Chief Executive Andrea Williams shares how Christian Concern is increasingly being asked to assist like-minded groups around the world.
I have just returned from a four-day trip to Jamaica.
This is the latest international trip as the demand for our work grows across the nations and continents.
A critical place and time
As I have lived a lifetime contending for Christ’s principles in public life, I am able to see the critical entry points at which nations are abandoning that truth. Christian Concern has become a rallying point for groups around the world seeking to promote Christ against the rising tide of secularism, globalisation and radical Islam.
In Jamaica, I was profoundly encouraged by how deeply our partners in ministry – the Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society and Love March Movement – love us and follow and care about every detail of what Christian Concern is doing in the UK.
They are energised and a resistance movement. They have worked for over a decade to declare and defend God’s perfect pattern for living. They have resisted the introduction of same-sex ‘marriage’ and abortion and, as a new constitution is being written, they are determined to keep Jesus at the centre.
They are winning because they are standing.
What we are experiencing in the UK does not have to be inevitable in other nations.
My colleague Andrew Marsh and I were in Jamaica for their first ‘Wilberforce Academy’; named the G. William Gordon Academy in honour of a famous Jamaican martyr who contended for truth and justice, motivated by his love for Jesus in the 19th Century.
Our shared heritage with the Caribbean
We have an amazing, shared heritage and identity with Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. That heritage is deeply Christian. I visited with a renewed sense of urgency and responsibility. How important it is to safeguard the Christian heritage amidst the assertive currents of change and modernity that threaten to undermine the joy of Jamaica!
Our Christian faith is a living, powerful force that shapes our values, informs our worldview and guides our actions. From the shores of Jamaica to the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, Christianity has been intertwined in the fabric of Caribbean society for centuries, leaving an indelible mark on its history and shaping the collective consciousness.
I am thrilled to be working with lawyers and politicians in Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines (where an important case has just been won to resist same sex ‘marriage’), Barbados and the British Virgin Islands (please continue to pray for the judgment in the case we argued there).
The Wilberforce Academy Vision – the G. William Gordon vision – is to raise up a prophetic generation unashamed of the gospel in every sphere of life. We are not just bystanders in the unfolding of history; rather, we are called to be active participants, shaping the course of our collective future with Christ at the centre and Christ as King.
Wilberforce Academy returns to South Africa
Christian Concern’s work so far on the global stage has not been limited to the Caribbean. In January alone, we were delighted to serve with our South African partners at their second Wilberforce Academy.
Together we are raising up men and women who understand their times and their nations in light of the lessons from the UK; who are called to be leaders and visionaries in their nations. They are hope bringers – justice bringers – and believe change is possible.
This next generation is taking action; prepared to stand up for what is right, even when it is unpopular. They are unafraid of speaking truth to power and are already in, or working to be in, positions of influence and power.
Blazing new trails
With humility and courage, we are committed to preserving the good whilst blazing new trails to keep Christ in the national narrative in all our institutions.
How are we going to do this?
By sounding the alarm – getting the message to Church leaders so that they can understand the times and equip their flock.
By educating our churches, schools and communities. By instilling a love for God and his word in the hearts of our youth, we can ensure that our Christian heritage remains alive and vibrant for generations to come.
By being bold and unafraid to declare a culture of reverence and respect for Christ and his truth in public life. Christian heritage matters. This means the Church needs to be unashamedly public with the gospel in all spheres of life upholding the traditions of prayer, worship, and fellowship that have sustained our communities for centuries.
By actively engaging with our Christian faith in the public square. This means speaking out on the gospel issues under attack in our culture today. The Genesis 1 issues of our identity: male and female, marriage between one man and one woman, the protection of life and the lordship of Christ. In our nation, we must speak against injustice, advocating for the marginalised and embodying the values of love, compassion, and forgiveness. As Christians, we are called to be salt and light in the world, shining the transformative power of the gospel into every corner of society.
By having confidence that our Christian heritage is the true source of unity and strength in our nations. In a world that is divided it is the gospel that brings peace.
Taking the message far and wide
The Christian Concern vision is to impart across the world, where we are called, confidence in the goodness of God and the power of the gospel. If we lose Christ in our nations we lose life, light and peace.
Our message to the nations – to the Caribbean and South – is this: where you have not yet lost Christian faith, cherish it, nurture it, and pass it on to future generations with even greater zeal and devotion.
When we do this, we pave a way for a brighter and more hopeful future for all who call the Caribbean and South Africa home.
I’m excited.
