The Leader of the Liberal Democrats listened carefully to the concerns of tens of thousands of Christians who have already signed the Faithworks Declaration. This petition calls on the incoming government to acknowledge and support the work of faith-based community projects across Britain and to guarantee that they can access funding from statutory agencies on the basis of their results and outcomes, without having to battle against prejudice or suspicion from central or local government funders simply because they are Christians.  Charles Kennedy assured churches that they would take their concerns seriously and looked forward to further discussions with Steve Chalke and the Faithworks Campaign after the forthcoming election, saying, “ I look forward to supporting your work.”

Welcoming Mr Kennedy’s readiness to engage with the churches’ willingness to work with the government in serving needy communities across Britain, Rev Steve Chalke, Founder of the Oasis Trust said:
“ Christians across Britain can be assured at this election, perhaps as never before that the leaders of all the main parties are willing to engage with their concerns and want to work in partnership with Britain’s unsung heroes; the army of Christian volunteers who daily make a difference by serving their local communities.  At this crucial time, we all have a role to play in opening up a dialogue with MPs and prospective Parliamentary Candidates; asking them how they will work with us, not against us, and encouraging them to keep to their word when polling day is a distant memory.”

As the number of Christians supporting the Faithworks Campaign grows by the day, it looks like becoming a central focus of many churches’ interaction with their parliamentary candidates over the next three weeks. Hundreds of churches have already requested a Guide, showing them how to put on a Parliamentary Hustings meeting, available online at www.faithworkscampaign.org and with the Conservative manifesto making explicit reference to their support for faith-based community projects, this issue could prove to be a significant factor in deciding the vote of many Christians in marginal seats.

In response to a survey of 3,000 church leaders which revealed that one in five churches feel that they have been excluded from statutory funding because of their faith, the Faithworks Campaign has drafted a Declaration which, in summary, calls on the incoming Government to:

• Establish objective funding criteria for government and local authority grants to local community projects based on best practice and value to the community which do not discriminate against the faith which is vital to the success of the Church’s work.
• Establish a central government mechanism to ensure the fair and uniform regional delivery of agreed policies.
• Establish appropriate forums for ongoing consultation between churches and government both at national and local levels.

A web-site and campaign book is also available, providing a comprehensive campaign guide and discussion of the ways in which faith is integral to the success of local community regeneration schemes. The book, ‘Faithworks – actions speak louder than words’, is written by Steve Chalke with a foreword by the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones. The Faithworks Campaign will also include a major debate between politicians hosted by Steve Chalke at the Christian Resources Exhibition on 15th May.