Purpose:
Putting faith groups at the heart of community building
Stimulus/Rationale:
A large number of residents subscribe to a religion and of the rapidly growing number of faith groups (over 200). This could lead to problems if not regulated, but on a more positive level these faith groups are seen as having a vital social role to play. Without ever directly engaging with the act of worship or with proselytizing, the Council believes that one of the best and most cost-effective ways of communicating with many of its residents is through their membership of faith groups.
Process:
Lewisham is characterised by a high degree of demographic transience and social atomisation and traditional bonds of neighbourhood or ethnic and national identity are not as strong as might usually be encountered elsewhere. This might well explain why religion seems to have emerged as the strongest form of social bonding and identification for many Lewisham residents. This may in turn explain why the local authority has accorded a level of prominence to religion that might be considered unusual in many other parts of Europe.
But strict secular separation seems never to have been the case in Lewisham where for many years the local authority has sought to actively engage with religious groups, particularly through a series of conference and fora. The council has a dedicated Faith and Social Action Officer and has a specific budget offering grants of up to £10,000 to faith-based organisations.
The role of the Faith Officer has been to establish relationships and build trust, both with the Council and between different denominations. There can be tensions between groups which the officer must mediate. Usually the greatest antagonism can be between different Christian denominations. From this basis of trust she can then probe more sensitive issues that might otherwise be hidden or problematic, for example sexual health or child welfare.
Lewisham Interfaith Forum is another example of cooperation. It developed out of strong partnerships and friendships between the faith communities of Lewisham. For many years, the Three Faiths Forum had been building understanding between Christian, Jewish and Islamic members of the community and LIF grew out of that. In 2015 the Faith Leaders, Lewisham Council and Lewisham Police organised the first Interfaith Walk for Peace. The momentum for walking together has steadily grown and the Peace Walk has become an important annual event supported by people of all faiths and none and is still held annually.
Key reference documents: For more information on Lewisham Interfaith Forum and the Walk for Peace
