Christian witness for peace and justice will be strengthened thanks to a newly announced partnership between the Iona Community and the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) of the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches. As “resourcing partners”, the two groups have committed to “walking together and supporting each other” in their common commitment to “work and witness for peace and justice”.
The announcement comes after a pilot period of more collaborative working, which has included JPIT’s team leader delivering the Iona Community lecture in 2024, and the involvement of resource workers from the Iona Community’s Wild Goose Resource Group in JPIT’s recent national conference. Members of JPIT will be leading a programme week on Politics, Power and Protest in Iona Abbey in October 2026.
In a public declaration of intent, the two groups say:
“The Iona Community (IC) and the Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) act as resourcing partners in our work and witness for peace and justice. We are committed to walking together and to supporting each other, recognising that each partner brings particular strengths and resources to this task. While we will not always speak together, through this partnership we seek to create opportunities to collaborate, share expertise, build community and deepen relationships between those involved in this work, so that both partners can have greater reach, resolve, effectiveness and impact.”
Simeon Mitchell, JPIT Team Leader, commented, “As JPIT and the Iona Community have worked more closely together over the last year or two, we have found we have many shared hopes and also complementary strengths in this work. At a time when working for justice and peace can be so challenging, I’m delighted that we are entering into this new resourcing partnership, and pray that it will offer support and encouragement to members of the Iona Community and JPIT’s partner denominations.”
Ruth Harvey, the Leader of the Iona Community, commented, “This partnership with JPIT is a natural expression of our belief that the radical, inclusive community we seek must be embodied in the community we practice. Together, we can better resource and equip people of faith to work for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. We’re excited about the possibilities this collaboration opens up for deepening our shared witness and extending our reach.”
Among the ways the partnership will be lived out will be involvement in events, resourcing of the Iona Community’s Common Concern Networks, shared public letters and statements on current issues, and possible joint projects and publications.
Background information on JPIT and the Iona Community
JPIT is a partnership between the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, with the Church of Scotland as an associate partner. Started in 2006, its purpose is to help the Churches to work together for peace and justice through listening, learning, praying, speaking and acting on public policy issues. Read more about JPIT here.
The Iona Community is an international, ecumenical Christian movement working for justice and peace, the rebuilding of community and the renewal of worship. Founded in Scotland in 1938, the Community now has about 280 Members and more than 2,000 Associate Members, Young Adults and Friends across the world. It has 9 Common Concern Networks on different issues, with members across the world, which meet online monthly.
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