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The life of the Church of Scotland is to be celebrated with a special outdoor event in Princes Street Gardens in May. Roll Away The Stone will showcase the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens, in front of the iconic castle. The Church's work will be brought to life in a variety of ways, including through worship, entertainment, stalls, music, drama, storytelling, puppets, juggling, drumming and crafts. Co-organiser Rev Dr George Whyte, Deputy Principal Clerk of the Church of Scotland, said up to 4,000 visitors are expected to take part in the free festival on May 22, during the Church's General Assembly week. Dr Whyte said ‘We are there to publicly celebrate the life of the Church of Scotland. It’s for those who know nothing about the Church and those who are deeply involved. We are encouraging anyone in the broader church family within a reasonable travelling distance to come to Edinburgh on the day.’ Pray: for spiritual protection for those staging this event and for its success in reaching out to people. (Ps.145:7)
A former Church of Scotland Moderator is leading the charge for better rights and safer working conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers in the run up to Christmas and the winter sales. The Church of Scotland and an alliance of British churches and other agencies have united to help end the many injustices faced by the garment workers. The Very Rev John Christie in his year as Moderator of the General Assembly of The Church of Scotland was deeply affected by the plight of garment workers and the injustices they face daily during a visit to Bangladesh. Mr Christie has put his weight behind the campaign, the aim of which is to mobilise church members and others in the United Kingdom, America and Canada to lobby retailers and politicians to improve wages, safety and working conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers.
Pray: for the success of this campaign and that it will help to bring better working conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers. (Pro.29:4)
The Church of England has launched a major offensive against bonus culture in the City pledging to use its own multi-billion investments to attempt to block what it sees as excessive payouts. In an overhaul of its own investment policy announced Wednesday, the Church - which controls more than £8 billion of assets - announced it will attempt to vote down any bonus worth more than an executive’s basic salary. It issued an outspoken attack on what it called a ‘culture of entitlement and greed’ among the highest paid as it set out a list of demands which it will seek to implement in companies in which it owns shareholdings in the coming AGM season. Although, on its own, it is unlikely to revolutionise the City, the Church hopes that its stance – backed up by its financial presence – could start a ‘domino effect’ among disgruntled investors.
Pray: that the stance taken by the Church will have the desired effect across the financial world. (Is.57:17)
Religious leaders within the Church of England believe there is a real crisis when it comes to the future of the church, saying it will be dead in the next 20 years. The Rev Patrick Richmond, a Synod member from Norwich, warned the national assembly last week that the Church of England is entering into a ‘perfect storm’ with an overabundance of elderly members. Rev Richmond basically believes the Church of England as a whole is ‘dying off’ because of the number of senior citizens attending church in comparison to younger members. However, records from the Archbishops' Council's Research and Statistics Unit tell a different story. Updated records show that more than 36 per-cent of those who worship within the Church of England are under the age of 45. New statistics show that weekly services in cathedrals in 2011 is at 1.7 million people each month, a level that has been maintained since the turn of the millennium.
Pray: that the Church will rise from the ashes and soar like an eagle to glorify the Lord. (Is.40:31)
More: http://www.christianpost.com/news/records-show-church-of-england-will-not-be-dead-in-20-years-52454/
The Church of England has expressed concern that the BBC's controversial strategic review could lead to less religious programming. In its submission to the BBC Trust on director general Mark Thompson's strategy review, the Church of England said plans to refocus programme output must not mean giving up on content that appeals to smaller audiences, including religious output. The Church of England also had concerns that the BBC's online plans to cut half of the web pages it publishes might affect religious output. The church was ‘particularly concerned’ about online religion and ethics content provided by BBC Regions that it believed was under threat. The church is also concerned with making sure there is ‘appropriate resource’ set aside to ‘ensure high-quality provision of content that reflects and explores religion’. The church, at its general synod in February, reiterated a ‘deep concern’ about the overall reduction in religious broadcasting on British TV.
