news
idea september/october 2009
Don Hammond
Simplify your life
For some people, living on benefits is a long-term way of life.
ecent projections suggest that UK unemployment will reach 3 million by the end of the year, and this will continue to rise even after the economy begins to recover. For most Britons, the natural reaction to this grim news is to save money as a precaution in the face of possible redundancy. But the Alliance is offering an alternative response. As reported in the last issue of idea, nearly 60 members of Southampton Vineyard chose to live for a month on the amount that they would receive on benefits. Together they raised £24,000 on top of their regular giving and distributed these funds between two local charities helping people in poverty, as well as projects in India and Zimbabwe. Following this example, UK churches will take part in the Alliance’s Simplify initiative this October, continuing on from a month-long focus on Square Mile in September (see p18). General Director Steve Clifford, who lived on this budget during August, said, “The preparation for Simplify helped us understand just how complex our lives have become. It’s good to be asking ourselves fundamental questions about the choices we make. Although we knew that we were only living like this for just a month, while for some it’s a long-term way of life.” Simplify is a call to discipleship – an encouragement to live more simply in difficult economic conditions by cutting out unessential luxuries and remembering
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that they cannot offer true fulfilment. But it is not just about being frugal; Jesus commanded His disciples not to store up treasures on earth but in Heaven where they cannot be destroyed. Matt Hyam, senior pastor of Southampton Vineyard, made the important point that it is not just about the financial cost: “It would have been easy to buy cheap stuff from less ethical sources, but where is the point in that? Someone pays for it.”
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A small difference? Simplify can help churches and individuals to make a small difference in their community by modelling a pro-active
It’s good to be ask questions about the choices we make
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response while providing vital funds for services that are experiencing an extraordinary strain on resources. Churches will decide where the money goes – perhaps to a food bank or a debtcounselling centre trying to get off the ground. Or there may be families in the congregation or neighbourhood that need direct support in the coming months. As Matt Hyam said, “I know that the money we gave away made much, much more difference to its recipients that it would ever have made to us.”
So what will Simplify entail? A couple without children will have around £411 to live on a month after housing costs. Those with children get more; singles get less. Because everyone's situation is different, there is no single figure on what participants should give, but Simplify provides budgeting sheets to help work it out. Steve Clifford’s blog about his experience in August can be found on the Simplify website, along with resources and tips on how to get through the month. Many causes of poverty remain common in Britain as well as overseas. While Simplify offers a practical response to the effects of economic hardship, there is also a clear need to address the root causes of this situation. Steve Clifford believes that “Christians should offer an antidote to the consumerist drive of contemporary culture”, especially as Britain remains on course to achieve a record budget deficit in the next few years. In response to this, the Alliance has commissioned a report that will look into the theological and economic questions that lie behind the powerful role that debt has come to play in almost every sector of society. “So in addition to Simplify providing an opening for everyone to respond practically with generosity,” said Clifford, “we will keep you up-to-date with research on what a Christian worldview says about how and why we got into the current economic situation.” simplify.org.uk Daniel Webster