ArticleBlog | Building a poverty-busting lifestyle
Building a poverty-busting lifestyle
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 12.12.20
About ten years ago a man called Tom walked into the church which I led at the time. He had serious problems. He was heavily in debt. His marriage had failed. He lived alone and was prone to depression. Although he had a job, his life was in a mess. He came from a poor working-class background and had spent much of his time in his earlier life in pubs where he had become something of a f ighter. Tom did not fit the social profile of my largely middle-class church. However, we were able to offer him debt advice and help him stabilise his f inances. (He has now paid off all his debt). Then we introduced him to the Alpha course. To cut a long story short, he came to a living faith, joined the church and has become a firm friend. We enjoy spending time together. We share a passion for watching live league football together. Tom is also my chosen travelling companion if I am away from home preaching. We often laugh over the fact that our social backgrounds are totally different. I am classically middle class! This friendship has deeply enriched my life. Tom helps me to understand life from the point of view of the disadvantaged, the underdog and those in need.
Books as guides to life Proximity through friendships and relationships with many different people has been an important part of my journey. This is all part of a wider vision too of ‘building a poverty busting lifestyle’ which is the focus of a new book I have co-authored, entitled A Call to Act.
My colleague, Natalie Williams, and I have been writing about the churches’ fresh focus on social justice for a few years now. Our first book, The Myth of the Undeserving Poor (2014) focused on some of the negative media and social narratives about poverty that arose in the recent era of austerity. The Trussell Trust sent a copy of this book to every one of their foodbank managers.
