Emma is the Spear Centre Manager in Bethnal Green, and is part of the worshipping community at St Peter's Church Bethnal Green, where the Spear Programme is hosted. She is passionate about supporting young people to realise and fulfil their potential.
The Revd David Ackerman has been vicar of St John the Evangelist, Kensal Green since 2013, serving the parish and community. He studied theology at Westminster College, Oxford, gained a teaching certificate from Brighton University & a Master’s degree in Canon Law.
Daphine Aikens MBE is the founder and CEO of Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank, which began in 2010. It now operates three branches, and continues the busiest foodbank in London. As well as providing emergency food, the Hammersmith & Fulham foodbank runs Holiday Clubs and Cooking and Budgeting courses, and works with partners to provide professional advice, legal support and free psychotherapy for clients, as well as other community engagement projects.
Martin is a Trustee for London Churches Refugee Fund
Tolu is part of the Children & Youth Team at the Diocese of London, particularly with experience working within secondary schools, helping young people explore faith in creative ways.
Ayo is Churchwarden at John Keble Church in Mill Hill, Barnet, where she has been part of the community for many years. She and a team have been running courses for the church talking about mental health and grief.
Enid is a Licensed Lay Minister at St Stephen's Church, Ealing and is a member of the General Synod. Enid is a particular champion of Eco Church, of which St Stephen's has a Silver Award, and is a member of the environmental community group Act for Ealing.
Mike is the priest in charge of St Matthew’s in Ealing, and a trustee of Ealing Winter Night Shelter. Prior to ordination he worked for the charity Stonepillow, who work to empower the homeless and vulnerably housed in West Sussex.
The Rev Preb John Beauchamp is the Disability Ministry Enabler for the Diocese of London. John is blind and has been ordained and worked as a parish priest for 27 years. This role was created in 2021, and sees John leading on issues concerning disability at all levels across the Diocese of London.
Previously Tania (Tarn) was interim director of Capital Mass. She now heads up the Christian charity Home for Good.
Tarn is the interim CEO of Capital Mass. She''s also on the board of trustees of Spring Harvest and runs her own executive coaching consultancy.
Julia is the Anna Chaplaincy Training and Development Lead supporting churches and individuals to explore spiritual care for older people, particularly those living with dementia. She has a background in adult learning in ageing and dementia.
Debbie is the Head of St Michael At Bowes Junior School, a three form entry Church of England school in Palmers Green, in the borough of Enfield and the Diocese of London.
Martin is Operations and Finance Manager at St Paul's Marylebone, Vice Principal of the St Edmund's Courses, an LLM at All Hallows by the Tower, and joint Area lead on Creation Care in the Two Cities Area.
I have enjoyed engaging with people throughout my career as a chef working in restaurants and then as a cookery school director and finally as a cookery teacher. I am now retired and wanted to continue engaging in a way that might be positive for people less fortunate than myself. Through St James's Church, Piccadilly I have been involved with volunteering with people experiencing homelessness for the past six years. When the Passage invited us to contribute to Home for Good, I saw the chance to participate in a scheme with potential for long-term benefit and I am delighted to help coordinate this partnership.
Sue is a member of St. Stephen's Church in Ealing, serving as Mission Team Lead. She co-leads the People & Planet group and leads their Eco Church Team. They gained a Silver Award in January 2021 - and are now working towards Gold.
Claire is the vicar at Hope Church Hounslow. She is committed to the church being a blessing to the local community, being Christ Centred and being Spirit filled.
Deborah has a science background and has worked on initiatives in environmental education for 35 years. She is part of the Earth Justice team at St James's Piccadilly, supports the work of Eco Church and A Rocha UK, and is a member of the Diocesan Creation Care Advisory Group.
Paul is the Founder of Care for Ex-Offenders and has recently been appointed Bishop’s Advisor to Prisons and in 2015, was awarded an MBE from Her Majesty the Queen for services to ex-offenders.
Brian is the Head of Environment and Sustainability at the Diocese of London, including leading the work to design an "Energy Footprint Tool" to measure Carbon use of churches. He has worked and written extensively on the need for us as Christians to care for God's Creation as part of our witness and stewardship.
