Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

This year Black History Month celebrates its first centenary, and Barak Obama is coming to speak at events in Belfast, Glasgow and Manchester. It was back in 1926 that ‘Negro History Week’ was first founded by the American Black historian Carter G Woodson. By 1976 it had grown and expanded into Black History Month, and...

Once upon a time there was just milk. Now our supermarket shelves are packed with dairy (whole, semi-skimmed, fat-free) and also plant-based alternatives: oat, almond, soya, coconut, and pea. Which is the best? The amount of protein, sugars, fat and vitamins in each vary a great deal. No wonder that, according to Mintel’s UK recent...

Trick or Treat? Hurricanes Roar – 30 Reflections on Black Spiritual Poetry The Wisdom of Jesus – Meditations on the Gospels in Words and Paintings The Lion Book of Five-Minute Parables Nine Days with St Francis of Assisi Franciscan Spirituality – Following St Francis Today A Terrible Kindness Money and the Gospel – giving money...

Modern Halloween celebrations have their roots with the Celtic peoples of pre-Christian times. In those long-ago days, on the last night of October, the Celts celebrated the Festival of Samhain, or ‘Summer’s End’.  The priests, or Druids, performed ceremonies to thank and honour the sun.  For there was a very dark side to all this:...

The Rectory St James the Least of All My dear Nephew Darren I am afraid we will never agree about the appropriate length of sermons. Your 50-minute exposition on the theology of St Paul concerning women wearing hats in church is, I am sure, of real interest to you. But as your sermon slowly unfolds,...

You would be forgiven for thinking that tidying up your own garden is about the most harmless thing you can do. But – beware – there are a few things which may bite back! Pruning trees is a necessary job. But any tree with a TPO (Tree Preservation Order) on it can be downright scary:...

Are you a professional singer, hired by various churches for special services? Then, you have a right to expect transparent pay and improved working conditions. So says Equity, the trade union for the performing arts. Now its Liturgical Singers Network has launched a code of practice, designed to “celebrate and build on best practice where...

While many of us may buy Halloween-themed confectionary, pumpkins, decorations and even costumes this month, thousands of us have no intention of celebrating Halloween. Instead, we will be attending Light Parties hosted by our local churches, and our children will enjoy a positive and upbeat alternative to traditional Halloween celebrations. Scripture Union, the Christian charity...

Church leaders in Scotland have welcomed an announcement that £1 million will be made available to cover the cost of repairs to listed buildings in Scotland. The Rt Revd Gordon Kennedy, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and Bishop John Keenan, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said the...

The Lord is my real boss and I shall not want. He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me. He gently reminds me to pray before I speak and to do all things without murmuring and complaining. He reminds me that He is my Source and not my job. He restores my sanity...

‘Let all the world in ev’ry corner sing My God and King.’ George Herbert’s poem from ‘The Temple’ tells us that ‘the church with psalms must shout. No door can keep them out.’ It is a reminder of the rich tradition of music in our worship that reaches back to the people of the Old...

The Word of God Prayer of trust in God’s Word. Prayer for harvest The Faraway Country The Wedding Garment Autumn Nocturne ** The Word of God (Heb 4:12, Isa 55:11, Jn16:33) Changes, so many changes in a world fragmenting and frightening, where hatred and prejudice destroy and shock even the unshockable. Only the Word of...