Last week we shared how prayer and discussion had led us to see the general election as a gift of opportunity – and the plans we were putting in motion to bless every candidate with an encouraging message of love that also spoke up for others who need courage and love. We promised you we’d share as much as we can in case you want to write to your own candidates too, so this blog is to do that:
Over the last week we’ve been crafting these cards, writing a bespoke message to each candidate in response to positive experience and achievements in their bios, continuing to pray for each one by name, and putting together a joint letter to them all to speak up for the most vulnerable in our society – and the kind of nation the UK could be.
We can’t share the personal messages we hand wrote in each YOU ARE LOVED card because they are specific to the individual candidates’ personal details and wouldn’t help you craft yours in any case.
But we found a bespoke way to thank each and every candidate for standing up publically, acknowledge the inevitable personal cost of doing so, assure them of our prayers and affirm everything in their record which showed their skill and/or track record of standing up for vulnerable people and important issues.
And we told them they are loved and valued by every one of us – whether we’re voting for them or not.
We also told them that we’d agonised over including the letter alongside the card because we just wanted to affirm them at such a stressful time, but that this election was too key not to also raise others who we are praying for – and value so deeply – too.
Here is the text we included in the text to that letter, in case you would like to lift it into something similar of your own to your candidates:
“Dear Ros, David, John, Kris, Paul and Matt,
As candidates in this general election – happening at such a key time in our nation’s history – we wanted to write to you as a praying community seeking to champion the value of each and every one in seven billion people alive today. We feel it’s a vital time to stand up for the kind of nation we want to be and to ensure that the most vulnerable in our world, nation and community are prioritised alongside everyone else.
To that end, we’re sharing this brief list of the issues that feel most important to all of us – no matter which party we are each voting for – for our next government (and whoever of you is elected to parliament) to address. We’ve not included much information; we know you will be deluged, but have bracketed at least one expert and trusted organisation’s website after each one so you can find out more if you want:
Global issues
- Champion the rights of all the 65 million people on the move – refugees and IDPs – in our world today. (http://www.christianaid.org.uk/campaigns/uk-elections-2017)
- Make sure Brexit is fair to developing countries, especially in our trade deals. (https://traidcraftindepth.org/2017/04/21/traidcraft-exchanges-priorities-for-the-2017-uk-election/)
- Prioritise keeping the commitments – and acting on them – on addressing climate change that the UK made in the Paris Agreement at COP21. (https://www.foe.co.uk/general-election and http://www.christianaid.org.uk/campaigns/uk-elections-2017)
- Defend the UK Aid budget. (http://www.christianaid.org.uk/campaigns/uk-elections-2017)
- Support tax transparency measures. (http://www.christianaid.org.uk/campaigns/uk-elections-2017)
- Update the law to enable the prosecution of corporate crimes. (https://traidcraftindepth.org/2017/04/21/traidcraft-exchanges-priorities-for-the-2017-uk-election/)
- Make sure our supermarkets play fair. (https://traidcraftindepth.org/2017/04/21/traidcraft-exchanges-priorities-for-the-2017-uk-election/)
National issues
- Create breathing space for families in debt. (https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/news-and-blogs/our-blog/our-priorities-for-the-upcoming-general-election)
- Listen to the 80% of people in the UK who think our nation should have the same or strong environmental protections when we leave the UK. (http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/GE2017 and https://www.foe.co.uk/general-election )
- Combat rising rough sleeping figures by providing better help to those who are made homeless. (crisis.org.uk )
- Provide help to the growing army (1.3 million households) of hard-working private renters who are struggling to make ends meet. (http://blog.shelter.org.uk/2017/05/shelters-general-election-call-homes-at-living-rents-for-the-growing-army-of-hard-pressed-private-renters/)
- Make sure all older people: receive dignified care at home, in hospital, and in care homes; have a decent income; and live a life free from loneliness (http://www.ageuk.org.uk/generalelection/)
- Ensure mental health provision for young people in schools. (https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/news-and-blogs/our-blog/our-priorities-for-the-upcoming-general-election)
Thank you so much for your time. God bless you all,
The Sanctuary’s praying community”