RELIGION, along with politics, is said to be one of the great taboos for discussion in polite company.

The reality, according to Tim Blake, is both provoke a good deal of conversation around dining tables across the country.

That they do, he believes, is something which signifies people are searching for fulfilment in their lives.

As a member of the group behind the Love Basildon campaign Tim is keen to prove he and his colleagues can offer an answer.

"The superficial veneer is that religion and politics are two big taboos," said Tim.

"The reality is when people talk they do talk about the big questions of life. People have a desire to know what life is about and why we are all here."

Love Basildon is a new campaign bringing together churches of all denominations in the town with the single aim of promoting the Christian message.

It is an extension of the successful Churches Together in Basildon alliance which has operated for the past 20 years Tim added: "Churches cut across a huge swathe of things and act as a foundation of life in the town.

"At times of joy, in times of crisis and in times of grief the churches are there. Births, deaths and marriages - at all of these momentous occasions, the church is often there for people."

Mother and toddler clubs, support groups and youth schemes such as the popular Bar'N'Bus drop-in centre, in Basildon town centre, are all examples of churches working together to offer practical help in everyday life.

Now a series of events are being planned under the Love Basildon banner. The first, the Love Basildon cafe at the recent Basildon Festival, proved a hit.

"It is often the impression church groups work in isolation," said Tim. "Twenty years ago, perhaps that would have been the case, but now the churches in Basildon work very closely.

"Love Basildon is an extension of that and developed from a conversation about how we communicate effectively to the residents of Basildon that God loves them."

He continued: "Often, the impression is of a divided church, with shrinking congregations - the reality is the town's churches are thriving. But there are opportunities for being more effective in sharing the Christian message.

"We have reached a point in the life of the churches where that relationship is so strong, when perhaps before it was not possible to share a common statement."

Tim has been a Christian for more than 30 years, having found his faith as a teenager. He is now minister of the Living Word Church which meets at Steeple View Community Hall.

It is a community church without its own church building, but Tim says the message is the same as other churches.

Love Basildon was developed ahead of a national campaign called Hope 08, which is due to be launched by churches nationwide next year.

Hope 08's mission statement says it "proposes to support on-going work, by facilitating intensified, united, focused prayer and a year of activities, communicating the Gospel through words and actions, creating a lasting legacy of both physical and spiritual change in the lives of communities and individuals."

Tim said it is all about helping people understand the churches beleived the Christian message was still relevant today.

"Basildon, of course, has its part to play in the national initiative," he said. "And with Love Basildon we are leading the way.

"There is a recognition in talking to people about God that it is no good to expect people to walk through the doors of a church.

"We have to get out there with that message of love.

"The message of Jesus Christ is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago," he said.

"There is no real difference about the world Jesus knew as to the world we know. Technology may have changed, but people are still living in occupied countries, under oppressive regimes. People are still living in poverty in our community.

"Often, the message is churches offer judgement and that is not true.

"The message is we want to reach out to those across the town who are looking for answers.

"In finding love in the community of the church and the love of God, you gain fulfilment to know life has meaning and purpose."

For more information about Love Basildon's campaign,click on the web link below, or e-mail info@lovebasildon.org.uk