It is fast becoming obvious that the money available to make our society better is disappearing into the distance and that any money available will be used to fix society's problems rather than prevent them! The 'sink' estates will have all the money poured into them whilst those considered to have less pressing needs will be effectively ignored, that is until the problems there become so pressing that they too require some form of intervention.
Across the country, many project workers have, or will be fairly soon, given redundancy notices and lights will be turned off at calendar or fiscal year end. Many of theses projects will just cease and much of the good work that has been done will be lost. That is,unless the 'Big Society' kicks in and picks up where the funded provisions have been lost.
The reality is that government (national and local) are aware that faith groups are the only way that stuff will continue, as the numbers of Home Start staff who are being canned clearly shows!
Speaking of the way that the American Church lost out to psychotherapy during the late fifties asked whether "Evangelical religion has sold its birthright for a mess of psychological pottage?"* The pastoral role was taken away from the Church and taken up by Psychiatrists. Likewise, in this country the Church in this country has seen its societal role eroded over the past as government-funded or supported projects have taken over, and Church was consigned to the back seat and to irrelevance and virtual non-existence. And now, because it's got no money - they want to give it all back. But I'm pretty sure that this is the work, not the money to do it!
And the reality is that we will continue to be effective in our communities, being in the places we have always been working with the marginalised and the troubled (and troubling) sections of the communities we are called to serve. Because we're called to serve those around us. Always have been, always will be and undoubtedly, once the panic is over government will try once again to marginalise us.
* The Crisis in Psychiatry and Religion, O.H. Mowrer, 1961, D. Van Nostrand
2 comments:
Vic,
Hitting the nail, squarely on the head. It is quite obvious to me that the Government over the past 4 decades, assumed the responsibility for welfare and social justice is reverting to a much harder place, conservative ideology, linked to liberal cloud gazing.
Paying lip service to religion, the voluntary sector and self-help, seems to me to be a total abdication of social responsibility.
I wonder where the people to do all of this will come from. Certainly, I for one am already part of the Church team providing this sort of support on a voluntary basis, but we are hard pressed. We rely on contact with local authority resources and other agencies to whom we may have to liaise or refer some issues.
When they are cut, as they invariably will be, we will be out on a limb, relying on the generosity of all ready hard pressed community members.
Badly thought out, badly planned and a failure of the governments duty to care for the well being of its citizens.
I have been so very aware that areas where I would have assumed 'Church' was both engaged and welcomed presented the very opposite realities. Places in which the dog-collar would have once been synonymous have been taken over by various (funded) groups and any attempt at involvement from dog-collar, or any Church affiliated person, was viewed with a bit of suspicion - as if we were trying to take it away from people or proselytise.
The current situation does at least present us with the opportunity to return to our 'core' business. i.e. That of caring and providing support to people. Let's pray people use this opportunity wisely and don't try to proselytise or peddle hard line or condemnatory dogma.
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