Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

beloved monk and bishop of Lindisfarne Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (c 634-87) has long been northern England’s favourite saint. It is easy to see why: Cuthbert was holy, humble, peaceable, prayerful, faithful in friendship, winsome, and really kind. Cuthbert was born into a fairly well-off Anglo-Saxon family, and he became a monk at Melrose in 651....

This month sees the start of Lent, the 40-day season of penitence, self-examination and fasting running up to Easter. Jesus began His earthly ministry by fasting in the wilderness for 40 days and taught His disciples to fast: ‘when you fast.’ (Matthew 6:17). The spiritual discipline of fasting involves missing one or two meals during...

I love being a mum. Becoming a mother was one of the most exciting, miraculous, amazing and also scary times of my life. My birthing plan went out of the window when I needed an emergency caesarean but once our daughter was born, she was laid on my chest, I stared at her enormous eyes...

Afghanistan is now the worst country in the world for the extreme persecution of Christians. So says Open Doors, which has recently released the 2022 World Watch List, its annual ranking of the top 50 counties where Christians face the most extreme persecution. For 2022, Afghanistan comes top because the Taliban are back in control....

Archbishop of Canterbury & Reformation Martyr If you have ever been caught up in a great event at work, which has gone on to change your own life, then Thomas Cranmer is the saint for you. He was the first ever Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury, following King Henry VIII’s decision to pull away from Rome,...

This month marks two years since the UK’s first Covid lockdown. Churches closed their doors for worship as infection levels, hospital admissions and, tragically, deaths rose. Even today, some worshippers are reluctant to return to ‘in person’ worship, and churches are still taking care to limit Covid risks. What did we learn in the 24...

 the good-natured carer Families are divided in two kinds of people: givers and takers. Blessed is the family with at least one ‘giver’, that someone of a cheerful, generous nature who does not panic when you ask them for help. These kindly saints are on hand when you need them, not fleeing with the cry...

The work of BRF (Bible Reading Fellowship) recently featured in BBC One’s long-running programme Songs of Praise. Presented by Kate Bottley, the programme explored the power of the Bible to transform lives. It included features highlighting BRF’s ministries Anna Chaplaincy, Living Faith and MessyChurch, along with interviews with chief executive Richard Fisher, Anna Chaplaincy founder...

For the first time since the pandemic began, churches and communities across the UK will be coming together to celebrate Easter as restrictions are relaxed. So, no wonder that the theme for the Real Easter Egg this year is ‘Let’s Celebrate’! The Real Easter Egg was created in 2010 as a way for churches, groups...

It was: 500 years ago, from 9th to 17th March 1522 that Martin Luther preached his Invocavit Sermons. He urged citizens to adhere to the core Christian values and trust in God, rather than using violence to bring about change. 175 years ago, on 3rd March 1847 that Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish-born American engineer, and...

The word ‘anxiety’ has been chosen by children as how they would describe their experience of 2021. Oxford University Press (OUP) asked more than 8,000 pupils, aged between seven and 14, to select a word from a shortlist of 10 words. The words were: anxiety, challenging, isolate, wellbeing, resilience, bubble, kindness, remote, cancelled, empathy. The...

Archbishop of San Salvador, martyr 1980 Oscar Romero was a bit of a modern Thomas Becket – loyal to the authorities until he was given great responsibility for the Church. Then, like Becket, there was trouble. In Romero’s case, it all began when he was born Cuidad Barrios in El Salvador back in 1917. Devout...