Comms Update April 09

Communications Update – April 2009

Monthly news bulletin from the Communications Office, Church House, London.

Feel free to forward this to others, or to use in diocesan or parish newsletters, magazines or websites.

This news bulletin is issued to members of General Synod, recipients of the e-mailed daily briefing, within the National Church Institutions’ All Staff bulletin and to parish magazines via the http://www.parishpump.co.uk website. 

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Please scroll down to read items. Comments, please, to Peter Crumpler, Director of Communications, at commsupdate@c-of-e.org.uk 

Key fingertip facts about the CofE can be found at http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/thechurchofenglandtoday/

This month’s contents:

• Online Bible verses give hope to hopeless in current financial situation
• Unsung Heroes – the hunt is on
• Environment is ‘an issue of justice’ – Archbishop of Canterbury
• Churches and Faith Buildings: Realising the Potential
• Brand new resources for Vocations Sunday 2009
• Charity ‘rain tax’ petition delivers 45,000 signatures to Downing Street
• The funeral of Jade Goody
• Easter sermons – Archbishops of Canterbury and York
• YouTube Video
• Growing churches sit down for ‘Big Lunch’
• Lambeth Conference: funding
• Church signs up to adult learning pledge
• Women in the episcopate draft legislation: Revision Committee announced
• Bishop of Rochester stepping down 
• National Advisor for Quality in Reader Education appointed
• Churches across England offer fresh takes on world’s ultimate story of death and life
• Archbishops’ Council Spending Priorities 2010-2015
• Offering a welcome for all: church accessibility guidance updated
• Dr Croft awarded Cross of St Augustine for Fresh Expressions leadership
• Bishop of Exeter to chair Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service
• Church publishes inspection reports

G20

• Moral imperatives of global meltdown – PM speaks out at St Paul’s Cathedral
• Religious leaders communiqué
• Statements (various) from Archbishops

More news from the Archbishop of Canterbury

More news from the Archbishop of York

Online Bible verses give hope to hopeless in current financial situation

Words of hope and specially selected Bible verses have been added to the Church of England’s Matter of Life and Debt online initiative to help those suffering from the agony of hopelessness in the current financial situation. Finding hope when struggling with debt complements practical advice and resources for escaping problem debt with simple ways to develop a sense of hope for the future. Read more details here

Unsung Heroes – the hunt is on

The Church of England has teamed up with Country Life magazine to hunt for an elusive species: the unsung hero!  Rural churches and chapels are often the thriving hubs of their communities. Together, Country Life and the Church of England are looking for the unsung volunteers - of any denomination - who keep them alive.

More information with links to enter a hero online here and tune in to the podcast here

Environment is ‘an issue of justice’ – Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury used his Ebor Lecture in York Minster to spell   out why respect for the environment is not an optional extra, particularly for Christians.  Getting our relationship with the rest of the created order into proper perspective is both a responsibility and a necessity.  Failure could have disastrous consequences especially for some of the poorest and most vulnerable. Text of lecture here
 

Churches and Faith Buildings: Realising the Potential

The Government and the Church of England published guidelines to help all religious groups overcome the “squeamishness” they can encounter from funding providers. Churches and Faith Buildings: Realising the Potential identifies funding and support for faith groups that will enable them to adapt their buildings for community use and build on their capacity to engage at local and regional level. More information here

Brand new resources for Vocations Sunday 2009

Fresh worship resources for use on or around Vocations Sunday 2009 (May 3^rd) are now available on the Church of England website to encourage and affirm all Christians in their vocations and ministry. These new resources aim to help everyone reflect on and discern ways in which God is calling them to serve in the world and in the Church, but are particularly suitable for parish use. More information here

Charity ‘rain tax’ petition delivers 45,000 signatures to Downing Street

Campaigners delivered a ‘rain tax’ petition to the door of Downing Street this month and demanded action from the Government on the practice by some water companies of charging non-household users who are not businesses - including places of worship and community halls - in the same way as they charge business customers. Read the full story here

