__Martin Charlesworth__ lives in Shrewsbury with his wife, Jane, and has three grown-up daughters. Prior to leading Jubilee+, Martin led Barnabas Community Church, Shrewsbury, and helped develop its strong emphasis on social action and community engagement.

__Natalie Williams__ grew up in relative poverty in Hastings. She worked as a journalist before becoming Head of Communications and Policy for Jubilee+. She also leads social action at King's Church in Hastings. Both Martin and Natalie are popular speakers on issues of poverty, justice and class.

__Every Action Can Make a Difference__

In recent years churches have rediscovered the centrality of concern about poverty to the gospel of Christ. Yet we can still so easily fall into the trap of adding social action into our lives as an optional extra when convenient, rather than letting the heart of Jesus for justice for those in poverty affect every area of our lives and our discipleship.

A practical tool for churches and small groups, and incorporating discussion questions and accompanying videos, A Call to Act demonstrates that, in order to engage with poverty and need, we must re-evaluate our own attitudes and adopt a poverty-busting lifestyle.

There are undoubted challenges to embracing a life of simplicity but these are broken down into ideas for action. Whether getting up close to poverty, rejecting comfort in favour of compassion, or living with a more poverty-focused lifestyle, churches and individuals will be empowered to live out Jesus' principles of justice, mercy, and the care of creation within their own communities and the wider world.

Martin Charlesworth;Natalie Williams

Foreword By Dr Krish Kandiah

Introduction

1. The Abrupt Call to Act of the Coronavirus Pandemic

2. Our Context and Our Calling

3. A Life of Simplicity

4. Poverty-Busting Inclusivity

5. Changing Your Community

6. Buying for Justice—the Creative Power of Ethical Consumerism

7. Care for Creation—and Its Implications for Social Justice

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Notes

About the Authors

About Jubilee+

Every Action Can Make a Difference

In recent years churches have rediscovered the centrality of concern about poverty to the gospel of Christ. Yet we can still so easily fall into the trap of adding social action into our lives as an optional extra when convenient, rather than letting the heart of Jesus for justice for those in poverty affect every area of our lives and our discipleship.

A practical tool for churches and small groups, and incorporating discussion questions and accompanying videos, A Call to Act demonstrates that, in order to engage with poverty and need, we must re-evaluate our own attitudes and adopt a poverty-busting lifestyle.

There are undoubted challenges to embracing a life of simplicity but these are broken down into ideas for action. Whether getting up close to poverty, rejecting comfort in favour of compassion, or living with a more poverty-focused lifestyle, churches and individuals will be empowered to live out Jesus’ principles of justice, mercy, and the care of creation within their own communities and the wider world.

\["For Christians and Churches addressing poverty and finance","A Call to Act offers practical, up-close actions to helping bring justice","You'll feel equipped to help yourself and others with financial stability"\]

Foreword

Introduction

1\. The Abrupt Call to Act of the Coronavirus Pandemic

2\. Our Context and Our Calling

3\. A Life of Simplicity

4\. Poverty-Busting Inclusivity

5\. Changing Your Community

6\. Buying for Justice—the Creative Power of Ethical Consumerism

7\. Care for Creation—and Its Implications for Social Justice

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Notes

About the Authors

About Jubilee+

“Too often, Christians have used our faith as a ticket into heaven and a license to ignore the broken world we live in. We have promised a hurting world that there is life after death, while so many are wondering if there is life before death. In this book, Natalie and Martin invite you into a faith that is not just about going to heaven when you die, but bringing heaven to earth while you live. This is an invitation to join the revolution of Jesus. After all, Jesus did not come to help us escape the world; he came to help us transform this world. Read this manifesto of justice, and let the revolution begin inside of you. May your life be good news to the poor.”

__Shane Claiborne, Author, Speaker, Activist, and Co-founder, Red Letter Christians__

“A clear, timely, and prophetic call to the church to prioritise the poor in our society. This inspiring and practical book is a must-read for all Christians.”

__Gavin Calver, CEO, Evangelical Alliance__

“Following God can never be separated from sharing his heart for the righting of injustice, the relief of suffering, or the end of poverty. As Martin and Natalie say, ‘Isaiah calls it “True Fasting” and James calls it “True Religion”’, but I am grateful to them both for reminding us all of what ‘True Discipleship’ means in practice.”

