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The Magazine - Autumn 2019

Poverty in plenty

Published on: 1 September 2019

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Articles in this issue...

“When he saw the man, he felt compassion for him…”

It has become an unavoidable fact that homelessness in the UK has grown massively since 2010. There is a housing crisis because we do not have affordable housing. Housing available for rent, let alone to buy.

Reaching Out

It's pretty clear in almost every page of this edition of The Magazine that the consistent question is: how is it that in an era of plenty, there is yet so much poverty? And is there anything we can do about it?

What is poverty?

Simply a lack of money to pay your way - or more extensively no access to health provision, education, safe water and housing? Or is it an emptiness of spirit or loneliness? Biddy Collyer hosted a discussion with Anna Heydon, Peter Howard and Lorie Lain-Rogers to tease out the definition of poverty in a world of plenty.

The House that shames us

After a helter-skelter, what might you next find in Norwich Cathedral? Andy Bryant tells us: the answer is a house. At first glance it might be tempting to assume that this is a rather happy dwelling, a house wrapped in multi-coloured scarves. But behind the seemingly cosy image is another story. This is a house that should shame us.

Offering shelter and hope in King’s Lynn

Project Co-ordinator Lucy McKitterick looks back over the first year of the King's Lynn Winter Nightshelter.

Frugal Innovation: how to do more and better with less

Keith James looks at what we might learn from a growing informal, grassroots movement.

Fighting food poverty by using plenty

Food Banks have become a familiar sight in the landscape of our country - many run by churches in this Diocese. Food poverty is a fact of life, alongside food waste. A different initiative that is attempting to deal with both issues is the community fridge network. Here Damon Rogers and Isaac Sibanda share their story of how this is impacting their neighbourhoods.

Global justice

The Revd Fiona Haworth, assistant priest at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich city centre, shares her everyday faith journey with an emphasis on making a difference worldwide.

About this Issue

There are over 2,000 verses in the Bible on poverty and justice. This seemed as good a premise as any to invite some people to tackle the subject of poverty in our world today and how we might respond.

In our main feature (pg 6), a discussion is held among a small group of people who have some knowledge and experience of working or volunteering with people in poverty or have acknowledged a “lack” in their own life.

There is a concern around the issue of homelessness, as a symptom of perhaps both material and spiritual poverty, running through this issue.

Shelter solicitor Julia Wheeler urges us to respond (pg 4), Lucy McKitterick reflects on the first year of the King’s Lynn Winter Nightshelter (pg 11) and Andy Bryant explains how a knitted house in Norwich Cathedral is raising awareness of the issues around homelessness (pg 10).

Bishop Jonathan talks of the importance of us “reaching out” to alleviate all types of poverty in his Pause Button piece (pg 5). Some practical responses are shared with the idea of “frugal innovation” (pg 12) and community fridges (pg 14). Fiona Haworth shares her faith journey with a particular consideration of global justice issues (pg 15) and pupils at a rural primary school in south Norfolk prove that you’re never too young to challenge our policymakers to give access to education for all worldwide (pg 17).

I hope the theme of this issue, along with the other content, inspires you to look afresh at your own faith journey and response to some of these “big issues”.