Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

The General Synod has recently backed the parish as key to the spreading of the message of the Christian faith, in a debate where the local church was described as ‘at the very heart’ of God’s mission. Members were told that the parish system is central to the Church of England’s Vision for growth, in...

In this month of September, we give thanks for God’s blessings in all that the earth yields us. Those blessings are focused in this wonderful painting of Jan Davidsz de Heem. He was born in Utrecht in Holland in 1606 and studied art under his father’s guidance.  De Heem then moved to Antwerp, where for...

The Church of England’s General Synod has recently called for renewed action from the Church and Government to tackle the impact and causes of climate change. A motion brought by the Diocese of Oxford called on all parts of the Church to review policies and procedures in order to give due priority to creation care. ...

‘Compassion in action’. That is the theme for this year’s Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Sunday, which is next month, on 15th October. Churches play a vital role in helping people coping with UK poverty, and CAP says that it wants to help them “do more of that!” It says: “Whether you’ve partnered with us for...

Some 75 years ago, on 9th September 1948, the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) was established, headed by Kim Il Sung. Korea as a whole had been under Japanese control most of the 20th century, with many Korean guerrilla groups fighting to regain the country’s autonomy. The Second World War led to the...

A new comprehensive policy on safeguarding practice reviews has been approved by General Synod. This was the first safeguarding code of practice to come to General Synod since the new Code of Practice Measure was approved in 2021. Introducing the new policy, Bishop Joanne Grenfell, the Church of England’s lead safeguarding bishop, said: “The vital, underlying...

A survey was conducted among people who lived to be more than 100 years old. What had kept them going so long? You’d have thought that they would recite their health diets, their miracle drugs, or their devotion to strenuous exercise. Instead, the one thing all these centenarians had in common was a purpose in...

Very few people stand out as being incredibly good, but Vincent de Paul was one of them.  His life touched thousands of people, who were helped and inspired by his love and kindness. Vincent de Paul was born in 1581 to a Gascon peasant family at Ranquine. Educated by the Franciscans and then at Toulouse...

What really gets a woman remembered?  Loved? Respected? Lioba the abbess of Bischofsheim is the patron saint for any woman who wants to make the most of her life. Lioba was born in Wessex early in the 8th century.  Her family was noble, her mother was a relative of the monk Boniface (the Billy Graham...

September brings a return to work and school.  With this in mind… Arouse yourself, gird your loins, put aside idleness, grasp the nettle, and do some hard work. – St Bernard of Clairvaux O Lord, let us not live to be useless, for Christ’s sake. – John Wesley Only the educated are free. – Epictetus...

Seafood, and oily fish in particular, may be able to help you hear better. A new study has found evidence that consuming oily fish such as sardines, salmon and mackerel may help slow down the onset of deafness. Scientists at the University of Guelph, in Canada, found that people with particularly high blood levels of...

 Saturated with God – a cry for nation-changing revival< Living with Hope – a true story of faith, purpose and mobility You Can Trust God to Write Your Story – embracing the mysteries of Providence The Vowed Life – the promise and demand of baptism The Precarious Church – redeeming the Body of Christ Pilgrim...