From Fear to Fellowship: Reweaving Democracy through Community
From Fear to Fellowship: Reweaving Democracy through Community
On 19th June, Jesmond United Reformed Church and Tyne & Wear Citizens hosted an evening of inclusive community building with guest speaker Angus Ritchie.
Angus Ritchie is a Church of England priest and an Organiser with the Centre for Theology and Community (CTC) in East London. He is the author of an important book of political theology (published 2019) which shows how the fundamentals of community organising can be used to reweave the fractured, hostile and fearful tone of politics and public life since Brexit, Trump and - most recently - the terrifying riots of summer 2024. The argument is to build democratic consensus from the ground up as an expression of ‘inclusive populism’. Some 70 people attended the event representing dozens of church and civil society institutions across Newcastle, Durham and Sunderland.
Walking into a horseshoe arrangement of dining tables it was immediately apparent that we were not here to passively receive instruction. Cooking smells and mellow music had transformed the traditional church space into a welcoming, conversational setting — a style that JURC has used to great effect in previous Big Questions Café events. This format is successful because sitting down to share food and meaningful stories are vital ingredients of community. They encourage relational conversations and effective broad-based partnerships to develop.
JURC Minister the Rev'd Ryan Sirmons, also on the Leadership Group of Tyne and Wear Citizens, invited us all to sit in random dining groups so that we would get to know new leaders in the manner of a house meeting or collective equivalent of a 1-to-1. Sara Bryson, Assistant Director of Citizens UK, then set the local, social and political scene. This event responds to growing concern amongst communities that right-wing politicians are exploiting poverty and grievance to spread social division and hostility to immigration.
Angus shared themes from his book alongside compelling stories of successful campaigns in East London and his experience as a reflective practitioner.
These were the memorable takeaways:
- the work of Citizens is political but not partisan. The heart of politics is people in common as agents of change, but the democratic norms of our public life are unravelling in numerous ways.
- community organising asks not what leaders believe but whether they are willing to respect and work with people who are different and hold views that we might disagree with.
After helping ourselves to a delicious buffet of chickpea curry and rice, we turned to the discussion questions at our tables. This was a chance to practise the craft of organising: listening for points of consensus, identifying relationships to build on, and drawing inspiration from the everyday leadership that drives change in our institutions. Between each rich round of conversation, we enjoyed a welcome break to pick something sweet from the collectively donated ‘potluck’.
Inspired by the opportunity to hear Angus Ritchie speak on inclusive populism, this friendly gathering served to demonstrate that there is an effective alternative to the liberal activism of the left and the authoritarian nationalism of the right. What unites diverse citizens in action for the common good is dialogue. It sounds deceptively simple - but what could be more powerful than sharing a meal and a meaningful conversation with someone outside your usual circle?