Cathy Le Feuvre

Founders' Day - the beginnings of The Salvation Army

If you've never had July 2 noted in your calendar as an important date, then you're probably not involved in or associated with The Salvation Army, the global church and charity organisation.

You won't know, therefore, that July 2 is 'Founders' Day' ... the day in 1865 which is marked as the start of the Christian movement that (eventually) became The Salvation Army.

More than a decade ago I was privileged to have published my first book ... 'William and Catherine - the love story of the founders of The Salvation Army told through their letters' (Monarch Books 2013).

As the title indicates, it's the story of William and Catherine Booth, who between them started the Christian movement which today is in 134 countries across the world offering not just spiritual support through a network of churches (or 'corps' as they are known) but also hope and help for people who find themselves disadvantaged - those who are homeless, victims of modern slavery, those struggling with addiction, families needing support through foodbanks and the need for housing, support and fun for children and young people. And SO much more!

In my book I trace William and Catherine's love story, family life, and spiritual journey ... a journey which began way before the couple came to London, where The Salvation Army was founded, way before William was ordained into the Methodist Church, and Catherine herself took up a preaching ministry mostly to other women.

My book is a mixture of story-telling. There are excerpts from William and Catherine's personal letters, which are today held in the British Library in London, who kindly granted me permission to reproduce parts of some of the letters. There's a whole lot of 'history' which followed many many months of research on my part, the narrative which brings the story together. And then there are short 'stories' of my own making, based on information in Salvation Army history, and the Booths' letters.

These little 'glimpses' into life in Victorian England and into the lives of the Booths and the early Salvation Army may be described as 'immersive history' telling, and they were such fun to write as I tried to get under the skin of the times and the people with whom the Booths came into contact. I hope they really bring the couple and their times to life!

Chapter 13 of the book includes one of those little tales from that summer of 1865, when we know the Booths were settling into life in London, after years of living in lots of different places in England. We know also that it was midsummer of 1865 that William Booth preached outside the Blind Beggar pub in the poor East End of London. Not long after that, he was invited to preach as part of a wider Christian campaign and on July 2 1865 he preached in a tent on the Mile End Waste in the East End... not far from that pub.

THAT tent meeting is the occasion that Salvationists - members of The Salvation Army across the world - mark as the start of the Christian church and movement to which they belong. Which is why we are marking THAT day today! 

Please feel free to read about that day at the Blind Beggar pub ... from that chapter in my book.... and if this whets your appetite for more and you fancy reading the whole thing and even buying the book then you may click here.

Thanks so much!

Outside on the street a tall man with a thick dark beard mounted an old box.

Oh, not this again!

Couldn’t a man enjoy a couple of ales without having that noise outside? If the pub wasn’t so handy for home, he’d find somewhere else to sup. But the Blind Beggar was perfect, especially when he’d had a few too many – all he needed to do was stagger round the corner to the old woman who’d be there, as always, waiting to put him to bed.

The drinker rubbed the dirty window pane to peer out.
“George!” he shouted to the aleman behind the bar. “Can’t you get rid of ’em?”
“It’s a free world, Joe. So long as they don’t step over the doorstep we can’t do nuffink about ’em!”
“Shut the door!” someone yelled.
“Don’t you dare! It’s bloody boilin’ in here!” shouted barman George.

He was right, of course. Even this late in the day, it was still warm. Well it was midsummer, after all, and the inn reeked of sweat, stale beer, and the stench of the open sewer in the road outside.

Joe looked out of the window again. He’d lost count of the times his drinking had been interrupted by these religious fanatics. There seemed to be an endless stream of them, all spouting about God and how he needed “saving”.

Saving from what, that’s what he wanted to know. Who could save him from the misery of gruelling hard work and grinding poverty?

Maybe another pint might help. He searched his torn pocket. Just a penny left. Enough for one more, but then he’d go home empty-handed again and he’d get it in the neck from the old woman. He’d done that many a time before, even though it meant the kids went to bed with empty bellies. But a man had to have his fun, didn’t he? What with spending all day at the docks, hauling all those sacks of whatever it was they were loading the ships with. Maybe he’d just spend the ha’penny.

“Another half, George!” Joe approached the bar, where the crowd had thinned out a bit. A few of his mates had ambled outside and seemed to be listening to the tall man. A few were heckling from the door, but a couple had moved forward.

Just to get a bit of air, Joe took his half across the threshold into the street and stood there under the Blind Beggar sign.
“Not seen this one afore, Will!” he said to the man next to him.
“No – new, I think! Looks a bit fresh, doesn’t he?”

