2 June 2025

In the most recent  issue of the New Statesman, Gordon Brown, son of the manse and former Prime Minister, was invited to be a guest editor. He chose to use this opportunity to talk about ‘Our Child Poverty Crisis’. He revealed some scandalous statistics. Child poverty is on the rise.

1. Nearly one million children try to sleep at night with no bed of their own.

·        2.  More than 2 .7 million are in families that can’t afford to replace broken electrical goods such as a fridge or a washing machine or are without adequate toiletries, soap or toothpaste.

Th   3. Three million children are regularly forced to do without meals through lack of money to buy food.

Brown makes the point that it costs more not to invest in children than to invest in them. He suggests solutions like levying sums of money from the hugely profitable online gambling industry and, of course, highly profitable banks. This was supported by over four fifths of the population!

In this context, the neglect of young people and our calling to care for their physical and spiritual needs  by the Kirk is shameful. They are never to be seen in many of our parish churches. People seem to have accepted their absence as if it wasn't unusual or  there was nothing they could do about it. This isn't true.

It only takes a few people to create an initiative for young people within  kirk and parish. It doesn’t have to be ambitious. It doesn’t have to attract many people. What is important is making a start and recognising the importance of such a ministry. We will surely be judged by our disgraceful failure! For in welcoming a child, we welcome Christ. How do I know? Jesus said so!