Never in my lifetime has politics been more fascinating – or less predictable.

Donald Trump in the White House, Theresa May trying to deliver Brexit, Labour seeming to be at war with itself and the Scottish Nationalists vying to become the strongest opposition party at Westminster.

From St Albans to Sydney and back, we live in a fast-moving world. Social media means that everyone can receive messages direct to their smartphones from world-leaders and their critics.

This makes some people very empowered – they voted for Trump or Brexit or Jeremy Corbyn and they made change happen.

Others feel that the world is spinning very differently these days. They feel helpless to make an impact. Signing an online petition or retweeting a protest message makes little difference.

The old green slogan, Think Globally – Act Locally has never been more true.

The Church of England’s parish system means that every inch of the nation is covered by a local church, with a congregation seeking to make a positive difference in their locality.

We are also part of a national church, which seeks to speak truth to power, and to lobby for the common good. Globally, we stand alongside churches across the world, seeking to fight injustice and combat poverty.

There is no such thing as just a local Christian. Each believer is part of a local, national and global network seeking to make change happen. The future is in our hands.
 

Rev Peter Crumpler is Associate Minister at St Leonard’s Church, Sandridge.