| Church House London Communications Update October 2009 | 16th Oct 2009 | Download | Email to a Friend |
Monthly news bulletin from the Communications Office, Church House, London.
This month’s contents:
- Archbishop’s sermon to mark the end of military operations in Iraq
- Women Bishops – latest from Revision Committee on Women in the Episcopate
- Act local, as well as national urges Dr Williams
- Sex buyers beware: you are now a target says Archbishop of York
- Response to the Director of Public Prosecutions’ Interim Policy for Prosecutors in Respect of Cases of Assisted Suicide
- Conference to explore the future of the countryside
- Top of the Podcasts
- Churches hosting the whole wedding day - wedding-with-reception package saves time and money, say couples
- In great shape – but for how long?
- Young people communicate God’s love through ice-cream, surfing and socks – Youth Evangelism Fund primes the pumps
- Church welcomes government commitment on ‘rain tax’
- Protect the Poor, Pressurise the Politicians
- Rose Castle, Carlisle
- New Bishop of Dover
- Bishops working costs
- Bishops’ call to ‘come are you are’ this Sunday – Church isn’t just for the ‘suited and booted,’ argue CofE Bishops
- More news from the Archbishop of Canterbury
- More news from the Archbishop of York
Archbishop’s sermon to mark the end of military operations in Iraq
“In a world as complicated as ours has become, it would be a very rash person who would feel able to say without hesitation, this was absolutely the right or the wrong thing to do, the right or the wrong place to be.”
Red the full text of the sermon given on the 9th October 2009 by the Archbishop of Canterbury at a service of commemoration to mark the end of military operations in Iraq, held at St Paul’s Cathedral London
Women Bishops – latest from Revision Committee on Women in the Episcopate
The Revision Committee established by the General Synod to consider the draft legislation on enabling women to become bishops in the Church of England on the 8th October completed the first phase of its work. The Committee has further meetings planned between now and December and is aiming to complete its task by Christmas so that its report can be debated in full Synod in February and the draft legislation begin its Revision Stage in full Synod. More here
Act local as well as national urges Dr Williams
In a lecture at Southwark Cathedral (sponsored by the Christian environmental group Operation Noah) the Archbishop of Canterbury, sets out a Christian vision of how people can respond to the looming environmental crisis saying the Bible offers “an ethical perspective based on reverence for the whole of life”. Read the full text.
Sex buyers beware: you are now a target says Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York has tabled a bid to stop women being forced into vice.
“The Policing and Crime Bill is making its way through the House of Lords and it is important that everyone, regardless of political allegiance or background, unites to ensure the bill is passed so we can send a strong message that funding sex slavery, and the systematic abuse of women, is not acceptable in this country. That is why I feel the time is right to speak out.” Read the full story
Churches hosting the whole wedding day - wedding-with-reception package saves time and money, say couples
More churches should be saying yes to couples who want their whole wedding day - ceremony and reception - in church, say two Church of England bishops. More here
Response to the Director of Public Prosecutions’ Interim Policy for Prosecutors in Respect of Cases of Assisted Suicide
The Bishop of Exeter, the Rt Revd Michael Langrish, has released a statement responding to the Director of Public Prosecution’s Interim Policy for Prosecutors in Respect of Cases of Assisted Suicide. More here
Conference to explore the future of the countryside
A major conferenceis to bring together leading thinkers on rural economies, planning, policy and mission to explore the sustainability of rural communities and their churches. More here
Top of the PodcastsThis month, Dr Rachel Jordan, the Archbishops' Council's Mission and Evangelism Associate, talks about how young people are communicating God’s love through ice-cream, surfing and sock puppets - thanks to the latest round of pump-priming grants from the Youth Evangelism Fund. Meanwhile, the Rt Revd Anthony Priddis, the Bishop of Hereford, says more churches should be saying yes to couples who want their whole wedding day - ceremony and reception - in church. Subscribe to the podcasts.
In great shape – but for how long?
