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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.
Parish churches and cathedrals across the Church of England are preparing for their busiest week of the year with puppets, beach huts, wrapping paper and live animals all playing their part in telling the story of Christ’s birth.
The outstanding collections of Lambeth Palace Library, the historic library and record office of the Archbishops of Canterbury and the principal repository of the history of the Church of England, have been made more accessible with the launch of the Library's newly redesigned website www.lambethpalacelibrary.org.
Enthusiastic young people from dioceses all over England showcased the ambitious new ways they are doing mission at the ‘Dare To…’ event on 6th December at Church House in Westminster - whilst an artist captured the spirit of the day in a new piece of graffiti-style art.
Leaving the BBC as the sole provider of public service media could lower media standards and provide less meaningful news, information and other content, the Church of England and the Catholic Conference of Bishops in England and Wales warned today in their joint response to Ofcom’s Second Consultation on Public Service Broadcasting.
An estimated 1.1 million people will take part in Christingle services at Church of England churches, cathedrals and schools this Christmas – following a rise of 50 per cent in the last three years.
Ian Theodoreson has been appointed as Chief Finance Officer for the National Church Institutions of the Church of England, including the Archbishops’ Council, the Church Commissioners for England and the Church of England Pensions Board.
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has added his voice to calls for people to rediscover waiting, recommending a Spiritual MOT in the latest podcast on the Church of England’s web-based Advent calendar, WhyWeAreWaiting.com.
In the recent round of nominations in elections to the Church Commissioners, four members of the House of Bishops and two Deans were duly nominated.
Back to Church Sunday is celebrating another rise in the numbers drawn back to church by the event this year as organisers gather in London for a special event at Lambeth Palace.
A Church of England bishop has penned a book which aims to be just the tonic for the frenetic activity of Advent – even suggesting cutting up the credit card, making friends a simple homemade gift, and pruning the Christmas card list to those you really care about.
Church leaders are encouraging people to rediscover the forgotten joys and deeper benefits of waiting for the things they want with the launch of an online Advent calendar produced by the Church of England.
The Rt Revd John Saxbee, Bishop of Lincoln, has accepted the invitation of the Archbishops of Canterbury, York and Wales to chair the Church of England Board of Education and the National Society Council.
The Church of England has warmly welcomed the Royal Mail’s decision this year to issue Christmas stamps with a Christian theme in parallel to their ‘Pantomime’ series.
Church leaders are being encouraged to help make 2009 'a year to remember' for young people and the Church with the launch of an interdenominational Year of the Child.
The Church of England’s General Synod has held its third virtual question time. The text of all 28 Questions and Answers is now available on the Church of England web site.
The Church of England House of Bishops and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales are joining together for a second bi-lateral meeting, this time at Lambeth Palace, today, Monday, November 17. In 2006, they met together in Leeds for study and worship.
New guidance has been published to support diocesan offices in managing the huge volume of files, paperwork and other correspondence they deal with.
Churches are being encouraged to 'save the date' for next year's Education Sunday – which will highlight the role of schools and colleges in helping young people lead lives that recognise the vital importance of caring for God’s creation.
The Church of England's Board of Education has today responded to the publication of the results of the recent survey of school admissions policies by Sir Philip Hunter, the Chief Schools Adjudicator.
The nation's most heroic role is that of a parent, according to a national poll of children run by the Church of England and The Children's Society.
A new website launched today (24th) will help link up the Church of England's extensive national network of local campaigners on world development issues to help amplify the Church's voice on crucial global topics.
New Church of England statistics have been published today alongside confirmation of attendance figures released earlier this year.
No.10 Downing Street announces today the appointment of the Revd Dr Steven John Lindsey Croft, currently Archbishops' Missioner and Leader of the Fresh Expressions team, as the next Bishop of Sheffield.
A practical guide for parishes considering employing someone to work with children or young people has been released by Church House Publishing.
The majority of the population – including those who do not see themselves as Christian – agree that parents should be able to choose a state-run school for their child based on their own religious, moral or philosophical considerations, a major survey released today has found.
Web users looking for support during the current financial situation have boosted traffic to a Church of England website section focusing on debt advice by over 70 per cent, and increased visitor numbers to the Church’s online prayer page by more than a quarter.
A team of vicars led by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Tim Stevens, is set to welcome thousands of brides-to-be this weekend at the National Wedding Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
The appointment of three senior members of the staff of the Board of Education, the body responsible for developing education policy for the national Church, have been announced today.
The Bishop of Reading, Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, is holding a special wedding breakfast today with a gospel choir singing wedding favourites and brides- and grooms-to-be at St Laurence’s Church, Reading, to celebrate the launch of the Church of England Marriage Measure, and showcase the accompanying wedding planning resource www.yourchurchwedding.org, while the Bishop of Bradford, Rt Revd David James, is talking about why marriage is good for you in an advertising feature in the Yorkshire Post Newspaper.
