Churches mark Ethical Investment Week

The Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR) marks National Ethical Investment Week (NEIW) October 13 - 19 – by asking whether the churches invest in a way that fully reflects their Christian message.

The Council's forthcoming open debate 'Church Investment: witness or whitewash?’ this Thursday, 17 October 2013, will discuss faith based investors’ history of using investments as a lever to bring about positive social and environmental change as well as calls for the churches to take a more radical approach. Panellists will include Dr James Corah, secretary to the Church Investors Group, Rev David Haslam of the Methodist Tax Justice Network and Sunniva Taylor of Operation Noah, which has just launched the ‘Bright Now’ campaign calling on the churches to disinvest from fossil fuel exploration and production.

"Churches can face big dilemmas when it comes to the practicalities of combining faith and finance, as we saw over the summer in national news coverage of some national church investments.” said ECCR's Chair Bishop Michael Doe who will also be chairing the debate. "A vital part of ECCR’s mission is to help church institutions and communities wrestle faithfully and openly with these challenges. This debate will be an important contributor to those ongoing conversations."

ECCR has co-published several resources to help Churches think about green and ethical finance options during NEIW and further initiatives will be announced at the 'witness or whitewash?' event. These will include a new website designed to help individuals and churches explore the connections between money, faith and finance. ECCR will also introduce its 'Ethical Money Churches' pilot scheme for worshipping communities which is due to get underway towards the end of 2013.

Thursday 17 October 2013 4.30-6.30pm
Church Investment: witness or whitewash? - ECCR Open Debate
Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ. 
Bookings: helen.boothroyd@eccr.org.uk
tel. 07503 931172.

For more information see www.eccr.org.uk