And the award goes to...

Two hope:asha members received an early Christmas present with well-earned awards last week.

Nick received the TELCO Community Leader of the Year 2009 award from London Citizens for his work in engaging the hope:asha community in grassroots social justice activities and encouraging involvement from the wider Salvation Army. Many of these ventures have been reported on this website throughout the year including Strangers into Citizens, City Safe and the recent citizens response to the financial crisis.

Chijioke was awarded his Masters with distinction from Queen Mary's, University of London. It was great to see him receive his award and we pray for him as he looks to the next phase of his life.

Christmas event 2009

On Sunday 20th December 2009 we will be holding our annual Christmas event. This year we will be holding a carol service at St Benets Chapel, Queen Mary University, 327a Mile End Road at 4pm. Please come along and join in the fun as we celebrate Christmas Stepney style.

Children from our Smarties children's club will be retelling the Christmas story and there will be a chance to sing some carols. Afterwards there'll be plenty of time to wish one another a Happy Christmas over some festive refreshments.

From Stepney to the City: a story of justice

Wednesday evening was a great success! A number of us made our way from Stepney to join 2000 other citizens of London at the Barbican Centre for an evening of justice-seeking. There is nothing quite like a London Citizens' assembly - amazing diversity of faith, culture and ethnicity speaking with one democratic voice and holding powerful public figures to account.

There were a number of very poignant moments during the evening but few as powerful as high-profile Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders reading from scripture together. We were proud to see our London area leader Lt Col. Mike Parker taking centre stage.

And so we push forward the economic campaign - in particular the amazing Living Wage campaign which has been so successful in lifting hundreds of individuals out of poverty and also the demand to the banks and credit companies to lend responsibly and to push for a 20% cap on interest rates.

Download our brief report highlighting the key issues at stake and why we should be involved: Salvation Army Justiceseeking and the Financial Crisis (PDF).

Photo by Chris Jepson

Praying for one another

This morning at our 'brunch church' we dedicated ourselves to praying for one another. As a visual reminder we took at few photos and distributed them so that we won't forget. Please join us in our prayer that we will live Jesus' way...

Fighting for Social Justice

The Salvation Army in the UK has as part of its vision statement that we will 'fight for social justice'. We in the Stepney branch take this element of our identity very seriously indeed. We are particuarly concerned to work out how we can positively do something about the injustices in our community, city and beyond - that is why we are committed members of the east London branch of London Citizens (TELCO).

Back in May we took 100 proud Salvation Army and hope:asha representatives to the Strangers into Citizens rally. This month we are looking for concerned citizens to join us as we contribute to the 'people's response to the economic crisis'. On the evening of Wednesday 25th November (6.45-9pm), at the Barbican Centre in the heart of the City of London, 2000 Londoners will gather from churches, schools, mosques and unions to challenge leading politicians and influential leaders in the world of finance to listen to the people of London. Amongst the proposals is a campaign on the banks charging of excessive interest on loans (usury). Also, some action on the continuing Living Wage campaign that has since 2001 put £32 million into the pockets of the poorest paid workers in London.

The financial crisis has impacted on all of us in some way. We cannot and must not sit idly by and do nothing in response. This is our opportunity to speak out on behalf of ourselves and the most vulnerable amongst us. Let us respond to the clarion call of voices throughout the Christian scriptures, and make 25th November an historic night for social justice! Please contact us if you would like a ticket.

Autumn party

Join us for an autumn party to be held on Sunday 1 November 2009 from 5pm. We will be celebrating with traditional Bonfire Night food, sparklers and even a spot of karaoke if that takes your fancy! Meet at St Benets Chaplaincy, Queen Mary University, 327a Mile End Road. Bring your family and friends and expect to have a fun time! Flyers can be downloaded here.

Celebration and dedication

Today was a particularly special day for one of our hope:asha community members. We celebrated with our friend Linda on two counts: firstly, it is her 60th birthday (almost!) and secondly, she became an adherent member of The Salvation Army in Stepney. Some of Linda's friends and family came along to join in the celebrations. Spending time together like this really demonstrated church community life at its best - diverse people coming together to encourage and celebrate one another and to dedicate themselves to orientating their lives around Jesus. It was a really happy day and a privilege to be part of it.