The Climate Change Bill is currently being debated in Parliament. We welcome the principles of the Bill, but it is a long way from being perfect.
Please write to your MP to ask him or her to make sure that the Climate Change Bill is robust, meaningful and an effective tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have produced a special briefing about the Bill that you can see at www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/jpitenvironment.htm

Buy Less: Live More
During Lent 2008 the Methodist Church provided a web based resource to encourage people to change their patterns of behavior by becoming less 'consumerist' and more generous and fulfilled:
www.buylesslivemore.org.uk

Transatlantic Slave Trade: An Apology
The Baptist Union Council of Great Britain has unanimously agreed a statement apologising for the transatlantic slave trade following lengthy discussion and prayer. It includes a call for reparative action: "We commit ourselves, in a true spirit of repentance, to take what we have learned from God in the Council and to share it widely in our Baptist community and beyond, looking for gospel ways by which we can turn the words and feelings we have expressed today into concrete actions and contribute to the prophetic work of God's coming Kingdom." Read the full statement at
http://www.baptist.org.uk/news_media/latest_news/slave-trade.html

11 Million Takeover Day
On Friday 23 November pupils from St Mary's Bryanston Square Primary School took over Methodist Church House for the day as part of the 11 Million Takeover Day initiative run by the Children's Commissioner. You can see further information on the initiative at
www.11million.org.uk
The Joint Public Issues Team's new Methodist bosses decided on two topics - pollution and gun and knife crime - produced a podcast, a webpage and wrote a letter to a government minister. Both of these pages and some pictures from the day can be seen at:
www.methodist.org.uk/takeover/
and the podcasts can be listened to at
http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.webradio

Opening Doors, Opening Hearts - Poverty and Homelessness Action Week
23 January - 3 February 2008 is Poverty and Homelessness Action Week.
Housing Justice, Church Action on Poverty and other organisations joined forces to run a national action week focussing on issues to do with poverty and homelessness. Resources for churches, information on how to get involved, and details of the poverty hearings are available at www.church-poverty.org.uk/event-items and
www.housingjustice.org.uk/homelessness-sunday/phaw2008/phaw.htm

JOINT PUBLIC ISSUES TEAM
Newsletter 10 December 2007
Centenary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
2008 will see 100 years of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Stoles from Mozambique Handmade, Fairtrade, colourful stoles from Mozambique available for £35 + p&p from Revd Kate Gray, World Church Advocate, URC North Western Synod (minister@breadbreakers.co.uk). You can see some people modelling them from URC General Assembly 2007 at
www.worldchurch.blogspot.com

Fund4Darfur / Holocaust Memorial Day
Fund4Darfur helps survivors of the Darfur crisis - both in the region and those in the UK facing destitution and the threat of return. 27 January is Holocaust Memorial Day, and the Fund4Darfur is using this day to raise awareness of the work it does and would welcome financial support. If you would like to donate money or find out more about promoting the Fund4Darfur, call 0870 0427 4444 or visit www.fund4darfur.org

Just Church Programme now available
How just is your church? Just Church is a new programme designed for churches and groups, to help you embed a concern for poverty and social justice in the life of your community. The Just Church website has a number of resources for download and material to give you ideas. You can also purchase paper copies of individual modules or the whole programme for £15. For details see www.justchurch.info
or write to Just Church, Church Action on Poverty, Central Buildings, Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JQ.