Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at your Church

The Church of England is looking into ways of giving more support to vicars. You may think here’s a nice life: house provided, regular salary, job security – and only one day’s work a week! But from my own personal experience I can assure you it’s not like that. In my working life I’ve had...

The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics has published a new book exploring why people give up meat and dairy. The protest against meat eating may turn out to be one of the most significant movements of our age, it believes. In terms of our relations with animals, the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics says: ‘it...

Do you ever find yourself nodding madly when listening to another person whilst at the same time completely disagreeing with what they are saying?  You’re really just waiting for them to pause so you can say something like, ‘Yes, but …’. We nod for all sorts of reasons – and sometimes we are definitely not...

Christians have been reacting to recent news that prison violence has reached a record high, with more than 32,000 assaults in the 12 months to June 2018. That is a 20-per-cent increase on the previous figures, according to the Safety in Custody Statistics, published by the Ministry of Justice.  There were also nearly 9,500 assaults...

Attendance at Christmas services in the Church of England is at its highest level for more than a decade, according to new figures recently published. The latest annual Statistics for Mission report shows that while traditional Sunday attendance edged lower in 2017, in line with long-term trends, the numbers attending Christmas services increased by 3.4 per...

A charity, Tastelife, has been set up to help support families struggling with eating disorders.  Aimed at both sufferers and their carers, it was the brainchild of two Church of England volunteers, whose own families were deeply traumatised by the problem. Tastelife offers courses run over eight weeks to help families with guidance on how...

How far do people have to go, to go to church?  A recent survey has been finding out. The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), came from Nigeria to the UK in 1988, and has started some 850 churches since, has as its basic guide: “Start a church within 10 minutes walking distance of where...

Under the slogan, “once untrustworthy, always restricted” China’s planned AI (artificial intelligence) controlled “social credit” system will bring a new depth of intervention into the lives of Chinese citizens, including Christians, reports the Barnabas Fund. The Chinese government pilot schemes, in cities including Beijing and Shanghai, are underpinned by a vast network of advanced surveillance...

The mainstream churches of Ireland have welcomed the recent decision of the Irish electorate to delete a clause in their Constitution which made blasphemy a criminal offence. The vote, held in a referendum late last year, was overwhelmingly in favour of deleting the clause, with nearly 65% voting for, and about 35% voting against.  It...

The fairtrade pioneer Traidcraft has made radical changes in order to prevent closure. It has slashed its product lines and kept just 12 employees.  It will now focus on a core range of grocery products such as tea, coffee, and lavatory paper, and fewer handicrafts. But it promises to still challenge the conventional market by...

CMS Africa has just celebrated its first ten years with a new headquarters in Nairobi.  CMS Africa was set up in 2008 to provide a link between the work of Christian missionaries, who have been in Africa since the 1800s, and churches, communities, and families across the continent. The building was the gift of CMS...

The UK has lost half of its hedgehog population since the year 2000.  The Christian conservation charity, A Rocha UK, is out to stop the decline. ‘Project Hedgehog’ is one result, a joint initiative between A Rocha UK and the Lea Brook Valley Project. ‘Project Hedgehog’ provides purpose-built, cat-proof hedgehog boxes for private gardens. There...