Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

The House of Lords has passed a bill from the Bishop of St Albans to end the historic inequality of excluding mothers’ names from marriage certificates. The Registration of Marriage Bill, which would also introduce electronic marriage registers, now moves to the House of Commons to be considered by MPs. It is the first time...

When the waters rose, and the earth was covered With nothing to see but a floating ark, Only Noah, his wife and children were saved A dreadful day when man’s future was dark. Man’s sin was such it rose to the heavens And once again he fell from God’s grace, And the Creator regretted making...

The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd and Rt Hon. Justin Welby, called for bold global leadership regarding climate change when he addressed delegates at the recent Transition Pathway Initiative – Asset Owners State of Transition Climate Summit in London.  The summit, attended by representatives of some of the world’s largest asset owners, reviewed the...

Editor:  As the saints don’t go away, we have added to them rather than start afresh.  The items with an asterisk appear on this site for the first time… 1st Sept            Drithelm – vision of the after-life 1st Sept            St Giles of Provence – helping those damaged by life 2nd Sept           The New Guinea Martyrs...

St Drithelm is the saint for you if you have ever wondered what lies beyond death, or have had a near-death experience.    He was married and living in Cunningham (now Ayrshire, then Northumbria) in the 7th century when he fell ill and apparently died.  When he revived a few hours later he caused panic among...

More than a hundred new churches are to be created in a £27 million drive by the Church of England to revive the Christian faith in coastal areas, market towns and outer urban housing estates. New Christian communities in areas including the Kent coast, housing estates in Plymouth and market towns in Cambridgeshire are to...

Six weeks of high summer are gone (They really did not seem very long) No more happy play For today’s the black day When we all put our school clothes back on. We weep for our summer of fun It was great, but alas, now it’s done. And so, it’s a jar To get in...

St Giles was an immensely popular saint in the Middle Ages, and no wonder:  he was the patron saint of cripples.  In those days, there were many people who, once injured, were never really whole again.  Even today, a serious injury – either physical or mental or emotional, can leave us damaged for months, years...

The General Synod recently affirmed its support for the National Investing Bodies’ (NIBs) approach to tackling climate change, including its ongoing strategy of engaging with companies rather than prematurely disinvesting from them. An amendment put forward by Canon Giles Goddard of the Church’s Environmental Working Group asked the National Investing Bodies – the Church of...

High hopes of love and gladness As wedding vows were made Faint faded in the sadness Of each forlorn decade. Love’s lost neglected traces Indifferently quenched Turned smiles to stress-torn faces; Saw fists with fury clenched. O Stranger, if you’re grasping To come and learn from me, The lover’s hand you’re clasping – Grip with...

The Anglican Church in Australia still honours the New Guinea Martyrs of 1942.  These brave men and women, 10 Australians and two Papuans, refused to leave their missionary work on the island as the Japanese military forces advanced.  As one tribute to them put it: ‘They knowing full well the risk, elected to stay with...

Christian Aid has praised the ‘prophetic vision’ of the Church of England’s General Synod after it voted to sell its holdings in fossil fuel companies by 2023 if they have not aligned their business plans with the targets of the Paris Agreement. Christian Aid’s Head of UK Advocacy, Tom Viita, said: that the vote by the...