Viewing all items in Resource Category: Looking at your Church

The numbers of churchgoers in England who are under 45 will have shrunk from 44% in 2010 to 38% this year, 2020, and down to 31% by 2030, if present trends continue. In England in 2005, 39% of churches had no-one attending under 11 years of age, 49% no-one attending between the ages of 11...

This year, you can either buy special gifts for your mother from Mothers’ Union, or else remember your mother by sending a gift to Mothers Union to help empower women around the world.  More details at:  https://www.mothersunion.org/mothering-sunday-resources

Eight months since Asia Bibi fled Pakistan, blasphemy laws cause for concern Church ordered to replace name sign with political slogan Nigeria named as key Christian persecution hotspot in 2020 Church Action on Poverty Sunday – 23rd February Anxious and lonely?  Come to church! How do you feel about sharing your faith? New research highlights...

New reports have highlighted continuing concern over Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, eight months after Asia Bibi was finally allowed to leave the country. The reports came from sources as diverse as the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCRIF) and Humanists International. The USCIRF reports there are still 80 people in Pakistan imprisoned on blasphemy charges....

Chinese authorities have forced a church in Jiangxi province to paint over its name and replace it with a communist slogan, “Follow the Party, Obey the Party, and Be Grateful to the Party,” amid increasing attempts by officials to ‘sinicise’ (make Chinese) Christianity. Late last year The True and Original Source of the Universe church...

As late last year Islamic State released a video claiming to show the killing of 11 Christians in Nigeria, persecution watchdog Release International named Nigeria as a country of special concern for 2020. Other persecution hotspots are likely to include Iran, Iraq, China and India. A splinter group of Boko Haram produced the video claiming...

Church Action on Poverty Sunday takes place later this month.  Many of us want to help the poor, but the challenges are huge. ‘Good News for the poor’ – that was what Jesus promised – and the crowd flocked to hear it. But He didn’t promise to abolish poverty. ‘The poor you always have with...

Young people who go to church are less likely to struggle with anxiety than those who do not go to church (22% compared to 33%.) Fewer church goers are also lonely and isolated (16% compared to 31 %) In a survey almost one third of all young people reported feeling sad or depressed; this was...

Perhaps you have been ‘gossiping the gospel’ for years? Maybe you even lead a small group, or are passionate about community outreach? Or – perhaps you feel a quiver of panic at the very thought of talking about your faith.  Society seems to be hostile, and so you struggle to know how to engage with...

New research carried out by Church Mission Society has explored the relationship between mission, theology and business. And it has found that mission entrepreneurship is having a significant impact, in both churches and across local communities. ‘Make Good’, part of CMS’s training programme, explores the relationship between mission and enterprise, and helps students to set...

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020 Holocaust Memorial Day – 75 years since Auschwitz World Leprosy Sunday – 26th January Silence can be golden – as long as the transmitters don’t cut out! Garden recycling project needs your old tools China: growing religious persecution  Looking for clergy in need of financial support Yoga and...

‘Unusual kindness’ is the unusual name for this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18th to 25th January).  The materials for the week have been prepared by the Christian churches in Malta and Gozo (Christians Together in Malta). ‘Unusual kindness’ is found in the book of Acts.  The phrase refers to the warm welcome...