__Paul Harcourt, National Leader, New Wine England__

“Rock-face realities, Christian compassion, and biblical boldness combine to make this a compelling book. It will help develop our understanding and win our response to the demanding challenges being faced in our modern culture.”

__Terry Virgo, Founder, Newfrontiers__

"The challenge at the heart of this book is to serve through proximity, to get close. Close enough to feel the dead weight in our lives of the stuff we consume and hoard. Close enough to see the negative impact of our choices on people we’re called to love in Jesus’ name.… Consumerism is a dull embrace of the life we’re made for—this book will inspire you with a bright yet simple vision for following Jesus in complex times.”

__Rachel Gardner, Director of National Work, Youthscape__

“Christians love to talk about the bias to the poor, as long as it’s just talk. All too often we fail to confront the cost of placing the poor at the centre, because we will only eradicate poverty when we are willing to make deep sacrifices and amend our own lifestyles. This prophetic book challenges us on the most personal level to be more Christ-like so that we can change our world. By making it clear that discipleship and a passion for justice are one and the same, Martin Charlesworth and Natalie Williams have given us a book to which all Christians need to attend and respond. If you’re happy being complacent, don’t go near it. If you’re up for the deeper conversion necessary to transform your community under Christ, you must read it.”

__Philip North, Bishop of Burnley__

“Newspapers still tell us church attendance is falling inexorably. But fast-growing, church-based projects like foodbanks are bringing new hope in communities all round the UK. New initiatives in the churches have potentially huge, positive implications for Britain’s future. Ideal for church study groups, this lively, enjoyable, and thought-provoking book looks at ‘practical steps … to build a poverty-busting lifestyle’. I thoroughly recommend it.”

__Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Chair, Work and Pensions Select Committee, House of Commons__

“Our country has seen a rising tide of poverty, sweeping individuals and families into hardship.… Churches across the land are leading the way in throwing out a lifeline to people in their communities who have been caught up in poverty. Church leaders have great moral authority, not only within the church, but more widely across our country. When they speak out about the injustice of poverty, it sends a powerful message. This book reveals the centrality of tackling the injustice of poverty to the Christian message. It provides a ‘how-to guide’ for creating ‘poverty-busting inclusive church communities’. The book shows how to respond to need with compassion, and demand just changes to the structures that pull people into poverty and keep them there.”

__Helen Barnard, Acting Director, Joseph Rowntree Foundation__

“This is a beautifully timed, needed, and challenging book. I read this during the COVID-19 lockdown, when it was even more poignant as the shelves had emptied and we were all forced to really think about the things we hold dear in our lives.… Chapter 4 asks a question we are Call to Act-INT.indd 3 7/15/20 1:20 PM currently living out: ‘If your church closed its doors today, how long would it take your community to notice?’ A chapter worth reading at any time, but particularly pertinent right now.… We all have a God-given responsibility to steward what God has given us—our own resources and his creation—and this is a timely call to act.”

__Paula Stringer, UK CEO, Christians Against Poverty__

“A Call to Act is a timely follow-up to the brilliant book The Myth of the Undeserving Poor. The church’s response in this watershed moment as a nation must be informed by grassroots practice. Only then will we have something meaningful to offer on the global stage. I highly commend Martin and Natalie’s book to every church leader and church-based community practitioner alike.”

__Bishop Mike Royal, Co-Chief Executive, Cinnamon Network UK__

“Martin and Natalie have done an excellent job in their latest book, continuing to focus the church very rightly onto the needs of the poor. A Call to Act is definitely designed to take us beyond handouts to make us think about providing a genuinely helpful and warmhearted hand of friendship. More than that, though, it goes beyond interpersonal relationships to challenge us to effect a greater change by engaging with statutory authorities and the environment. We must now take A Call to Act seriously as a manual for action, both as individual Christians and as the church.”

__Revd Dr Hugh Osgood, Moderator, Free Churches; Co-President, Churches Together in England__

“A book with teeth that will rock you from passivity. I loved the balance of wisdom and exhortation that is flavoured with vulnerability and honest reflection. It challenges at a deeper level and poses questions of Christ followers that must be addressed. Rooted in Scripture and full of helpful application, this book is a fantastic resource for the church at this time. I keep wondering, what would the church look like if we took seriously what is written here? Lord, give us ‘a fundamental change of heart concerning the poor’.”