The funeral of Jade Goody

The funeral of Jade Goody took place earlier this month at St John the Baptist Church, Buckhurst Hill, Essex. Amid the sadness the funeral service was a celebration of Jade's life. The hopeful message of the funeral service was that in Jesus we can all experience resurrection and life. The service was led by Revd Corinne Brixton, Associate Minister at the church, whose sermon can be read here. The church also opened a book of remembrance, more information here

EASTER SERMONS

'Proof of the resurrection has to be lived, not argued' - Archbishop of Canterbury

Dr Rowan Williams reminded Christians that belief in God is about living in the reality of faith and the unselfish life, and not about opinions or philosophical proofs. In his Easter sermon delivered at Canterbury Cathedral, Dr Williams identifies St Paul as an early example of someone living the brave reality of faith, putting his life at risk for the sake of his belief and witness to the resurrection. For text of the Sermon click here

Message for the poor and lost – Archbishop of York

"We Will Continue the Search for Claudia and Madeleine". The Archbishop of York has spoken of God's preference "for the poor and the lost" during his Easter Day sermon at York Minster. Full details here 

Bishop Stephen Cottrell talks about Easter on YouTube

Watch the video:

Growing churches sit down for ‘Big Lunch’
Churches are being encouraged to grow their own produce – or use local food – and break bread with their own community as part of the Eden Projects nationwide ‘Big Lunch’ this summer. Launched this month, to give growers and organisers time to prepare for the big day on July 19, the Big Lunch aims to bring communities – both rural and urban - together to create a new sense of neighbourhood and make the most of what they have on their own doorstep. Earmark the date now and read the full details here

Lambeth Conference: funding

The Lambeth Conference Funding Review Group has published its report. The review was commissioned last August by the Board of Governors of the Church Commissioners, and the Archbishops' Council of the Church of England following an approach from the Lambeth Conference Company for financial help. More information here

Church signs up to adult learning pledge

The Church of England joined other organisations in signing a pledge to use its network of people and buildings to support a drive to create more ‘informal adult learning’ opportunities across the country. More information here

Women in the episcopate draft legislation: Revision Committee announced

At its February group of sessions, the General Synod agreed that draft legislation which would enable women to be consecrated as bishops in the Church of England should be passed to a Revision Committee for detailed scrutiny. This draft legislation and related papers were published in December. More information here

Bishop of Rochester stepping down 

Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali has announced his intention to step down as Bishop of Rochester as from 1^st September 2009. He will have been Bishop in the Diocese for nearly 15 years and during this time has played a major part in the life of the church. More information here 

National Advisor for Quality in Reader Education appointed

Sue Hart from the Diocese of Newcastle has been appointed as Ministry Division’s first National Advisor for Quality in Reader Education. More information here

Churches across England offer fresh takes on world’s ultimate story of death and life

Holy Week, the most significant days of the Christian calendar, was marked with a wide range of innovative services and events to help regular worshippers and those with less experience of church explore the story of Easter. From video installations to Hot Cross Bun giveaways and chocolate fountains, Church of England churches provided new ways of reflecting on the message of Jesus Christ’s dramatic death and resurrection. More information here

Archbishops’ Council Spending Priorities 2010-2015

A review group, set up by the Archbishops' Council in November and chaired by Andrew Britton, the chair of its Finance Committee, has published a consultation document as a first step in establishing spending priorities for the Council for 2010-15. More information here

Offering a welcome for all: church accessibility guidance updated

A thoroughly updated guide on how to make church buildings as accessible as possible to people with disabilities has been reissued this month. More information here

Dr Croft awarded Cross of St Augustine for Fresh Expressions leadership

The Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Steven Croft, said that he was both “delighted and surprised” to be presented with the Cross of St Augustine by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, in recognition of his work as team leader of the Fresh Expressions. More information here

Bishop of Exeter to chair Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service

The Rt Revd Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter, has been appointed to chair the Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service (CLAS) in succession to the Rt Revd George Cassidy, Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham. More information here

Church publishes inspection reports

The Church of England has published inspection reports on two of its ministerial training colleges St Stephens House and Wycliffe Hall both in Oxford. More information here

