Chairman's Half-Year Report: 21st June 2005

Dear Friends in Britain and other countries: This mid year report does not properly reflect the wealth of work and endeavour that many of our members and associates have undertaken since our annual meeting last October. I hope we can hear of other contributions to monetary and social justice at our AGM.

To start with the future . . .

1. Frank McManus will be leading an Any Questions discussion forum at the Manchester Cathedral Centre on Tuesday 4 October 2005 at 7-30 pm relating to the question of usury. Speakers will include Kenneth Leech and Kevin Donnelly. The Centre is a separate building opposite the cathedral south porch. All most welcome .

2. Our next annual meeting will take place on Saturday 29th October 2005 at the same venue as previously - Christ Church, Blackfriars Road, London SE 1. Notices of course will be sent out prior to the gathering. The plans for the meeting to date are that we intend to have a pre lunch session with an opportunity to hear a recording of one of the radio interviews I gave in New Zealand as well as an informal catch up on activities at home and abroad.

A lunch will be provided at a cost of £3 after which our Muslim brother Tarek El Diwany will lead us to discuss Interfaith approaches to inclusive structured justice. An informal discussion on the way forward for CCMJ will take place just before the formal annual meeting. As mentioned, all will be confirmed in the AGM notice.

I can report that a committee, directed at the last annual meeting to review the constitution, has made good progress and a draft is in the hands of a solicitor for consideration. She has already suggested amendments.

3. The London Global Open Table continues to meet every Wednesday,11-1 in Friends House. The Forum for Stable Currencies will resume meetings in the first week of September: details will come soon.

To continue with the past . . .

Rethinking Mission I was pleased to have met a request to contribute an article for this magazine's winter edition published by the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, the Methodist Church and the College of the Ascension. I called my contribution Mission, mammon and money.

May. I met with Alistair McConnachie to encourage early preparations for the October Bromsgrove 2005 gathering of interested groups in the hope that it could have more focus on common ground and inter-related promotion of the monetary reform issue.

Saturday 11 June: Secretary Colin J Whitmill led a morning seminar at Petersfield Methodist Church on the subject of Can monetary justice make poverty history ? Only eight were present, but conversions were thought to have been made judging by positive comments, questioning, understanding and interest in leaflets and books.

On the same day, I was a guest speaker in Manchester at a Ansar Finance Group dinner with CCMJ associates, Lord Ahmed and David Pidcock, also speaking. Ken and Dorothy Palmerton were there in support. There were some 250 present and the progress of this community financing project was most encouraging. A ten minute power point presentation of my ten minute contribution is available and, of course, open to improvement

June 15 Christians Aware - In response to a request I addressed 20 people on why the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment of March 30th adds urgency to our recruiting more people who understand the fundamental issue CCMJ promotes. Again a PPT presentation on what I said is available and, of course, open to improvement. Following on from this, CCMJ will have a workshop at the Christians Aware annual conference in January 2006.

July 7 - I am to give the last lecture for the South London Industrial Mission (SLIM) as, after 60 years of work in South London, they pass on their experience and resources into a new London wide project, Mission in London Economy. (PPT presentation available)

Aug 29th Cheltenham Greenbelt annual festival . CCMJ has a shared slot for a presentation at this great festival. Ideas are still evolving, and any one interested who could help me please contact me please as soon as possible.

Rodney Shakespeare continues to develop significant approaches to Monetary Justice in extensive dialogue with Muslim and other academics in a network of some 6 or 7 universities. Let me know if you would like a report in more detail. Perhaps the major opportunity was a speaking tour of New Zealand in April as a guest of the Democrats for social credit. I was accompanied by Colin, our secretary. To judge the extent of the duties involved I've appended a copy of my itinerary, a skeleton of the speech which I generally gave and a copy of the tenets of the Democrats for social credit to which I refer.

One thing which really impressed me during the tour was the overwhelmingly kindness, good will and goodness of the party's members. I have written to those whose hospitality I experienced and enjoyed, that includes all. I felt at home and very comfortable. Subsequently, Colin and I submitted a detailed confidential report to the Executive.

I find that the present state of the World should provoke incredulity and anger, and hopefully a determination to do something about the hideous social injustice that blights our supposedly civilised world. Any frank and lucid account of the role of big business, rich-country governments and the IMF in the shameful world debt story drives home what seems obvious to the impartial observer: that the entire thrust of global economic policy is geared to guaranteeing the privileged position of a small minority through the undermining of the economies of the poor nations. Whether this process was premeditated is impossible to know, but if the rich and powerful of the world had set out deliberately to secure an ever-increasing slice of global wealth for themselves, they could not have planned and executed a more effective scheme.

