You may not have heard of Speak, or maybe you have vaguely heard it mentioned but to all intents and purposes have no idea what it is, or what we do. We're a small band of Christians "committed to 'speaking out' against injustice and advocating a fairer world". Sounds very fluffy, but what do we mean?

Of course we see injustice around us all the time. Our friend is sidelined by their other half, a family member suffers in some way, or (perhaps most crucially!) we ourselves are on the receiving end of someone's inconsiderate behaviour or unfair attitude. We feel moved to take action to help our maligned loved ones.

Such sympathies are easy to adopt, but what of the fate of people outside our social circles, external to our families and alien to our existence? Kamihl the Afghan refugee is as much my neighbour as those living around me. Yet the difficulty of staying aware of the plight of those elsewhere remains one of the greatest challenges we face in helping our neighbours.

Indeed, people who we've never before met are our neighbour. What's more, they're often in huge need. Our world is full of injustice, peopled by the suffering, entire nations bereft of a voice. Injustice might be in the form of a policy which favours the rich over the overwhelming majority, or a company practice that causes the suffering of thousands. Who but those employed by a firm that exploits the poor for its own profit could argue that its conduct is just?

I can speak for myself in saying that I so often neglect to consider the rights and welfare of those with whom I don't come into contact every day. But is it not those who often do not have an audible voice and who are unknown to us that are in greatest need?

I'm not just talking about democracy, although this is a vastly unfairly distributed luxury worldwide. People's gender, ethnicity and economic means can all determine their ability to speak up for what they want.

In the UK, however, we enjoy a relatively privileged position in the world. We have the political, economic and societal freedom to take more than a passive interest in what's happening globally. Furthermore, as students, we have time on our side. Time that might well be used to do God's work.

We can seek God's justice, and impact on the lives of those who we may not otherwise be able to reach. I am often wowed by the privilege that God affords us to be able to touch the lives of those so distant, simply by praying.

Speaking out for those who cannot is certainly an objective of Speak as an organisation. In February all of the UK Speak groups met up in London for a long weekend of seminars, discussion, fellowship and prayer. Christian Aid, World Vision and Amnesty were out in force, as were several hundred keen students and advocates of Speak's aims.

The weekend culminated in the "Day of Action". This started with a service in Bloomsbury Methodist Church. Speakers explained what the UK government is doing to support the arms trade, why it is wrong, how God's justice might be found, and how we should pray and campaign so as to promote His justice.

From the packed church we moved to the second part of the campaign. Holding a huge banner explaining what we were protesting about, the Speak members marched to the building where much of the UK's arms trade policy is formulated: the DESO office. A short drama piece informed bystanders of the issue, as did leaflets that were distributed. We also prayed for repentance in the arms industry, which causes many people around the world endless suffering and poverty.

It was immensely encouraging to know that we were making huge waves in the real world and providing an outlet for God's love where it is so desperately needed. Indeed, it is this that defines Speak, alongside a firm conviction that sin is the cause (and repentance the solution) of a great number of the tragedies which, though worryingly rampant, are rarely on our television screens.

It is our neighbours who are waiting for us to act, in a world that is thirsty for God's love and Word alongside His justice.

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You can get involved...

There are a whole host of websites to fill you in on the details of what's happening and how to find out more, amongst them is www.speak.org.uk.

Speak also holds a weekly meeting every Thursday beginning at 6.15 (the venue for the summer term is still to be confirmed). So why not come along to find out what Speak on York campus are doing to advocate God's justice?

Any comments or queries can be sent to bt122@york.ac.uk