In this blog, Operation Noah’s Bright Now Campaign Officer Bokani Tshidzu writes about the leading role of Churches in the global fossil fuel divestment movement.The urgency of the climate crisis…
A reflection from Justin Thacker as he steps down from his role as Director of Church Action for Tax Justice. Two years ago, I started working for Church Action for…
In this blog, Money Makes Change programme manager Rosie Venner reflects on how our banks and pension providers may be the key to solving plastic pollution.My children love going out…
In our latest guest blog, Rev Andrew Haper, Head of Ethics at Epworth Investment Management and the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church reflects on their decision to divest from…
In our latest blog, newly appointed vice-chair of ECCR Fr Simon Cuff reflects on what's in a name and what it really means to be the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility. These…
Rosie Venner, ECCR’s Money Makes Change programme manager, reflects on ways to ‘invest’ in peace. Turn away from evil, and do good,Seek peace, and pursue itPsalm 34:14Preparing for a workshop…
As part of the Money Makes Change programme we are gathering stories from individuals and churches who are seeking to use the finances they steward to shape a fairer, more…
Rosie Venner, Money Makes Change programme manager, introduces a new resource for Christians who want to connect their faith and their finances for a fairer, more sustainable world. In our…
The Christian thinktank Theos has done us a great service in producing three reports on the contemporary landscape of Christian social action in the UK, in this guest blog, Richard…
A recent Taxwatch report revealed the startling difference in how aggressively we pursue benefit fraud in contrast to tax fraud. While tax fraud costs us 9 times as much you are…
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Dr Margaret Scott is a member of a religious congregation, the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She is a published author and experienced facilitator. Sr Margaret was an adjunct professor of theology at Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, USA., for 12 years and Director of the Ignatian Leadership Program from 2016. Her book The Eucharist and Social Justice (Paulist Press, 2009) is now translated into Spanish and is used in Catholic universities internationally.
She served as President of the Conference of Religious in England and Wales and Vice-President of the European Union of Conferences of Major Religious Superiors, focused on international issues of importance to the European community and the Church. She is currently the President of UNANIMA International, an NGO at the UN.
Revd David Haslam is a Methodist Minister who has worked in Coventry, Southampton and London. He was minister of Harlesden Methodist Church from 1974 – 1987 when he became Secretary of the Churches Commission for Racial Justice, as an Associate Secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. He was a minister in south London and chaired the Christian Socialist Movement from 1999 to 2005. He helped found the Dalit Solidarity Network (UK) in 1998 and the international network in 1999. In 2012 he started the Methodist Tax Justice Network which in 2018 became Church Action for Tax Justice (CATJ).
Rosie joins us from Christian Aid where she worked for 8 years as a Regional Coordinator with churches, volunteers and campaigners in Essex, and then as Deputy Head of the South East Region. She has also worked for Student Christian Movement and the Diocese of Lichfield and is passionate about supporting Christians to put their faith into action to create a fairer world.
Outside of work she enjoys gardening, drinking tea, climbing trees with her three small children and reading books whenever she gets a chance. She worships at St Martin’s in Worcester.
With nearly 15 years post qualification experience in Finance, HR and Social Investment, Janie is a chartered accountant who joined us in April 2019.
Janie joined us from Access – the Foundation for Social Investment, where she was Finance Director for the previous 4 years. Janie led on the investment of Access’s £60m endowment, pioneering their “total impact” approach, seeking to maximise the social impact of the portfolio, as well as ensuring the financial goals of the portfolio were met.
Before moving into the charitable sector, Janie worked for nearly 8 years in UK Retail Banking, primarily in Finance and HR Reward roles. Prior to this, Janie spent time in both Cape Town and New York working in audit for a variety of clients. Janie is also a founding trustee of Orchards, a recently established charity with the vision to see women free from sexual exploitation.
Janie is married with two small children who keep her busy playing endless games of dress-up, lego and perfecting craft constructions when not at work!
Lee Coates is founder-director of Ethical Investors Group, an independent financial advice firm dedicated exclusively to ethical investment, and Ethical & Environmental Screening Services, which provides social and environmental screening services to charities, faith groups and ethical investment funds. He is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and of the Institute of Financial Planning. Lee was awarded an OBE for services to ethical business and finance in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Peter is a chartered surveyor, now retired; part of his working life was in employment, later he had his own business in Chester.
A lifelong Quaker, Peter has served in a variety of roles, including many years as school governor, and is a trustee of the Quaker Peace Studies Trust, which supports students and research in the Peace Studies department at Bradford University. Peter is currently chair of Churches Together in Chester City Centre, and represent Quakers on Churches Together in Cheshire.