Not just fresh, but not posh either, Joe noted. He wasn’t dressed particularly sharply; his frock coat looked a little worse for wear. In fact, he appeared more frayed around the edges that the other missioners who usually turned up outside the pub. This one’s thick black hair was all over the place as he waved his arms around. He was sweating profusely and occasionally mopped his brow with a grey-looking kerchief. And what was that accent? He wasn’t from London, that was for sure.

Joe was intrigued. He found himself listening to this one as he hadn’t listened before. He was, of course, a religious nut, but he seemed to be a bit more normal than the rest.

“What’s ’is name, Will?”
“That’s right!” came the reply, followed by a hearty laugh.
“Don’t muck me about, mate! What’s ’is bloody name?”
“You said it! ’is name is Will! William Booth!”

                                                                   .....

In the summer of 1865 outside the Blind Beggar pub, William Booth was doing what came naturally, preaching to the unconverted in their own environment. Under a pub sign, risking ridicule and even some physical danger – it wasn’t unusual for street preachers to have things thrown at them by a heckling crowd – William was part of an evangelistic tradition that was growing rapidly in mid-nineteenth-century London. There were numerous chapels and small missions, many of them Methodist, across this part of town. By the 1850s there were around 144 charities at work in London, many of which were already mixing religion with practical works and good deeds.

William’s street preaching impressed a group of churchmen and evangelists known as the East London Special Services Committee. Among them were Mr R.C. Morgan and Mr Samuel Chase, the editors of The Revival, who, despite their misgivings over the preaching antics of the Revd Booth’s wife, were still determined to have William join them for their next evangelistic campaign.

The Special Committee didn’t come from or belong to one single denomination, and William Booth had already preached for them at the Garrick Theatre some years before. Now they wanted him for more radical work, and on 2 July 1865 – the date that is now noted in history as the “start” of The Salvation Army – William Booth stood to preach for them in a tent on the Mile End Waste, on the old Quaker Burial Ground in Whitechapel, East London.

Although the old tent blew down that autumn, there was no stopping the Booth mission. 

The East London Christian Revival Society was born and in the winter of 1865 it moved indoors. On Sundays the meetings were held in a local building – the Assembly Rooms on New Road, Whitechapel, otherwise known as Professor Orson’s Dancing Academy, its main function in the week. Even on the Sabbath the evangelists had to share their meeting hall with a photographer, and on weekdays the Booths and their expanding group of supporters rented other venues: an old chapel, a warehouse, a stable, a carpenter’s shop, a skittle alley.....

What happened next? 

By 1870 the 'Christian Revival Association' had been renamed 'The East London Christian Mission' and then simply 'The Christian Mission'. It was early in 1878 that publicity was issued with both the name 'Christian Mission' and 'Salvation Army' attached, but by May of that year the name 'Christian Mission' had been finally dropped and William and Catherine's Christian movement became ... 'The Salvation Army'.

The rest, as they say, is history!

Founders' Day - the beginnings of The Salvation Army

If you've never had July 2 noted in your calendar as an important date, then you're probably not involved in or associated with The Salvation Army, the global church and charity organisation.

You won't know, therefore, that July 2 is 'Founders' Day' ... the day in 1865 which is marked as the start of the Christian movement that (eventually) became The Salvation Army.

More than a decade ago I was privileged to have published my first book ... 'William and Catherine - the love story of the founders of The Salvation Army told through their letters' (Monarch Books 2013).

As the title indicates, it's the story of William and Catherine Booth, who between them started the Christian movement which today is in 134 countries across the world offering not just spiritual support through a network of churches (or 'corps' as they are known) but also hope and help for people who find themselves disadvantaged - those who are homeless, victims of modern slavery, those struggling with addiction, families needing support through foodbanks and the need for housing, support and fun for children and young people. And SO much more!

In my book I trace William and Catherine's love story, family life, and spiritual journey ... a journey which began way before the couple came to London, where The Salvation Army was founded, way before William was ordained into the Methodist Church, and Catherine herself took up a preaching ministry mostly to other women.

My book is a mixture of story-telling. There are excerpts from William and Catherine's personal letters, which are today held in the British Library in London, who kindly granted me permission to reproduce parts of some of the letters. There's a whole lot of 'history' which followed many many months of research on my part, the narrative which brings the story together. And then there are short 'stories' of my own making, based on information in Salvation Army history, and the Booths' letters.

These little 'glimpses' into life in Victorian England and into the lives of the Booths and the early Salvation Army may be described as 'immersive history' telling, and they were such fun to write as I tried to get under the skin of the times and the people with whom the Booths came into contact. I hope they really bring the couple and their times to life!