Kindest regards to all
Peter Challen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TOUR OF REV CANON PETER CHALLEN TO NEW ZEALAND
April 2005

Peter Challen, Chairman of the British Christian Council for Monetary Justice, accompanied by Colin Whitmill, arrived at 4-45 am on Thursday 31 March 2005 at Auckland Airport where they were met by Neville Aitchison, President of the Democrats for social credit. Challen's itinerary took him to the following places:-

Friday 1 April - Morning radio interview with Tim Lynch on Auckland access radio.
Discussion and lunch with Henry Raynel - Director of social credit studies in New Zealand
Sunday 3 April - Assisted in the service at Anglican Cathedral, Hamilton in the morning and spoke to 40 people at morning tea thereafter.
Monday 4 April - Hamilton Morning radio interview Living and Loving programme with Robin Jackson • Evening house meeting
Tuesday 5 April - Hamilton Community radio interview - Brian Smith • Evening public meeting
Wednesday 6 April - Wanganui Discussion with local Anglican church leaders • Interview with Wanganui Chronicle • Evening public meeting
Thursday 7 April - Wanganui Morning radio interview 6-35 am with John Banks on Radio Pacific Paraparaumu Beach • Morning radio interview with Beach Radio FM Wellington • Afternoon radio interview with Maureen Garing broadcast on the National Programme on 19 June 2005. • Paraparaumu - Evening Meal and interview with Kapiti Observer reporter
Friday 8 April - Paraparaumu Morning interview with Kapiti News reporter • Wellington Lunchtime meeting with senior citizens at Library • Carterton Public evening meeting at St Mary's Church Hall (not arranged by party)
Sunday 10 April - Wellington Public evening meeting at Victoria University
Monday 11 April - Nelson Afternoon public meeting at Annisbrook Church Hall • Live evening television interview on Mainland Television • Hour's discussion with producer afterwards
Tuesday 12 April - Dunedin Interview with Otago Daily Times • Radio interview • Interview with Dunedin Community Star weekly newspaper
Wednesday 13 April - Dunedin Radio interview with Syd Adey Wake up and smell the coffee programme • Evening meeting at Dunedin Community Centre
Thursday 14 April - Oamaru Afternoon interview with Oamaru Mail • Public evening meeting at Salvation Army Hall
Friday 15 April - Oamaru Morning assembly talk to Waitaki Boys High School pupils and staff
Saturday 16 April - Christchurch Public evening meeting at Knox Church Hall.
Sunday 17 April - Christchurch Coffee and discussion with Dean of Christchurch Cathedral • Afternoon social occasion with members at St Asaph's Hall • Hospital visit to see indisposed party member • Evening house meeting at Lyttelton (not arranged by party)
Monday 18 April - Auckland Afternoon meeting • Farewelled for London at 9-45 pm.Basis of Speeches • The Rev Canon Peter Challen was often asked during his tour of New Zealand why he had come. In meetings, housegroups, and television and radio addresses, he gave the following reply which formed the basis of talks and discussions.

1. I came because "we are all trapped in an economic system that is consuming our planet host" (Deidre Kent). We are in urgent need of an economic system "that works for everyone and protects the earth" ( Margrit Kennedy)

2. I came because I have profound sympathy in the period of transition that Democrats for Social Credit are entering, by returning to an uncompromised representation of social credit in its contemporary relevance. The Democrats' inclusive political theology and philosophy matches well that of the Christian Council for Monetary Justice.

3. I came because I saw in Democrats for Social Credit's succinct tenets a dynamic set of principles sensitively interpreting for the world today many insights of ancient wisdom; of which wisdom all the great faith traditions are commissioned both to be custodians and to relate and apply them in contemporary situations in the additional light of emergent new wisdom.

4. I came because my 45 years in the privileged role of a servant ministry in the economic reaches of the UK have made me aware that institutional pressures and conceits have seduced most faith traditions to complicity with our arrogant human self-centredness, to the neglect of community cohesion and protection of the earth.

5. I came in the hope of bolstering your present courage, and lessening any sense of isolation in the struggle, by sharing stirring stories from our-UK and wider networks of the steadily enlarging number of people who understand that in the roots of all our great and growing dangers and dilemmas lie three ogres:

2. What is physically possible and desirable for the happiness of humanity can always be financially possible.

3. Systems should be made for people, not people for systems; any that fail to serve people should be reformed or discarded.4. The individual is more important than the state. Communism, fascism, and political authoritarianism in any form should be opposed.

5. Individual and co-operative enterprise should be the basis of economic organisation.

6. Where state-owned enterprises are necessary or desirable, they should conform to the same conditions and rules as privately-owned concerns.7. The proper purpose of industry is the production of goods and not the provision of employment.

8. The proper purpose of production is consumption.

9. The opportunity for self-development and the enjoyment of leisure is the true purpose of labour-saving inventions.

10. The only way our principles can be implemented is by the reform of the present monetary system, which is the major cause of war, poverty, inflation and many other social problems.

Be open to the spirit,
exude humble strength,
celebrate life emergent, and
find the promise of journeying