pots

One morning, during worship at our church, I had an image of lots of different pots of coloured paint with each pot, a different vibrant colour. I got the impression that God wanted to use the paint to paint a picture of his kingdom. This would mean that the paint would have to come out the pots and be painted on the wall or canvass. It was no use in the paint pots; the paint had to be painted on the wall or canvas to produce the picture.

I wondered what the different pots of paint represented. I felt that each pot of paint represented a different church and each colour a different tradition or denomination. Each one would bring a different colour or texture to the picture God was painting. On their own, one pot of paint would produce a monotone picture but together they could be used to paint a multi coloured picture of the Kingdom.

As I reflected on the image of the pots of paint a couple of thoughts came to me.

We need to be willing to come out of our pots and be painted on the wall in the service of God in his kingdom. 

We should be prepared to acknowledge the work of other traditions and denominations in the development of the kingdom and be willing to play our part alongside one another in the painting the picture God wants to paint.