Churches tackle the real Covid-19 fallout – loneliness and isolation
by Archbishop Cranmer:
The news and media are dominated by the economic fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic. Will the recovery it be V-shaped, U-shaped, or L-shaped? Will the recession last two years or 10? The economy grew 1.8% in May, after shrinking by a colossal 25% since Covid-19 descended.That, frankly, isn’t very hopeful: 5.5% was expected. So it’s looking like a U-shaped recovery. Or even an L-shaped non-recovery. Whatever, we’re looking at the worst recession in 300 years, with the national debt at 100% of GDP.
As real as all this is (or soon will be) for real people in real-life situations, facing unemployment and hardship, unable to feed the children, unable to pay the rent, struggling with childcare, coping with disability, queuing in foodbanks, on the brink of homelessness, it is the weakest and poorest who always suffer most. And then there’s the loneliness and isolation, the depression and tears, the desperation and suicides.
New research from the Allchurches Trust reveals that two-thirds of churches across the UK are gearing up to tackle the surge of loneliness and isolation in their communities. The Centre for Mental Health forecasts that at least half a million more people in the UK may experience mental ill health as a result of Covid-19, and it’s the Church that is stepping up to meet the need.
Patrick Regan, CEO and Founder of mental wellbeing charity Kintsugi Hope, has trained over 300 church leaders to enable them to run groups that will provide a safe and supportive space for those feeling overwhelmed. This comes in response to the Allchurches Trust survey, which asked church leaders what they thought the greatest need to be. They responded:
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
