Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu talks about his new charity, Acts 435

Yes, despite the recession, most Britons may be better off materially now than at almost any time in our past. And yes, we may be better off than most countries around the world.

But he has seen the gap between the rich and the poor in this country widen. “And you cannot live in a country where the gap is so vast,” he says. “Wealth should be for all citizens, not just for a few.”

Naturally enough, Dr Sentamu turned to the Bible for inspiration when he was wondering what to do about this widening wealth gap. He found it in chapter four of the Book of Acts.

“Neither was there any among them that lacked,” says Acts 4.34. “For as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of things that were sold – ”

And then comes Acts 4.35: “ – and laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”

Now there’s a radical concept: one that today’s selfish society seems to have lost sight of.

Dr Sentamu, however, believes there are people – lots of them – who want to give to those in need, if only they could give directly, and know where their money was going.

So his new charity, Acts 435, was born. Originally launched as a pilot in Yorkshire a couple of years ago, it has now gone national. He hopes that, ultimately, the charity will even go global.

The idea is simple – as all the best ideas usually are, he points out.

The charity runs a website – acts435.com – on which requests for help from those in need are posted. Those who want to give can trawl through the website, click on requests to find out more, and give as much or as little as they want, knowing all the money they donate will go direct to the person who needs it.

The beauty of the system is that, while it’s a national charity, it is managed by local churches. Those in need go along to their local church, where they chat to a church ‘advocate’ – a member of that church who has been trained by Acts 435. The advocate takes details of their request and, if they think it appropriate, arrange for it to be posted anonymously on the website.

The request contains details of where the person lives, and exactly what the money being asked for will be used for: everything from a school uniform for a child to help paying an overdue utility bill or for a new mattress.

The sums of money requested are quite small – there is a maximum of £100 – but can make a huge difference to someone who is desperate, Dr Sentamu says.

He describes it as being a bit like eBay in reverse – where instead of buying something, you give to someone in need. Having trained advocates manage the posting of requests prevents abuse, and the anonymity takes away the stigma so often attached to those who have to ask for help, he says.

By being managed through local churches, the charity is essentially about people in local neighbourhoods coming together to give to and share with their neighbours in need.

Both sides benefit from an increased sense of community, Dr Sentamu says, donors by knowing they have given something back to neighbours in need, recipients by receiving help and being engaged by the church and community.

“There are people in our communities that are in need. They don’t need a lot of money: just something. This is a way to encourage them to engage with the community, a way for people who are very, very lonely to encounter other people. It is telling them that you too are loved: that you too are cared for.”

It all seems in the spirit of the early church but, in the way it invites communities to take responsibility for themselves, and individuals to take responsibility for the needy, there also seems to be something of David Cameron’s Big Society about it.

Or is there? Dr Sentamu doesn’t talk politics, but it quickly becomes clear he is no supporter of the Conservatives’ big new idea for managing society – of a minimal state with the gaps plugged by community-led initiatives.

“You cannot substitute the role of the state,” he says. “Why do we pay taxes for the state? Clearly to provide for education, health, security – to pay for the police – and to provide all the social services that are needed.”

You can’t leave those things up to the voluntary sector, he says, or even to well-meaning local communities. “There are some things only a professional can do.”

Nor, he clearly believes, should we leave them up to the private sector.

“At heart, why are we doing these things? If we’re doing it in order to make more and more money, then we are being driven by mammon. If we’re doing it because we want to care for our neighbours, because we want to be responsible, that’s healthy.”

We have a system of strong local democracy that delivers strong local services already, Dr Sentamu says. “I strongly believe in local democracy. Councils are ours. We can vote them out. You couldn’t vote out volunteers who may be messing things up.”

So it is the role of the state, he says, to provide the essential services that enable us to lead decent lives – and to ensure those services are equitable. If you were to leave it up entirely to local communities, there would huge variations in levels of service.

“What about something like the repair of roads? People in places that were richer would get better roads. Can the state hand its responsibility to some voluntary group, and expect that it will deliver? I’m not so certain.”

It is the state’s job, in other words, is to create the conditions in which good, generous, safe neighbourhoods and communities can flourish.

But there is a role for charities, and for volunteers, he says.

“Not everything that’s good needs to be paid for. Not all good things are contributed by the state. If I’m a good citizen and I see a neighbour in need, I shouldn’t just think ‘what’s the number of the council?’ “Jesus says a neighbour is somebody who shares money, compassion, love. The role of the voluntary agent is to show mercy, compassion and love in the neighbourhood – to add value to and enhance a flourishing neighbourhood.”

Acts 435 offers a chance to do that.

LOG on to the Acts 435 website, and you can browse through requests to find one you would like to support.

Each posting includes the area where the person making the request lives, details of how much they need, and exactly what the money will be spent on.

Requests on the site at the moment include:

• £100 needed for assistance to purchase gravestone From Pickering – 76 years old Assistance requested towards £500 overall cost of a Yorkstone Memorial tablet to mark the cremated remains of spouse, recently died. Assistance required due to paying for funeral etc, and additional cost of gravestone is causing serious concern as to depletion of finite savings.

• £100 needed for help needed towards son’s educational school trip From Scarborough – 41 years old Active Christian family need help towards educational school trip to Europe for second eldest of five children school age and below. Family have scraped together deposit.

Gateway already shows way to help

THE Gateway Church in Acomb’s Front Street has always been at the heart of its community. Acts 435 has just enabled it to take that involvement further.

The church runs a Christians Against Poverty counselling service. So it seemed natural for Jackie Adie, the church’s debt counsellor, to take on the role of Acts 435 advocate as well.

She already has a network of contacts locally, and often meets people who are in need.

The idea of Acts 435 is that “if anybody becomes aware of someone with a need in the community, they can come to me and let me know about it”, says Jackie. She will then arrange to met the person, have a chat, and decide whether the case is genuine. If it is, she’ll post the details on the website.

It is a great idea in many ways, she says. It enables people to get the help they desperately need, and gives those who want to give the opportunity to do so.

It also brings those in need into contact with someone – and means if they have wider needs, there is someone they can talk to.

She has no doubt that some of those who have received help through the charity will, one day when they are back on their own two feet, want to give something back the same way.

So far, in just a short time, the church has already helped six people by posting their requests on the Acts 435 website. Money donated through the website has helped provide:

• A new mattress for a child’s bed. The parents were on benefits and unable to afford it
• A replacement cooker for a widow with ill health who was unable to work
• A fitted carpet for someone who had had no carpet for five years
• Garden furniture for a blind man so he can sit outdoors and enjoy the scents of flowers in his garden
• Help to pay the electricity bill of a woman on Job Seekers’ Allowance who had problems with debt and rent arrearsOther churches in York are joining the scheme. St Paul’s in Holgate and St Michael le Belfry have appointed advocates, who will be trained next month. St Lawrence’s in Tang Hall is also taking part.

Dr Sentamu is keen for many more churches to get involved.

“If church X is involved, I can’t see why church Y isn’t,” he said. “They can’t say there aren’t people in need. I’d like every church to be involved.”

His message to those who are in need is simple. “Go along to your local church. Say ‘I’ve seen this being discussed by the Archbishop of York’.”

You don’t have to be a Christian, just someone in need who doesn’t know where else to turn.