Pray: for the protection of religious content as the BBC seeks to make changes to the content it provides. (Pr.31:8)
More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/may/12/bbc-church-of-england
The Church of England risks a ticking “time bomb” if it does not take urgent action to prevent further incidents of child abuse, a report has warned. A single new case of abuse will immediately expose any weakness in the system if corners are cut when implementing the best professional standards, it said. Investigators looking into child protection policies following abuse scandals in the Chichester diocese found that safeguarding of children and other vulnerable people had fallen “woefully short” of what should be expected. They said the church should not be daunted by the difficulties ahead and that positive action was essential. The report, which was ordered by Dr Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, said it was “inevitable” that there were victims of abusing clergy in Chichester who had not yet come forward and that, however difficult it may be, church leaders should do all they could to encourage those people to do so.
Pray: for courage and determination for the church to 'get its house in order' on this matter. . (Eph.4:15-19)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10036297/Church-of-England-urged-to-take-urgent-action-on-child-abuse.html
The Church of England is encouraging people to engage in its Church Growth Research Programme. The programme is exploring the factors behind spiritual and numerical church growth. The Church of England is working with researchers at the University of Essex, Cranmer Hall, St John's College Durham, the Oxford Centre for Ecclesiology and Practical Theology, and Ripon College. A website has been set up with case studies and literature on church growth. Visitors to the site can sign up to the discussions forum to share their views and experiences of church growth. Discussions include Fresh Expressions and church planting, how to measure church growth, and experiences of decline. The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, said: ‘There are many communities and parishes that are growing and we want to identify the levers and drives of this growth. In addition to the information gathered via the website, researchers will survey 4,000 Church of England churches’.
Pray: that the work of the Holy Spirit will be recognised as central to the growth of the Church. (1Cor.6:19)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/church.of.england.sets.sights.on.growth/30736.htm
The Bishop of Oxford, the Church’s lead spokesman on education issues, said ministers viewed the subject as a “scary nuisance”, despite retaining a legal requirement for schools to teach it. The Rt Rev John Pritchard’s warning came in a letter to bishops following a meeting with David Laws, the Liberal Democrat schools minister. Highlighting RE’s exclusion from the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), the new school leaving certificate, the bishop wrote: “The state and future of RE is still a major concern. Not only is it not in the EBacc, but teacher training places have nearly halved and a spiral of decline seems inevitable. The latest survey shows secondary schools not filling vacancies and reducing time for RE, and some primary schools giving the responsibility to teaching assistants.” He added: “We’ll keep up the pressure as I’m sure you will too, but it’s clear that Government has no real interest in RE.”
Pray: for an appreciation of the importance of RE in providing a foundation for our cultural history and our nation's moral a spiritual welfare (Dt.6:4-7)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9844144/Church-of-England-raises-fears-over-future-of-RE-in-schools.html
The Church of England is facing a fresh clash with the Coalition over welfare reform after publishing a new report accusing ministers of acting as if they were deliberately trying to “destabilise” society. In a highly critical analysis of the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith’s overhaul of the benefits system, the established Church questions the “moral” case for such reforms in a time of austerity. The poor and vulnerable, it claims, are bearing a “disproportionate share of the burden” from recession yet being “squeezed” ever tighter by the Government - while the rich are allowed to escape “largely unscathed”. The comments come in a policy paper prepared for members of the Church’s General Synod which meets in York in two weeks time, where welfare will be one of the main items on the agenda alongside the Church’s difficulties over women bishops.
Pray: for a better understanding of the needs of the genuinely vulnerable and for appropriate measures put in place to support them. (Pr.30:8)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10136435/Church-of-England-faces-fresh-clash-with-ministers-over-welfare-reform.html
Clergy in the Church of England are being asked to cut their cloth to suit the economic times and to prepare for mergers and staff cuts that could drastically reduce pastoral care and worship. A report on finances has found that a quarter of all 44 dioceses are running deficits and plundering reserves to pay stipends and pensions. A similar proportion has liquid reserves to last them one month or less. High staffing levels of clegy and laity are highlighted. The Church of England spends £1 billion a year in salaries and pensions for clergy as well as the upkeep of its buildings, an amount roughly matched by donations from parishes. But rising pension costs mean that every year churchgoers are asked to increase donations. The report, commissioned to help churches to improve ‘efficiency and effectiveness’, suggests that finances are so finely balanced in some areas that parishoners will have to dig even deeper or face cuts in provision.
Pray: for savings to be made that do not jeopardise the core work of the church. (Ho.14:9
More: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7123460.ece