Boris Johnson launches FareShare depot
17 Jan 2011On Tuesday the Mayor of London Boris Johnson opened a new food depot in London that will distribute more than 300 tonnes of surplus food a year - the equivalent of 800,000 meals - to charities, instead of clogging up landfill sites. The FareShare depot was made possible by a £362,000 grant from the London Waste and Recycling Board. It will focus on rescuing surplus and still perfectly edible food from organisations within London and redistributing it to support some of city’s most disadvantaged people, helping to reduce the amount of food being sent to landfill. The Mayor Boris Johnson said: This inspiring project will have a genuine impact helping vulnerable people.
Pray: that the Government will adopt policies that will not lead to people losing their homes. (Mt.25:37)
Boost for Church of England schools and churches
29 Mar 2012A wave of new faith-based schools could lead to the building of new churches in the United Kingdom for the first time in more than half a century. Churches are planned for new towns and expanding housing developments, set to burgeon as planning laws are relaxed, according to Britain’s Daily Express newspaper. The newspaper reports that the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard, confirmed that areas around his own diocese will be part of the expansion plans. After the publication of a new report, The Church School of the Future, Church of England schools are set to enjoy a renaissance as hundreds are converted into Academies, the newspaper said. Rt Rev Pritchard, who is chairman of the Church's Board of Education, said: ‘It is around new communities that we see our one area of new expansion in terms of building new schools. Around my diocese in Oxford, for example, there is a vast number of new houses’.
Pray: for the opportunities that arise for building churches in new communities. (1Chr.29:16)
Bloody Sunday: justice at last
18 Jun 2010
After a 38-year struggle for truth and justice, campaigners for those killed in Derry on Bloody Sunday celebrate the Saville Report's exoneration of the victims and its unequivocal conclusion that the shootings were ‘unjustified’. The Bloody Sunday tribunal's verdict that soldiers had lied to the inquiry now opens up the possibility of legal action against the former troops involved. David Cameron announced the findings and apologised on behalf of the British state, ‘I never want to call into question the behaviour of our soldiers and our army, who I believe to be the finest in the world, but the conclusions of this report are absolutely clear. There is no doubt, there is nothing equivocal, there are no ambiguities. What happened on Bloody Sunday was both unjustified and unjustifiable. It was wrong.’
Pray: for all those affected by these events and that the report might heal old wounds. (1Pe.5:10)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/15/bloody-sunday-report-soldiers-prosecuted
Blind pursuit of profit must end
20 Jul 2010
The Archbishop of York has hit out at the selfish pursuit of profit and called for a return to the pursuit of social justice and generosity as a means to building a truly wealthy nation. Addressing the Church of England’s General Synod in York, Dr John Sentamu said it was understandable that governments wanted to achieve economic recovery after two years of financial crisis, but stressed that recovery should be regarded as a means to an end rather than an end in itself. People should not just be consumers but rather live out their common citizenship in social action or ‘good work’ beyond paid employment. He argued that profit making was a ‘simple and stupid’ objective, and called for a return to the principles of honesty and generosity towards neighbours. He said that an obsession with wealth was ‘evil’ and that society should pursue economic justice rather than solely profit. Pray: for the Holy Spirit to infuse our leaders with social ethics as well as fiscal focus. (Ac.11:15) More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/blind.pursuit.of.profit.must.end.says.archbishop/26261.htm
Black and white churches in the UK tend not to mix, but last week saw an unprecedented event under the banner of HOPE. More than 70 Christian leaders from black and white denominations and organisations gathered at Jesus House in North London to plan ways to work together to bring HOPE to communities across the UK. As a result, next year’s celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee look set to see six million people across the UK eating Sunday lunch together: Christians partying with their neighbours at the heart of their communities – just one of a range of mission activities under the HOPE banner, which will lead to a year of united church mission throughout the UK in 2014. HOPE’s Executive Director Roy Crowne said. ‘The goal is lasting spiritual change in the lives of individuals, as communities are transformed by churches working together in mission with practical action as well as words.’
Pray: for all those working with HOPE and for the success of their mission. (Jos.1:7)
Bishop’s call for marriage tax break
22 Oct 2012The Bishop of Chester has called for the Government to honour its pledge to recognise marriage in the tax system. Bishop Peter Forster said if plans were not introduced in the next Budget, it was unlikely there would be time to bring in the tax break before the election. He said 'a financial recognition of marriage would send a powerful symbolic message into society.' Initiating a debate on children in the House of Lords, he said: ‘At the end of the day, Governments cannot simply wash their hands when moral issues are presented, because government is intrinsically a moral activity. To recognise marriage in the tax system would say something important about the wider importance of marriage to society.’ He asked Baroness Garden of Frognal, who was responding to the debate for the Government: ‘Can the Minister please tell us when this pledge - I underline the word pledge - in the coalition agreement will start to be implemented?'
Pray: for the Government and the Opposition to understand the importance of family and to actively support it in their legislation and the tax system. (Pr.11:29 )
More: http://religiousintelligence.org/churchnewspaper/?p=28708
Bishops: Share the Good News
28 Jun 2010
The Church of England’s long history of witnessing to the unique significance of Jesus Christ is a duty that continues in today’s multi-faith environment, reiterates a new report. It affirms that missionary activity has always been a hallmark of the Anglican Church’s life and should continue to be so. The report’s foreword notes that: ‘the fear of getting it wrong should never obscure the Christian’s commitment to the good of all and to making Christ the centrepiece of that good. Too much reticence is as untrue to our history and our vocation as too much stridency.’ The document draws on case studies from across the country, where dioceses and parishes are actively engaged in inter-faith dialogue by expressing a ‘sensitive confidence’ about the Christian faith. The report suggests that there is a real desire among people of other faiths to hear about the beliefs which motivate Christian action and witness. Pray: for us all to speak out our belief in the Gospel message. (Mk.16:15 )
Bishops support White Ribbon Campaign
25 Nov 2013More than 60 bishops around the country wore a white ribbon last Monday to support the campaign dedicated to stamping out gender-based violence. Many visited local projects and used Twitter to raise awareness. The Bishop of Aston, the Rt Revd Andrew Watson, chair of the Panel for World Mission and the Anglican Communion, said he was delighted that so many bishops had taken up the challenge. He spoke about the White Ribbon Campaign and explaied how he had been approached by colleagues from the worldwide Anglican Communion who are concerned about gender violence. He visited the Birmingham and Solihull Women's Aid, meeting and talked with victims of abuse and those who support them. The White Ribbon campaign, originally started by a group of men, is being supported by a number of Christian organisations in this field. The Mothers' Union has produced an action pack and the organisation 'Restored' has developed its 'First Man Standing' campaign.
Pray: for all victims of gender violence and that the White Ribbon Campaign will make significant strides towards overcoming such abuse. (Ps.11:5)
More: http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2013/11/bishops-support-white-ribbon-campaign.aspx
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