Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

A summit on faith in the workplace was held in the PM’s office at No 10. It was chaired by Christian MP John Glen, chief secretary to the Treasury. National and multinational companies shared how they are welcoming employees to bring their whole selves to work, faith and all, by encouraging faith-friendly policies. They see a person’s religious beliefs as an asset with bottom line benefits rather than a problem to be solved or avoided. At the event, OVO Energy received the award for being the most faith-friendly national UK workplace in 2023. The group announced that a national summit on Faith-and-Belief@Work will be held in November at London’s Salesforce Tower. Rishi Sunak, the UK’s first Hindu PM, is invited to keynote the summit.

Junior doctors began a five-day strike on 13 July. It is the longest walkout in the NHS’s history. The strikes are being held even though the government has accepted recommendations from pay review bodies for teachers, civil servants and NHS workers, for pay rises of between 5% and 7%. BMA leaders are urging the Government to return to the negotiating table to resolve the situation that has led to thousands of cancelled operations and consultations. BMA leaders Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said, ‘We can call this strike off today if the Government will simply follow the example of the government in Scotland and drop their nonsensical precondition of not talking whilst strikes are announced and produce an offer which is credible to the doctors they are speaking with. Their refusal to talk with junior doctors who have strikes planned is out of keeping with all norms of industrial action.’

In a historic event, three members of the same family were ordained during the same service at Exeter Cathedral. Mother Julie Wheeler, son Charles Wheeler, and daughter-in-law Miriam Brandon-Wheeler are now deacons. Charles took part in the Church of England’s Ministry Experience scheme before joining a monastic community, where he met his wife. He said, ‘To be preparing with Miriam and to have the opportunity to serve the people of Tiverton together as part of the same church community is particularly special. I am glad too that I prepared with my mother, who has encouraged me as I have encouraged her.’

The government is allowing millions of citizens to fall behind due to digital exclusion, the House of Lords has warned. As services move online at an unprecedented rate, the report by the Lords communications and digital committee found significant numbers lacking the means and skills needed to get online. The cost of living crisis has exacerbated affordability issues, with up to 1 million people cutting off their broadband due to their finances, while half of people over 75 lacked basic digital skills. Some young people are doing homework at church youth groups because they can’t access the internet at home. The House of Lords is urging the Prime Minister to take urgent action to tackle digital exclusion as 2.4 million people cannot complete a single digital task and five million will be digitally under-skilled by 2030. Pray that the disabled, aged, and socio-economically challenged may have the help they need.

Last week we prayed about school uniform costs. This week we can be grateful that Marks and Spencer are offering families money off children’s clothes if they donate school uniform hand-me-downs to help parents struggling amid the cost of living crisis. The second-hand uniforms will be sold via Oxfam’s high street chain and a new ‘back-to-school’ eBay shop.

Conversations about up-and-coming by-elections aren't popular with Conservative MPs just now. Inflation is not coming down as quickly as hoped. Homeowners are struggling with higher mortgage rates. Small boat crossings reached a new June record this year. Rishi Sunak’s five targets are growing more challenging. Pessimism is not the ideal backdrop for a governing party going into a set of by-elections, which will be an indicator of the political mood in the country. Father God, we hold the nation before you. You are the God who reigns over governments; bring justice where injustice rules. Give strength to the struggling and hope to the hopeless. Grant vision and insight to those with authority to change things for the better. Father God, heal what is hurting and restore what has been broken. You sovereignly place every leader and have marked their days of service. Give them more of Your wisdom for the tasks ahead.

Thousands of Coventry school children took part in a huge worship event organised by the Diocese of Coventry. Pupils from 76 schools across the diocese were invited to join four worship concerts led by iSingPOP Praise, Chip Kendall, and Shell Perris as part of ALIVE 2023. The diocese wanted the children to experience worship in a large setting having gone through the pandemic when they were unable to visit churches or have external groups visit schools. The event at Stoneleigh Park saw 9,000 children and parents attend. ALIVE 2023 gave thousands of children a chance to sing and dance, listen, laugh and learn, to be loud and be silent, and discover the fullness of life that comes from being world changers - people who have caught the vision of the sort of world of peace, kindness and justice that Jesus saw, and who decide to work with God for a better world for all.

Even though several MPs were suspended recently for bad behaviour, a ‘predatory culture’ still exists around the House of Commons, as reports of inappropriate flirting and sexual misconduct continue. Six staff members say abuses of power by male MPs and senior staffers remain common, and the new complaints process is too slow. One woman was continually asked to sit on a male MP's knee, and another person was bombarded with text messages. A parliamentary aide said everyone who works in Parliament either has their own story of sexual misconduct or knows someone with one. She said the problem transcends party politics. A House of Commons spokesman said it took complaints seriously, and bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct had no place in Parliament, adding, ‘We remain committed to ensuring that lasting cultural change can be achieved here’.

Pope Francis has called on leaders to show compassion for refugees fleeing war, persecution, or poverty. Instead of ensuring they reach safety, the UK government has introduced a new 'Illegal Migration Bill' which would shut the door on people needing protection and enable the government to deport them to countries such as Rwanda - a policy the Court of Appeal has ruled unlawful. The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) wants people to ask their MPs to oppose the bill so that we can welcome those who need protection. This landmark intervention on domestic policy refers to the Pope's call for the need to show maximum respect for the dignity of each migrant and ‘build bridges not walls’ as well as ‘expanded channels for a safe and regular migration.’ But CAFOD said that instead of showing respect and dignity, the UK government is trying to make the situation for people seeking safety even worse.

Miriam, who is 77 and recovering from cancer, had her life torn apart when she had to choose to care at home for her 89-year-old husband Ian, while her sister Jennifer (73, with young onset dementia) was placed in assisted living accommodation. Ian was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2020. Over 220,000 people are unpaid carers for a sick or disabled person in Northern Ireland. That’s one in eight people. Caring for people at home reduces pressure on the health and social care system, and it reduces the number of people in residential care and hospitals. Miriam said she had to ‘let one go’ to look after the other: ‘It is just exhausting.’ The Praxis charity has appointed the first dementia coordinator, who will focus entirely on carers. The last carers strategy was published two decades ago. Northern Ireland lags behind the rest of the UK in supporting people battling the dementia journey alone.