Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ (Isaiah 9:6) Approaching Christmas, we are very aware of the political and economic uncertainties that face us. The prophet Isaiah...

Did you know that it is a family in Wiltshire, the Parkers, who claim to own the world’s oldest artificial Christmas tree?  It was bought in 1886, and is still put up every year.

Staff and volunteers at night shelters are being urged to be on the lookout for signs of exploitation among guests in a campaign recently launched by the Church of England’s anti-slavery initiative. More than 1,000 posters and other materials aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of modern slavery amongst homeless people have been distributed...

No one is really sure, but a story is told of St Nicholas, a bishop who lived in the 4th century, who may have started the custom by accident.  St Nicholas was of a wealthy family, and of a generous heart.  As Christmas approached one year, he wanted to help a poor family whom he...

Did you know that the word ‘mistletoe’ means dung on a tree?  The Anglo-Saxons thought that mistletoe grew in trees where birds had left their droppings.  Mistel means dung, and tan means twig.

Away in a manger the baby lay, No blankets or pillows – just some hay. Shepherds watching their flocks by night Angels appear midst blinding light. Wise men travelling from afar Following a guiding star, Herod filled with rage within Planning to kill this new born king. What can this mean for us today? Just...

‘It’s gonna be a lonely Christmas’. The pressure to have fun with friends and family is real over the Christmas period.  In fact, over nine million people in the UK say they’re always or often lonely. (Red Cross). When Mary became pregnant with Jesus, she probably felt very alone. Her situation would be seen as...

There are two early stories that mention fir trees.  The first involves St Boniface, who went to Germany in the 8th century as a missionary and found people sacrificing a child to their god under an oak tree.  Boniface was appalled, and rescued the child. He then chopped down the oak tree and found a...

The Church of England has partnered with Cornerstone, the mobile infrastructure services company who own and manage sites for Telefónica (O2) and Vodafone, to help deliver improved connectivity in areas currently suffering from poor mobile phone coverage. Cornerstone has entered into an agreement with the Church of England under the recent Electronic Communications Code to...

“A cold coming they had of it at this time of the year, just the worst time of the year to take a journey, and specially a long journey, in.  The way’s deep, the weather sharp, the days short, the sun farthest off, in solstitio brumali, the very dead of winter.” It was 1622, and...

By Sarah J Dodd & Raffaella Ligi, Lion Children, £5.99 A new king is born! His name is Jesus. Share the gladness of Mary, the joy of the shepherds, and the journey of the wise men. An engaging retelling for children of the first Christmas, with bright and appealing pictures that bring the wonderful scenes...

Listed Churches in need of vital repairs are to benefit after the Government announced the extension of a grant scheme. The listed places of worship grants scheme (LPWGS) is to be extended by the Treasury for a further year until March 2021. The scheme pays grants equal to the VAT incurred on repairs such as...