A new prayer published on the Church of England website aims to help people caught up in the current difficult financial situation.
More than 30,000 ‘VIPs’ are set to grace the ‘red carpet’ leading to 3,000 local churches this Sunday (28th September) following a mass co-ordinated effort led by the Church of England to encourage churches to offer an extra-special welcome to newcomers and ‘returners’.
The Bishop of Middleton, the Rt Revd Mark Davies, is launching the first ever poll to find the UK's 'most heroic job' as part of the Church's Halloween Choice campaign.
The Church of England has developed a new section of its website to mark the approaching bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth in 1809, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of 'On the Origin of Species' in 1859. As media interest grows in the bicentenary, the pages analyse Darwin’s faith and his relationship with the Church of England. A new essay by the Revd Dr Malcolm Brown, Director of Mission and Public Affairs, gives a personal view of Darwin’s contribution to science, whilst warning of social misapplications of his theories.
The Church of England yesterday (Monday 15th September) hosted the first in a series of consultation events with worship leaders from leading evangelical Anglican churches.
The new Bishop of Aston, announced today by Downing Street, will be the Revd Andrew Watson. He will succeed the Rt Revd John Austin who died in 2007 following his retirement as Bishop of Aston in 2005.
The Church of England has taken the unprecedented step of taking out advertising space in a major newspaper to soothe commuters travelling into work this morning – as schools and workplaces get back to the daily grind after the summer holiday season.
Couples preparing for their wedding day want the vows to be at the heart of their planning more than anything else – according to new research by the Archbishops’ Council’s Weddings Project. Extensive research among newly weds – published in this week’s Church Times – also reveals 9 out of 10 rated their church wedding experience as good to excellent.
A new guide from the Church of England offers church leaders a template for a year-long programme of practical action to reduce their congregations' carbon footprints, as energy prices head upwards.
Religious Education has grown in popularity among GCSE students again this year.
Today's publication of A-level results marks the fifth year in a row that the number of students taking Religious Studies A-level has risen, with an increase of 5.9 per cent since 2007.
The Board of Governors of the Church Commissioners, and the Archbishops' Council of the Church of England have both met within the past few days to discuss an approach from the Lambeth Conference Company for financial help.
The Church of England has published a new prayer on its website at www.cofe.anglican.org/prayers to mark the opening of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Young people who think they may be being called into ordained ministry are at the centre of a national campaign being launched by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, at General Synod in York this weekend. The Call Waiting… campaign features a new website www.callwaiting.org.uk, an A4 magazine full of essential information for prospective ordinands, and eye-catching posters.
A cartoonist and an author have joined forces to create a fresh guide to churchgoing – published by the Church of England this week – which has already won praise for its no-nonsense approach to explaining the Anglican faith.
Two Bishops today warn of the risk that, without strong and vibrant public service content, broadcasting after digital switchover could sow confusion and mistrust rather than aid public enlightenment and social cohesion. The voices of the many digital channels and the proliferation of user-generated content on the internet will otherwise be a bewildering cacophony.
The Church of England has expressed a number of concerns about the Charity Commission’s latest draft guidance on public benefit and the advancement of religion while welcoming the progress the draft represents in recognising the contribution of religious bodies to the public benefit.
Joint statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York regarding St Bartholomew-the-Great.
Bishops have called on government to take the numbers experiencing fuel poverty into account when setting policy on increasing renewable energy generation. The direct cost to the UK of meeting the EU’s current 15 per cent target will be at least £5 billion per annum by 2020, in addition to indirect costs in the form of higher energy prices.
Major debates concerning the Church’s ministry, relationships with other Churches, and wider society will be on the agenda at the General Synod when it meets at York University next month.
The 2007 office and working costs of bishops in the Church of England are published today. 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.
Nine out of every 10 fathers feel responsible for the souls of their children, research commissioned by the Church of England has revealed.
The Rt Revd Tim Thornton, at present Bishop of Sherborne in Salisbury Diocese, has been named as the successor to Bishop Bill Ind, who retired in April. Bishop Tim, who is 51, is married to a Headteacher, Sian, and they have two adult children, Benedict and Alice. The new Bishop, whose Diocese covers all of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and two parishes in Devon, will move to Lis Escop, the Bishop’s house near Truro, in the late autumn, having completed a number of important existing commitments in Dorset.
The agenda for the July Sessions of the General Synod, the report of the Business Committee and a note from the Presidents of the Synod, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, on the debate on women bishops have been published.
The government is ‘planning blind and failing parts of civil society’ when it comes to faith communities in general and aspects of charity law and social policy in particular, concludes a report by the Von Hügel Institute.
