Janet Davies, who has died at age 89, spent her career working in international development, ecumenical partnership and social justice initiatives. From 1968 to 1986, she held positions with Christian Aid in Merseyside and the north-west, eventually becoming regional organiser. Based in Liverpool and supported by Edward Patey, dean of the city, Davies employed her communication and networking abilities to build grassroots alliances across religious denominations. Her efforts were instrumental in organizing Christian Aid Week and helped establish the Merseyside Churches Ecumenical Council, which contributed to the later “Better Together” partnership between Bishop David Sheppard and Archbishop Derek Worlock.
Born and raised in Formby, Lancashire, Davies was a skilled pianist and choral singer who trained as a secretary before her development work. She met her husband, Alan Davies, an occupational therapist, at the Southport Gramophone Society in 1968. Through her overseas assignments with Christian Aid, Davies witnessed extreme poverty firsthand, including visits to shanytowns in Kolkata in 1975 and experiences in apartheid South Africa during the late 1970s and early 1980s, which profoundly shaped her spiritual perspective. She became known as a compelling public speaker and in 1985 received a substantial donation for Christian Aid’s Ethiopian famine appeal at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.
Pursuing further education later in life, Davies earned a certificate in theology from Birmingham University in 1994. Following visits to Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories beginning in 1982, she contributed to scholarly works on Christian perspectives of the Holy Land. She became a prominent advocate for Middle East peace, directing programmes for USPG and the United Reformed Church during the 1990s. In retirement, she established Sabeel-Kairos UK, a charity supporting the Palestinian Christian community. She is survived by her sibling and nine nieces and nephews.
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