Chapter 13 of the book includes one of those little tales from that summer of 1865, when we know the Booths were settling into life in London, after years of living in lots of different places in England. We know also that it was midsummer of 1865 that William Booth preached outside the Blind Beggar pub in the poor East End of London. Not long after that, he was invited to preach as part of a wider Christian campaign and on July 2 1865 he preached in a tent on the Mile End Waste in the East End... not far from that pub.

THAT tent meeting is the occasion that Salvationists - members of The Salvation Army across the world - mark as the start of the Christian church and movement to which they belong. Which is why we are marking THAT day today! 

Please feel free to read about that day at the Blind Beggar pub ... from that chapter in my book.... and if this whets your appetite for more and you fancy reading the whole thing and even buying the book then you may click here.

Thanks so much!

Outside on the street a tall man with a thick dark beard mounted an old box.

Oh, not this again!

Couldn’t a man enjoy a couple of ales without having that noise outside? If the pub wasn’t so handy for home, he’d find somewhere else to sup. But the Blind Beggar was perfect, especially when he’d had a few too many – all he needed to do was stagger round the corner to the old woman who’d be there, as always, waiting to put him to bed.

The drinker rubbed the dirty window pane to peer out.
“George!” he shouted to the aleman behind the bar. “Can’t you get rid of ’em?”
“It’s a free world, Joe. So long as they don’t step over the doorstep we can’t do nuffink about ’em!”
“Shut the door!” someone yelled.
“Don’t you dare! It’s bloody boilin’ in here!” shouted barman George.

He was right, of course. Even this late in the day, it was still warm. Well it was midsummer, after all, and the inn reeked of sweat, stale beer, and the stench of the open sewer in the road outside.

Joe looked out of the window again. He’d lost count of the times his drinking had been interrupted by these religious fanatics. There seemed to be an endless stream of them, all spouting about God and how he needed “saving”.

Saving from what, that’s what he wanted to know. Who could save him from the misery of gruelling hard work and grinding poverty?

Maybe another pint might help. He searched his torn pocket. Just a penny left. Enough for one more, but then he’d go home empty-handed again and he’d get it in the neck from the old woman. He’d done that many a time before, even though it meant the kids went to bed with empty bellies. But a man had to have his fun, didn’t he? What with spending all day at the docks, hauling all those sacks of whatever it was they were loading the ships with. Maybe he’d just spend the ha’penny.

“Another half, George!” Joe approached the bar, where the crowd had thinned out a bit. A few of his mates had ambled outside and seemed to be listening to the tall man. A few were heckling from the door, but a couple had moved forward.

Just to get a bit of air, Joe took his half across the threshold into the street and stood there under the Blind Beggar sign.
“Not seen this one afore, Will!” he said to the man next to him.
“No – new, I think! Looks a bit fresh, doesn’t he?”

Not just fresh, but not posh either, Joe noted. He wasn’t dressed particularly sharply; his frock coat looked a little worse for wear. In fact, he appeared more frayed around the edges that the other missioners who usually turned up outside the pub. This one’s thick black hair was all over the place as he waved his arms around. He was sweating profusely and occasionally mopped his brow with a grey-looking kerchief. And what was that accent? He wasn’t from London, that was for sure.

Joe was intrigued. He found himself listening to this one as he hadn’t listened before. He was, of course, a religious nut, but he seemed to be a bit more normal than the rest.

“What’s ’is name, Will?”
“That’s right!” came the reply, followed by a hearty laugh.
“Don’t muck me about, mate! What’s ’is bloody name?”
“You said it! ’is name is Will! William Booth!”

                                                                   .....

In the summer of 1865 outside the Blind Beggar pub, William Booth was doing what came naturally, preaching to the unconverted in their own environment. Under a pub sign, risking ridicule and even some physical danger – it wasn’t unusual for street preachers to have things thrown at them by a heckling crowd – William was part of an evangelistic tradition that was growing rapidly in mid-nineteenth-century London. There were numerous chapels and small missions, many of them Methodist, across this part of town. By the 1850s there were around 144 charities at work in London, many of which were already mixing religion with practical works and good deeds.

William’s street preaching impressed a group of churchmen and evangelists known as the East London Special Services Committee. Among them were Mr R.C. Morgan and Mr Samuel Chase, the editors of The Revival, who, despite their misgivings over the preaching antics of the Revd Booth’s wife, were still determined to have William join them for their next evangelistic campaign.

