Peter Leonard ViaMedia.News Flattening the Curve
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Chance Encounters and Changed Lives part 1
Christopher Southgate, Carla Grosch-Miller and Hilary Ison Tragedy and Congregations guidance for ministers as the coronavirus crisis deepens
“Thoughts for ministers during the first phase of the coronavirus crisis”
Godfrey Kesari Church Times Finding hope in the midst of a pandemic
“During this crisis, it is normal and natural to ask where God is. But this is not a time for Christians to retreat from their faith”
Laudable Practice Pray the Litany Daily
Meg Munn Chair of the National Safeguarding Panel Synod Discusses Redress
Nicholas Henshall ViaMedia.News “Yoga-Gate” – Fundamentalism in a Twist
Savitri Hensman ViaMedia.News Dolly Parton and ++Michael Curry on the Power of Love
12 CommentsBishop Barbara Harris, the first woman to be consecrated as a bishop in the Anglican Communion has died.
Anglican Communion News Service Tributes paid following death of Barbara Harris – the Anglican Communion’s first female bishop
The New York Times Barbara Harris, First Woman Ordained an Episcopal Bishop, Dies at 89
The Washington Post Barbara C. Harris, first female bishop in Anglican Communion, dies at 89
The Episcopal News Service RIP: The Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris, Anglican Communion’s first female bishop, dies at 89
3 CommentsFergus Butler-Gallie The Fence Diary of an Urban Parson
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church The John Smyth saga – further observations
Andrew Lightbown Theore0 Talking of coronavirus,church, continuation and concomitance
David Ison ViaMedia.News Minding Our Adjectives…
1 CommentJanet Fife Surviving Church Surviving Lent
Jonathan Jong St Mary Magdalen School of Theology On receiving communion in one kind
Jayne Ozanne ViaMedia.News Bridges, Kingdom and Unity
5 CommentsUpdated
Suffragan See of Sherwood
11 March 2020
Queen approves nomination to the Suffragan See of Sherwood.
Published 11 March 2020
Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
The Queen has approved the nomination of the Reverend Doctor Andrew Neil Emerton BSc, BTh, DPhil, Dean of St Mellitus College, in the Diocese of London to the Suffragan See of Sherwood, in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, in succession to the Right Reverend Anthony Porter BA MA who is due to retire on 22nd March 2020.
Andy was educated at York University, and Queens College, Oxford and trained for ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He served his title at Holy Trinity Brompton in the Diocese of London and was ordained Priest in 2006.
In 2008, Andy was appointed as Assistant Dean, St Mellitus College and in 2015 Andy took up his current roles as Dean, St Mellitus College and Principal, St Paul’s Theological Centre
Update
There is more detail on the diocesan website, including the consecration date which is Ascension Day 21 May 2020.
45 CommentsStephen Parsons Surviving Church Safeguarding, Compassion and the Law
BBC World Service Religion apps: Daily Prayer and the Devil’s Data
Sophia Smith Galer investigates the world of religion apps – from prayer hacks to actual hacks
Episode 1 of 4
David Walker ViaMedia.News Taking Advice – Gentlemen vs Players
This refers to the advice Duty to “have due regard” to House of Bishops safeguarding guidance recently published by the Church of England.
Press release from the Church of England
Meeting of the House of Bishops
10/03/2020
The House of Bishops met today at Lambeth Palace.
The bishops heard from the Reverend Professor Gina Radford and the Reverend Dr Brendan McCarthy on the developing situation with regard to the spread of the Coronavirus. They also heard about the Archbishops’ decision to update the latest guidance.
The bishops also discussed the Living in Love and Faith project in advance of this summer’s publication of the teaching and learning resources.
0 CommentsRosie Harper ViaMedia.News The Whitewashing of Spiritual Leaders – Is Vanier Like Weinstein?
Jeffrey John St Albans Review Loving and remembering
Nick Bundock ViaMedia.News Uganda’s Unholy Trinity & the Forgotten Martyrs
15 CommentsMandy Ford ViaMedia.News ‘Dirty Bodies’, Dust and Ashes…
Robert Thompson ViaMedia.News A Call to Repentance – A Lenten Reflection
Giles Goddard ViaMedia.News Living in Love & Faith: Will the Deer Scatter?
