‘Good Lord, deliver us from successful bishops’
02 Oct 2015
The Bishop of Chelmsford, Stephen Cottrell, made a courageous intervention in a sermon at the consecration of three new bishops at St Paul's Cathedral on Tuesday. Bishop Cottrell had this to say: ‘Good Lord, deliver us from successful bishops, from too-well-prepared or even too-well-organised bishops, from ready answer in the back pocket and PowerPoint-strategy self-sufficient, all-efficient bishops. The first job of a bishop is to be a teacher and evangelist: not a MD of CofE plc, or a safe pair of managerial hands just emerged slick and shiny from the talent pool - not even as a graduate of the latest whizzy business school offer of better-organised salvation; a storyteller, poet, theologian - a gospel person, with the good news of Christ on our lips and in our hearts, and this good news translated into the languages of the smorgasbord of cultures in which we serve.’
60% of those sentenced to less than three months in jail are reconvicted within a year. Under plans being revived by the Scottish government, minor offenders would receive community-based punishments rather than short jail terms and receive help for the causes of their offending behaviour, including drug or alcohol addictions or mental health issues. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said that although crime levels are falling, Scotland has one of the highest prison populations per capita in Western Europe. Two-thirds of those jailed in Scotland receive terms of six months or less. Mr Matheson said evidence shows short-term prison sentences are ineffective in reducing reoffending. ‘Prison will always be the right place for serious offenders who should be punished appropriately. This isn't about being 'soft' or 'tough', it is about being 'smart' and acting on the clear evidence in front of us.’
The government’s consultation on Sunday trading closed last week, but not before the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) submitted the results of a survey of close to 2,000 adults in England and Wales showing that three in five people agree that shop workers will be forced to work longer hours if the law changes. The consultation was launched in the middle of the summer, with ministers using the increase in online shopping and the demands of the tourism industry to argue for longer shopping hours. For more detailed information by the Christian Institute go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=44&v=76Qjbq7BSes
The Church is the biggest education provider in England, with an estimated one million children currently attending a faith school. In a recent ‘needs analysis’ report, the Church's education office warns that the increasingly elderly body of headteachers means there is a need to recruit new, strong leaders. The report said that many dioceses have become flexible around the requirement that headteachers need to be practising Christians, and can reference successful church school heads from other faiths or none at all who are able to maintain a clear vision for education. It warns of a risk to the Church's vision of education if enough teachers and school leaders with a deep understanding of and engagement with the Church of England cannot be deployed.
Russia: Need to talk with US military
02 Oct 2015
The US and Russian military will hold talks ‘as soon as possible’ to avoid clashing in Syria, top diplomats say. Russian aircraft carried out about twenty missions against the so-called Islamic State group on Wednesday. But the US expressed fears that the targets were non-IS opponents (see this week’s Syria article in World section). The strikes plunged the four-year-old civil war into a volatile new phase. Washington and Moscow are both aware of the risks of pressing ahead with rival, unco-ordinated air campaigns over Syria. To avoid an incident, last-minute decisions might have to be made by the forces on the scene. ‘There’s no time to raise it to a presidential level when two planes are closing at twenty miles a minute,’ said one US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The two countries need to carry out talks to explore ways to keep their militaries apart. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34408120
Romania: European Trumpet Call update
02 Oct 2015
Between 31 August and 4 September a European Trumpet Call was held in Timisoara, Romania. The gathering was a truly international one, with delegates from across Europe including a great UK representation. One of the UK delegates wrote on the World Prayer Centre site, ‘We were also blessed to have a team from the Pacific region who felt called to come and be with us. They have a mandate to thank Europe as their parent - the source of the gospel. We loved our Pacific friends’ holy protocols. At each meeting they would stand with their hands on their hearts to welcome in the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, then hand the meeting over to Him. These were always holy moments, starting planning meetings and the main meetings in the presence of Jesus. We realised that welcoming Jesus as Lord, worshipping him and praising him was a key part of the Holy Spirit's leading.’ To read the full report click on the ‘more’ button below.
A worker from the region reports, ‘Last week I visited two groups of seekers and new believers who meet together to study scriptures. Everyone shared one thing they were thankful for that week. Each and every person in these groups told of God healing the sick, doing miracles and answering prayers supernaturally. I was amazed. In all my years on the field I have never heard of such a thing, and now we hear weekly of different groups seeing and experiencing God moving miraculously! God is doing wonderful things.’ Jesus said, ‘Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.’ We are in the middle of a week of prayer for Syria and Iraq. Pray that believers (new and old) will have the faith to go, proclaim God’s word, and pray the big faith prayers.
Christians in Israel are pleased to report that an agreement has been reached between the Israeli government and Christian schools that has enabled the schools to end their strike on 28 September. Last week we requested prayer on behalf of Christians in Israel concerned about the continued existence of Christian schools in the country after negotiations with the Israeli government over funding for the schools had reached an impasse. On Sunday an agreement was reached between the Secretariat of Christian Schools and the Education Ministry; the schools will receive a one-off payment of 50 million shekels immediately, as well as another 7.5 million shekels to be used for ‘fostering development’. The Secretariat said it regards the agreement as a provisional achievement and welcomed the decision to establish a committee to review the legal status of Christian schools, which they trust will lead to a long-term solution.