Roots
The founder of ONENESS, Angela Bent (aka, Carol Bent) is an accredited lived experience freelance trainer who has the Bipolar Condition. She is also a Mental Health First Aid Champion and has a degree in Social Work and Applied Theatre. Angela's mum came from Jamaica and dad from Grenada, and sees her identity as African Caribbean, as opposed to Black British. Angela and her older brother became part of the care system twice in the early 1970s. During their stay at a residential home, Angela witnessed her brother being physically abused by a member of staff, which meant that she became extremely protective of her brother. Within the residential home, Angela had to fight to protect her brother from bullies, and it was this desire to protect her brother against bullies which gave Angela a strong sense of injustice.
The second time Angela went into care was on a farm. Angela loved the farm animals, which provided emotional support to her at a time when she was feeling lost and confused. She lost most of her hair during her foster stay at the farm, during the 60s, 70,s local authorities only placed black foster children with white families, which had dire implications for black children’s Black identity.
Throughout her school days, Angela was rebellious, fighting bullies to protect her brother, and she would abscond from school, which she saw as a prison, explore the streets of London, dodging bus conductors, getting rides back home in police cars, never letting them drop her at home. Angela became the first girl gang leader on her estate, naming her gang, The Pirate Queens, who were all young, friendless girls, based on the JUST WILLIAM books by Richard Compoton and The Famous Five by Enid Blyton. Angela stole church offerings and money from the house to maintain the activities of the gang, as well as to give presents to children who did not get any. The council estate that Angela grew up on had all the issues and ills of life; there were families affected by prostitution, domestic violence, alcoholism and frequent arrests by the police of the Black teenagers
As a result of her childhood experiences Angela developed a keen interest in Black community activist work, she was part of Black and In Care, a group of ex black foster young people who demanded the right for Black foster children and young people to be brought up within Black families, Angela was also involved in running Black identity workshops as well as working with community groups.
Angela's spent over 13 years working as a Children and Families social worker in various Local Authorities, she quickly realised from the start of her social work career that social services could be the most damaging, and fatal place to be for children and young people in their care, proven by the death of children such as Tyra Henry, Jasmine Beckford and Victoria Climbie. Angela was also aware that Social Services had negative and punitive intervention when it came to Black Staff and Black Families, and after being dismissed by a local Authority due to the mental stress incurred by poor management, Angela embarked on a long journey of recovery.
Angela decided to start the ONENESS social enterprise after she became increasingly aware of how emotionally and psychologically abusive some church people, not members, could be. In the Church which Angela’s dad led, after leaving an earlier highly successful ministry, a particular church family, in particular, was operating the church charity inappropriately, and there were immense safeguard issues.
Angela therefore received the calling from God to be like one crying in the wilderness and represent the needs of vulnerable children, young people and adults in Black churches, as well as provide a wide range of resources and help to service providers that meet the needs of the vulnerable and marginalised, hence the Genesis of ONENESS.
ONENESS will now bring in standards to centralise the services of the Black Apostolic Churches in the UK in three specific areas:
Kingdom Child Protection Service
ONENESS is a member of a national UK Church Child Protection Charity and similar to the Church of England we will now be proposing to our MP the urgent need for all Safeguarding in the Black Apostolic, Jesus Only uk churches to be centralise from an External, independent central Body, namely ONENESS. At present Safeguarding policies and procedures in the Black Aopostolic Churches are ad hoc, fragmentended, even non existent. Church members are reluctant to complain because trustees are part of the church, the leaders of the church are on the trustee board and the present system of whistleblowing offers no protection for church members who want to complain. There is no external central review or accountability of Safeguard amongst the Black Apostolic UK churches and as an ex offender, founder of ONENESS, Angela was alarmed to discover the ease at which she could have unsupervised access to children. The dire situation of SafeGuarding in the UK Black Apostolic Churches will be address by ONENESS at an urgent select committee with the relevant parties, watch this space
Chairty Watch
ONENESS is a member of a national UK Church Child Protection Charity and similar to the Church of England we will now be proposing to our MP the urgent need for all Safeguarding in the Black Apostolic, Jesus Only uk churches to be centralise from an External, independent central Body, namely ONENESS. At present Safeguarding policies and procedures in the Black Aopostolic Churches are ad hoc, fragmentended, even non existent. Church members are reluctant to complain because trustees are part of the church, the leaders of the church are on the trustee board and the present system of whistleblowing offers no protection for church members who want to complain. There is no external central review or accountability of Safeguard amongst the Black Apostolic UK churches and as an ex offender, founder of ONENESS, Angela was alarmed to discover the ease at which she could have unsupervised access to children. The dire situation of SafeGuarding in the UK Black Apostolic Churches will be address by ONENESS at an urgent select committee with the relevant parties, watch this space
Association of Sunday School
We will now be establishing an Association for all Sunday School Teachers to join, in which the status of Sunday School Teachers is to be raised. Sunday School Teachers have the most important duty to perform in the kingdom of God, they are preparing Kingdom Children and Young People to become Kingdom rulers on the earth in preparation for their role as the New Earth Church government, yet despite the vital role Sunday School play in the Kingdom, many Sunday Schools are poorly run, have little or no attendance, staff not motivated and Sunday Schools is often the most neglected ministry in the Apostolic Churches today. In contrast, the State schools which Church children go to in the week seem to be more organised and efficient than Kingdom Children’s own Sunday School.
As Association Sunday School Members, teachers will be resourced and trained with a wide range of Sunday School products. We will offer training and workshops on how to deliver creative, interesting, and relevant lessons. There will also be retreat Days for teachers, both in England and abroad, networking opportunities for teachers, as well as a wide range of other membership benefits. Sunday School Children of Association Members will also be eligible to attend prestigious, high end events and outings.