Jo Davey is Volunteer Coordinator and Community Organiser at St Mary Hornsey Rise. She runs Cook Together, a community cooking club that aims to address loneliness and food poverty through making and sharing easy, tasty, healthy, cheap meals.
Steve Day attends HTB church in London and has become the public face of the Polluter Pays amendment campaign.
Megan is the London Development Coordinator at MakeLunch, focused on building relationships with churches within the M25, making sure that more kitchens open, meaning that there are less hungry children in the capital.
Director of the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum www.ldcf.org
Jill is the Development Worker for Compassionate Communities on Money, Debt & Food Insecurity, as well as Mental Health & Isolation. Please get in touch with her if you need any support or advice.
Jacqueline Douglas is a London based artist focusing on issues of identity and cultural assimilation. She attends a church in Hounslow, West London. In addition to art, Jacky works as an Interior Designer, most recently project managing the refurbishment of St Paul’s Church, Brentford. Remaining a thriving church, it now incorporates a community cafe, work/hire space and children’s play area. Instagram: jacqueline _douglas1 www.dis-place.com
Idina is a Pioneer Minister at St George's Church in Southall.
Tina trained as a nurse many years ago and specialised in the care of the elderly. Following a career break to raise three children she worked in the third sector for local charities supporting older people, setting up projects for the lonely and isolated. She recently completed a Masters Degree in Charity Management. Her Christian faith, coupled with a big heart for the older generation inspired her to establish Embracing Age.
Ben Evans is the Founder and a Company Director of Humantalk which offers training in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) alongside other coaching and training opportunities for businesses, charities, and churches. Prior to Humantalk, Ben worked in senior leadership development for the Archbishops’ Advisers for Appointments and Development at Church House, Westminster.
Near Neighbours Coordinator for West London. Website: www.near-neighbours.org.uk/local-hubs/west-london
CUF was established by the Church of England as a practical response to unmet need and has been active in local communities for over 30 years. Our vision is to see people and communities all over England flourish and enjoy life in all its fullness. We work through the Church of England’s local parish networks, and alongside other faith-based and secular organisations, to bring about positive change in neighbourhoods. www.cuf.org.uk
Pattie is the Compassionate Communities Development Worker for Refugee& Aslyum Seeker response, Housing & Homelessness. She has a background in the humanitarian sector and an MA in Development and Emergency Practice. She is passionate about issues of justice, hospitality, and community.
Lis has been Vicar of St James the Less, Pimlico, since September 2010. She leads missions and does a lot of mentoring and spiritual direction. She is passionate about seeing people come to Jesus and growing in their faith.
Reverend Rachel Greaves-Brown is a priest in the Church of England. Rachel is Post- Ordination Training Advisor in the Diocese of London, and she continues to be attached to St John’s Hoxton where she was Associate Vicar.
Alex is the Director of Partner Relationships at The SpringBoard Bursary Foundation
Jennifer Herrera is Executive Director of Acts 435 and has been involved in the charity since operations began in October 2009. Jenny grew up in York, where the charity is based, and is a chartered accountant by profession. She lived in Guatemala in Central America for 6 years, where she met her husband, and where she served as Field Director for Kids Alive Guatemala, running an orphanage and day-care centre.
Hayley is the Compassionate Communities Development Worker for Debt & Financial Wellbeing and Mental Health & Isolation. She has a background in youth and community work and recently worked as a CAP debt centre manager. She is currently studying for an MA with Church Mission Society in Theology, Mission and Ministry and is passionate about seeing churches equipped to be good news in their community.
Revd Graham Hunter is Vicar of St John’s Hoxton, an impoverished yet vibrant inner-city parish in the southwest corner of Hackney right by the City of London. He serves as Trustee / Director on several charities tackling poverty and supporting youth work, including having served for 5 years on the Executive Committee of Christians on the Left. He is passionate about social justice, the church, politics and theology.
The Clewer Initiative seeks to raise awareness of all aspects of modern slavery and helping to mobilise the local church.
Tash is the Church Engagement and Theology Director for the Fair Energy Campaign. She hold an MA in Theology from Kings and is a member of St John's Church, Hoxton, where she has been on the team piloting Energy Switch Days.
