Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

This year Fairtrade Fortnight runs 27th February to 12th March. It comes with a sombre reminder: climate change means that soon some of our favourite foods, such as bananas, cocoa and coffee could be harder to grow. And if that is combined with deeply unfair trade, then communities growing these crops will be pushed to...

There are various rather peculiar ‘creatures’ that are used in decorations in and on church buildings. Around the outside of many larger churches and cathedrals you may well have found some downright scary beasts! They are usually used as downspouts off the roof or at the head of vast columns. Often, they were intended to scare...

The Church of England saw a gradual but steady reduction in carbon in 2021, according to the latest data from its national Energy Footprint Tool (EFT). Meanwhile, more than 400 churches across England are now reporting ‘net zero’ carbon emissions, an increase of 157 on the previous year, as part of the most comprehensive data...

Valentine’s Day is for February, but love is for all year round, and that is not always easy.  Relationships have their ups and downs, and sometimes a bit of encouragement helps a lot. So this year, you may find Care for the Family to be worth a visit. Its blog, podcasts and other resources offer...

– the enjoyment of romance If you have been hurt in your search for romantic love, Gabriel Possenti (1838-62) may be a good saint for you. Because Possenti, born to the governor of Assisi, began by having it all. He grew up doing the mid-19th century equivalent of eBay, nightclubs, cinema and online dating, only...

Academics at the University of Cambridge have come up with a theory as to why women do more housework than men. They call it the ‘affordance theory’, which says that men view unwashed dishes and unmade beds as a simple mess, without feeling the need to do anything about it, while women are instilled with...

The Munich air disaster took place 65 years ago, on 6th February 1958, when a plane carrying the Manchester United football team (known as the Busby Babes), plus support staff and journalists, crashed while attempting to take off from a slush-affected runway at Munich-Riem Airport. Altogether, 23 people were killed, including eight players. The Elizabethan-class...

Editor:  The copyright on this picture is now in the ‘Fair Use’ domain at Wikiart.org. If you use the graphic, please add the following credit: https://www.wikiart.org/en/stanley-spencer/christ-in-the-wilderness-the-scorpion  ** ** At the end of this month we enter the season of Lent: those 40 days when we follow Jesus into the wilderness and prepare ourselves to celebrate His...

– vicar and poet  On this day the Church Calendar celebrates George Herbert. For those who are muttering ‘never heard of him’, just think of the hymn ‘Let all the world/ In every corner sing’, which he wrote, along with several other hymns which are still popular, even if they are well over 300 years old....

 Immediately after His baptism in the River Jordan, Jesus faced and resisted three powerful temptations during 40 days in the wilderness of Judea. This time of testing and temptation was His preparation for the work God had sent Him to do on earth. It’s the principle behind the season of Lent, which begins on 22nd...

At the end of last year, the number of Christmas services advertised on the Church of England’s church-finding website were up by more than a quarter on pre-pandemic levels. The A Church Near You website was advertising just over 23,850 services and other gatherings. And search engines saw a surge in people searching for phrases...

– and poet If we were to name someone prominent from the 17th century, we might mention Rembrandt or Shakespeare. It is unlikely we would remember George Herbert. However, he was a prolific writer, a gifted speaker and musician. His hymns are still sung today. Herbert was born into a wealthy family in Mid-Wales on...