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24 March 2017

Start a conversation: Christians urged to be part of Jo Cox commission on loneliness

Leading Christian charities are urging the Church to take part in the Jo Cox commission on loneliness.

Christian charities, including Alliance member Livability, are hoping to mobilise Christians to be part of the campaign.

Using the commission's slogan start a conversation, the charities want to encourage Christians to talk to neighbours, visit friends, or make more time for the people they meet.

Corin Pilling, assistant director of community engagement at Livability, commented: "A recent study found more than one in three people aged 75 and over say that feelings of loneliness are out of their control. 

"Starting a conversation can in these circumstances be a real lifeline, which is why we have launched our top 10 tips for starting a conversation to support this campaign."

The other charities involved in the campaign are Linking Lives UK, Pilgrims' Friend Society, The Bible Reading Fellowship and Capital Mass.

Churches in the UK are already doing more to tackle loneliness than any other issue, with 87 per cent of churches having something in place.

The charities' contributions to start a conversation suggest seven steps for action:
1. Discover top tips for starting a conversation
2. Explore starting a visiting and befriending scheme
3. Get training and encouragement through the Faith in Seniors conference
4. See how the Anna Chaplaincy model could support your work
5. Download a report on church responses to isolation
6. In London: join a learning community
7. Sign up to the Jo Cox Campaign and pledge to start a conversation

The campaign is using the Twitter hashtag #faithtogether.

As a member of the Evangelical Alliance, Livability is one of 600 organisations supported by the Alliance. We facilitate members' initiatives and campaigns and offer support to increase their impact and provide training for organisations on how to engage with the local government and media.

If you would like to become a member of the Evangelical Alliance as an organisation, church or individual, you can find out more here. 

Image: Stevepb