The call comes in advance of Peacemaking Sunday, which falls on 21 September this year.

Steve Hucklesby, speaking on behalf of the Joint Public Issues Team of Baptists Together, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, said, 'Trident is a product of the Cold War era and we believe that it cannot meet the security needs of our world today.

'The Humanitarian Consequences Conference in Vienna in December is one of a number of international initiatives that is set to change the way we think about nuclear weapons. The government’s proposed spending on Trident – of £100 billion over the next 30 years – is out of step with the developing international consensus.

'It’s clear that the enormous sums of money earmarked for Trident would divert resources from other pressing priorities, such as addressing poverty at home and overseas, providing affordable and energy efficient homes, and investing in health and education.' 

It’s likely that Peacemaking Sunday will have a special significance this year; not only because 2014 marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, but also as a result of the wars being waged across the Middle East and elsewhere in the world today.  

Peacemaking Sunday resources - including prayers of confession and interecession as well as sermon ideas - are available as a free download from the Baptists Together resources library. The material has been prepared by Simon Woodman, co-minister of Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church.