Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Two English cathedrals have defended their commitment to staff welfare after it emerged they have been advertising vacancies which include zero-hour contracts. The practise of hiring workers on the basis they receive no guaranteed working hours was in the news recently when the Archbishop of Canterbury called the practise ‘evil’. Norwich Cathedral had advertised for...

Jehoram was king for eight years When he died, there were very few tears, No faces got wet – There was no regret His demise caused no cries – only cheers! by Nigel Beeton

The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren I am truly furious. I know that God has given clergy church councils, so they can have a better understanding of hell, but last night’s meeting really was too much. The traps are always sprung under “any other business”. Several hundred thousand pounds can be...

Worried son Wake Died in the services Last chance? Say that again? What bishops do When children tell Bible stories (real-life efforts that didn’t quite make it…) As for those signs found outside churches: Can’t scare me Top job Church membership Vacuum cleaner Some miscellaneous observations on life … Cats & teenagers ** Worried son...

With All Saints Day (1st November) in mind…. With Remembrance Sunday (11th November) in mind… With ‘Christ the King’ Sunday (- last Sunday before Advent, 25th November) in mind… Some miscellaneous observations on faith and on life ** With All Saints Day (1st November) in mind…. For the early Christians koinonia was not the frilly...

When we were at Sunday School, we probably learnt the hymn: ‘Jesus bids us shine with a pure, clear light, Like a little candle burning in the night. In this world of darkness, we must shine, You in your small corner and I in mine.’ As we grew up, we learnt that Jesus calls us...

* 1      7th Earl of Shaftesbury – the Poor Man’s Earl 1          Remigius 1          Theresa of Lisieux 2          Your Guardian Angel 3          Hewald the Black and Hewald the White * 4      St. Francis – and the Life of Simplicity 4          St Francis of Assisi 6          William Tyndale, Bible translator and martyr...

Creationtide From the minister – Creationtide Grow an attitude of gratitude Don’t bottle it up – it’s okay to grieve Psalm 121 – the God who knows and cares Why Christians are like pumpkins What is the origin of evil spirits? Walking in Love The story behind the HYMN:  Stand by me What does God...

Think of Piccadilly Circus, and that small statue of the angel poised with bow and arrow. Most people think it stands for Eros.  It does not. It stands for Anteros, his brother, the god of selfless love.  It is a memorial to the greatest Christian Victorian philanthropist, politician and social reformer of his generation –...

National Grandparents Day – 7th October  Now it is GOOD to pet your scared dog Take hoarding seriously Too tired to feel sociable? Danger ahead for our children Numbers of bags plummet Is it Joe or Jo? Amy or Aimee? Quilty pleasures What is happening to our attention span? Are you a club-sandwich pensioner? Why...

The heatwave this summer was a powerful reminder that our planet is not disposable! The evidence that carbon dioxide is heating the planet is seen in melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels and extreme weather. In the church September and early October is designated Creationtide, a time to reflect on God as Creator and...

Theresa of Lisieux (1873-97) should be the patron saint of teenage girls and young women who want to make the most of their lives, despite being constrained by family and school or work. Theresa grew up in a strict, devout Roman Catholic middle-class family in France, one of four sisters.  Her father was a watch-maker. ...