Heather Bellamy spoke with Matt Bird, founder of the Cinnamon Network, about the new umbrella group bringing together the Christian voluntary sector in Scotland.

Matt Bird

Some of Scotland's best known Christian charities have joined forces to launch a new national initiative to tackle poverty and support their local communities more effectively. Bethany Christian Trust, Glasgow City Mission, Blythswood Care, the Cinnamon Network, Redeeming our Communities, Care for Scotland and the Evangelical Alliance have set up Serve Scotland, an umbrella group, bringing together the Christian voluntary sector in Scotland at both a local and national level. The new organisation will be a contact point for MSPs, Civil Servants and media, when they are seeking to connect with church based community projects. To find out about the work Christians are doing in their communities and the importance of partnership, Heather Bellamy spoke with Matt Bird, the founder of the Cinnamon Network.

Heather: So what sort of community work is the Church doing in Scotland that would mean politicians or the media would want to connect with them?

Matt: The Church does so much in terms of the social impact it has in the community and any Government would want to connect with the Church, because of the value of what the Church contributes in the community.

Heather: Do you have some examples of the type of work that's going on?

Matt: Yes, at the Cinnamon Network, we try to make it as easy as possible for local churches to serve people in need in their communities. We do that by providing a menu of projects that churches can take off the shelf and use locally, instead of having to reinvent the wheel. So one example would be welcome boxes, which is our latest project. It helps churches welcome and resettle refugees. Scotland was one of the authorities that stepped up to say they would receive Syrian refugees in the first pre-Christmas group. Another is Link Visiting Scheme and that helps churches visit isolated people in the community, often elderly isolated people and helps the church visit those elderly people at home once a week. It's a befriending service and supports people who might otherwise not see anybody for weeks on end. Another great project on our Cinnamon menu is Make Lunch, which helps churches work with local schools, to provide meals in the holidays for children who might otherwise go hungry. Those are just three of the amazing projects that we promote, fund and train people to lead.

Heather: So at a time of increased budget cuts and cuts in services, how vital is the role the Church plays in filling that gap created in services?

Matt: The Church has always done this work and will always do this work, but as you say in a time of austerity and a lack of statutory provision, what the Church has always done becomes even more important. I think there is a huge opportunity for the Church to raise its game in what it's doing in the community. It shouldn't replace what the Government will be doing, but make that Christian difference in local communities.

Heather: I believe Serve Scotland is based on a model from Wales, so tell me about the success of what's happened in Wales?

Matt: Yes, there is a project in Wales called Gweini, where churches and charities have worked together. The Cinnamon Network has been running in Wales for two years as well. Whether churches are in urban, suburban or rural areas, it's trying to make social impact more achievable for them, rather than them having to reinvent the wheel. As always, we can achieve more together than we can apart. So the importance of the partnership in Scotland and the partnership that has developed in Wales and the partnerships that the Cinnamon Network has developed in England, these partnerships enable us to share resources, share ideas and make the resources that God has given us go even further than they might do otherwise.

Heather: So what is it about the Church that means that in a time when many denominations are in decline in terms of attendance, it can still find the ability to step up and increase its service to the community, when for example, councils are having to cut back?

Matt: Some denominations aren't in decline and are growing. The Redeemed Christian Church of God is one of the fastest growing denominations in the UK, so it depends where you look. There are stories of decline, but there are also stories of growth. It's the churches, no matter how big or small they are, that actually roll up their sleeves and get involved in the communities that often grow, because they are demonstrating their faith in action and not just standing in the pulpit and preaching. Demonstrating faith in action in the community shows that faith is real and alive and vibrant and that it makes a difference in people's lives.

Heather: Do you think this reshaping that is going on of how State and Church and other groups work together for the good of the community is a better model than just the State looking to have all the answers itself?

Matt: Oh, absolutely. The State has never had all the answers and it never will have all the answers. So much of what the State provides cannot possibly solve the problems in the community. As citizens in communities we need to take responsibility for the people around us, so no one institution could ever solve the problems in a community. What makes the Church's contribution so unique, it's as the Archbishop of Canterbury has said, that the launch of the Cinnamon Faith Action Audit is about provision wrapped in love and it's very difficult to provide love through statutory provision. It's very difficult to pay people to love others. The best people for providing support wrapped in love is the Church people that have experienced the radical extravagant love of God, who can simply pass that extravagant love on to others in the community. I think that is what makes the Christian Church's contribution in communities so unique, the fact that it is based on this radical unconditional, sacrificial love that we have experienced.

Heather: So with Serve Scotland, what is it about the initiative that has particularly inspired you and made you want to be involved with it?

Matt: It's the partnership element and the fact that we can work together across the breadth of the Christian Church, regardless of theological positions, but just work together based on a love of Jesus and a love for people in need. That together we can make a greater difference than we could do apart. That's what's inspired me about Serve Scotland, it's the willingness to work together to achieve more and in an age of austerity, partnership working is absolutely essential to our communities.

Heather: And how has it gone so far, as it was launched in November?

Matt: It's just beginning. I think 2016 is going to be very exciting for Serve Scotland and certainly from the Cinnamon Network, we've been working in Scotland for three years now, just helping ordinary local churches, big and small alike, rural and urban, to raise their game in what they are doing in the community. So I'm full of hope and ambition for what we might be able to support the Church to do more of in Scotland this year.