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Churches make huge 'hidden contribution' to Glasgow

Glasgow's churches are making a huge 'hidden contribution' to the city. That's the finding of a year long study looking at the scale and variety of church activities during the week. Glasgow Churches Action, the coalition that carried out the research, found that nearly 2,500 church projects take place annually, many of which support the city's key regeneration aims. Glasgow's Lord Provost, Bob Winter, said: "The result of the report is staggering, in terms of the amount of work that is underway and the range of people who benefit from it."

More than half of the city's churches are located within the most deprived areas of Glasgow and more than a fifth of their activities are targeted at helping people face specific problems like homelessness, addiction and mental health issues. Education and literacy, cultural orientation and befriending, are just some of the areas in which churches offer support. Other church-run local services range from computer classes and lunch clubs for older people, to badminton, philosophy groups, mother and toddler groups and even belly dancing - with an estimated 2.5 million attendances during a year.

The report's author, Meg Lindsay, said: "What shines out through the information gathered for this report is the humanity and commitment to their communities that the churches display. They are embedded in those communities in a way that few, if any, other organisations are. The potential of this resource needs to be nurtured."

The research is being made available to the public in the form of a searchable online database on Glasgow Churches Action website. The group hopes it'll make it easier for people to find out about projects across the city. Ian Baillie, the Chair, said: "We are keen to share this valuable information as widely as possible. We want to build on it in practical ways that will help the churches contribute more effectively to some of the big regeneration aims of the public and voluntary sector agencies in Glasgow. Aims like supporting people into work where possible and tackling homelessness can be supported readily by all people of faith'.

Churches Action is a partnership of the Church of Scotland, Roman Catholic Church, United Free Church, Scottish Episcopal Church, Baptist Church, Congregational Church, United Reformed Church, Salvation Army, Methodist Church and the Evangelical Alliance Scotland, with support from para-church and other Christian organisations working in the city.

Full story plus downloadable report at Churches Action.