Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Observations on our Christian faith… Observations on church life…. Observations on life ** Observations on our Christian faith… God made the country, and man made the town. – William Cowper  What your heart possesses, your life expresses. – Anon Prayer is the original wireless communication. – Anon Beauty is the gift of God. – Aristotle...

Have you ever suffered from gossip? Ever discovered that people are saying some really wild things about you?  If so, Joseph of Arimathea would understand – and sympathise with you.  This decent, godly man of the gospels seems to have fired the imaginations of all sorts of odd people down the centuries. Joseph was a...

There were so many graduates waiting to receive their degrees that day, that speed was of the essence.  Presenting their diplomas, therefore, the Chancellor simply smiled and said: “Congratulations, keep moving.” Actually, that is good advice for all of life, and for your Christian life as well. If you’ve discovered the reality of God’s love for...

Struggling with God – Mental Health & Christian Spirituality Learning to Dream Again – Recovering the Heart of God The Final Lap – Navigating the Transitions of Later Life Forgotten Warrior – the Life and Times of Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith Unconventional – a Practical Guide to Women’s Ministry in the Local Church Everyone a Child...

We seem to love bread. In Britain we buy 11 million loaves of the stuff every day. For years it was just the base for our breakfast marmalade or lunchtime sandwiches, until sourdough arrived. Sourdough has exploded in popularity. Global sales are forecast to grow $2.36bn (£1.92bn) during 2022-2026. UK craft bakers point to its...

 The Church of England’s lead Bishop for Education has welcomed a recent Government amendment to a Bill which safeguards land held for Church academies. The amendment to the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill will reintroduce clauses originally found in the Schools Bill, with which the Government decided not to proceed. The clauses ensure that new sites...

The NHS is to roll out a ‘soup and shakes’ diet across the UK, aimed at the tens of thousands of patients who are fighting Type 2 diabetes. Health officials said every part of the country will be offering the regime by next March, as the NHS tries to tackle what has been called Britain’s...

Church School Test Grandchildren Swim? Puppy Water Forgiveness Excuses, excuses Bathroom tidy Couch The nervous nun Which staff? Sun Not like it used to be Church bulletin notices that didn’t turn out quite right…. The third hut   ** Which staff? Several years ago the then Bishop of London reported to the General Synod that...

Have you ever noticed the sweet, fresh smell after a downpour of rain? That ‘smell of rain’ is called petrichor, and it fascinates scientists. It was back in 1965 that scientists first named it. Petrichor comes from the Greek for stone, ‘petra’, and the golden fluid flowing through the veins of the immortals, ‘ichor’. Petrichor...

The Church Commissioners for England, which manages the Church of England’s endowment fund, delivered a 5% return in 2022, a “robust performance” in the face of “challenging” market conditions. “Our aim is to support the mission and ministry of the Church of England through providing as much funding as we can on a sustainable basis,...

Ignatius came from a noble Basque family in north-east Spain. Born in 1491 in his family’s castle near Loyala, he was sent to serve as a page at the court of King Ferdinand V of Castile. Ignatius entered military service, but was wounded in 1521, at the French siege of Pamplona. While convalescing, he read...

The 2021 Population Census asked people their age as well as whether they had a religion. 94% of the population answered both questions. The average age of the population is 41, and the average age of Christian adherents was 48, the oldest of any religion.  The youngest are the Muslims with larger families and therefore more children;...