The Special Committee didn’t come from or belong to one single denomination, and William Booth had already preached for them at the Garrick Theatre some years before. Now they wanted him for more radical work, and on 2 July 1865 – the date that is now noted in history as the “start” of The Salvation Army – William Booth stood to preach for them in a tent on the Mile End Waste, on the old Quaker Burial Ground in Whitechapel, East London.

Although the old tent blew down that autumn, there was no stopping the Booth mission. 

The East London Christian Revival Society was born and in the winter of 1865 it moved indoors. On Sundays the meetings were held in a local building – the Assembly Rooms on New Road, Whitechapel, otherwise known as Professor Orson’s Dancing Academy, its main function in the week. Even on the Sabbath the evangelists had to share their meeting hall with a photographer, and on weekdays the Booths and their expanding group of supporters rented other venues: an old chapel, a warehouse, a stable, a carpenter’s shop, a skittle alley.....

What happened next? 

By 1870 the 'Christian Revival Association' had been renamed 'The East London Christian Mission' and then simply 'The Christian Mission'. It was early in 1878 that publicity was issued with both the name 'Christian Mission' and 'Salvation Army' attached, but by May of that year the name 'Christian Mission' had been finally dropped and William and Catherine's Christian movement became ... 'The Salvation Army'.

The rest, as they say, is history!

A Wedding Anniversary

June 16th!

I don't know about you but I'm pretty intrigued by dates. For every day in the calendar there will be something interesting that will have happened on that date, sometime in history.

For instance, did you know that it was on this day in 1890 that a child called Arthur Stanley Jefferson was born in Lancashire in Northern England? He would grow up to be Stan Laurel, one of the greatest comic actors of all time, who with his partner Oliver Hardy appeared in over 100 films at a time when the movie business was just beginning.

Now, this is not a piece of information I was born with, or even learnt at school. No ... I looked up 'June 16th' on the internet and  got the information from one of the many websites that has this kind of stuff on it.  In this case it was On This Day.com

But something that's not on many, if any, sites is that this day - June 16th - is also an important one in the history of one of the global Christian movements, a church and charity organisation that today works with the disadvantaged and the marginalised in over 130 countries across the world - The Salvation Army

Because it was on this day - June 16th 1855 - that the founders of The Salvation Army, William Booth and Catherine Booth, were married at Stockwell Green Congregational Church in London. 

They had met a few years earlier, in 1852, at a tea party organised by a fellow Methodist who had taken William, who was a would-be preacher, under his wing. In the intervening years, William had travelled across the United Kingdom, preaching the Christian Good News as an itinerant independent evangelist but at last the couple found time in his busy schedule to be married. After a long struggle to find a church which would ordain him, the Methodist Church would become their home for a while. Then followed years when they both became known as touring independent preachers, until they finally found themselves back in London where, in 1865, they set up an organisation called The Christian Mission, which reached out to and shared the Christian message with some of the poorest communities in the British capital city.  

 In 1878 they changed their name to ' The Salvation Army' and soon the Christian movement would not just have centres and groups ('corps') in London, in England and the British Isles, but across the world.

From the day of their first meeting, during their long engagement and over the next 35 years of marriage William and Catherine wrote letters to each other and these letters are held today in the British Library in London. When I was asked by Lion Hudson Books to write a book to coincide with the 150th anniversary of The Salvation Army in 2015, I turned to these letters - hundreds of them - to build their story.

So - on this day - June 16th - I offer a short extract from that book  - 'William & Catherine' - the love story of the founders of The Salvation Army told through their letters.

This is my imagining of that day and a little of the narrative that follows in Chapter 7.

 

 

The sun emerged from behind the early summer clouds as Catherine and William stepped over the threshold of the Stockwell Green Congregational Church.

Catherine clutched her new husband’s hand, feeling small yet secure.

William looked down at Catherine’s sweet face and smiled. He could feel her shaking ever so slightly and a rush of protectiveness towards this woman overwhelmed him. He could hardly believe that, after all this time and so many obstacles, they were at last man and wife.

It had been a short and solemn service and blessing. Perfect.

Catherine had been pale and had spoken quietly, her voice quivering as she repeated her vows of love and obedience. In contrast, William had found that his voice, which he was accustomed to using to rather larger congregations, had rung loudly around the church. As his “I do!” echoed around the building it had provoked a little giggle from his beloved. Then, in the cavernous chapel, William and Catherine had knelt at the altar and pledged themselves to God and to each other.

