What is the vision of your Church?
To be a thriving community where everyone is loved and helped to grow in their faith.
Why has your Church signed the ‘End Poverty Pledge’?
We have signed the pledge because we want to see our local community thrive and social action is an important part of what we believe as we are all called to love and help others.
What examples can you give of your organisation putting the ‘End Poverty Pledge’ into practice?
We host a range of projects that respond directly to local needs, such as Advice Café (advice and support), Epsom & Ewell Foodbank (emergency food), Hear For You (listening service) and Nail It (addictions support group).
We run community events and activities, such as Merland Rise Church Café, Kick Football Academy, Christmas markets, craft events, table tennis, toddler groups, soft play, young people’s groups, exercise groups and coffee mornings.
We hire out space for organisations to meet and run activities.
We have an emergency fund to support those in our community who may be experiencing financial hardship. For example, we may support people to buy new white goods.
As Employers, we commit to paying at least the Living Wage to staff.
What would you hope to be able to do more of in the longer term?
We would like to expand the Advice café by increasing awareness of it in the local community and therefore the number of people we can support.
We are currently exploring becoming a Restored Beacon Church where we can be a safe space and support women and men who are experiencing domestic abuse.
We will continue to support the community by running events and activities that meet the needs of that community.
We have signed the pledge because we want to see our local community thrive and social action is an important part of what we believe as we are all called to love and help others.