Open to God, Open to All
Justice, Dignity & Solidarity
Justice, Dignity and Solidarity (JDS) embraces the activity to make church – in whatever form it takes – accessible for everyone. It is to purposefully act in such a way that no one is excluded because of disability or colour, cultural background or sexuality or gender. We are working towards becoming fully inclusive as well as supporting those who work to make our world and community a more just and inclusive place.
Some of the work we are engaged in:
1 / Church of Sanctuary
Being recognised as a Church of Sanctuary along with others in the city of Lichfield. This ongoing journey was recognised at a gathering of representatives of the churches and faith places of Lichfield with Inderjit Bhogal in June 2023. The church supports the work of the City of Sanctuary as we seek to welcome and include those who come seeking welcome and places of safety.
2 / Food Bank
Collection for and supporting the work of the food bank in Lichfield. Our café distributes and honours vouchers providing drinks and food for those who need this service. Members volunteer at the distribution and collection centres and donations are collected.
3 / Fairtrade
Lichfield is a fair-trade city and we use fair trade tea and coffee in the café and for church activities. We have a fair-trade shop in our church and we partner with Fair2All - a shop in Ashby-de-la-Zouch - to purchase and sell gifts and homeware which in turn support communities around the world.
Click here to visit the Fair2All Website.
4 / Eco Group
As a church we are committed to caring for the world and using the resources we have as responsibly as possible. We have a small group of members who work to keep others informed and try to support in practical ways as well as lobbying and raising awareness around a range of topics.
5 / Partnerships
We continue to work in sustainable ways in partnership with other groups in Lichfield and beyond. Some of these include: Litter Picking; Green Christian Movement; Transition Lichfield; greening of the land around the church; The local repair Cafe; and collecting bottle tops for re-purposing.
We aim to work to live more sustainably and encourage others to do so and have partnered with Transition Lichfield to hold eco-fests covering a wide range of topics of local interest.
6 / Celebrating Diversity
We seek to support groups within the city who work to celebrate diversity and encourage inclusion. These include: One Lichfield; Churches Together; and Pathway Refuge.
7 / Charities
While many members support charities themselves, as a church community we actively support and raise awareness for different needs around the world and in Britain, including: All We Can; Christian Aid; Action for Children; Methodist Homes (helping older people live well for longer); and Methodist World Mission and Global Mission Partners.
8 / Creating Spaces
We actively seek to support groups looking for space to meet and work.
We currently lease an office to Staffordshire Adults Autistic Society regional Team.
We are hosts to: "The Memory Cafe" for people living with dementia; "Causeway" for adults with learning needs and their carers; and a local Alcoholics Anonymous group.
We also support parents of children with additional needs in "Wonderfully Made" which is a group meeting at, and run in partnership with, Wade Street Church.
(Contact us for further information on any of these groups)
9 / Listening Ear
In all of our work we recognise the need to listen and hear the lived experiences of others and respond prayerfully and with integrity. We are committed to continue to learn and grow and use the materials provided by the Methodist Church to enable us to learn how to become more inclusive and welcoming as we celebrate the diverse community that is Lichfield.