Poverty Truth Commission - March 21, 2009

I am constantly impressed that the Scottish Government and the Church of Scotland are both very serious about ending poverty. This is not empty rhetoric. Major time and resources have been allocated to this end.

When the Annual Assembly of the Church of Scotland meets in May, the delegates will be given a report on progress toward that goal. Excerpts from that report appear below. The report has been prepared by the Priority Areas Team (See blog entry for September 23, 2007) where Gayle and I are working.

A milestone toward our goal of overcoming poverty will be a Poverty Truth Commission (inspired by the Poverty Initiative at Union), hosted by the Moderator of the Church, David Lunan, and chaired by Tricia McConalogue, a noted leader from one of the poorest communities in Glasgow. Between now and the Commission, we are occupied with organizing within poor communities to encourage local people to have a greater voice in policies that affect their lives. Here are excerpts from the report to the Assembly, which begins with a statement from Parliament.

"Priority Areas...Big Hearted Communities

" 'We believe Scotland must tackle poverty because of the blight and strain which it places on individual lives, on the communities in which they live, and on society in general; we believe Scotland has a proud history and ethos of being a compassionate nation with a strong sense of social justice and addressing the needs of the vulnerable, and we want to embrace this ethos on the basis that it is simply morally unacceptable that over 20 percent of our children still live in poverty.' (Tackling Poverty, Inequality and Deprivation in Scotland, Scottish Government, January, 2008)

"The Scottish Government is to be congratulated not only for such a strong statement of intent but also for its clearly articulated commitment to reducing poverty and tackling inequality. It is much needed in a country where, according to official Government figures, 880,000 people (including 210,000 children) are living in relative poverty and 240,000 are living in severe poverty. This latter figure represents 5 percent of Scotland's population

"The Church has an additional reason to speak out and act against poverty. Throughout the Old and New Testaments the message of God is clear: to ingore those in poverty is to ignore the face of God. In recent years the General Assembly has regularly articulated this understanding through its statement that 'commitment to the poorest and most marginalized is the gospel imperative facing the whole Church, not just the Church in the poorest communities.'

"Through its witness, ministry and care the length and breadth of Scotland, the Church seeks to address the causes and symptoms of poverty. At the same time it seeks to concentrate its efforts -- and to commit extra resources -- towards the very poorest areas. It has designated these priority areas parishes. These correspond to approximately the poorest 5 percent of communities....

"Over the past year the [Church] has continued to pursue its strategy of developing work in three inter-related spheres of activity. These are (a) finding ways to help the wider Church and society to take more seriously the poverty which is on our doorstep; (b) enabling churches within our poorest communities to play their fullest part in tackling poverty and in making their comunities better places for everyone to live in; and (c) encouraging people of faith in priority areas to develop ways of being the Church which resonate with both the call of the Gospel and the reality of their context....

"One of the more exciting developments of the last year has been development of plans for a Poverty Truth Commission to be held in March 2009. This event -- modelled on Truth Commissions in other parts of the world -- will bring together people who are strugglinig to overcome poverty to share their aims, ideas and proposals for the future. These aims will then lead to an ongoing campaign for action and a determination to make others accountable for what they promise to deliver. The Rt. Rev. David Lunan has agreed to act as host of the Commission as part of his Moderatorial duties over the coming year.

"Plans for the Poverty Truth Commission have been spearpheaded by Paul Chapman, who is with us as a volunteer from the Poverty Initiative (Union Theological Seminary) in New York and Tricia McConalogue (Project Manager of Bridging the Gap in the Gorbals.) Paul frequently points out with the wisdom which comes from a lifetime spent in the struggle for the rights of the marginalized that an anti-poverty movement without poor people at the helm is not going to succeed in eradicating poverty no matter how well intentioned its leadership."