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Church leaders in Ukraine are being singled out for persecution by Russian forces in occupied areas. Some pastors have been arrested, interrogated, tortured, and even expelled from their towns by the Russian military and their supporters. Occupying forces have confiscated church buildings and Christians have received harsher treatment at Russian military checkpoints, say partners of...

What happens locally really matters… and local news matters massively. I believe, as a Christian minister, that churches and congregations have a calling to encourage community-based journalism and professional coverage of our localities. In the UK, a recent report by MPs highlighted the major challenges facing local media. Much advertising revenue has been driven online,...

If you like church bells, you will be pleased to hear that there is now an ‘official’ Bell Sunday – this year to be held on 14th May. It will be held each year on the Sunday closest to 19th May. That is because 19th May is the feast day of St Dunstan, who way...

The Government’s plans to curb strike actions by workers in essential services go too far. So says the Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, the Rt Revd Martin Seeley. Speaking recently in the House of Lords during the debate on Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, he said: “For the good functioning of society, it is...

Learn to bell-ring for King’s Coronation! The ‘Nones’ Trust in clergy falls by a third Chinese are increasing ‘weaponised surveillance’ against Christians Burnley ministers tell their stories via TV Let’s make 19th March a Mothering Sunday Giving the journey  ** Learn to bell-ring for King’s Coronation! The Coronation of the King and the Queen Consort...

The Coronation of the King and the Queen Consort will be held in Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6th May. It will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. A Palace statement has said that it will “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.” Meanwhile,...

Do you know any?  ‘Nones’ are people who, when asked what religion they belong to, say ‘None’. At the last Census in 2021, just over 50% of adults in England and Wales said they were ‘Nones’. Not all are atheists. More detailed delving by the research organisation Theos, revealed that 16% of Nones believe in reincarnation, 14%...

There’s bad news for vicars, priests and other church ministers in the latest results of a long-running research project. British people trust taxi drivers and restaurant staff more than clergy and priests to tell them the truth, according to the latest findings of an annual ‘Veracity Index.’ Just 55 per cent of people aged 16...

Release International, which serves the Persecuted Church around the world, has named China as a country of particular concern for 2023. Bob Fu, a partner of Release International, warns “The Chinese government has steadily increased the oppression and control of Christians. Techno-authoritarianism in China has begun to reach new extremes under Xi Jinping in his...

At the height of the Covid pandemic, the work of two Christian ministers in Burnley, Lancashire, moved TV viewers across the world. They were filmed by a BBC crew handing out food parcels and seeking to help people suffering deeply because of the lockdown. The two men – Pastor Mick Fleming and Father Alex Frost...

On 19th March most churches will celebrate their ‘mothers’. £millions will be spent on Mother’s Day gifts and cards, and children will give flowers to women in church. It’s a joy to honour mothers for their love and caring, but our blessings are lessened when we forget the Day’s original purpose. The Mother’s Day we...

In a remote village in Central America the word got out that one of the missionaries who had served their region for many years was about to return home because of her old age. The people decided to hold an event of ‘public appreciation’ for her. One very old and very poor man walked for...