Gordon is a Fundraising & Marketing Consultant and founder/CEO of Bloom Fundraising. After a career in the commercial sector, Gordon began working in the charity sector in 1999. He worked as director of fundraising for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children from 2010 till 2016, before setting up Bloom Fundraising in 2016, providing strategic consultancy and fundraising services to clients in England, Wales and Scotland.
Jon works with people affected by homelessness, offending and addictions at the West London Mission. He, his wife and three children are part of Streatham Baptist Church and he is a member of the Christians on the Left. He likes football...but loves cricket.
Bekah Legg is the CEO of Restored, a Christian charity with a mission to speak up about violence against women and girls, equip the church to stand against domestic abuse and support survivors. It hosts an online community for Christian women who have been subjected to domestic abuse.
Kate is a psychologist with a particular interest in the way our emotions affect us. She's passionate about helping people keep emotionally healthy in spite of what life throws at them, and making sure they reach their full potential. She's a church leader, speaker and author, and is also project leader of Headstrong, an online wellbeing space for teenagers and young people created as a partnership between Youthscape and Mind & Soul Foundation.
Chris Mitchell is a member of St Johns Church in Hoxton, East London and part of the volunteer team who, through Citizens UK, are running the Fair Energy Campaign and the Big Switch Days
Paul is the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) policy advisor with particular responsibility for issues around the economy including poverty and inequality. Prior to working for the Methodist Church he was a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College studying viral disease and vaccine design.
Alongside being SSM Priest in Charge at Holy Sepulchre, the National Musicians’ Church, Nick also works in the City as CFO and Head of Compliance at a FinTech company, focused on banking for the unbanked in the Middle East. In being able to do both things, he feels he is best able to see, serve and understand the City with all its positive aspects as well as its challenges.
Ami is Project Manager at the NEWway Project, a grassroots homeless charity based in Newham, which started back in 2013 as a church led night shelter.
Tom joined The Centre for Community & Theology in August 2015 to coordinate the work of the Church Credit Champions Network in the Diocese of London. He previously worked in Bradford for debt-counselling charity Christians Against Poverty.
Obi leads the COMPACT Youth Club at St Francis at the Engine Room in Tottenham Hale. They provide a grassroots program supporting local young people aged 14 to 18 years old with developing employability and life skills.
Alison is a student at St Mellitus College and an active member of The Enfield Refugee Welcome Group
Corin is Deputy Director at Livability UK @livabilityUK as well as @recoverypathway Trustee Corin is passionate about community, wellbeing, disability, the church & inclusion.
Corin is the UK National Director of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries, who exist to equip the Church to support mental health and wellbeing. Corin is passionate about community, wellbeing, disability, the church & inclusion.
East European Resource Centre provides information, advice and support to people from Central and Eastern Europe from the 2004 and 2007 EU accession countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. www.eeac.org.uk
Ruth Rice set up the first Renew Wellbeing centre whilst leading New Life Baptist Church and now works full time for the charity, delivering training and supporting sustainability. Ruth has a background in teaching and Baptist church Ministry and is passionate about seeing churches turn themselves and their great habits of welcome, care and prayer inside out to reduce isolation and increase wellbeing in every community.
Mary Jane Roberts gained degrees from the London School of Economics before working for HM Treasury and senior roles in the private sector. She moved to the non-profit sector in 2019 leading Mary’s Charity, now a recognised specialist centre by London’s Violence Reduction Unit producing evidence with the Centre for Youth Impact.
Sarah has been a member of St Pauls Brentford congregation for 4 years and is part of the Eco Church team there. She's worked for a number of environmental charities in insight and project management roles.
Adviser on Social Policy for the Church of England. Engaging with the world beyond the Church on poverty, welfare, and the economy.
Jeremy is the National Director of Linking Lives UK, a charity that equips churches to impact social isolation and loneliness in their communities.
Jenny is the founder and director of "Together for the Common Good" a charity that helps churches and other civic organisations to play their part to strengthen the bonds of social trust. They seek to reimagine a culture that puts people, communities and relationships first, by putting Common Good principles into practice and by working with others of different opinions and backgrounds.