Behind Catherine, William noticed that his father-in-law, John Mumford, and his sister Emma, the only witnesses to the solemn ceremony, were now exiting the building and squinting in the watery sunshine. For a moment he regretted the absence of the rest of his family. Of course, it was unlikely that Ann would attend, but he had hoped that his mother and her namesake, his sister Mary, all those miles away in Nottingham, might have been able to make it, even at such short notice. However, he and Catherine had been thrilled when Emma had sent word that they would be able to afford for her, at any rate, to attend. He knew Catherine’s day was also slightly saddened by the fact that her own mother had been disinclined to attend the ceremony, but, as he held Catherine’s little gloved hand in his, he felt a rush of love and appreciation for her commitment to him.

Catherine pulled her shawl closer around her neck and shoulders. She shivered again. Even with layers of petticoats under her skirts she still felt the chill of the day. Maybe she should, after all, have worn her coat. The few days of milder weather in May hadn’t lasted and it was still chilly, even for mid-June.

Catherine turned to the Revd David Thomas, who had so kindly agreed to preside over this most sacred of ceremonies.

“Mr Thomas, thank you!” she announced, grasping his hand and shaking it wholeheartedly. No simpering little handshake for this gentleman. She remembered their previous debates and discussions about the place of women in church and society, and she knew he would expect this forwardness from her, even on this day.

Father Mumford was calling from the street. The Stockwell New Chapel was tucked away from the main thoroughfare and he had a cab waiting. William, Catherine, and Emma took their leave of the minister and made their way to the horsedrawn vehicle. It was but a short drive back home to Russell Street in Brixton, where, regardless of her unwillingness to attend the actual service, William was sure that Mrs Mumford would be waiting with some light refreshments. Whatever her views on the marriage, and he still wasn’t quite sure of her, she loved her daughter unconditionally and would, he was sure, come around.

William reached out his hand to Catherine. She grasped it and he helped her into the carriage. Whatever the future held now, they were one. The Lord would determine their way, and, whatever happened, they would face it together.

When William Booth married Catherine Mumford, they intended it to be a simple occasion, and it was. In common with many weddings of the time, theirs was a quiet ceremony in church, held in the morning. After the ceremony the couple would have signed the parish register in the vestry, the bride signing her maiden name for the very last time.

As was common then, the venue was the bride’s choice. This had been the subject of some discussion over the weeks, but despite her previous falling-out with the Revd Thomas over the matter of women’s equality Catherine still greatly admired him, and despite the fact that she and William had rejected Congregationalism, she knew the Stockwell Chapel and it was quite near home. They had to marry in a local church and other options fell through, but the choice of venue may have been a reason why Mrs Mumford decided not to attend the marriage of her only daughter. Mrs Booth Snr’s absence, along with that of William’s youngest sister, was almost undoubtedly for financial reasons. They and Emma still only scraped a living in a haberdasher’s shop in Nottingham.

The wedding ceremony would have been followed by a small family celebration at home, perhaps with a specially made cake or perhaps not; perhaps in the company of a few friends, but maybe not. This was certainly a wedding on a shoestring budget.

Although William had earlier intimated that they would both have new outfits for the wedding, it’s likely that they had better things on which to spend their meagre resources and the extravagance of new clothes may have been one step too far. "Sunday best” would have sufficed.

For the rich and well-to-do, marriage down the centuries had often been seen as a way of cementing helpful and even political alliances, and for the upper classes weddings afforded an opportunity to display their wealth. However, wearing white was not common for brides until it was made popular by Queen Victoria. When she married Prince Albert in 1840, some fifteen years before William and Catherine’s wedding day, she opted for a white dress and, following the wide publicity of the day, this was copied by those who could afford expensive white fabric.

But even if Catherine Mumford had been romantically inclined to emulate her queen in this matter, her purse and that of her parents, who still appeared to stagger from one financial disaster to another, would have disallowed it.

Very few couples other than those with money could really afford a proper “honeymoon”, but William had yearned for one, and had planned to take his bride “overseas” for that short “getting to know you” holiday. The reality was a week on the Isle of Wight, staying with friends. The couple then moved on for a mission campaign in Guernsey, from where Catherine wrote to her parents reporting crowds of people flocking to hear her husband but “not so many cases of conversion” as William had expected and hoped for.

Their return boat trip included a short stopover at the nearby and larger Channel Island of Jersey, but the voyage home to England left Catherine violently ill. Very soon she was to discover that she was expecting their first child, but she remained determined to be with William whenever possible. She had waited this long for her husband and now she hoped not to be apart from him for any length of time.

