Dear John

Throughout 2022, we are using our blog to tell the stories behind the photos that feature in the 'Dignity, Agency, Power' calendar sent out to many of our supporters in December. July's page features Stef Benstead, talking about how she puts those values into practice.

"I would like to see Christians take seriously the command of God that we all pursue justice for the poor and oppressed"

We chatted to Stef about her book Second Class Citizens, her experiences as part of Manchester Poverty Truth Commission, and what dignity, agency and power mean to her as an evangelical Christian. You can watch a video of the chat here, or see some excerpts below:

You need people with experience in the room making decisions, because that’s the only way you get good policy.

Dignity is about having enough to participate in society, it’s about being able to have a friend come over and not feel ashamed that your house is cold, or having no milk to offer a cup of tea, or if you have children being able to buy them the latest thing and for them not to be excluded but to enjoy the same things their peers have.

If you’re on unemployment benefits, you’re always being told how many hours you have to do, what jobs to apply for. There’s no trust on you to make your own life better.

We tend to have professionals who make decisions, then people who are affected, and there’s a lack of power. In general, the more money you have the more power you have and that doesn’t generally lead to a country that works for everybody.

Read the full interview with Stef on our blog

Best wishes,

Liam Purcell
Church Action on Poverty

PS Stef's story also features in Dignity, Agency, Power, the anthology published by Wild Goose to mark our 40th anniversary. Click here if you'd like to buy a copy.