__Sam Ward, Director of Ministry, The Message Trust__

“In this age of tribalism, when two people from very different backgrounds come together to write something, it’s worth taking notice. Here is hard-won wisdom that has been tested in the real world, rather than just preached from a pulpit. At Christians in Politics we see the church (i.e., the people) transforming the culture of politics by choosing to disagree well and put kingdom before tribe, and A Call to Act could be a significant step in that direction for you. Quite simply, if you take this book’s words seriously, your church and community will be immeasurably better off as a result.”

__Andy Flannagan, Executive Director, Christians in Politics__

“This is an important, sobering, and challenging book. Martin and Natalie each share their own (very different) backgrounds and life experiences … and ask difficult questions about the extent to which the modern church is living as it is called to do. This book managed to provoke and challenge me—but not just to feel bad, rather to consider what I might need to do differently, and what that might look like. This book wasn’t always comfortable to read, but I’m glad that I did, and I recommend you do too.”

__Revd Kate Wharton, Assistant National Leader, New Wine England; Author, Single-Minded__

“Most Christians agree that we are called to love the poor and work for justice, but may not be so clear on what that means in practice. In this short, clear, and often challenging book, Martin and Natalie give a whole range of ways in which we cannot just talk, and think, but act.”

__Andrew Wilson, Teaching Pastor, King’s Church London; Author, Incomparable__

“Martin and Natalie are experienced practitioners of what they preach. If you are passionate about God’s heart towards the poor and disadvantaged, then you will find this book full of wisdom that will help turn your passion into action that truly changes things on the ground.”

__Phil Moore, Leader, Everyday Church London; Author, Straight to the Heart commentary series__

“A vitally important book for our times. In a post-corona world, poverty in our communities is perhaps as big a challenge as it’s ever been. This book challenges Christians to put their actions where their faith is. Motivation, encouragement, and ideas that can make a huge difference. This book could change more than just your life, but the lives of the people you meet. An inspirational, transformative, humbling read—but the best bit will happen when you’ve finished the last page, and then … it’s over to you.”

__Paul Kerensa, British Comedy Award–Winning Co-Writer, BBC’s Miranda, Not Going Out, Top Gear, ITV’s Royal Variety, C4’s TFI Friday__

“Serious investors like to invest where they’ll get the best returns. They’re always on the lookout for good advice. Sometimes they accept the challenge to go against the flow. If you’re a Christian looking for kingdom returns, this book will point you on the way. This is a wonderfully, uncompromisingly, practical read. Martin and Natalie mean to make us feel uncomfortable. They leave us with nowhere to run to. How you, personally, choose to respond will reverberate down the generations. It really will. No hype.”

__Chris Mould, Founder and Chief Executive, Foundation for Social Change and Inclusion; Former Chief Executive, The Trussell Trust Foodbank Network__

“I highly recommend Martin and Natalie’s latest book to you. I have known them both for a number of years and found, as I was reading their contributions, it was as if they were speaking to me themselves, each in their own voice. This is because what they have written is exactly how they live; what you see is what you get. I strongly advise that, as you read, you take note of what they say. It is spot on, challenging, and makes for deep thinking on changes we need to make, firstly in our thinking, then in the way we put this thinking into practice. Risky living, indeed!”

__Angela Kemm, Prophetic Evangelist, Relational Mission &amp; City Church Cambridge__

From the authors of A Church for the Poor comes A Call to Act, an up-close and practical guide to helping combat and engage with poverty.

__Martin Charlesworth__ lives in Shrewsbury with his wife Jane and has three grown-up daughters. Prior to leading Jubilee+, Martin led Barnabas community Church, Shrewsbury and helped develop its strong emphasis on social action and community engagement.

__Natalie Williams__ used to work as a journalist in London and is now the Communications Coordinator for Jubilee+, as well as overseeing communications and social action for King’s Church, Hastings.

Maud .

50% bible and 50% ACTION. One without the other will not do.

J S Staples

As I live in Hastings it was very interesting and helpful. This is a poor neighbourhood and it highlighted our problem

Hazel Woods

A thoroughly convincing Biblical argument for the church and individuals to examine their lifestyles and make practical changes to impact the poor and vulnerable. Easy to read

Practical and challenging!

Call to Act

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