MP lunches
CTMR Church Leaders invite local MPs
Local MPs are invited to come to lunch with the Church Leaders every year. The Church Leaders aim at having a dialogue in a relaxed friendly atmosphere. Together they reflect on values that help to unite society and they explore what can be done together for the common good.
On 8th March 2024, senior church leaders representing Churches Together in the Merseyside Region hosted a lunch for Members of Parliament in Liverpool City Region. Lunch was followed by a rich discussion about how to work together to meet the needs of the communities we serve and to effect positive change.
A robust and welcome challenge from the MPs was that they would like to hear faith leaders speaking out more frequently and with a sense of urgency about matters of social injustice. Faith leaders were also encouraged, in response to Keir Starmer’s commitment to work with faith groups, to proactively engage with the Labour Party.
Church Leaders took the opportunity to encourage those MPs who would be standing in the upcoming election to engage with the Hustings that local churches organised and hosted. While recognising the busy life of our Members of Parliament, both in Westminster and their constituencies, Church Leaders were keen that channels of communication remained open and that we fostered collaborative working for the benefit of our city and region.
The event was attended by 5 MPs with 2 members of staff and senior leaders from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool and Diocese of Shrewsbury, the Independent Churches, the United Reformed Church, the Methodist Church and the Anglican Diocese of Chester.