Wilberforce Address 2009
Mr. Costa drew much on the life of William Wilberforce and his twin aims of the “Abolition of the Slave Trade” and “Fixing the character of his times.” The latter is a pressing concern for our society. Some of the key themes that he drew out were that:-
Economics has been wrongly separated from the moral and spiritual life of our nation;
The banking and the political crisis are linked and reflect the deeper malaise of a lack of a moral spirit underpinning our society;
There needs to be a use of each person’s talents for the benefit of all;
There needs to be a fundamental re-orientation from “me” to “we” as without this we cannot build a society;
The rise of technology should lead to the creation of millions of “digital little platoons.”
The address was then followed by a lively time of Question and Answer from the floor. The key concerns were around the lack of trust in most forms of authority in our society, how do we take these ideas and make them a reality in our communities and the need for politicians to deal truthfully with the electorate.
Audio excerpts of the speech will be posted on this site next week. The full text will be available in a book of all the Wilberforce Addresses that will be published early next year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Conservative Christian Fellowship.
Under 35s Development Course Launch Party
On Wednesday 17th June almost thirty young people attended the launch party in Portcullis House, Westminster with David Burrowes MP and Alistair Burt MP.
The evening gave a great flavour of what the course would involve through previous participants, Edward Keene and Lola Adedoyin, talking about their own experiences on the course and how they have been positively affected.
Edward and Lola were then questioned about what they had learnt on the course from Alistair Burt MP, and from the potential recruits. The questions asked were thought provoking and show the high calibre of both CCF members and non-members that will be applying for the places. One attendee of the evening said, “Thank you to all the CCF team for putting on such an informative and useful event.”
If you would like further details on this course, or would like to apply, please contact the CCF office directly or download click here to download the brochure.
Liverpool Engagement in Public Life Seminar - 6th June
Dr. David Landrum, Senior Parliamentary Officer, The Bible Society
As Dr. Landrum was born in Bootle, the audience were immediately comfortable with him. Dave gave an indepth theological overview of why Christians should be involved in the public life of the nation and why we have not been involved over many decades. He spoke about the rise and now decline of secularism but also the need for Christians to be confident in their articulation of their faith.
Mrs. Judith Greensmith
As chair of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Liverpool Hospital Judith gave an insight into how health services are delivered locally. Under the new Foundation Trust model she explained that a new layer of authority was being added, namely governors who were to be community representatives. What an ideal way to be involved.
Cllr Fiona Bruce
Fiona is a councillor and member of the executive for Warrington MBC. She gave personal and compelling testimony of the difference that you can make as a councillor in your local area. She was very excited that an Eden project will be starting up in Warrington and how as a councillor she has smoothed the way for this to happen. What a difference this will make in the lives of the young people in Warrington.
Peter Owens
Riverforce is basically a church that has been planted within Merseyside police force. It is now consulted by the Merseyside police and has police budget allocated to it. Peter also outlined how local people can be involved with the police in their neighbourhood.
Simi Adedeji
CCF trustee Simi spoke with passion and vigour on the role of a magistrate. Simi’s view was that some of the people who are in front of her are judged by her colleagues on what they look like or what their address is rather than what they might have done. She made a plea for more Christians to get involved as magistrates.
Debi Jones PPC Sefton Central
Debi gave an engaging and often hilarious talk about how she came to be involved in politics. It was so encouraging for those with little political background to feel that they could be involved. The audience were very enthusiastic about Debi becoming a member of parliament.
Nadine Dorries MP
We were so grateful that Nadine travelled up from Bedfordshire to be with us. She spoke candidly about the challenges of being an MP but also the difference you can make.
Week of Prayer for Parliament
During the Week of Prayer for Parliament, the CCF held a prayer meeting with Dr. David Landrum, Senior Parliamentary Officer for the Bible society on Tuesday 9th June. Dr. Landrum used relevant scriptures to inform our prayers and we prayed, by name, for every councillor, MP and Prospective Parliamentary Candidate who is also a CCF member.
Please do come and join us when we next meet to pray on Monday 13 July.
Under 35s and Wilberforce Address Events.