Theirs was to be an itinerant life. On his wedding day, William Booth gave his “home” address as Ardwick, Manchester, where he had lodged during his evangelistic work. He had very lately been confirmed by the Methodist New Connexion Conference in the post of evangelist with an annual salary of £100 for the year plus his travelling expenses.

As he had proudly informed his fiancée just a few weeks before their marriage, “This, of course, is an advance of £30 or £40 on the young man’s salary.” He was to be employed directly by the Annual Conference rather than by any circuit, and this greatly pleased him and Catherine because it meant that he was not under the governance of local church leaders.

After Guernsey he already had invitations to visit (among other places) York and Chester. As always, finances occupied his mind. He reported to Catherine that he had had to pay £5 for his Beneficent Fund Subscription but he hoped to receive £6 for preaching in London, so he had it covered.

Although they had no permanent home to move into once the wedding and honeymoon were over, William hoped to continue with his evangelism while Catherine would continue to live with her parents and join him whenever possible.

 

Hope you've enjoyed reading this little extract from what was my first book. I've written a few more since then but am still so proud of this one!

If you want to find out more or even buy a copy please feel free to go to the 'Books' Page of my website - https://www.cathylefeuvre.com/pages/cathys-books.html - or to any of the online sale sites, especially the Lion Hudson site for this book.

Thanks so much!

Have a great day!

 

 

Corruption? Not me!

You’re in a long queue outside a night club in the rain. You know if you slip the bouncer at the door a fiver you’ll get in first and jump ahead of all the other poor souls freezing on the doorstep. What do you do?

You think corruption has nothing to do with you? Think again!

In the UK - a 'civilised' and 'developed' nation -   most of us think corruption happens somewhere else. It doesn’t affect us. That sort of greedy dealing only happens in ‘corrupt’ societies, doesn’t it?

Of course, few if any of us will be making secret deals with corrupt government officials to secure business contracts, or will have been involved in illegal price fixing, or will have deliberately evaded paying our taxes. But if we think that corruption is only something that happens in ‘developing countries’ by people who are somehow less moral than us, and not here in our more sophisticated culture, then we need to just look around and examine at our own behaviour.

If you give a backhander to that bouncer to jump the queue, you’ve effectively given him, or her, a bribe to gain an advantage for yourself over all the other would-be revellers who are still out in the cold on the doorstep. If, to make ends meet for your struggling business, you’ve offered a ‘gift’ to a contractor to get a better deal than your competitors, then you’ve been involved in a form of corruption. You may think it’s just ‘good business’ but it’s actually a form of bribery. 

WHAT IS 'CORRUPTION'?

It takes many forms – deliberate tax evasion, that blatant bribery, secret business deals, abuse of power by people in government, business and even the church –and where there is corruption, it is the poorest of the poor who are worst affected. Corruption is one of the main causes of poverty in the world today! 

This week the EXPOSED campaign is 'Shining a Light' on Corruption but over the past year I've been privileged to work with the very small, inspiring and dedicated EXPOSED team who work tirelessly to make a difference on behalf of the world's poor. 

 

The EXPOSED team based in Salvation Army Territorial HQ in London got hold of a US$1 trillion note! That's how much goes missing in bribes each year. EXPOSED is asking the world's powerful leaders to step up efforts to combat bribery and tax avoidance.

EXPOSED is an international coalition of Christian organisations that is challenging the global church, business and governments to highlight the impact of corruption on the poorest of the poor. It represents millions of people who have already caught the vision of what a world without corruption could look like.

Since EXPOSED was launched last year, thousands of people have become involved and the message has now reached 150 countries.  Across the world EXPOSED hopes to reach 100 million people – Christian people, people of other faith and of no faith -  to encourage them to speak out against corruption in all areas of public life. People are being encouraged to set up ‘bribe boxes’ in their churches to declare bribery in their communities, to write to church leaders, business leaders and politicians to take action to resist and fight corruption in their nations, and to promote increased integrity and ethics in business. The stories emerging are just amazing!

EXPOSED is challenging governments to tighten up on financial regulations to ensure that taxes are paid in the nations where the profits are earned and to introduce policies which create fairer societies. When taxes are not declared, then it those already living in poverty who suffer most - lost income can't be spent on services which benefit the society, ensure good healthcare and education.

SHINING A LIGHT ON CORRUPTION

Duringthis EXPOSED Week of Action (October 14-20) up to 2000 Vigils are being held around the world encouraging people to consider the impact of corruption on the poor.