G20

1. Moral imperatives of global meltdown – PM speaks out at St Paul’s Cathedral: Prime Minister Gordon Brownhas conceded that the unsupervised globalisation of the financial markets crossed moral as well as national boundaries. Speaking at St Paul’s Cathedral for a pre-G20 debate organised by the St Paul’s Institute, Mr. Brown insisted that “we must (now) reshape our global economic system so that it represents the values we celebrate in our everyday lives.” The debate was chaired by the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres. The Prime Minister was joined on the platform by the Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd. More information here
2. G20 leaders must not forget promises to the poor - Religious Leaders Communiqué  
   Religious leaders in Britain urged the G20 leaders not to forget their commitments to the world’s poorest people in the current economic crisis. In a communiqué issued in advance of the G20 meeting in London, they call on political leaders to consider the moral issues at the root of the current financial crisis, and to pay special attention to the needs of poor, marginalised and vulnerable people: "to forget their needs would be to compound regrettable past failures with needless future injustices".  More information here
3. Interview with Radio 4 'Today' programme ahead of G20 summit: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams spoke with Jim Naughtie on Radio 4's 'Today' program on Tuesday 31^st March 2009, about the moral impact of the recession, ahead of the G20 summit in London. Listen to the interview & read the transcript here 
4. Archbishop of York warns of “Moral, Economic and Humanitarian Imperative” for G20 Funding on Conflict Prevention
   Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, called upon the leaders of the G20 to invest more in conflict prevention. Delivering his key note address in Westminster at the launch of the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention and Human Security, on the eve of the summit Dr Sentamu reflected on his recent experience visiting refugee camps in Kenya after last year’s civil unrest and spoke of the urgent need for both conflict prevention and human security. More information here
5. Archbishop contributes to IPPR G20 publication: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has contributed to '20 on the G20' - a pamphlet published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr). The pamphlet seeks to advise the G20 on ways to limit the effects of the recession and restore stability to the financial system by putting the global economy back on course for sustainable and balanced growth. Details here

More news from the Archbishop of Canterbury

Hay Festival literary date
The former Archbishop of Cape Town the Most Revd Desmond Tutu will co-host the Archbishops’ lunch at the Hay Festival with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. The lunch on May 28 will also see the presentation of this year’s 2009 Michael Ramsey Prize to the author of a theological work that is judged to contribute most towards advancing theology and making a lasting contribution to the faith and life of the church.  Read the full story in the Hereford Times

Lambeth Palace hosts DfID White Paper consultation

Lambeth palace last month hosted a consultation between faith communities  and the UK Government's Department for International Development (DfID) on the forthcoming White Paper. More here

Archbishop visits Shelter’s Advice Centre

The Archbishop of Canterbury visited Shelter’s Advice Centre which provides advice to those in the region who are in vulnerable situations. Communities Minister Baroness Andrews joined Dr Williams on a tour of the centre, meeting with staff to hear about their work helping the homeless and poorly housed. More information about the visit here

Archbishop ‘delighted’ by news of appointment of Archbishop Vincent Nichols as Archbishop of Westminster

The Archbishop of Canterbury has welcomed the announcement of the appointment of Archbishop Vincent Nichols as Archbishop of Westminster. For further information click here

More news from the Archbishop of York

Welcome for Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening for All

Last month, the Archbishop of York praised the work of the NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening Programme after the announcement of a 100 percent roll-out of its antenatal screening programme in England. More information here

Prayers for Claudia Lawrence

The Archbishop of York has spoken of his prayers for the safe return of  missing York university chef Claudia Lawrence. On returning from a four day retreat Dr Sentamu spoke to Claudia's father, Peter Lawrence who asked that  the Archbishop pray for Claudia's safety. More information here

Dr Sentamu welcomes appointment of Vincent Nichols

The Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu, has warmly welcomed the appointment of his “friend and brother” Archbishop Vincent Nichols as the new Archbishop of Westminster. For further information, More information  here

Call to Celebrate Englishness

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, spoke of the “continuing triumphs of Englishness” in a lecture at the Sunday Times Literary Festival in Oxford.  More information here