Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at your Church

The Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, is calling upon the British Government to repay its £400-million debt to Iran, and take immediate action to secure the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was first jailed in Iran five years ago, accused of crimes that involved plotting against the Iranian government. Last year she lost...

Here is some chilling news about the church’s heating and electricity bills: they could be doubling this year. The energy crisis is hitting the UK hard, and churches are not protected by the domestic energy cap. That could leave many churches in the same plight as St George’s in Rugby, which fears it will have...

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally observed from the 18th to 25th January – the octave of St Peter and St Paul. This year, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has been prepared by the churches of the Middle East. The Christians of the Middle East say that they offer these...

Did you ever wonder how our churches first acquired pews? Dr Nicholas Orme, Emeritus Professor of History at Exeter University, has written a book, Going to Church in Medieval England (Yale University Press), in which he points out that “no medieval church pronouncement ordered the provision of seating in churches other than for the clergy....

More than half of adults (51 per cent) who are aged under 35 pray at least once a month, while almost as many (49 per cent) make a monthly visit to some place of worship. In contrast, of adults aged over 55, only a quarter (24 per cent) pray, and only one fifth (16 per...

Iranian Christians who are serving prison sentences have made video appeals to the Iranian government. They want the government to tell them where they can worship after their release. Their efforts are part of a new campaign, Place2Worship. It has been launched by a coalition of charities, which include Open Doors, Article 18, Christian Solidarity...

Many of us enjoy spending at Christmas. But receiving credit card bills in January can range from being an unpleasant hassle to a massive burden. Money is also the number one trigger for arguments between partners. But it is possible to manage your finances with confidence together, so you can make money work for you....

Crisis grows in Lebanon Haiti still struggling after earthquake Tearfund campaigns for Covid vaccines Sudan coup – new threat to religious freedom Help Christians in the Middle East Help a donkey in the Middle East How to beat the internet Christians speak out about truth and the media Help a prisoner give their child a...

“Now that Christmas is approaching, many families are worrying that by then, they won’t even be able to provide a home or food for their children.” – The words of a Lebanese Christian leader. Lebanon’s crippled economy has reached such a low point that state-supplied electricity has dwindled to almost zero, so that extended blackouts...

The recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake and Tropical Depression Grace that hit Haiti (in August) left 2,189 people dead, with a further 12,200 injured, and at least 129,000 homes either damaged or completely destroyed. Following the disaster, All We Can and the Methodist Church in Britain launched an appeal to support those affected. They have sent...

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed an estimated 120 million people into poverty. Most of these will have to wait until at least 2022 to receive their vaccine. Tearfund says: “The only way out of this pandemic is to recover together – no country is safe until all countries are safe. People who are going hungry...

Release International is warning of a new threat to religious freedom in Sudan, following a recent military coup in the country. Sudan’s transitional government took significant steps towards increasing freedom of religion. They determined that Islam would no longer be the state religion, and abolished the death penalty for apostasy – converting from Islam to...