Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at your Church

 Christian festival Spring Harvest has axed its 2021 in-person events, saying it is “no longer viable or responsible” to host the gatherings at their flagship Butlins locations. Spring Harvest continues to plan for events in 2022. But in the meantime, Spring Harvest Home 2021, the online event which has already been months in the planning, is...

There is a Christian charity that helps churches who want to reach out to their local children in need. ‘Transforming Lives for Good’ (TLG) offers three programmes with which local churches can partner. The “Early Intervention” programme is where TLG train and support volunteers from local churches to be coaches in schools supporting children who...

Here is a story that went on to change many lives: ‘There was a knock at the door. Pete slowly opened his front door, and the stranger standing before him said in a quiet voice, “Please sir, do you have a bed for the night? I’m homeless.”’ Those words, spoken 20 years ago, stirred such...

Truth at risk of being auctioned to the highest bidder – Archbishop Sir Keir Starmer praises churches Follow a new pilgrim path ‘Being there’ for prisoners during Covid-19 The British Church in 2021 The Church, China and Hong Kong ** Editor:  The Revd Peter Crumpler, a Church of England priest in St Albans, Herts, and...

Truth is becoming a commodity, up for auction to the highest bidder, says Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell in a recent article published in Radio Times. Lamenting the decline of truth in public life, the Archbishop explains “The echo chambers of social media and the fake news that often goes with it have led us...

Christianity has provided a blueprint for social improvement, according to the Labour Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer. Writing in a recent issue of Church Times, he said, “For all the loss and difficulty, we should not let this year be defined by pain.  Throughout the pandemic, we have also seen the best of...

In the south of England, a new pilgrim path is emerging. Winding through downland, weald and shoreline for 250 miles, the Old Way from Southampton to Canterbury is derived from the oldest road map of Britain: the Gough Map, c.1360. Like the Santiago de Compostela in Spain, this ancient route has lain dormant for years....

Surely the most severe form of lockdown this past year has been in our prisons.  Prisoners have been left in their cells for up to 23 hours a day, with all activities suspended. Whereas prayer and chapel services usually provide some outlet for prisoners, even these were halted. That meant that many prisoners with personal...

The fourth edition of UK Church Statistics, No 4, 2021 Edition, has now been published. Although this is a pre-Covid-19 assessment, the findings will still be of interest. The book looks at the 228 denominations in the UK. Although 39% of the denominations (which are responsible for 82% of the total membership) are declining, still some 50%...

A leading campaigner for Christian freedom in China has received death threats and been hounded from his home in Texas. Bob Fu is a former Tiananmen Square protester and partner of UK-based Release International, which supports persecuted Christians around the world. Fu and his family have been traumatised by bomb threats and protests that continued...

The Archbishop-elect of Hong Kong, the Rt Revd Andrew Chan, has promised to work for reconciliation between China, “the motherland” and Hong Kong and Macao. He said that under his leadership, the Anglican Church would hope to establish “a harmonious and coalescing relationship” between the two sides, “so all may flourish amidst mutual respect and...

Editor:  Because most of the current ‘church stories’ are focussed on Christmas, we have brought you a smaller selection than usual this month. Five things I’d like to see in 2021 Tearfund helping the vulnerable CAP Scotland to open new Debt Centres across Scotland Introducing ‘The Wellbeing Journey’ Giving gifts of HOPE Being salt and...