Nearly 250 justice seekers gathered at the Joint Public Issues Team鈥檚 (JPIT) 2025 conference held at the Reach Conference Centre in Derby on 8 November.
With keynotes, listening spaces, workshops, crafts, and a range of stalls there was much for people to engage with and be inspired by.
Simeon Mitchell, JPIT Team Leader, opened the event by asking how often do we find ourselves thinking or shouting the event鈥檚 theme, 鈥淔or Goodness Sake!鈥�
鈥淔or goodness sake,鈥� he exclaimed, 鈥渨hen will the violence end? For goodness sake, there鈥檚 no negotiation with an overheating planet. For goodness sake, how hard can it be for a Labour government to realise that a two-child benefit cap is wrong? For goodness sake, why does politics have to be like this? For goodness sake, why are you taking out your anger on the most vulnerable and powerless? For goodness sake, why? For goodness sake, what can I do for goodness鈥� sake?
鈥淚t feels like it can be a hard time to be a justice seeker and a follower of Christ at the moment,鈥� he added. 鈥淏ut when has it ever been easy? I鈥檓 reminded of a verse from Psalm 23, 鈥榮urely goodness and mercy should follow all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the lord鈥�.鈥�
Joined on stage by Roo Stewart, 两性色午夜 Head of Public Issues, Simeon, assisted聽 聽members of the Iona Community鈥檚 Wild Goose Resource Group, in leading the conference in worship.
The first keynote of the day was delivered by the Right Revd Sally Foster-Fulton, a Church of Scotland Minister who also serves as Christian Aid鈥檚 UK and Global Church Ambassador.
Addressing the question 鈥淲hat is ours to do?鈥� Sally delivered a spiritual and moral reflection on how people of faith can act justly, love kindly, and walk humbly amid a world marked by injustice, division, and apathy. Blending scripture, storytelling, and family wisdom, Sally called on the audience to 鈥渞emember who you are鈥�, a call to integrity and compassion even when it鈥檚 difficult or unpopular.
Opening her reflection, Sally spoke about the complexities of our most precious resource, time: how quickly or dragging it can pass; how we often complain that there鈥檚 never enough hours in the day, or that there鈥檚 too much of it on our hands. Sally鈥檚 message came through strong: whether we have lots of time or too little, what matters most important is what we do with it.
鈥淲hat is ours to do,鈥� answered Sally, 鈥渋s to listen and learn from the margins. That as the body of Christ we can offer spaces that foster positive dialogue, thought our churches, to help dial down anger and instead provide opportunities to listen. What is ours to do, is offer love and compassion.鈥�
Drawing on Christian Aid鈥檚 model 鈥� combining humanitarian aid, sustainable development, and advocacy 鈥� Sally emphasised the importance of staying engaged, maintaining a presence by 鈥�not leaving,鈥� and working collaboratively toward justice. In this way, conference was inspired to live out faith as a present reality, not as a distant promise.
Sally ended her talk by inviting the audience to join her in singing a rendition of Kathy Galloway鈥檚 hymn Bread of Tomorrow which echoed her talk鈥檚 themes of hope and shared responsibility.
Watch Sally’s talk:
Attendees then enjoyed a range of conversation spaces that explored topics such as: politics with Catherine Atkinson MP for Derby North; Welcome Churches, a charity which encourages churches to welcome refugees in their communities; Church Action on Poverty, Gaza and the West Bank, environment, and the rise of the far right and Christian nationalism.
The conference then reconvened in the main hall to hear a keynote, delivered by the Right Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford.
Bishop Guli opened her address with words from Jeremiah 6:16: 鈥淪tand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; walk in it and find rest for your souls.鈥�
She reflected on how this call to 鈥渃hoose the good way鈥� remains urgent today, even when the right path is unclear or when Christians must choose between two imperfect options. The challenge, she said, is to seek goodness amid anxiety, fear, and division, both in society and within the Church itself.
Public ministry, she noted, often forces people into false binaries: right or wrong, good or bad, with or against, leaving little space for nuance or grace. Yet Christian witness demands that we resist this polarisation by occupying the 鈥渄ifficult space between extremes,鈥� and called on us to instead show humility, empathy, and patience even when this is costly.
To remain rooted in the 鈥済ood way,鈥� Guli emphasised the importance of daily prayer, silence, and spiritual reflection. These disciplines, she said, help us surrender what we cannot control, and helps us acknowledge our frailty and avoid being overwhelmed by evil.
Recalling her appearance before a Parliamentary Select Committee to defend the Church鈥檚 work with refugees and asylum seekers, Bishop Guli described it as a 鈥渕oment to resist evil.鈥�
Acknowledging the Church鈥檚 declining influence, Bishop Guli said Christians now speak from the margins rather than the centre of public life, and that this might not necessarily be a bad thing.
鈥淧erhaps the Church was always intended to be small and marginal,鈥� she suggested.
She argued that Christianity鈥檚 true nature 鈥� self-giving, humble, and rooted in service 鈥� often thrives when it is weak and loses sight when it grows powerful. From the margins, Bishop Guli explained, the Church can 鈥渞ediscover its prophetic voice and resist conforming to worldly measures of success鈥�.
Guli warned against the Church鈥檚 obsession with numbers, influence, and growth, which can distract from its primary calling to love and serve.
鈥淭here is nothing wrong with being small,鈥� she said, 鈥渁s long as we are faithful.鈥� God, she reminded, 鈥渨orks through mustard seeds, widow鈥檚 mites, and hidden treasures鈥�.
鈥淚n God鈥檚 economy,鈥� she said, 鈥渘othing is wasted.鈥�
Concluding her talk, Bishop Guli explained that 鈥渇aithful witness鈥� is not only a personal journey but a collective one, shaped by worship, story, and service.
鈥淭he Church鈥檚 credibility in the public square depends not on words but on lived action: foodbanks, befriending refugees, caring for the elderly, and embodying love in everyday life.鈥�
Referring to Stanley Hauerwas, an American Protestant theologian, ethicist, and intellectual, Guli explained that 鈥渢rue witness is shown in the fruits of the Spirit: compassion, service, and humility rather than through numbers or influence. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Christians find Christ in the stranger and the shared meal; learning to be both hosts and guests in God鈥檚 world鈥�.
To 鈥渉old on to the good鈥� is to walk faithfully amid uncertainty yet grounded in prayer, humility, and community; open to voices from the margins; and unafraid to witness from the shadows, Guli explained further.
鈥淚t is to love God and neighbour not through power or prestige, but through faithful presence, hopeful service, and trust in God鈥檚 redemptive timing鈥�.
Watch Bishop Guli’s talk:
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Following the afternoon鈥檚 keynote, people were offered a range of workshops to skill up and share knowledge. Themes included: reframing narratives as a tool for change, using money for good, why social action and social justice must go hand-in-hand, making an impact through JPIT鈥檚 Constituency Action Network, Just Worship, and theology and activism.
The conference closed with lively worship and prayer.
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