It all kicked off here in the UK on Monday night at St Paul's Cathedral in London and I was privileged to be present. There was music and prayers and inspiring words as we were among the first across the world to 'Shine a Light on Corruption'. Since then, people have been holding similar vigils worldwide. And hopefully government, business and church leaders, as well as the media and the general population will have started to become more aware of the scourge that is corruption and the terrible effects on the poorest of the poor and the duty we all have to get involved to see it end!

I'M 'ONE IN A MILLION'

This week there is also a major push on collecting signatures for the EXPOSED Global Call to End Corruption. EXPOSED is aiming for 1million signatures on this petition which presses for more open tax regimes and greater transparency in payments to combat bribery and tax avoidance. This Global Call will be presented to world leaders at the G20 Summit to be held in Brisbane Australia in November 2014.

I've already become 'One in a Million' by signing the Global Call to End Corruption. Please add your signature and name on the EXPOSED website 

The EXPOSED campaign and our action at every level is vital important if we are to start to see some real justice in our world, fairer division of the world's resources, and the end of  greed and corruption. 

You might not think Corruption has got anything to do with you. But I encourage you to think outside your own circumstances, and to stand with the poor, and with the EXPOSED campaign!

(Some parts of this article also appear in an article I've written for this week's WarCry, the publication of The Salvation Army UK and Ireland.)

St George's Day - making the world a better place

It's St George's Day - the day when, theoretically, England celebrates its patron saint.

The emblem of St George - a red cross on a white background - is embedded in British culture. It's the recognised flag of England and is integral to the (Union) Jack, the British flag. The life of St George has been celebrated for more than 1,000 years. His reputation is immense - he's the saint who slayed a dragon - and the English, and indeed many other nations, have claimed him for their own.

But was he real? Is St George's reputation merited? Is he important to us, today, or is he merely a myth and irrelevant in the 21st century?

If we believe the stories, St George WAS an extremely brave person and one well worth celebrating. There are various versions of the St George legend but all involve the usual ingredients - a dragon, a fair maiden and a handsome knight on a horse who comes to her rescue when the dragon threatens to eat her!

The age-old story goes something like this.

St George is travelling around looking for good deeds to perform as all good knights do. He meets an old man who tells him about a village which is terrorised by a hideous and enormous dragon. Every day the dragon demands that a beautiful maiden is sacrificed to him or he will destroy the village. All the young girls have been killed save one, the king's daughter who is due to be sacrificed the very next day. If a knight can be found who will slay the dragon, he may win the hand of the princess.

George sets out at daybreak and arrives in the village just as the girl is being taken to the dragon. He persuades her to return home, and goes up, alone, to the dragon's cave where, after a long battle in which he fights for his life, George finally defeats the creature.

He has been hailed as a hero ever since.

This sounds pretty much like many of the ancient and later fairy tales which relate a story, real or otherwise, of good triumphant over evil and concludes with 'happy ever after' for the good guys.

It's an interesting legend but what was the reality of St George's life and what is his legacy? And WHY is he the patron saint of England?

A little research will tell you that there was, apparently, a person who lived in the third century who became St George. But he wasn't English.  The perceived wisdom is that he was a Roman soldier who was born in Turkey into a Christian family at a time when Christianity was quite new. He served under pagan Roman authority but eventually protested against Rome's persecution of Christians. He was imprisoned and tortured but remained true to his faith and was eventually martyred - beheaded at Lydda in Palestine.

It's unlikely he ever set foot in England. I can't tell you how the dragon legend developed but even that didn't happen in the British Isles - the setting for the story is North Africa! Yet his story grabbed the attention of the English who some say identified with George's chivalry, gallantry and bravery. He became important in the British psyche and in England, St George's Day has been celebrated since the 15th century - in those days it was as big a celebration as Christmas! His feast day on April 23rd is the accepted date of his death in AD 303.

Today, although the flag of St George is flying along the length of my village High Street and I'm aware that some communities celebrate and there have been attempts to revive interest in England's patron saint in recent years, mostly the day goes largely unnoticed.

Unlike St Patrick's Day in Ireland (March 17th) and even St David's Day in Wales (March 1st) poor old St George is ignored by the population of the country that claims him as their patron saint. On St Patrick's Day loads of people wished me 'Happy St Paddy's Day' on Facebook and not one of them is Irish! I've not had one 'Happy St George's Day' message today! Weird that.

But, although he's become a bit of a cariacture with his slaying of the dragon thing, and his reputation may have got slightly lost or at least muddled up it in the mists of time, I believe St George can still be an example to us all. Not in the way which some people use his memory.... for some the 'English' St George and his flag are central to a rather warped view of nationalism.... but in that his story and his life stands for real integrity and bravery in the face of adversity and also talks of self sacrifice of the sort which is rather rare these days.

