Community Organising

Local engagement

The Contextual Theology Centre is rooted in a number of specific East London neighbourhoods - in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hackney. We work with local churches and chaplaincies (listed here) on the Gospel's implications for a pluralist society.In this local work, a key partner is the London Citizens, an alliance of grassroots faith and community groups acting together for for social change. Recent achievements include a 'Living Wage' for many of London's lowest-paid workers, and working with the Mayor for a new model of affordable housing, and challenging usurious interest rates. London Citizens has won a commitment to fair pay at the 2012 Olympics - with a concordat signed by Lord Coe, Mayor Livingstone and one of London Citizens' young Catholic leaders.

World-class research

The Centre seeks to bring this local context into dialogue with other communities' experiences, and with academic research and reflection on the role of faith in a pluralist society. With academics from the Universities of Oxford, Notre dame and East London, CTC has established a research programme entitled Just Communities: The Church's Witness in a Pluralist Society. The outputs of this project include academic books, papers and symposia - and resources for congregational use.

A growing internship programme

Students from our partner universities are also involved in our Jellicoe internship programme - with a growing community living, worshipping and working in East London, and relating their experiences to their academic studies through the Jellicoe Seminars in Oxford and courses on Catholic social teaching at Notre Dame's London Centre.