Change the World Songs of Praise

What do Edward Jenner,

Sir Isaac Newton,

Charles Darwin

and this man, William Wilberforce, have in common

apart from that their portraits hang here

in the National Portrait Gallery?

Well, they're all people who have, in some way, changed the world.

On today's Songs Of Praise, we meet people who are also trying

to make a difference.

Coming up, changing communities by planting vegetables

and by making films.

And why you don't have to be as rich as Bill Gates to make a difference.

Plus, some classic hymns from around the country.

Edward Jenner is often called the Father Of Immunology

because he discovered the smallpox vaccine.

Son of a Gloucestershire vicar and the eighth of nine children,

it's said that his work has saved more lives

than the work of any other man.

And this one, William Wilberforce - a Yorkshireman, philanthropist,

politician, evangelical Christian and founder member of the RSPCA,

but he's best known for his part in the abolition of the slave trade.

You know, it's often faith that inspires people to try to make a difference.

Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King for example.

But if you ask which person has made the most impact on the world,

many people would go back 2,000 years

and name a man whose life changed our history for ever.

If there was one person you reckon

that's done the most for this world, who would it be?

Jesus Christ, I'm sorry, but Jesus Christ.

It has to be, it has to be Jesus Christ. We're all Christians.

-Nelson Mandela.

-Nelson Mandela?

-Yes.

-Good answer.

Martin Luther King?

Martin Luther King, that's a great answer as well.

If you could do one thing to change the world, what would it be?

Inspire everyone to Jesus Christ.

-What about you?

-To stop world poverty.

-OK.

One thing about the world, it would be tolerance for everybody.

-What about you two?

-I think peace.

Peace, definitely peace.

-What, no more war?

-No.

Peace on Earth.

Something we all hope for,

but the news is still full of stories of man's inhumanity to man.

One of the greatest tragedies of recent times inspired Kat Callo

to try to make the world a better place.

On 9/11, I lost my cousin, David Fontana.

Dave was one of the 343 firefighters

that died while they were helping to rescue people from the World Trade Center.

And in the subsequent years, I couldn't say his name

without breaking down, so I just sort of buried it a bit.

Then the July 7th bombings in 2005 happened in London,

and I thought, "How could young British men do something like this?"

And I'm a Roman Catholic

and I felt that my cousin Dave was waiting for me to make a response.

Not the first response which is of anger and grief and rage and despair.

The measured response.

He was a very can-do guy

and I thought, he's waiting for me to do something.

So, we started Project Mosaic.

Project Mosaic is a charity that works to foster greater understanding

between people of different backgrounds.

We are, more and more, finding ourselves around people who are different from us -

racially, ethnically, from a different religion,

from a different national background,

and we can't just assume it's going to work itself out.

We often talk about, "What can the government do?

"What can the teachers do? What should the police do?"

I think it's all about on the grassroots level.

It's what can people in their everyday lives do.

Kat realised that if she was to be successful

she had to appeal to young people.

We are delighted this evening...

'When we have an event, a lot of young people will send out tweets

'and create Facebook pages,'

so it is important to find the right language that works for young people.

That can sometimes be a challenge for older people like me!

One of the ways that Project Mosaic reaches out to young people

is by running a short film competition.

Last year's winner was 23-year-old Tariq Chowdhury.

Tariq's film aims to dispel the idea that faith is divisive.

Something that is common to all major faiths is the instruction towards

being compassionate and kind towards other human beings

and that goes with every single religion,

and I thought that would be a great thing to espouse.

Tariq visited main centres of six different faiths in London

to highlight their central, unifying message.

I always knew that one thing that unites all of the different

faith groups is their love, their sincerity, their compassion.

They have a smile on their face,

but really, the significance is what's in their heart.

I really don't agree that religion is the source of problems.

People who truly embody the spirit of their faith will never ever

make things worse, they were always make things better.

That's true of every faith, I really believe that.

# I'd gladly walk across the desert With no shoes upon my feet

# To share with you the last bite Of bread I had to eat

# I would swim out to save you In your sea of broken dreams

# When all your hopes are sinkin' Let me show you what love means

# Love can build a bridge

# Between your heart and mine

# Love can build a bridge

# Don't you think it's time? Don't you think it's time?

# I would whisper love so loudly Every heart could understand

# That love and only love Can join the tribes of man

# I would give my heart's desire So that you might see

# The first step is to realise That it all begins with you and me

# When we stand together It's our finest hour

# We can do anything, anything Keep believin' in the power

# Love can build a bridge

# Between your heart and mine

# Love can build a bridge

# Don't you think it's time? Don't you think it's time? #

Is it possible to change a community by planting vegetables?

The Incredible Edible project in Todmorton, West Yorkshire

is trying to do just that by cultivating every spare inch of land in the town.

We've got vegetables growing in very public places.

We've got them in lots of public spaces.

We've got them in police stations, health centres,

at the railway station, at the bus station.

