Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

What problems do ministers have to deal with these days? Ever wonder what sort of pastoral problems people may be bringing to our minister? Struggles with loneliness and mental illness are pretty sure to come near the top, according to a new survey. The two issues have been found to be by far the commonest...

Looking at God  A Plastic Revolution From the Vicar God is able to use us to meet others’ needs THE WAY I SEE IT – Holidays and Holy-days The ‘Other’ Mary Becoming a Christian We are given gifts for a good reason   ** Editor:  The Rev Paul Hardingham considers the problem of plastic from...

What happened when one person prayed for a baby… When did you start praying for the children of your friends?  Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, thanks God that someone prayed for him before he was even born – in the hope that he would one day become a Christian. The Archbishop told the story...

China stops sales of Bible China appears to have banned the Bible from being sold online, or in large bookstores.  This seems to have followed tensions between China and the Vatican over who should have influence in appointing bishops in China. Searches for Bibles on major e-commerce platforms JD.com and Taobao bring up no results,...

Let them eat cake! Many rural parishes have found that offering tea and cake to visitors ensures a warm welcome that will be gratefully remembered. One couple told of how they chanced on a church while out cycling late one afternoon in the countryside.  They were tired and hot and hungry and thirsty.  Two kindly...

OM’s ship Logos Hope breaks all records in Mexico The Logos Hope’s visitor count in Veracruz has broken the Ship Ministry’s all-time record for a single port.  A total of 226,554 members of the public climbed the ship’s gangways to browse the book-fair, visit the International Café or attend an onboard event during the six...

A Plastic Revolution The recent Blue Planet II series exposed just how much plastic waste is an issue in our seas. The Prime Minister has called plastic waste ‘one of the great environmental scourges of our time.’ The best estimates suggest 10 million tonnes of plastic ends up in our oceans, contaminating and killing sea...

Attacks by Islamists drive Christians out of city Christians in one of Pakistan’s major cities, Quetta, are being targeted by Islamist bombs and guns, in an effort to drive them out. In the face of mob violence, drive-by shootings, bombings and increasing accusations of blasphemy, many of the 50,000-strong Christian population of the city now...

From the Vicar The recent Blue Planet II series exposed just how much plastic waste is an issue in our seas. The Prime Minister has called plastic waste ‘one of the great environmental scourges of our time.’ The best estimates suggest 10 million tonnes of plastic ends up in our oceans, contaminating and killing sea...

We are given gifts for a good reason If we are not practical, it’s good to know we can call on plumbers and electricians to sort out our house problems.  Some people are gifted with practical knowledge and skills, and we could not do without them. Other people are more creative and artistic. Such folk...

THE WAY I SEE IT – Holidays and Holy-days ‘Going to go somewhere nice for your holidays?’ is the standard hairdresser’s opening gambit at this time of year. ‘Yes’, I reply, ‘I’m staying here’. They laugh politely, but clearly that’s not their idea of a holiday. In an average life holidays go through stages. Do...

The ‘Other’ Mary A new film about her has stimulated fresh interest in one of the most elusive characters in the New Testament story, Mary Magdalene. I saw the film recently and personally found it disappointing. How do you make a rather boring film about such a fascinating person? Was she, as widely believed, a...