Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

Anglo-Catholics warn that proposals to end the 200-year-old split with Methodism 'threaten the fundamentals' of the CofE. A motion will be debated at its General Synod to allow ministers from each church to practise in the other's. If passed, it would be ‘a profound sign of reconciliation, a healing of wounds that go back to the origins of Methodism in the 18th century,' says the Bishop of Coventry. However the catholic wing of the Church places great importance on churches being led by bishops who follow on from Jesus' apostles in ‘apostolic succession’. If the plans are passed by the synod next week and by the Methodist Church in the summer, the two churches will join forces and combine resources in areas where there are challenges in sustaining a Christian presence. It will also mean that for the first time ever, Methodists in the UK will have a bishop of their own.

The Salvation Army has launched a dynamic programme for people with dementia which uses singing to help them connect with others and bring back memories. The scheme, called Singing By Heart, uses a mix of popular hymns such as 'Joy in my Heart' and popular songs like 'Moon River'. Each song (which begins with a Bible passage and finishes with a prayer) has been carefully selected to ensure it is fondly recognised by the people in the groups. It is widely acknowledged that music can trigger past memories and feelings in those living with dementia. The sessions are designed to encourage communication, recollection of memories, and happy thoughts for those taking part. It is also hoped they will benefit carers by giving them time to relax, make friends, and share experiences.

Community leaders, unions and churches are backing a call for Manchester United to increase the pay of workers employed by contractors, such as waitresses and cleaners, noting a ‘grotesque pay difference’ between their wages and players' salaries. On 1 February Manchester citizens handed a letter to the club, urging it to take a ‘community-first business approach’ to ensure that the cost of living is met for low-paid workers. The group said that if new signing Alexis Sanchez is paid £400,000 a week, as some have reported, it will take him just 82 minutes in a game to earn the annual salary of a low-paid stadium worker. Group chairman Rev Ian Rutherford, minister at Methodist Central Hall, Manchester, said, ‘As the winter transfer window closes many workers at Old Trafford will be choosing between putting the heating on or a hot meal.’

Theresa May attacked executives who risked pension funds, and has set out a plan to defend capitalism from capitalists after the collapse of construction company Carillion plc. Pray for new laws that deal with executives who profit at the expense of workers’ pensions. Pray for an end to the culture that gives big bonuses to individuals who put short-term profit above long-term achievement. Carillion’s failure has prompted a debate about how companies are run, and about how much the Government relies on businesses to provide services. The UK spends £10.3 billion a year servicing public-private contracts of the type awarded to Carillion. Pray for politicians to come out of ‘blame game’ mode and make wise decisions which will move our government contracts and policies away from the Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) that have put millions of pounds into the pockets of venture capitalists.

The Prince of Wales shared how a Jesuit priest from Syria warned him that unless major action is taken, there will be no Christians left in Iraq in five years. ‘We are struggling to capture the immensity of the ripple effect of such persecution’, Prince Charles said, citing statistics from the UN that show the world's refugees now number almost 65.3 million people - close to the entire population of the UK. He suggested that, regardless of one's religion, people should seek to value and respect others, ‘accepting their right to live out their peaceful response to the love of God.’ He said he is ‘heartbroken’ over the pain and suffering inflicted on Christians in the Middle East, and urged prayers for those forced to flee in the face of the most brutal persecution on account of their faith.

The Presidents Club charity dinner on 18 January, for men only, was called the most un-PC event of the year. Its official purpose was to raise money for worthy causes and auction items that included lunch with the British foreign secretary and afternoon tea with the Bank of England governor. But the black tie evening was hosted by women told to wear skimpy black outfits with matching underwear and high heels. The hostesses, who had to be ‘tall, thin and pretty’, received the unwanted attention of being groped, vulgarly harassed and sexually propositioned. The adverse publicity over this event has led to the club promising not to organise any such events in future, and Great Ormond Street hospital is to return all money previously donated by it.

The following is based on a Passion for the Nation post: ‘God desires this nation to be healthy in body, mind and spirit. We can pray for a new season of health to come upon this land and for lifestyles to be changed and negative patterns broken, irrespective of background or wealth. May a fresh wisdom and desire for healthy living rest upon individuals, families and communities, supported and encouraged by all related industries in production and marketing. We pray that in this season Government, NHS trusts, managers and medical staff will work together, co-operating and stewarding resources well; that new medical and financial strategies will be found, facilitating God’s purpose and priority. In the Name of Jesus, we come in agreement with Proverbs 16:24: “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet and delightful to the soul and healing to the body”. We pray for a new thankfulness for the NHS to be released within our nation.’

Ealing Council may install buffer zones outside a Marie Stopes abortion clinic to ban the presence of pro-life protesters within 150 metres. It would prohibit silent praying, singing hymns, displaying foetus images and distributing leaflets. Only after twenty years of activity outside the clinic has the council considered them a threat. Pro-lifers have never altered their tactics or adopted any aggressive policies. They organise the prayer vigils and provide counselling for pregnant women in crisis. They repeatedly asked Ealing councillors to meet and listen to women who have been helped by their pavement counsellors; their offers were ignored. Video footage of ‘intimidating protesters’ simply shows three people at prayer opposite the clinic. Meanwhile on 24 January Manchester council voted to ‘take all necessary actions within its powers’ to stop what it said was protesters’ harassment of women using their abortion clinics. See

Police figures show offences up 14% in a year, with knife and gun crime rising even more steeply. Statistics also show the number of police officers in England and Wales has fallen by 930 in the same period, to the lowest since records began. Offences such as domestic burglary and car crime are also increasing: however, there has been a 15% fall in fraud and online computer misuse. Nevertheless the increasing levels of gun and knife offences, stalking, harassment, and robbery will set alarm bells ringing in Downing Street. God’s plans are for good and not for evil. Let us pray for our nations to experience peace, stability and justice, pushing back every plan and purpose of Satan for confusion, criminality or deception.

Ireland's Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, said Britain should be offered a bespoke trade deal with the EU after Brexit, rather than an ‘off-the-shelf’ agreement. He added that Ireland would like Britain to ‘stay closer in the EU’s orbit’ than non-member states, and mentioned the example of Norway, which currently implements EU single market rules with free movement within the bloc. He also suggested that although Theresa May had pledged to leave the EU customs union and single market, ‘perhaps we can negotiate something that isn’t very different from that’. Brussels wants the UK’s future relationship with the EU to be either Norwegian-style implementation of all EU rules, or a Canadian style free-trade agreement that would not cover large areas of the economy, including services. British negotiators have been given until March to decide what they want the future relationship with the EU to look like.