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HEAL THE HURTING: Wolverhampton’s black majority churches joined forces for the peace walk

A PEACE walk across Wolverhampton arranged in response to the rise in knife crime and violent offences across the city has highlighted the efforts of churches to provide assurance to affected families and advancement opportunities to the black community.

Official statistics report that 12,500 violent crimes took place in the Black Country city in the year to July 2019, an increase of nearly 24 per cent on the previous year.

Close to 300 people, including close to a dozen ministers, took part in the walk, named ‘A Cry for Peace’, which journeyed from the site of the New Testament Church of God (NTCG) Harvest Temple to the main stage in Heath Town Park, behind drummers from the local Seventh Day Adventist Church.

The walk concluded with a short address and prayer in the park, which preceded the traditional community barbecue and sports day, both features of the local calendar.

PICTURED: Bishop Graham
(second left) and Bishop King (right) on the walk

The walk was organised by Men 4 Positive Change (M4PC), a local initiative aimed at getting young people to turn away from gun and knife crime. Joseph Jackson, who heads up M4PC, said: “The large numbers in attendance demonstrated that the community has quite simply had enough and that gun and knife crime must end in Wolverhampton. “To sit back and do nothing is no longer an option for the church.”

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Bishop Windsor Queensborough, of the Zion City Tabernacle, added: “The Peace Walk felt like a significant moment for myself amongst many.

“It was a visible demonstration of unity across boundaries, as we face the growing crisis of violence on our streets. It was also a statement that our churches and community are not prepared to stand by, just wringing our hands. We are determined to use whatever resources we share to protect the vulnerable, to heal the hurting, and to resist the elements intent on destruction. Our Cry for Peace goes on.”

Bishop Ruben King, of NTCG Harvest Temple, said: “Collaborative working is the way forward to address critical issues like youth violence in our community.

“The Peace Walk was effective and almost doubled in number by the time it arrived in Heath Town Park, with people from the community holding banners and placards with messages proclaiming peace on our streets. The community wants positive change and clearly connected with the message of hope shared through the Peace Walk.

“Our collective aim is to build on the positive outcomes from the day with strategic initiatives that will benefit all.”

Bishop Llewellyn Graham, of the Jubilee Christian Centre, said: “We were inspired by the recent peace march in Trafalgar Square in London. The situation involving knife crime in Wolverhampton and further afield must stop and so this walk was about the church standing in solidarity with the families that have lost loved ones.

PICTURED: Members of the local community on the peace walk

“We are not going to allow the disaffected to terrorise the community and bring a bad name to our community, because those who commit offences are in the minority.

“It is important for the churches to be open to the community as a safe place to go to in time of crisis and for the ministers to be accessible. We are standing together in unity to proclaim an end to the violence in our community.

“The churches in Wolverhampton are arranging places of welcome and drop-in centres where people can come in for a chat and a coffee and get help. This is the start, a fresh approach to tackle the violence and bring about a change.

“This movement is, at the same time, also about inspiring our young people to do better and to help them, by being fathers to those who are fatherless and be that sense of reason in times of difficulty, as we work to advance the community.”

This forms part of wider church-led community engagement, which includes encouraging candidacy for election to school governing bodies and the local council.