Most people want to live in strong, healthy, caring communities where everyone feels they belong. But at a time when people are struggling and feel fearful for the future, it can be easy for a story of decline and despair to set in. When that story goes unchallenged, it can become self-fulfilling, with people turning away from one another.
There is no doubt that we have faced tensions recently and, let’s be clear, there are people trying to divide us rather than bring us together. We have to stand against that. We also believe that racism, antisemitism, and the scapegoating of groups of people is an evil in our society and we deplore whenever and wherever this happens.
As faith leaders, we are not politicians but we care about the common good, which means strong, connected communities, and the well-being of everyone.
There is another story of Norfolk. We see it every day, in our churches, mosques and synagogues, in village halls and community centres. People working together to make things better. They volunteer at their local foodbank, they stop for a chat with someone who looks lonely, they coach their children’s football team, they look out for their neighbours, they bring their community together. Perhaps you are one of them?
When we do these things, we are not looking for thanks or recognition. We are not trying to score political points. We are simply doing what needs to be done.
Too often, these everyday acts of generosity, kindness and hope go unnoticed, while stories of division are in the spotlight. We want to change that.
That is why we are taking part in Hope Happens Here, a campaign that celebrates the everyday acts of kindness, care and connection happening across Norwich and Norfolk. Between 13 and 20 May, we will be helping to collect 1,000 Acts of Hope; simple, small acts of kindness or generosity that deserve to be seen and celebrated.
These contributions will help to tell a story of Norfolk at its best; neighbours quietly going out of their way to make life a little bit better for one another.
Norfolk is not a perfect place, and from our position at the heart of our communities, we know the intense pressure people are under, with increasing hardship, inequality and isolation. But the challenges that we face are shared, and they are best met by standing together.
As faith leaders, we know that there is far more that connects us than divides us. While the specifics of our individual faiths differ, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus and people of many other traditions are choosing to stand together, and this unity is itself an act of hope. We believe our shared commitment to one another can shape the story of this place.
The 1,000 Acts of Hope gathered during this campaign will be shared as part of a public exhibition during Refugee Week in June, in Norwich. It will be a chance to see, all in one place, just how strong and connected Norfolk already is.
You may feel that one small act can’t make much difference. But these stories, gathered together, have the power to change the narrative, and to remind both ourselves and others what Norfolk is truly made of.
We invite people of all faiths and none to take part – this is for everyone who calls Norfolk home. Share your Act of Hope online at https://linktr.ee/orangeheart or on an Orange Heart, which can be found in many faith spaces this week. Be part of a different story, and help inspire hope.’
Majors Tracey & Andrew Bale, Corps Officers: The Salvation Army, Norwich Citadel
The Rt Revd Ian Bishop, Bishop of Thetford, Church of England
The Very Revd Dr Andrew Braddock, Dean of Norwich, Church of England
Suzanne Broom, Elder at Norwich Central Baptist Church
The Right Reverend Peter G Collins, Roman Catholic Bishop of East Anglia
The Revd Lynne Nia Davies, InterFaith Minister and Member of the Octagon Unitarian Chapel, Norwich
Lesley Grahame, Co-clerk to Norwich Quaker Meeting
David Griffith, Chair, Norwich Interfaith Link
Annie Henriques, Member of the Council of the Norwich Progressive Jewish Community
Revd Helen Hollands, District Chair – East Anglia Methodist District
Liz Hoffbauer, Church Leader of Norfolk and Waveney Quaker Area Meeting
Sirajul Islam, Trustee, Norfolk Muslim Community Association
Fazlun Khalid, Founder, Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Bee Korn, Norfolk Council of Christians and Jews
Mr Ujjal S Kular, President of the N&N Sikh Society
Jenny Luck, Clerk for Kings Lynn Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Ben Margolis, City of Sanctuary
Revd. David R. Mayne – Regional Minister Team Leader, Eastern Baptist Association
Alaine Mukene-Drew, Norwich City of Sanctuary Faiths Stream Lead
The Executive Officers of the Norwich Progressive Jewish Community
Pastorin/Revd. Kerstin Othmer, German-speaking Lutheran Church in East Anglia
Marsha Parker and Todd Parker, Discovering Judaism
Imam Muhammad Zubair Patel, Imam at HMP Wayland & Hethersett Masjid and Islamic Centre
The Revd Ivan Rust, OneSpirit Interfaith Minister, Volunteer Chaplain at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
Rabbi Binyamin Sheldrake, Adat Yeshua Messianic Synagogue
The Rt Revd Dr Jane Steen, Bishop of Lynn, Church of England
Ruth Stokes, Norfolk Community Advice Network (NCAN) Campaigns Lead
Vivien Thomas, St John the Baptist Cathedral
The Rt Revd Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich, Church of England
Chris Wood, Norwich Pagan Moot
The Revd Adrian Woodbridge, Head of Spiritual Healthcare, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Darren Woodward, Senior Leader, Oak Grove Community Church
Rabbi Roderick Young, Norwich Synagogue