Thousands of couples dreaming of a wedding will find more churches to choose from 1st October 2008 the day when the new Church of England Marriage Measure comes into effect. It means that the Church of England’s network of 16,000 churches - ancient or modern, intimate or grand, simple or spectacular - can offer a wider wedding welcome than at any time in the Church’s history.
MPs have been briefed on the position taken by the Church of England in advance of debate in the House of Commons on proposals to extend detention without charge to 42 days within the Counter Terrorism Bill.
Congregations should offer their preacher a healthy dose of constructive feedback, argues a new book from the Church of England’s official publishers.
The vital role of Christian ministers in building social capital and community cohesion within England and Wales has been recognised in provisional arrangements to secure the future of funding for clergy training.
The Church of England has published a selection of prayers offering reassurance to students and teachers in coping with the current examination period.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and the Bishop of London, Rt Revd Richard Chartres, welcomed leaders from business, government and civil society to Lambeth Palace on Tuesday (May 13) for a Climate Change round table.
Now summer is on the horizon and the temperature is soaring, the Church of England’s Environmental Adviser, David Shreeve, is calling for households to switch off their energy-hungry tumble dryers, and, instead, dry their clothes on good, old-fashioned clothes lines.
Projections and comparisons published by Christian Research in its Religious Trends publication are flawed and dangerously misleading, the Church of England said today. “These statistics are incomplete and represent only a partial picture of religious trends in the UK today. In recent years, church life has significantly diversified so these traditional statistics are less and less meaningful in isolation,” said the Rev Lynda Barley, Head of Research and Statistics for the Archbishops’ Council.
Results released today by the Church Commissioners show that they have outperformed 98 per cent of similar investment funds over the past 10 years.
The Church of England has warmly welcomed the Competition Commission’s decision to seek undertakings from grocery retailers to establish a Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) Ombudsman, as set out in the report The supply of groceries in the UK market investigation.
People in churches all over Britain, and for the first time, in other parts of the world, will be backing Back to Church Sunday this September 28th and inviting a friend back to church with them.
The House of Bishops is to discuss the report of the Legislative Drafting Group considering proposals to allow for women bishops at its next meeting in May. The report of the group, chaired by the Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, Bishop of Manchester, has been published today and will be debated by General Synod in July.
The Church Commissioners today announce the appointment of Joseph Cannon MRICS as their new Chief Surveyor. Joseph will head the Commissioners’ Property Investment Department, responsible for the management of a portfolio of agricultural, commercial and residential investment properties valued at nearly £1.7 billion at 31 December 2007.
The Archbishops’ Council has appointed Janet Gough as Director of Cathedrals and Church Buildings. She will take up the post in September.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has today called on the government to do more to protect the poorest and most vulnerable from the likely consequences of an economic downturn. Speaking in the House of Lords, the Archbishop highlighted the fact that government targets on alleviating poverty, particularly child poverty, risked not being met and warned that in a period of economic decline the poorest in society, who carry a higher proportion of personal debt, were most at risk. In the debate, called by the Archbishop, he suggested ways in which government might help low income families avoid entering into cycles of unsustainable debt - by improving financial education in schools, enforcing tighter controls on doorstep credit agencies and by helping to foster responsible alternatives to doorstep lending, such as those offered by Credit Unions.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have issued a joint statement this morning concerning the deteriorating situation of ordinary people in Zimbabwe calling for “a civil society movement that gives voice to those who demand an end to the mayhem that grows out of injustice, poverty, exclusion and violence”.
Prebendary Dr Paul Avis has been appointed as a chaplain to Her Majesty The Queen and the first Canon Theologian of Exeter.
The Church of England and the Methodist Church are publishing a special resource this week designed to help churches support people who have suffered from the trauma of abuse, wherever this has occurred.
Common Worship: Festivals has been published, the concluding volume of the largest liturgical publishing project ever carried out in this country.
The House of Bishops’ Theological Group and the Faith and Order Advisory Group have produced a set of reflections on the address given in 2006 by Cardinal Walter Kasper to the Bishops of the Church of England on the proposal to ordain women as bishops.
A five-session course, published by the Church of England, is encouraging groups of 13 to 18-year-olds to listen to God’s voice for careers advice, before deciding what to do with their lives. Many churches and youth organisations will start running the course on or around Vocations Sunday 2008 (Sunday 13th April).
This Sunday (13th April) is Vocations Sunday and the Church of England has produced a set of reflective resources based on four devotional images to get people talking and thinking.
The EU Budget, in not matching up to the EU’s’ objectives, fails to provide sufficiently for the European Common Good, concludes the Church of England House of Bishops’ Europe Panel in a submission to the European Commission’s Budget Review exercise calling for a greener Budget.
