A number of political leaders in the UK are set to address Britain's churches in the run-up to the next General Election next year. The heads of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats will, through a series of groundbreaking live web-casts, deal with the role that churches and faith groups can ply within Britain's community.
The web-casts will run as a series of unprecedented events organised by the Christian social action movements, Faithworks.
The lectures will take place in February 2005 at Christ Church and Upton in central London, and leaders Michael Howard MP and Charles Kennedy MP will promote the issue of encouraging trust within Britain's communities.
Michael Howard, however, may prove to be highly controversial, after recently coming under heavy criticism from religious groups over political announcements on asylum seekers and stem cell research.
An invited audience will attend, and the two leaders will respond to specific questions, and also address the underlying question, "Is faith important for building trust in 21st Century Britain?"
Faithworks is hoping at a later date to confirm Prime Minister Tony Blair as a Faithworks speaker, however, confirmation of this is still awaiting.
The founder of Faithworks, Rev Steve Chalke MBE said, "This is the first time that political leaders in this country will address the Church directly through live web-cast. In the run-up to the next General Election, the Faithworks Lectures provide leading politicians with a unique opportunity to engage with people of faith over the crucial issue of how we build trust within society. It is also an excellent opportunity for the Church to tell politicians that our faith works – that Christ brings purpose to our lives and motivates us to become trustworthy members of our communities."
The lectures are part of the Faithworks Building Trust campaign, aiming to encourage churches, Christians and Christian organisations to model trustworthy behaviour as they engage with the local communities.
The inspired campaign was launched in September 2004, and features a nationwide tour of local churches along with a book by Chalke titled, 'Trust: A Radical Manifesto'.
The web-casts, although available to view live, will also be available to view for up to six months after the event. Christians everywhere are being told to gather and view the lectures via their nearest broadband connection.
In addition to the majority invited guests, a small number of public tickets will be available, and anyone who is interested in attending the Faithworks lectures should contact the organisation and state which leader they would prefer to hear.
Applications are available online here
Or by e-mailing Katherine.brenchley@faithworks.info
Or by calling 020 7450 9088
The Faithworks Lectures take place on:
- Liberal Democrats, Charles Kennedy MP – Thursday 3rd February
- Conservative, Michael Howard MP – Wednesday 23rd February