Inspired by the relational and convening role of churches during the pandemic—such as St George’s and the Shadwell Responds and St Andrew’s and Stamford Hill Unite—and using the asset-based methodology of the Near Neighbours programme, this new workstream emerged, focusing on:
1. Building relationships
across diverse neighbourhoods, with churches acting as hubs for local training, listening, and action, and connecting them with the broad-based Citizens UK alliance.
2. Strengthening churches' financial resilience
A pilot project for a relationally and financially sustainable neighbourhood organising model is currently being developed with two churches in Waltham Forest: St Barnabas Church in Walthamstow and Holy Trinity Church in Leytonstone. Both of these churches have developed Warm Spaces as places of engagement with the wider community – as has St Martin’s Church, Plaistow in Newham.
Additionally, in Tower Hamlets, St George-in-the-East’s neighbourhood action team has secured funding for 60 affordable homes for local people and developed a weekly community cafe. In Hackney, St Andrew’s Church continues to unite its diverse community through a gardening project and campaigns for cleaner streets.
Neighbourhood organising helps us explore how churches and their neighbours can weave justice and mercy together, bridging the gap between providing front-line services (like food banks and warm spaces) and developing people’s leadership and agency to act on issues they care about.
Our partners include Near Neighbours, the Good Faith Partnership and the Warm Welcome campaign where CTC is also leading the national community organising strategy, using it to strengthen warm spaces and develop neighbourhood actions)
