Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at your Church

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have recently written an article for the Spectator magazine, responding to the recent media coverage asking: ‘Where is the C of E?’ The Archbishops say: “Let us offer an answer. … the Church of England has been a bedrock of faith, love, hope and compassion in this country for...

The average age of a pre-Covid churchgoer in 2020 was 50, whereas the average of a person living in England as a whole was 41. So, churchgoers are almost 10 years above the average in age. It doesn’t vary hugely by gender – in 2020 male churchgoers were 48 on average and female 51. In Scotland in...

Covid-19 & Church-21 Survey 2021 World Watch List of Persecution of Christians A year of coronavirus Walk and pray for your community in 2021 Football club takes faith to the airwaves Battling bishop takes on the bookies Spring Harvest 2021 goes online How our church can get help for our struggling children Green Pastures –...

Editor:  How are your clergy and lay people coping with lockdown?  Here is their chance to have their say – and be counted! If we have learnt anything since last March it is that, with Covid-19, nothing stands still. Just when you think you have worked out what’s going on, another twist in the saga...

A Christian persecution watchdog has warned that more Christians around the world are suffering because of their faith, and the kind of persecution they’re experiencing has intensified. Open Doors has found that more than 340 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith, amounting to one in eight worldwide. Now the...

Our communities have all been being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic: our schools, hospitals, neighbours, churches, friends and families, so when we’re out on our daily walk, let’s turn the time to prayer. That’s the challenge from HOPE Together, which is encouraging Christians to walk and pray in 2021. Rachel Jordan-Wolf, HOPE’s executive director, says:...

The Queen recently spoke for the whole country when she said that many are, “tinged with sadness. Some (are) mourning the loss of those dear to them and other missing friends and family members, distanced for safety. When all they really want … is a simple hug or a squeeze of the hand.” We may...

Thousands of BBC local radio listeners across England recently tuned in to an unusual sporting-themed church service. It wasn’t broadcast from a typical place of worship, a church or a cathedral, but from Wycombe Wanderers FC – a football club in the Championship, the second rung of English soccer. Four of the team’s leading players...

When a grieving family came to see the Bishop of St Albans, the encounter sparked a campaign that could transform the role of gambling in British public life. Church of England bishop Alan Smith was deeply impacted by the visit from a family whose son had taken his life because of his struggle with problem...

 Christian festival Spring Harvest has axed its 2021 in-person events, saying it is “no longer viable or responsible” to host the gatherings at their flagship Butlins locations. Spring Harvest continues to plan for events in 2022. But in the meantime, Spring Harvest Home 2021, the online event which has already been months in the planning, is...

There is a Christian charity that helps churches who want to reach out to their local children in need. ‘Transforming Lives for Good’ (TLG) offers three programmes with which local churches can partner. The “Early Intervention” programme is where TLG train and support volunteers from local churches to be coaches in schools supporting children who...

Here is a story that went on to change many lives: ‘There was a knock at the door. Pete slowly opened his front door, and the stranger standing before him said in a quiet voice, “Please sir, do you have a bed for the night? I’m homeless.”’ Those words, spoken 20 years ago, stirred such...