“I can’t overstate how great this event was and how awesome it was to be a part of it.”
This was the reaction of one attendee at this year’s Just Love National Gathering, which took place this year for the first time in Birmingham, with funding from St Peter’s Saltley Trust.
JustLoveUK is a group empowering students and young adults to pursue justice in the Way of Jesus, in their whole lives. On Friday 11th to Saturday 12th October, around 140 people came together at Gas Street St Luke’s for a deep dive into the theme: “Changing Structures: Political Discipleship in an Unjust
World.” Taking as a cue the political vision of scripture, the Gathering had three key aims: 1) to equip people for nuanced and impactful political engagement; 2) to fan into flame the work of Just Love across the UK; and 3) to gather and energise our West Midlands members for lasting social impact.
One month on, attendees have taken or committed to over 200 follow-up actions. These include commitments to “actively seek out and listen to opposing [political] views,” to become “involved in a political campaign,” and volunteer to enable future Just Love Network events in the West Midlands and beyond.
As part of the event strategy, a small group of 15 young adults were given the incredible opportunity to spend 90 minutes with Marvin Rees OBE, a former Mayor of Bristol, Tearfund Ambassador and graduate of the Yale World Fellows Programme. Reserved for emerging Christian leaders involved in politics, government or advocacy, this Q&A enabled those already deeply engaged in this field to dive into the nitty-gritty of Christian practice in public life – a unique and powerful experience.
One ambition behind the event was to gather, connect and ultimately release JustLove UK’s West Midlands base for long-term impact, in particular through launching an ongoing West Midlands Hub. The first hub event took place in November 2024, with a small dinner and group workshop focused on Just Love’s Justice Practices.
(Adapted from an event report provided by JustLoveUK; photo credit: JustLoveUK).