A Taste of Heaven

First steps for Jubilee 2000

Flying over central Africa in 1994, Isabel Carter sensed God's anger at the huge injustice of Third World debt and was given a vision from God - that the year 2000 was the be a year of Jubilee in which the burdens of debt would be cancelled.

As she shared the vision and sought help from aid agencies, a small group of 'nobodies' began working together on helping this idea gain momentum.

Isabel was a member of the steering committee that oversaw the founding and development of Jubilee 2000, which eventually led to an unprecedented international coalition of aid agencies in 40 countries and a record-breaking petition to cancel world debt.

Isabel tells the story of how a vision from God on an aeroplane became a world-changing movement in just 6 years.

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"If ever there were a modern example of the Kingdom of God beginning life as a seed, here it is! Isabel Carter was in the seed of Jubilee 2000. With great authority and passion, she traces its beginnings and shows how the seed was sown and germinated, growing shoots of freedom and fairness, justice and jubilee. It’s a classic exposition of how great ideas and movements start from the bottom up and from small beginnings. An inspiration!"

Formerly Bishop of Hull and Bishop of Liverpool,
the Rt Revd James Jones KBE (‘for services to the bereaved and to justice’)

"This is a truly remarkable story: how one woman’s vision and determination helped to change the world. The echoes of William Wilberforce were heard again as ordinary people demanded that the chains should be broken and people set free. The Jubilee trumpet was heard across the globe; by the world’s most powerful leaders and the world’s oppressed poor. I discovered – and thousands more like me – that my voice could be raised and it could make a difference. As a consequence, Tearfund – and many other charities – embraced advocacy and campaigning as an integral and essential component of their work. As the closing report of Jubilee 2000 said, “The world will never be the same.” That’s why I’m so delighted and grateful that Isabel has written this book: the perseverance, the battles, the characters, the setbacks and the bottlenecks are all there – and so are the inspirations, the encouragements and the breakthroughs. What a story… what a result!"

Stephen Rand was Communications Director, then Prayer and Campaigns Director for Tearfund; Jubilee 2000 Board Member, then Co-chair of Jubilee Debt Campaign. He now works part-time for the APPG for International Freedom of Religion or Belief and is Advocacy Consultant to Open Doors UK&I

"The international Jubilee 2000 campaign was transformative – not just of creditor-debtor relations across low income countries but for many organisations and individuals. Isabel Carter’s deep faith played a critical role in the founding of Jubilee 2000 and its later success – which is why her story – this book – is an important contribution to an understanding of a global ‘grass roots’ campaign’s achievements in challenging powerful vested financial interests."

Ann Pettifor, political economist and author.
Former Director of Jubilee 2000 Coalition UK
and now Director of Policy Research in Macroeconomics (PRIME)