The Bishops of Birmingham and Leicester and the Dean of Peterborough are among senior clergy preparing to roll up their sleeves and cassocks today to clean and polish the shoes of dozens of office workers in towns and cities across the country.
The Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Rev Nicholas Reade, is to lead the Church of England’s work among deaf and disabled people.
The Church of England has welcomed the statement made by Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, this morning.
The Church of England has welcomed the transitional relief arrangement announced in the Budget for Gift Aid claims by charities over the next three years. In the Budget speech, the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, announced a transitional rate of relief of 22 per cent from 2008/09 to 2010/11.
A pioneering partnership between the Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England and the University of Chester came to fruition on Saturday 8 March when the first cohort of Deaf students were presented with their certificates by the University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Mrs Dorothy Marris.
Responding to a statement from Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls, this morning, the Rt Rev Stephen Venner, Bishop of Dover and acting Chair of the Board of Education, said: "The Church of England welcomes the Minister's intention to tighten up on rules to ensure schools meet the requirements of the Admissions Code 2007."
The Church of England has reaffirmed its belief that forced marriage is wrong both morally and legally. Responding to a Home Office consultation on ‘marriage to partners from overseas’, the Rt Rev Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark, said the Mission and Public Affairs Council strongly affirmed that principle, as reflected in the consultation document, and agreed that the minimum age that someone could sponsor a marriage partner from abroad or be sponsored as a spouse should be raised to 21 years.
The Church of England is launching an easy-to-use interactive online resource for working out a household spending budget, with helpful prayers for guidance, emphasising that the Bible teaches us to be content with what we have, rather than find satisfaction from over-spending.
Church House Publishing has today announced that, from 1st May 2008, distribution of its range of books and other products will transfer to Norwich Books and Music.
The central importance of worship in the life of the Church is emphasised in a new book published today by Church House Publishing.
As the Government publishes its amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill to abolish the blasphemy laws, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York have made public their response to the Government's consultation.
Help is at hand for newly engaged couples preparing for their wedding day and planning the rest of their life together with a new course soon to be offered by the Church of England.
The Church of England has welcomed the Government’s decision not to license a regional supercasino. It has also encouraged Culture Secretary Andy Burnham MP to issue a warning to the industry that he will enforce a statutory levy to fund research into and treatment of problem gambling.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, officially opened the Church of England Pensions Board’s new showpiece retirement home, Manormead Supported Housing, at Hindhead near Haslemere in Surrey yesterday (25 February), at a special ceremony also attended by the Bishop of Guildford, Rt Revd Christopher Hill, and the Mayor and Mayoress of Waverley, Councillor Maurice and Mrs Mary Byham.
The Church of England and Premier Christian Radio have joined forces to feature people who are part of today’s Church of England via a series of monthly podcasts.
Lambeth Palace Library has acquired a document intimately involved with one of Britain’s most dramatic historical events, after benefactors of the Library donated funds to keep a copy of the warrant for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots in the U.K.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has said that UK law needs to continue to find accommodation with religious legal codes such as the Islamic system of Sharia if community cohesion and development are to be achieved.
The Revd Edward Lewis, chief executive of the Hospital Chaplaincies Council, has been appointed as a chaplain to Her Majesty The Queen.
This Lent, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Dr Rowan Williams and Dr John Sentamu, are calling for 'good neighbours' - online and offline - to try out daily suggestions.
Figures just released by the Church of England for 2006 show larger congregations at Christmas and Easter, but smaller Sunday congregations.
Major debates on detention without charge, mental health issues and casinos will be on the agenda of the General Synod when it meets at Church House, Westminster, from Monday, February 11, to Thursday, February 14, 2008.
The Revd Dr Gary Wilton has been appointed to the newly created post of Church of England’s Representative to the EU Institutions.
The Church of England is to consult dioceses and individuals on how it can best support retired clergy in need of housing assistance after a life of service to the church, as in recent years house price growth has outstripped the increase in average earnings.
A major report commissioned by the Church of England and supported by many of the main faith communities in the UK offers a tutorial in the valuable work of university and college chaplains up and down the country.
The Church of England’s National Church Institutions (NCIs) have been awarded the Two Ticks disability symbol by Jobcentre Plus in recognition of their commitment to good practice in employing people with disabilities.
This week's edition of Channel 4's new series of Time Team was filmed on one of the Church Commissioners' farms near Bishop Auckland, in County Durham. The dig took place in April 2007 on Binchester Hall Farm, the site of one of the largest Roman forts in the country.
The Church of England has compiled a Post Christmas Debt Check for consumers worried about how much their wallets have been hit by Christmas and New Year spending.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have submitted a Church of England Response to the draft Anglican Covenant.