Many people believe that the 'dragon' in the tale represents the Devil and it's St George's defeat of evil, or at least his efforts to prevent evil (the persecution of the early Christians) that is the central point of the ages old story. It's that bravery and sacrifice which is St George's legacy and which, even in these modern times, can be a lesson to us all.

As this St George's Day draws to a close I'm left with several questions in my mind, for myself. 

What am I doing to make the world a better place, to fight injustice and wrong? Are there any 'dragons' which I should be standing up to? Do I have the courage to swim against the tide of cultural indifference to the sufferings of others? And what might MY legacy be for future generations?

And while I'm thinking about it all....I do hope you have all had a very Happy St George's Day!

End Corruption - End Poverty

When the leaders of the world's major economies meet in Cannes in France this Thursday and Friday (November 3rd and 4th) there's no doubt about what will be the main focus of attention.  

The world economy is, of course, in a mess. The most recent crisis in the Eurozone, which the Europeans undoubtedly believed would be partly resolved before Thursday, is thrown into utter confusion again. The deal to solve the debt crisis was almost there until the Greeks announced that they would put the latest aid package (including a 50% debt write-off for Greece) to a referendum. Opinion polls in Greece have already suggested that most people don't support the deal!

I'm no economist but it doesn't take a genius to realise that the problems facing the many millions of poor people across the globe WON'T be high on the agenda in Cannes.

But I think they should be - well, if not HIGH on the agenda at least not forgotten!

While everyone is rightly concentrating on the needs and worries of the rich economies, there are those who are urging them not to forget the desperate needs of the those living in dire poverty. 

At the moment I'm doing some PR for Micah Challenge International, a global coalition active in over 40 countries encouraging Christians to be committed to the poor, and hold governments accountable to the Millennium Development Goals. These were signed in the year 2000 when 189 countries also pledged to halve world poverty by the year 2015.

So although the state of the world economy will undoubtedly dominate discussion in Cannes at the end of this week, we can't afford to let up. If we are to really make a difference to the economic inequalities and poverty affecting the 90% of nations not represented at the G20 meeting, most of which are poor, then we can't afford to miss any opportunities to speak into the subject. 

As I've learnt fairly recently, one significant factor in world poverty is corruption. In the PR we've been sending out to the media, the International Director of Micah Challenge Rev Joel Edwards is quoted as saying :

'Corruption at the higest level in some countries means that the very poor remain very poor, with resources going to a few people at the top, or to outside agencies who have bribed their way into contracts. And even when social or aid programmes are specifically designed to help the poor, funds are often diverted from front-line services because of bribery or inefficiency.'

It's a massive problem - just last week BBC reporter Fergal Keane reported on the effects of corruption in the food crisis/famine in Northern Kenya. As one anti-corruption campaigner in Kenya said, the drought they have is a corruption, governance drought. It's what has made a drought into a famine.

Click here to watch the film.

Micah Challenge is urging the G20 nations to think about ways corruption can be monitored and limited, and asking them to regulate more on tax havens, the existence of which also helps to divert money which could be spent on projects to help those barely surving in poverty. In addition, Micah are also reminding the 19 leading economies plus the EU (that's the '20' in G20) that last year at G20 Seoul in South Korea they recommitted to addressing corruption. A report is due this November. Some of us will be watching out for that!

If you want to find out more, please read the press release I've worked on with them - click here for that!

I know lots of people will be thinking and asking  'How can we consider the issue of global poverty, or think about digging deeper into our own pockets to give more to the poor when we're struggling ourselves?'

But as Amanda Jackson, Head of Advocay and Campaigns at Micah Challenge, told several BBC radio faith presenters in interviews last Sunday morning, it might not necessarily be about us giving more. Indeed, for some of us, although we're not anywhere as near as impoverished as those who struggle even to find enough to feed their children once a day, additional generosity might prove difficult at the moment.

But if the world's resources were more wisely distributed, and a trillion dollars was not lost to corruption every year, as estimated by the World Bank, there might be more than enough to go around.

As the United Nations reported just last week

"The point is that the impact of corruption cannot be measured in dollars and cents. It is the impact to the child which cannot be educated. It is the impact of the person whose life is in danger because the doctor would not treat him without a bribe. It is the impact of the road that is never built. It is the impact of the bridge that collapses.”

There's absolutely no need for so many millions of people to remain in abject poverty.

As Christians there's an imperative for us to ensure fairer economic models and model integrity. I, for one, am glad that Micah Challenge is here to remind us of our own duty, and to keep the leaders of the world on their toes.