RDCC and sister church Bonny Downs Community Church, East Ham, were both involved in hosting the official launch of the Red Letter Christians in the UK.
What is Red Letter Christians?
Red Letter Christians UK is a new relational network for those who want to live for Jesus and justice
Many printed and online versions of the New Testament feature the words of Jesus in red. Those of us who identify ourselves as Red Letter Christians come from a diverse range of backgrounds and church affiliations but are unified by this commitment:
We want to be people who take Jesus’ words seriously in our personal devotion, in our communities and in UK public life. We believe there is an opportunity to present a Jesus-centred spirituality among those who share our commitment to stand for justice, peace and equity, but may never have heard this Gospel.
The launch started on Saturday 15th, starting with a leaders and activists breakfast featuring Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution (2006) and Beating Guns (2019) amongst many other inspiring books based on his radical ministry in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Then, in a very visual and vocal public action, around 800 young people and adults from across East London united today to take a stand against a growing culture of violence and knife crime epidemic.
The community took knives seized by police from the streets of Newham and melted them down to make new garden tools and sculpture for display in an East Ham community garden. Under the guidance of an expert metalsmith and two blacksmiths, local young people helped to create the new pieces ‘live’ onsite.
The day concluded with an evening meal with Shane Claiborne for young leaders in Newham. In partnership with Urban Changemakers - a course for emerging leaders, done by our very own Helen, Hannah and Jess last year. See the videos they made about the course and their lives here: https://redletterchristians.org.uk/stories-of-urban-change-makers/
For more information on Red Letter Christians and why we as a Church are supportive of the movement - there's more on the RLCUK website