Vicki Smith is the Fundraising & Team Manager at Together with Music. She holds a BMus First Class Honours degree from Trinity College of Music and has since worked across a variety of settings, most recently in the education, charity and fundraising sectors
Mthr Alice is parish priest of St John the Evangelist, Brownswood Park, in Hackney, part of the Stepney Area of the Diocese of London
Sonia is the Senior Youth Pastor at St Saviour's Church in Sunbury, in the Borough of Spelthorne, part of the Kensington Area. She is passionate about Jesus, young people and supporting everyone in their wellbeing.
David Stretton-Downes was Head of Communications for the Engage 2015 campaign, which helped churches engage with communities during the Rugby World Cup in 2015, and is a Director of Vidan Lawnes, a creative agency based in London. Below, he recounts how Ambassadors Football took teams to the now closed Calais refugee camp ''The Jungle'', in May 2016 to do sports ministry. He tells us of the lasting legacy of this simple act has had on him and many others.
Nicola is currently head of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation at the Diocese of Southwark and a member of the Commission on the Integration of Refugees. She is former Deputy Director of Refugee Integration and Vulnerability at the Home Office
Tim Thorlby is the Managing Director of Clean for Good. You can find Clean for Good at www.cleanforgood.co.uk and on twitter @clean4good. You can find Tim on twitter @TimThorlby
Bishop of the Episcopal Area of Kensington, and President of St Mellitus Theological College. Bishop Graham is also the co-sponsor of the Compassionate Communities stream of work for the Diocese. He has been a passionate advocate and voice for the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster in his Area in 2017, and is deputy chair of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Commission on Housing.
Alison heads up the Compassionate Communities for the Diocese of London, who exist to support & equip churches and chaplaincies across the Diocese to better serve their communities compassionately.
Environmentalist and theologian, social activist and author. Ruth is Global Advocacy and Influencing Director for Tearfund and carry a vision to inspire and equip Christians to a whole-life response to poverty, helping build a movement that brings about lasting change on the issues that impact the poorest and most vulnerable.
Kirsten is a Trustee for the NGO Young Roots; a grassroots organisation which supports young refugees and asylum seekers in London. Young Roots runs regular youth groups, weekend activities and casework service for young refugees in London. They provide a safe space where young people can make friends, learn new skills have a support network.
Revd Will Van Der Hart is associate Vicar at St. Dionis, Fulham and founder and director of the Mind and Soul Foundation. www.mindandsoulfoundation.org He is passionate about equipping church leaders to look after their own emotional health as well as empowering them to manage the emotional needs of their congregations. He's the author of many books including The Perfectionism Book, The Guilt Book and The Worry Book.
Suzanne is part time vicar of St Christopher's Hanwell, part time PhD student, full time northerner, lover of life and believer in people.
Executive Director, Conservative Christian Fellowship www.theCCF.co.uk
Josephine is Policy and Public Afffairs Manager at Praxis. She leads Praxis’ policy influencing and advocacy, working for a more humane and compassionate immigration system in the UK.
Fr Niall is the Rector of St Pauls, West Hackney, where he's served since 2003.
Derek is vicar of St James Church, Hampton Hill in the Kensington Area of the Diocese of London. He is the Kensington Area Lead on Caring for God's Creation.
Bishop Joanne Grenfell is Bishop of Stepney Area in the Diocese of London. Prior to that she was Archdeacon of Portsdown in the Diocese of Portsmouth, and before that Director of Ordinands and Residentiary Canon in Sheffield. She has experience of outer housing estate and inner city parishes, chaplaincy, and cathedral ministry.
Flo is a member at St James, Muswell Hill and a leader in The Young Christian Climate Network, an action-focused community of young Christians in the UK aged 18-30, choosing to follow Jesus in the pursuit of climate justice.
Did you know?
— Compassionate Communities (@CompCommunities) May 22, 2023
We've created some simple resources for churches on accrediting to be #LondonLivingWage employers.
As part of our worship and witness, if you already pay the Living Wage- why not let people know by accrediting?
start the journey here: https://t.co/rdnVNK3SA8 pic.twitter.com/OmqN6dJ0ZF
