Comms Update Jan 09

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

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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 peter.crumpler@c-of-e.org.uk

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This month’s contents:

    * New prayers for those affected by redundancy published on CofE website

    * Gaza statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury

    * Archbishop of York maps social change for Britain

    * Celebrating 150 years of the parish magazine – unless you know better!

    * Women bishops Draft Measure published

    * ‘Amazing Grace’ named as favourite wedding hymn

    * St Albans 10th Bishop greets Diocese in person and on You Tube

    * Church launches spiritual survival training for Lent – and life

    * More news from the Archbishop of Canterbury

    * More news from the Archbishop of York

    * Building Faith in our Future – latest update

    * Communications training latest

New prayers for those affected by redundancy published on CofE website

The Church of England has published two new prayers to comfort people made redundant, and those remaining in the workplace following a round of redundancies, at the beginning of a year in which the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has predicted that at least 600,000 people could lose their jobs. The ‘Prayer on being made redundant’ helps to put into words the anxieties of those who are losing - or who have already lost - their job in the wave of recent redundancies. It includes the verse: “Hear me as I cry out in confusion, help me to think clearly, and calm my soul.”  More details here 

Archbishop of Canterbury’s statement on Gaza

Dr Rowan Williams, has made the following statement regarding the current situation in Gaza: “The spiralling violence in Gaza tragically illustrates the fact that the cycle of mutual threat and retaliation have no lasting effect except to reinforce the misery and insecurity of everyone in the region. I want to express my grief and sympathy for the innocent lives lost in this latest phase of violence.  People of all faiths in this country will want to join their voices to the statements of the Christian Muslim Forum and the Council of Christians and Jews in urging a return to the ceasefire and efforts to secure a lasting peace.  We must unite in urging all those who have the power to halt this spiral of violence to do so.” The full text can be found here.

Archbishop of York maps social change for Britain

Dr John Sentamu has called for Britain to use the credit crunch as a time to reassess its priorities as a country and to rediscover its vision as a nation, in a lecture given to the Smith Institute  in London.

Dr Sentamu said: “With the global financial crisis, we have seen a sudden and traumatic impact on our banks, on businesses and in so many of the things we have taken for granted for so long. It has brought home to us in a powerful and painful way that we have been tempted to put our trust in false securities (and I would argue false gods) and the need to think again. Governments and individuals are both radically reassessing their priorities and values as a result and so are the religious communities. Because of this, I believe it is also a unique opportunity.” Read the full text here

Celebrating 150 years of the parish magazine – unless you know better!

Church of England has launched a new section of its website in celebration of 150 years of the parish magazine. The Church estimates that the combined readership of its parish magazines exceeds that of several national newspapers, taken together. Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, commends parish magazines on the new website: “A good parish magazine is a wonderful resource that places the local church at the heart of the community it serves. We owe our gratitude to all those who labour lovingly to produce this regular shop-window for their church or parish.   As a team or solo, with a generous budget or an alarmingly fraying shoestring, this is a ministry we need to recognise and to support.” Read the full story here

Women bishops Draft Measure published

The General Synod will have its first opportunity to consider draft legislation enabling women to become bishops in the Church of England in February, having given in principle agreement to the shape of the legislative package in July. The Legislative Drafting Group on Women in the Episcopate, chaired by the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, Bishop of Manchester, has today published its further report and drafts of a Measure and associated Amending Canon, together with an illustrative draft Code of Practice and an Explanatory Memorandum. Full details here.

‘Amazing Grace’ named as favourite wedding hymn – CofE’s new online ceremony planner reveals brides’ top picks

Amazing Grace is the number one hymn chosen by the 400 couples a month planning their wedding through the Church of England’s new online ceremony planner at www.yourchurchwedding.org More than 1,300 couples have registered with the ‘listen and choose’ online innovation, which launched in October 2008 when a new law, initiated by the Church of England, made a church wedding more possible for more people.  Read the full story here

St Albans 10th Bishop greets Diocese in person and on You Tube

The tenth Bishop of St Albans is to be the Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, the Bishop of Shrewsbury, Downing Street has announced this morning. The Church of England’s first bishop to be appointed in 2009, Bishop Alan is also the first Church of England bishop to announce his appointment through a three minute You Tube video which can also be viewed on the Diocesan website. Bishop Alan came to St Albans Cathedral this morning for the announcement. The You Tube video will tell both the Church and the wider community something about their new bishop’s passions and experiences and help them to meet him in a 21st century way, pending his inauguration service which will take place in a few months time. Full story here

Church launches spiritual survival training for Lent – and life

The Church of England is offering worshippers insights into the Christian faith's own set of 'travel essentials' for use during life's tougher times with the launch of a new 'spiritual survival course'. Lentwise – spiritual essentials for real life focuses firmly on the Biblical basics needed to survive life’s storms over five sessions, aimed at small study groups who will meet during the forthcoming season of Lent. The course was written for Church House Publishing – the Church of England’s official publisher – by Dr Paula Gooder, a writer and lecturer on Biblical Studies who is also a Reader within the Church of England and a member of its General Synod. More details here

Archbishop of Canterbury

    * Not Being Serious: Thomas Merton and Karl Barth: A lecture given to the Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain and Ireland (at St Cyprian's, Clarence Gate, London) on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of Merton's death in 1968. Karl Barth, the great Swiss reformed theologian, died on the same day. Full text here

    * New Statesmen interview : Full text from James Macintyre's interview with Dr Rowan Williams - published in the 22 December 2008 issue of New Statesman magazine.

Archbishop of York

Dr Sentamu visits the Central Science Laboratory in York. Full details here

Building faith in our future

Latest news from the Church of England’s Building faith in our future which outlines the daily challenges facing the Church of England and its members in caring for and developing the nation's rich treasury of church buildings.

Tailor Made Communications Training from the Church of England

There are spaces left on the following courses, why not sign up?

    * How to get your church noticed:25 February 2009: 10am-5pm

    * Being interviewed:24 February 2009:10am-5pm

    * Get started with your website5 March 2009 or 30 September 2009 10am-5pm

Supported by Ecclesiastical Insurance Group