Dear Friends,
Welcome to our Easter newsletter as our world gets turned upside down.
The sheer scale of the destruction wreaked by Covid-19 is almost impossible to imagine and the human tragedy is heart-breaking. And yet, in spite of this great disruption, we see seeds of hope and signs that the crisis may hasten a national renewal, possibly even the reform of the global order itself.
As we approach Easter, despite the sense of loss and disorientation, we see a beautiful community spirit being resurrected, with thousands of neighbourly support groups and countless acts of kindness. Respect for key workers is now widely expressed after decades of indifference. This seismic event is affecting everything and the balance of power will inevitably change. People are realising that it is in their interests to work together for the Common Good.
Living in lockdown has its benefits – connecting with friends and family and taking more time to think and pray. So in this edition, we’ve gathered plenty of resources for you to explore.
We are looking at the crisis through the lens of Common Good thinking: Wayne Parsons meditates on this time of disruption as wilderness and believes it could be the impetus for a new political settlement, while Kelly Johnson sees the pandemic as a moment of conversion as we recognise our interdependence, and Jerry Beyer reflects on solidarity in light of social distancing.
We’ve looked at the implications for our politics and assembled some links for you below to articles by some of the smartest thinkers. Also below you’ll find a collection of useful links to practical resources as you lend a hand in your communities. Finally, as churches are sadly closed, we share with you guidance for churches wanting to move online, plus some examples of streamed services to give you a flavour of what is already going on.
Once the pandemic is over, our Common Good training resources will help churches play their part in the great task of civic renewal. In the meantime you will find a wealth of inspiration and information on our website. We are fortunate to be able to work from home and our team is pursuing the T4CG agenda with renewed energy. Among other things we are putting together a new webinar series, to be announced in the coming weeks.
God bless you and your neighbours this Easter
Together for the Common Good
This is from our Easter 2020 newsletter.
To download the newsletter as a pdf, click here