Council on Social Responsibility (CSR), continue to highlight the lived experience of some of the most vulnerable people in Ireland today.

This month’s focus is the impact of poverty on families and family life.

Poverty can lead to families not having enough of what we would regard as basics or essentials - enough food for the whole family or toiletries we can just take for granted. 

It can be much more than this, awful, material impact, however, and can also lead to parents feeling that they are failing their children, as they feel they cannot give them what they need, it can impact on the children's educational achievement and on relationships within families. 

We want to highlight this and, at the same time, celebrate some amazing work by churches across the island to help with basic needs, and to bring God's love and hope to those who they interact with.

We have included:

1. A video 

This video below tells some amazing stories of how believers on the frontline are able to help families with basic needs such as food and baby essentials.

2. prayer points 

Praise God for the work of the foodbanks and babybank we have heard a little about, and for so many more like them across Ireland - north and south. For the many volunteers and supporters who make them possible. And for the connections and conversations they are able to have, to show and tell Jesus' love to so many.

 Pray for the many families under pressure because of rising household bills - for support and help to be available. Practical support from government but also emotional support from support networks, churches and community, to sustain family relationships that are under pressure.

3. Ideas of how you can help

Could you support - prayerfully, with items they need, financially or with your time or skills - your local foodbank or babybank.

The video is available to download for use in church services here.  

Additional Resources

Throughout this year CSR continue to provide additional resources for churches to enable them to Learn, Act and Pray into issues such as fuel poverty, food poverty and the impact poverty has on a person/families well-being.

Service materials (including a video) from CSR Sunday 2022 are available here.