So, suddenly, people who only see things wrapped in cellophane

in the supermarket start to see where it grows in its natural state.

We're working with all the schools,

we've got children now doing qualifications in agriculture.

This is a town that isn't naturally a farming community so suddenly,

there are job opportunities around local food.

You've got people thinking about it, you've got people growing it,

you've got kids learning about it

and that means that they start to think about how they spend their money.

So that means they start to support the local market.

That means they start to support local farmers and suddenly,

the town starts to work again as a community, as market towns always used to be.

Every year, we have a harvest festival and it's where we bring

all the produce from the town and we cook it up and have a fantastic time.

It doesn't cost anybody anything.

So if I'm walking past one of these spaces

and I see a cabbage growing, I just help myself?

Yes, help yourself. Absolutely, help yourself.

We're trying to spread kindness, we're trying to reconnect people

and when people are reconnected, particularly in hard times,

just the most fabulous and magical things happen.

The story that I tell, which to me really touches my heart -

My friend Mary turned her front garden, which was a rose garden,

into a veg patch with a big "Please help yourself" sign on it.

So we found local families going past and picking with the kids,

and one particular local family did that and then the next day,

they left a bowl of soup that they'd made from the veg on Mary's doorstep.

Now, these people had never spoken to Mary before in their entire life

and that for me is what communities are all about,

and we're starting to see that all over the place.

The churches in Todmorden have also embraced

the spirit of Incredible Edible.

I met up with the vicar who's helped open up one local graveyard

to gardening.

I suppose, if we put a positive spin on it,

the rain is good for the vegetables.

Very good for the vegetables! They're doing remarkably well.

-I have to say, it's a normal day for Todmorden, really.

-Right, OK.

-It's not often you see vegetables growing in the graveyard.

-It's not.

It's been four years now and the community have accepted it.

Originally, I think people thought, "That's a bit strange",

and people won't like it, but Incredible got in touch with us

and said, "How about putting some vegetable beds in here?"

We thought about it and went through the channels and said, "Yeah, we'd welcome it."

And it's been a really good opportunity for the community.

So who comes up here?

A lot of the time you will see the children from the school.

I don't know if you can see back there?

The children will often come and tend the vegetables.

Any vegetables are there to be taken by the community,

so people who visit family graves come,

people who walked dogs through the woods into the churchyard will come.

Everybody in the community comes and takes a lot and enjoys.

-It's a great idea, isn't it?

-Absolutely fabulous.

It's quite anarchical to have a churchyard, that is a sacred space,

but to give it over to God's creation in a lateral thinking sense.

This sounds absolutely perfect,

so why is it not happening in every single community around the world?

It's starting to happen.

We now have 20 communities and we have people working in Africa, Spain,

Northern Ireland, and in Holland so it is starting to happen.

We do have some wonderful weeders in this community,

we do have churches that have put fruit trees and bushes.

We are working in the local church to put a nut orchard in the back,

but if we could actually have that push, that drive

by the churches in every single town to say,

"We are the heart of the town and edible churches are the way forward

"so let's bring our community together and grow collectively."

You've obviously got a massive passion for it.

Do feel that is a calling for you in a way?

I've done lots of things in my life in the private and public sector.

I've never done anything more important than this, ever.

This is about trying to change the world around us for our children.

Instead of being victims, it says, actually,

"If we're positive about it, we can make a heck of a difference

"and pass on a better world."

So there is nothing more important to do than this.

Here in Suffolk, the church is using the internet to help those in need.

It's a very simple idea.

Connect those who need help with those who want to make a difference.

It's all inspired by a verse in the Bible.

Acts, Chapter 4, Verse 35 is a passage in scripture

which says in the church as the Christians gather together

and they shared so much in common, they felt really moved

to go and sell their property to share even more.

They sold land and sold their possessions,

and they pooled their money together and distributed

to each and every one in the church community as they had need.

If someone is in need, a request is posted on the Acts 435 website.

Visitors to the site can read the personal stories of those

seeking help and decide who they'd like to give money to.

They can choose whether to give the full amount or just part of it.

We started it in the Yorkshire and Humber

and then rolled it out nationally

and we've just had a contact from France,

so I don't see why it can't go viral and international.

We sign up a church as a church community because we believe

that they are the ones who know the people who are in need on the ground.

The church appoints one or two people to be their advocates,

the spokesperson for the person in need.

What I do is to post a request on the website,

I have to give information

about why this person can't actually fund what they need for themselves.

We don't all have to be Bill Gates to help.

The little we do give, and if it is a modest amount,

we feel more motivated to give,

particularly if we know it's going to make a big difference at the other end.

How can we help you?

'My husband's unemployed is and we are both on low income'

and we needed a mattress.

We came up and had a word with Pam and she got the ball rolling.

I was overjoyed because the mattress came at Christmas,

so it's a lovely Christmas present.

