a year in focus

A year in focus 2009–2010A year in focus 2009–2010

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Tackling Poverty TogetherThe vision of the Church Urban Fund is to see every church and Christian in this country participating as part of a movement to love and care for those excluded from society. As we face the scaling back of public services, the Church’s active involvement and faithful presence in communities right across the country is becoming even more vital.

Our work has always had a relational focus, identifying individuals who are passionate about transforming their neighbourhood and supporting them. That’s why over this past year Church Urban Fund has been establishing itself as a development organisation: equipping, as well as funding, local churches and faith-based groups. Increasingly, our role is to act as a catalyst, bringing practitioners together into regional hubs so that they can have the greatest impact.

The stories contained in these pages belong to all of us. Because poverty and the damage it does to people, communities and society is a problem we all share a responsibility for tackling. Thank you so much for your ongoing generosity in support of Church Urban Fund.

Tim Bissett, Chief Executive, Church Urban Fund

We believe that tackling poverty is about giving people opportunities, restoring their God-given dignity and enabling them to belong and contribute to their community.

Poverty was created not by God, but by you and me, because we have not learned to love our neighbours as ourselves.

Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution

These pages give a snapshot of our work over the past year and how your money has been spent. It is a work expressed through:

Funding othersMaking grants to churches and other faith groups so they can involve and empower people affected by poverty in this country.

Equipping others Providing training and guidance to groups involved in social action, based on over twenty years’ experience of working in England’s most deprived communities.

Telling othersIncreasing awareness about the existence and nature of poverty in this country and the unique role that churches have to play in tackling it.

Tackling Poverty Together




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A year in focus 2009–2010A year in focus 2009–2010Funding Others

Mustard Seed Programme

More than 400 projects have benefi ted from

Church Urban Fund grants over the last year

(over the next pages we tell the stories of just

two). And, of these 400 projects, 260 received

Mustard Seed grants totaling £1.1 million, enabling churches and faith-based groups to

turn their ideas into action within weeks and

helping people like Sylvia to act on their passion and calling to meet their communities’ needs.

We are so very grateful to those who have donated money to Church Urban Fund and who have enabled what we believe to be a God-given vision to become a reality.

Sylvia Griffi ths, St Martin’s, Sherwood

Our Mustard Seed grants have had a

real start-up impact on projects the

length and breadth of England. These

are just a few of the projects we have

funded this year:

● The Ark’s work placement scheme,

helping women in East Hull make

the transition to paid employment.

● Chapel Allerton’s ‘Romance

Academy’ in Leeds, looking

honestly at sex and relationships

with young people

● A support group for families of

offenders and for ex-offenders

struggling with ‘life outside’, based

in Southampton

● Boni Kidz’s new after school club

in Quinton, Birmingham

Funding OthersFunding Others

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Source Café, Aldershot

‘It’s OK in the day. There’s stuff we can do, places we can go. But at night it’s a different story. That’s when some of us get into trouble with the police. Most of us haven’t got jobs and we’re not in training either. To be honest, the only way we get through is with drugs and drink.’

That’s what life was like for vulnerable young people on the streets of Aldershot. And that’s why Jo Emmet, a Christian living in the area, opened up the Source Café, a safe space for 14 to 24 year olds.

The Café has grown to offer mentoring, anger management, a young mums programme, and an after-school club. All this is has been delivered sensitively and with the support of young people volunteering, helping to build their life skills and self-esteem.

A Christian organisation, The Source was initially viewed with suspicion by funders, but Church Urban Fund support has now enabled them to secure extra funding.

The Source Café is one of over 400 projects that have benefi ted from our grants during the last year. To fi nd out more about some of the other projects we’ve supported, go to www.cuf.org.uk/podcast

I’ve got a huge heart for young people which can only be from God… he gives me grace to just love them and accept them…

Natalie Cooper, Café Cordinator

This place is moving people on… you can talk about your problems. If it wasn’t for this place, people would be desperate.

Mike, Justlife user

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Justlife, Manchester

‘Bullied by uncaring social housing landlords. Housed in damp and unclean accommodation. This was life for many of us on the Gransmoor Estate. We were resigned to living like this – and to seeing our mates die regularly of a combination of drug addiction, malnourishment and a sheer lack of love.’

Funding OthersFunding Others

Church Urban Fund support was right there from the beginning…

Gary Bishop, Project Director

But then Gary and Hannah Bishop fell in love with this area and its people. And, over a period of years, their passion and concern translated itself into Justlife – a drop-in centre and community interest housing project – with the help of all-important Mustard Seed funding from Church Urban Fund.

Taking over more and more of the housing in the area and providing food, conversation and support to vulnerable adults in the area, Justlife has come as good news to the people who need good news most.

Justlife is one of over 400 projects that have benefi ted from our grants during the last year.

To fi nd out more about some of the other projects we’ve supported, go to www.cuf.org.uk/podcast

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Regional Hubs

Working with the Diocese of Truro and Churches Together in Cornwall, Church Urban Fund has been a catalyst in creating Transformation Cornwall (TC), an ecumenical organisation, to tackle poverty and marginalisation in the county.

Equipping Others

Through regional networks like this, we can help bring in badly needed resources for Christian social action at the same time as raising the skills and confi dence of volunteers, church leaders and community workers in order to have a greater impact than working independently. In Cornwall, for instance, TC has already secured funding for a community development worker.

There are already four more regional hubs in the pipeline: one in Bradford, one in the north-east (Newcastle/Durham), one in Birmingham, and one in Hull. And two more hubs are planned for early 2011.

‘It is part of our vision for Christians to get more involved with their local communities and for churches to work in partnership with other churches, community groups and statutory services.’

Andy Turner, Head of Network Relationships

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CUF National Conference

Our third annual National Conference in April saw over 250 community activists, practitioners and faith representatives. Held at Carrs Lane in Birmingham, it featured a mix of inspirational main sessions and interactive workshops on subjects like Finding the Funding, Building Your Team and Working with the Council.

Every person can do something. Everyone has something to offer. The trick is in fi nding what that thing is.

Eugenie Harvey

Guest speakers included Eugenie Harvey, author of Change the World for a Fiver, and Joel Edwards, International Director of Micah Challenge and former General Director of the Evangelical Alliance.

As in previous years, our national conference provided an invaluable opportunity for project staff and volunteers from all over the country to share experiences with others involved in similar work and to encourage one another – as well as creating space for much-needed refl ection.

To see short interviews with the key speakers, go to www.cuf.org.uk/videos.

Equipping OthersEquipping Others

Equipping OthersEquipping OthersEquipping OthersEquipping OthersEquipping OthersEquipping OthersEquipping OthersEquipping OthersEquipping OthersEquipping OthersEquipping OthersEquipping OthersEquipping Others

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Training

When, how and where you need it most

We provide a wide range of low-cost training geared towards the needs of church leaders and community activists. This year, we have run Impact Workshops in partnership with local dioceses in Walsall, London, Bradford, Leicester, Luton, Huddersfi eld and Stockton – and we are always open to invitations from other dioceses. These workshops have been packed with inspirational stories from local projects and practical ideas, like how to set up a local food bank or job club.

Equipping OthersEquipping Others

Really valuable and encouraging.

Enjoyable and relevant. Well balanced.

Excellent day – many thanks.

Quotes from participants of Impact Workshops

Also, we know how diffi cult it is for teams that are heavily engaged in their projects and communities to set aside time to add to their knowledge. So, we have developed our own Online Academy, providing access to a growing directory of high quality online training and resources covering:

● an introduction to fundraising

● effective governance

● health and safety

● maintaining Christian distinctiveness.

To fi nd out more, go to www.cuf.org.uk/act/cuf-academy.

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Mission Partners

From St Mary’s, Upton raising over £1,600 by staging a concert with its church band to the smaller, but faithful, donations by All Saints, High Wycombe each year for the past two decades, thousands of churches have contributed generously to Church Urban Fund’s work since our launch in 1988.

An increasing number of churches are committing to supporting us on a regular basis, as Mission Partners. Not only does this give us more guaranteed lines of income – enabling us to plan and work more effectively – but it also gives donor churches opportunities to engage more actively with our work, by:

● linking with one of the projects we support

● holding fund-raising events on our behalf

● running a Poverty Sunday service.

We enjoyed the visit to Spitalfi elds and were humbled by the real progress evident there. We are delighted to be associated with their work.

Member of the Parish of the Ascension, Cambridge, following a visit to their Mission Partner link project

Why not encourage your church to become a Church Urban Fund Mission Partner?

For more information, go to www.cuf.org.uk/act/mission-partners

Telling Others

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Speaking Out Against Poverty

Church Urban Fund has continued to send out guest speakers to raise awareness of poverty in this country. And on Church Urban Fund Poverty Sunday in June each year, we especially encourage churches to focus on and remember the poor we live alongside.

I want to thank you for a very powerful presentation. I felt it was just right for us in comfortable Wallingford.