Raymond was in International Banking before he became a URC minister in 1987. Currently he is minister in South London and was for twelve years in the 1990s an Industrial Chaplain with South London Industrial Mission Blackfriars, when he was National Trade Union chaplain to AEEU, CWU, NUPE, NUJ and UNISON. As a result of these chaplaincies he has worked on issues such as anti-(water and post office) privatization, and for workers rights. Through the Industrial Mission network in Europe he supported the movement towards awareness of ‘ethical’ investment in the EC.
Raymond is currently working with the Farm Labour Organizing Committee (FLOC) and AFL-CIO as they seek to achieve dignity for tobacco workers among the workforce in North Carolina (USA).
Fr Simon Cuff is a Tutor and Lecturer in Theology at St Mellitus College. He studied Philosophy and Theology and Jewish Studies at Oxford University. His doctoral research was on the reception of Scripture in recent philosophy and critical theory. He has a passion for social justice in every area of life. In his ministry he has had an association with craft of community organising through Citizens UK, working alongside the Living Wage campaign. He is also a trustee of Migrants Organise, which seeks to use the tools of organising to help migrant and refugee communities to build their capacity to act in society . He has a keen interest in Catholic Social Teaching, sacramental theology and evangelism, and the use of Scripture in systematic theology and political thought.
Maranda St John Nicolle is the Executive Director of Christian Concern for One World (CCOW), an ecumenical charity that helps churches and individuals work out how they are called to love God and neighbour in a globalised world. She is also seconded part-time by CCOW to the Diocese of Oxford, where she works on global issues and world church partnerships. She is a member of the Diocesan Environment Officers Energy group and on the steering group of the International Anglican Family Network.
Steve Hucklesby has a background in international development and humanitarian aid, having managed programmes in the context of conflict and post-conflict rehabilitation in Africa and Asia. Steve joined the Methodist Church in 2003 as Secretary for International Affairs and now works as a Policy Adviser within the Joint Public Issues team serving the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed churches. This role includes acting in an advisory capacity to the Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Investment to assist the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church in its work on social responsibility in the global context. Steve holds an MA in Third World Studies and edited Peacemaking: A Christian Vocation, a publication of the Methodist and United Reformed churches.
Christopher is a businessman who has been involved with a number of companies over the course of 50 years. He did a business degree and helped establish corporate planning in a major engineering company before running property and furniture companies. For twenty years he led the damaged Lloyd’s Names in their fight for justice against fraud and negligence at Lloyd’s, running several major court cases.
Christopher helped pioneer the concept of social audit and was active as a consultant advising a number of major companies about developing their social responsibility policies. He has always believed companies owe a wider duty to stakeholders and must look beyond the next year’s profits forecasts.
As a member of the URC Christopher helped start the 1% campaign in the URC before being asked to lead a similar campaign in the Church of England. He subsequently served on a Diocesan synod. He was a founder of the World Development Movement and also of Christian Concern for One World and of One World Week. Today he is “retired” running a holiday cottage business and doing building and gardening (plus helping with grandchildren!) as well as trying to help develop ECCR.
Bishop Kenney was professed in the Passionist Congregation in 1963. After studies for the priesthood, he gained a License in Theology at Heythrop College and was ordained in 1969. He studied sociology and psychology at the universities of Växjö and Gothenburg and worked as a parish priest and academic sociologist within the Catholic Church in Sweden, before pursuing doctoral studies at the LSE. He then lectured in and was Director of Studies at the Dept of Religious Studies in the University of Gothenburg.
Bishop Kenney was ordained bishop in 1987. Besides his duties as Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, he lectures extensively and is a well-known leader of retreats. He served as President of Caritas Europe (1991-95), is a member of the International Dept of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales and represents the Conference in COMECE. He is a member of the Las Casas Advisory Board.
Bishop Richard became Dean of King’s College, London, in 1981, Bishop of Oxford in 1987, and in 2006 was appointed a Life Peer. Among other roles, he chaired the Church of England Board for Social Responsibility (1996-2001) and the House of Bishops’ Working Party on Issues in Human Sexuality, has served on the Board of Christian Aid, and was a member of the Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life.
In 1990, he brought legal proceedings challenging the Church Commissioners’ policy on investment, arguing that they gave insufficient weight to ethical concerns arising from the Christian faith. He is the author of 26 books on the interface of Christian faith and wider culture.
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