Connecting, exploring, taking action together

Faith communities play a positive role in their neighbourhood to support people most in need, strengthening resilience, reinforcing local identity and helping to connect communities.

The first countywide Faith Covenant in Britain was signed in Essex on 14th October 2017, backed by the Government’s All Parliamentary Committee on Faith and Society, and has been signed by Basildon, Braintree, Chelmsford and Colchester councils, Essex Police, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Essex Fire Authority, to name a few. It is also supported by Faith Action, a nationwide network of faith-based and community organisations working together to help others.

The shared ambition of the Faith Covenant for Essex is for Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Pagans and leaders from the public sector to pool their resources to strengthen community cohesion and tackle isolation and loneliness. By promoting tolerance and understanding of different faiths and working collaboratively, the Essex Faith Covenant aims to make a real difference and build much more resilient and inclusive communities.

In signing up to the agreement, faith communities and partners pledge to follow a joint vision, a set of principles that unify us, and focus our attention on helping others. The overriding sentiment of that vision is that together we are stronger. Together, we can proactively build trust between faith groups and public services, we can create opportunities to learn from each other and share best practice, and we can come together to serve the community, particularly the most disadvantaged.

Signatories of the covenant will be invited to gather annually at an ‘AGM’ to showcase their achievements and contribute to, and shape, future engagement activity.

Stephen Timms MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society, participated in the launch of the first ever countywide Faith Covenant : “I very much welcome the fact that Essex has adopted the Faith Covenant together with its partner organisations in the county.

“We’ll be very keen to follow progress over the next few months and I hope what we’re going to see is a great partnership between the county council and faith organisations.”

Last updated 23/10/17