On a stormy November day in Canterbury, over a hundred people from different walks of life sit in a hushed cinema. The lights go down, and ‘The Tinderbox’ film starts rolling. How did this mass of people end up in a cinema to watch a film about the Israel-Palestine conflict?
Let me introduce you to Julian Chapman and the Canterbury Christian Aid Group.
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I previously associated Christian Aid with fundraising. We traditionally focused on Christian Aid Week, a major way of supporting Christian Aid and our group was doing great work (for many years before I joined it!)
My eyes were steadily opened
As Julian took on the role of Chair, an aspect of Christian Aid’s work increasingly drew his attention.
“I heard Christian Aid’s call to get more involved in campaigning, an idea relatively new to me. My eyes were steadily opened. I started to read my Bible in a new way. God’s love is not only about salvation but also about justice and righteousness.
Reading Isaiah, I’ve been struck by how God time and again calls for justice and for us to care for those who are oppressed and vulnerable. At the start of his ministry Jesus preaches from Isaiah 61 on his mission to do his Father’s will and bring good news to the poor, freedom for the captives, sight for the blind and liberation for the oppressed.”
From updates to action
Fuelled by faith, Julian began to explore what was on offer from Christian Aid’s campaigns. He set about making sure he provided the group with updates on campaign action, events, and resources.
“Of course, the next challenge was not just to report on campaigns but to encourage us as a group to get involved in taking actions.
Once we took the time to look more systematically at campaigning our group really started to focus on it. We got a really positive atmosphere going behind a major campaigning event.
I think there was a bit of fear of failure that still had to be overcome, but we went forward in faith!”
A storm and a screening
Moved by calls for a just peace in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, the group decided on a screening of The Tinderbox. This was a first step into campaigning with the hope of getting more people involved.
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“The Tinderbox is an excellent film, both educational and a call to action. I suggested using the cinema at the University of Kent. The idea became a reality really fast when it turned out a new member of the group had close links to the university.”
Like campaigners that have gone before him, Julian had hit upon the gifts, talents and networks we can uncover when we work together for justice.
“With some help from Christian Aid and our new academic links, we got together a great panel who would share their reflections on the film. This included the film’s director, a respected Rabbi, Muslim academic and member of Christian Aid’s Middle East team.
The day of the event we woke up to awful stormy weather, and I admit I did wonder if anyone would turn up! But in fact, we had 118 people. The Question-and-Answer session was really rich with a variety of insights.
As well as the film and panel giving a really clear call to act for justice, we also raised around £700 for Christian Aid’s Middle East appeal.”
What next?
With the success of this campaigning event under their belts, Julian and the Canterbury Christian Aid Group have no intentions of stopping in their pursuit of justice!
“We’re planning an event as part of Christian Aid’s ‘Restore’ campaign with a guest speaker on the subject of ‘Debt and Development.
We’re also in the process of arranging a meeting with our MP to get her involved in the Restore campaign, to ask her to call on the Government to pursue justice in the Middle East and challenge the UK’s international aid cuts. Quite an agenda!”
Be brave!
We asked Julian what he’d say to anyone thinking about getting their church, Christian Aid Group or community into campaigning. Here’s what he said:
“God wants us as Christians both to be generous and to encourage generosity -fundraising, and to seek justice and encourage others to seek it -campaigning. Try as a group to work on both.
Get one person in your group to share the great campaign resources from Christian Aid regularly.
If you make a big effort for Christian Aid Week in one half of the year, think about a local campaigning activity you could do in the other half of the year.
Finally, be brave and don’t be afraid of failure.”
We've got you covered
If like Julian, you’re thinking about going deeper with campaigning in 2026, we’re here for you! Take a look at our campaign pages, sign up for Powered by Hope+ or get in touch via campaigns@christian-aid.org
Go on, be brave!
