THE SUFFERING UK CHURCH 

The following article appeared in a recent issue of the E.A.'s Idea magazine. Our thanks to Idea and David Evans of UK Action for permission to reprint it.

This issue of Idea looks at the persecuted church overseas. Yet a form of persecuted church exists right here in the UK involving our inner-city churches feeling marginalised and abandoned by their more monied counterparts in the suburbs.

Inner-city churches with little cash and low levels of skill within the congregation feel the injustice of an unfair distribution. They feel annoyance as they see many Christians bypass struggling local churches in favour of commuting to popular preaching centres in the suburbs.

Inner-city churches have huge amounts to teach the rest of us. They are forced to look outwards to communities which are hurting and damaged, or die. While there are hopeful signs in their struggling, there is also a feeling of powerlessness and despair: that certain assumptions which middle-class Christians make about their lifestyles will never change.

Supporting Christians overseas is exciting and challenging, but working in our own cities is no less worthy. We all need to experience inner-city life so we can realise that there is little difference between what goes on in Salford or Tyneside and the issues faced by people in Third World cities.

UK Action is planning several Outside In weekends to provide people with a first-hand experience of poverty and community development in our own inner-cities - not for curious voyeurs but for people seeking honest confrontation with urban life.

If you are interested in participating in an Outside In weekend, please contact UK Action on (0181) 943 7791 or e-mail ukaction@tearfund.dircon.co.uk

(UK Action is an initiative of TEAR Fund and the Evangelical Alliance set up to help local churches in the UK bring good news to those whose lives have been blighted by the impact of poverty. People who are marginalised and no longer have the opportunity to participate in society will benefit from projects run by local churches. UK Action is designed to enable local churches discover an agenda for action at the grass roots level.)