Now it's just fantastic. Good night sleeps

because I suffer with rheumatoid arthritis, so the mattress...

So that mattress literally changed your life?

Yes, and now thanks to them, I've become involved with the church

and I go to church every Sunday and I really enjoy it.

You know, this is a way in which the church can actually

get involved in meeting that need

and we are just fulfilling the message of the Bible

which is feed the hungry, clothe the poor

and there are so many needs that come in.

The needs are wide-ranging.

We have worked with people who are homeless

and they are setting up homes and they need to be established.

The elderly, we experience a lot of people who are experiencing

fuel poverty and hardship, and just a little bit of money

could help top up their heating bills.

We needed a new cooker basically.

Our cooker was beyond repair and told my story

and basically, Pam told me that there was an organisation

which the Christians pledge money and in a matter of time,

hopefully, the money would be there for me to buy a new cooker.

How difficult was it for you to get in touch with Acts?

It was difficult first of all to come to terms,

to find I need help, but I think, in today's world,

we live in a desperate world and when people are desperate they turn to anywhere for help.

How did you feel when that money was handed over?

Just overwhelmed with people's generosity, basically.

It led me to go on to a Christianity explorer course

which is now finished and my faith has grown and grown to be honest.

So how do you feel when you hand over the money?

Oh, it's an amazing feeling because they are so overwhelmed

receiving this and to know that somebody cares enough.

In fact, you will see later

when they come in to actually receive their donations.

Do you think you guys are changing the world?

I would like to think that we're playing a small part

in changing people's attitudes, yeah.

Changing the world, certainly.

Changing people's worlds, one life at a time.

For one person, I've heard it said it before and I'm sure you have,

"If I was the only person, Christ would have died for me."

Well, Christ died.

Each individual person. So we are changing the world.

Bit by bit, life by life.

Well, I applied online, put your request on.

And people have now donated money.

It's just three years since Acts 435 began but they have managed

to grant over 500 requests including Anna and Pedro's.

..replace your washing machine.

Can I say thank you to everyone.

-I would just like to hand that over to you.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much.

'I am very fortunate because I am in the position of actually'

giving the money over to people and very often,

the response is great joy or it can be breakdown with floods of tears,

because they are so grateful and so glad to receive.

-Do you think this could make people lazy in a way?

-No!

We do have to be very careful about who we are offering money to

because, as Christians, we have to be good stewards of the money.

It isn't our money, it's other people's money which is why,

in the first place, we interview them.

God is love. And that is what we want to communicate.

God loves people.

That's often our opportunity to speak about God

because people do ask us why we do it.

"Why do we care?"

It's because so many people today are working on a very low rates,

low income.

Hazel and Gary hadn't a hope of taking their children

on holiday until they were given a place to stay.

Trouble is they didn't have the money to get there.

Well, the good news is that it's actually been successful.

Oh, that's absolutely fantastic.

-And we've actually got £100.

-Really?!

Wow, that's fantastic, that's brilliant.

SHE SOBS

Thank you so much.

That is absolutely fantastic.

If it isn't for the work you do, it wouldn't be possible.

We didn't think that we would be able to take our children on holiday

this year and thanks to the work that you do, we finally can,

and it's fantastic, isn't it?

-You really do change people's lives.

-Yeah, you really do.

# When I needed a neighbour Were you there, were you there?

# When I needed a neighbour Were you there?

# And the creed and the colour And the name won't matter

# Were you there?

# I was hungry and thirsty Were you there, were you there?

# I was hungry and thirsty Were you there?

# And the creed and the colour And the name won't matter

# Were you there?

# I was cold, I was naked Were you there, were you there?

# I was cold, I was naked Were you there?

# And the creed and the colour And the name won't matter

# Were you there?

# When I needed a shelter Were you there, were you there?

# When I needed a shelter Were you there?

# And the creed and the colour And the name won't matter

# Were you there?

# When I needed a healer Were you there, were you there?

# When I needed a healer Were you there?

# And the creed and the colour And the name won't matter

# Were you there?

# Wherever you travel I'll be there, I'll be there

# Wherever you travel I'll be there

# And the creed and the colour And the name won't matter

# I'll be there. #

Lord, thank you for those who are seeking to make this world

a better place.

To protect the environment.

To promote fairness and equality.

And to alleviate suffering and poverty.

Amen.

Well, I was hoping to find my portrait in here

but I have been told, it's in the attic.

In a few minutes, the gallery will be opening its doors to the public

and these rooms will be buzzing with conversation

but I've still got the place to myself for the moment

and I'm really enjoying the peace and quiet, which reminds me,

I hope you can join me for next week's Songs Of Praise when I'll be exploring silence.

I'll be finding out if it's possible to live as a hermit

in the 21st century,

meet the broadcaster who swapped the studio

for eight days of silence,

and some teenagers who turn off their music and mobiles for a spot of silent worship.

And of course, we'll have hymns from around the country.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd