Divided communities: A message from the Territorial Leaders

Territorial Leaders Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main share a message on listening, learning and staying safe in divided communities.

It feels an understatement to say we live in divided times. We are witnessing rioting and even violent attacks outside hotels housing asylum seekers, racist and antisemitic graffiti, large scale marches featuring people with extreme views and aggressive misinformation across social media.

This is affecting the communities in which we are called to live and serve, creating a culture of fear and division. It impacts our neighbours, the people we seek to help, many in our congregations as well as our members, staff, and volunteers. Our instinct is to throw our arms around the people in our communities who are the target of hate. We want to show that at The Salvation Army, we welcome the stranger, provide safety for the vulnerable and stand up against injustice.

Are we adding to the noise or building a bridge to peace?

But how do we do that without making the social divides deeper? Words simply do not seem enough.

Love God Love Others also means sitting down with those we struggle to understand or agree with. Jesus demonstrated how to live when anger, fear and polarisation rose to the surface. He crossed divides between different kinds of people through listening, loving, serving and sharing with integrity. He rejected violence, intimidation, threatening words and actions, building relationships with others, even when finding common ground was difficult.

This does not mean we ignore intimidation and criminal activity but it does mean we have to question our tone, language and actions. Amid all the raised voices, we should ask ourselves: are we adding to the noise or building a bridge to peace?

We ask you to seek to be like Jesus in how we respond to this moment. Let us demonstrate life in the Kingdom of God, embodying love, unity and hope.

For those with access to OurHub, new practical tools are now available, pulling together information about everything from managing negative social media comments to how to help vulnerable people in the community and volunteers and staff feel safe.