Feedback from St Mary’s Wallingford to Church Urban Fund guest speaker

Thank you for sending us materials for use on Poverty Sunday. We used the intercessions, hymn and reading suggestions. We also used the materials for a display and an article in our church magazine.

Jill Farrington, Coordinator, Social Justice Vision Group, Halifax Minster

I want to thank you for a very powerful presentation. I felt it was just right for us in comfortable Wallingford.

David Rice, vicar of St Mary’s Wallingford

Volunteer Speaker Network

To help get our message out more widely, we are developing and resourcing a network of voluntary speakers. Good communicators willing to speak on our behalf, our volunteers include licensed readers, retired clergy, and individuals with a heart for the poor and experience of living or working in a more deprived area.

If you are a confi dent public speaker and have a passion for social justice, then please contact [email protected] about joining our growing Speaker Network.

Telling OthersTelling Others

Wallingford to Church Urban Fund guest Fund guest speakerFund guest Fund guest

It is great to have the opportunity to promote the church’s witness against deprivation and division in our neighbourhoods and to tell the stories of the positive transformational impact of local churches enabled by the Church Urban Fund.

David Grimwood, Voluntary Speaker

speakerspeakerspeaker

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Lessons in life

Retreat on the Street

Cities are busy, diverse and vibrant places for some. For others they are places where many are excluded and fi nd themselves with limited choices or resources.

As part of a new initiative with One City Projects, we held Retreats on the Street in Liverpool and London this year, enabling people to spend a day on the streets, freed from their usual daily business. Experiencing fi rsthand what is going on in our inner cities in places they hadn’t been in before not only fueled participants’ refl ection and prayer, but also challenged their perceptions of these cities.

Telling othersTelling others

‘I was shocked by how many people passed by the Big Issue sellers as though they were invisible. I have found Liverpool to be a consistently friendly, open and welcoming city. Ignoring people like this did not fi t with my experience.’

Retreat on the Street participant, Liverpool

Building on the success of these fi rst retreats, we are planning four Retreats during Lent of 2011 in Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and London. If you are interested in coming on one of these Retreats, then please contact: [email protected].

Telling OthersTelling Others

Copies of our full audited accounts and Trustees’ report are available on request.

Individual and church donations, £1,716,000

Trust Income, £275,000

Legacies, £101,000

Income from charitable activities, £121,000

Archbishop's Council Grant, £500,000

Investment income, £101,000



Legacies, £101,000






Legacies, £101,000






Legacies, £101,000






Legacies, £101,000






Legacies, £101,000






Legacies, £101,000






Legacies, £101,000






Legacies, £101,000






Legacies, £101,000






Legacies, £101,000






Legacies, £101,000




Funding others, £1,588,000

Equipping others, £177,000

Telling others, £288,000

Cost of generating funds, £535,000

Governance, £102,000

Investment income – £101,000

Archbishop’s Council Grant – £500,000

Income from charitable sources – £121,000

Legacies – £101,000

Trust Income – £275,000

Individual and church donations – £1,716,000

Governance – £102,000

Cost of generating funds – £535,000

Telling others – £288,000

Equipping others – £177,000

Funding others – £1,588,000

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Where our money comes from

Total income was £2.8m in 2009, a small increase on the previous year. A large part of our giving comes from individuals and churches. We appreciate gifts of any size and particularly value the growing number of our supporters who are making regular, planned gifts by setting up a standing order or by joining our Mission Partner scheme for churches. This is a very cost-effective way of supporting Church Urban Fund. And we are also very grateful for the faithful support of a major individual donor and the J Paul Getty Charitable Trust towards our Mustard Seeds programme, as well as a grant of £0.5m from the Archbishops’ Council.

Where the money goes

The majority of Church Urban Fund’s spending – nearly £1.6m – goes directly to supporting community projects in the poorest areas. As a development organisation, we are also putting considerable resources – £0.5m – into equipping and telling others, including developing regional hubs, organising local workshops and national conferences, and establishing our own online training academy. The remainder is spent on fundraising and awareness-raising activities among our individual and church supporters, and on running the organisation.

While money is key to the work we do, equally important is the contribution of those who pray faithfully for us and who volunteer for us at events and as fundraisers or voluntary speakers.While money is key to the work we do, equally important is the contribution of those who pray faithfully for us and who volunteer for us at events and as fundraisers or voluntary speakers.

CUF income 2009 CUF expenditure 2009

Tackling Poverty TogetherTackling Poverty Together

a year in focus

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