The Commission Files Commission Christian Radio

Settled, adjusted, equipped and befriended. That's the hope Avril Edgar has for every person in the Refugee and Asylum Community in Northern Ireland. It's why she joined a few friends to found Acacia Path which helps the Christian community bridge the gap to the newcomers here, people from all over the world. Some are fleeing from war zones, some from religious persecution, some are here for a host of other reasons. At Acacia Path, they care, they help, the...

Kerry and Will chat with Diane Holt of Thrive Ireland. Last time we heard about a church which was reaching out to its community, in that particular case, to a local prison. But most of us don't live near one! What could other churches do in the communities where they belong? Should they shift their mindset? Diane trains and equips churches to answer those questions for themselves, in something called Church Community Transformation. We also hear from some...

With a prison on its doorstep, one church in south Belfast decided it would build relationships with it. No small task, given that Hydebank College and Female Prison - like any other - sometimes appears in the news in anything but a positive light.Is it a part of the community, or apart from it?Will Leitch and Kerry Greig welcome Ruth Walker from Saintfield Road Presbyterian Church, and from Hydebank College and Female Prison, the governor, Richard Taylor, and one of his sen...

Is Northern Ireland a place apart? More "religious" than Great Britain? Here's a remarkable snapshot of current Christian faith in Northern Ireland. David Smyth, the head of Evangelical Alliance here, joins Kerry and Will to discuss his charity's new report, "Good News People". It has some startling findings for an era considered to be increasingly secular, or even post-Christian. Half the population of NI self-identifies as practising Christians. A fifth, a...

In a triumph of diary matching, Kerry and Will meet David Montgomery, known as "Monty" to his friends and associates. He works as the Regional Director for IFES Europe. IFES is the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. In other words, Monty and his staff support all the CUs or Christian Unions at universities and colleges across the continent of Europe. We also hear a little about his new book The Unfinished Story. A disturbingly fervent Man City supporter...

Cost of Living Part 2.Kerry Greig and Will Leitch dig deeper into the issues surrounding the cost of living crisis, and the response of Christians to it. Who is "standing in the gap"? Last time they heard from three groups that are really making a difference. This time they're thinking about the plans, strategies and partnerships Christian churches are pursuing or could pursue with government and wider society.Danielle McElhinney of Evangelical Alliance and Rev Brian Anders...