English cathedrals have never been in better condition nor better cared for. Yet they may soon be at risk. That’s the paradoxical conclusion of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England (CFCE) in its Annual Review 2008. More: here
Young people communicate God’s love through ice-cream, surfing and socks – Youth Evangelism Fund primes the pumps
Young people in Coventry Diocese are about to blend their love for God with their love of ice-cream by opening an ice cream parlour, to give away ice-creams and host events for young people in the area who fancy a fun flavour of Church life. More here
Church welcomes government commitment on ‘rain tax’
The Minister's promise to “. . . legislate to allow water companies to run concessionary schemes (for churches, sports clubs and youth organisations) so they can get on with doing a great job instead of worrying about unaffordable bills” will be very welcome to many churches, Scout and Guide groups, amateur sports clubs and others. It was clear that neither OFWAT nor the water companies involved were going to move sufficiently without Government action. We now look for early progress and strong cross party support. More here
Protect the Poor, Pressurise the Politicians
Statement from the Church of England's College of Bishops responding to the challenge of Climate Change in the run-up to Copenhagen. Read the text here
Rose Castle, Carlisle
The Church Commissioners, following an extensive review of Rose Castle, have deemed the property no longer to be suitable as the see house for future Bishops of Carlisle. More here
New Bishop of Dover
The Rt Revd Trevor Willmott has been confirmed as the new Bishop of Dover and Bishop in Canterbury. Bishop Trevor, who has been the Bishop of Basingstoke since 2002, will take delegated responsibility for the oversight of the Diocese of Canterbury on behalf of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.
Bishops’ office and working costs published
The 2008 office and working costs of bishops in the Church of England are published. Figures for individual bishops were first published, for the year 2000, in December 2001. Bishops’ office and working costs were previously published as a total figure. More here
Church isn’t just for the ‘suited and booted’, argue CofE bishops
‘Back to Church Sunday’ takes place this weekend, with thousands of people set to return to churches of all denominations following a personal invitation from a friend. Church of England bishops are embarking on a week-long drive to get their message of ‘open invitation’ across, prompting some bishops to speak out about the need for the Church to shed it’s ‘middle class’ image. More here
MORE NEWS from the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury meets President Asif Zardari
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams met with the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, HE Asif Ali Zardari. The Archbishop was accompanied by the Rt Revd Michael Nazir Ali. More here
Education based only on reason is incomplete
As part of his week-long visit to Japan for the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Anglican Church in Japan, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams gave given a lecture to students and academics at Rikkyo Gaukin University, an Anglican university in Tokyo. More here
Eid message for 2009
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has sent his greetings to Muslim communities for the festival of Eid ul Fitr, marking the end of Ramadhan. The Archbishop’s greeting celebrates the many positive examples of Christian Muslim encounter and engagement with the wider common good in the past year. More here
Sermon celebrating 150th Anniversary of the Anglican Church in Japan
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, preached at a service attended by over 2000 people, celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Anglican Church in Japan (Nippon Sei Ko Kai). More here
Archbishop and Youth Parliament representative ‘Value the Vote’
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams met with Victoria Fowler, a member of the UK Youth Parliament, to discuss the ‘Value the Vote’ campaign, which aims to incorporate political education into the secondary education curriculum. More here
Welcome for possible Papal visit to Britain
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, during a visit to the Anglican Church in Japan, has today responded to indications that Pope Benedict XVI may visit Britain in 2010 with delight. More here
Archbishop backs efforts for a world free of nuclear arms
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, whilst visiting the Anglican Church in Japan, today took part in an Act of Remembrance at the epicentre of the atomic bomb blast in Nagasaki. During the Act of Remembrance, Dr Williams laid flowers at the memorial and spoke about the pressing importance of working for a world free from nuclear weapons. More here
MORE NEWS from the Archbishop of York
Support Hope Not Hate Campaign
The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu called for people to unite behind the Hope Not Hate anti-racism campaign. More here
Sermon in Bermuda on Reconciliation and Forgiveness
The Archbishop of York John Sentamu this week visited Bermuda and spoke to over 2,000 people about the importance of reconciliation and forgiveness. More here