Women and the Church Women in Ministry, the Church of England and Statistics: A closer look
2 CommentsMiranda Threlfall-Holmes Ethical Evangelism
Lorraine Cavanagh Church Times Jean Vanier’s misuse of power
“Spiritual direction can be dangerous. It requires a radical rethink.”
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Idealisation of Church Leaders. Problems for the future.
8 CommentsEach day during Lent 2020 Clare Hayns will be posting on her blog about a different woman from the Hebrew Scriptures, and each post will end with a guide for personal prayer. She starts today with Hagar.
Simon Butler ViaMedia.News The Darkness Within…
Martin Sewell Archbishop Cranmer Welby brings peace and reconciliation to South Sudan
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Christian Celebrities and Betrayal
3 CommentsThe All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group in the UK Parliament has today published a report on Religion or Belief in the UK Parliament: Time for Reflection. Much of it is devoted to the 26 Church of England bishops in the House of Lords; the report calls for an end to their automatic seats.
There is a comprehensive summary of the report on www.politics.co.uk which starts
MPs, peers call for overhaul of place of religion in Parliament
Humanist MPs and peers have today called for a major rebalancing of the relationship between religion and state in the Westminster Parliament. Their new report calls for parliamentary prayers to be replaced with a ‘time for reflection’ inclusive of all, for the Commons speaker to consider introducing additional forms of religious and pastoral support alongside that provided by the Anglican chaplain, and for an end to automatic seats in Parliament for Anglican bishops.
Time for Reflection: A report of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group on religion or belief in the UK Parliament examines these matters in more detail than ever before, uncovering issues which have restricted non-Anglican parliamentarians from fully participating in the life of Parliament as equally as their Anglican colleagues…
Other coverage includes:
The Guardian Report: C of E’s right to 26 seats in Lords should be repealed.
inews Why the UK has the only parliament with reserved places for clerics – aside from Iran
26 CommentsJen Williams A Church Funeral can be a Moment of Radical Hospitality
Anthony Archer ViaMedia.News Church and State – The State We’re In!
Janet Fife Surviving Church Being a Witness
Cherry Vann was interviewed on BBC Radio4’s Woman’s Hour; it’s the first item.
39 CommentsUpdated
Here are a few online articles relating to last week’s meeting of the Church of England General Synod.
Business Done [the official summary of business]
Video recordings of all the Synod sessions are available to watch on YouTube.
Tim Hind Open Synod Group report of proceedings
Church Times General Synod highlights [12 minute podcast]
Subscribers can read the detailed reports of all Synod debates here.
The Tablet CofE synod commits to ambitious green targets
David Pocklington Law & Religion UK “Public health funerals” and “direct cremation” – an update
The rules and related items for the forthcoming General Synod elections are here.
3 CommentsGiles Fraser UnHerd Churches are closing down – I won’t let mine be one of them
John D Alexander The Living Church The Bishop Who Foretold Dresden
Richard Peers Oikodomeo Growing the Church: parish weekends and events
36 CommentsArchdruid Eileen The Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley Ten Top Ways to Get the Church to Carbon Neutral
Erika Baker ViaMedia.News Living in Love & Faith – a View from the Pew
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Living in Love and Faith – what are we missing, what are we not understanding?
David Walker ViaMedia.News General Synod: The Highs & Lows
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church Listening to the General Synod Safeguarding Debate
20 CommentsThe day’s business is in Order Paper Six
Official press releases
General Synod approves Channel Islands legislation
Legal aid an ‘essential service’ that should be preserved for the ‘benefit of the nation’, Synod votes
Archbishop of Canterbury pays tribute to the Archbishop of York
Press reports
Church Times
Synod says yes to Channel Islands transfer
Members’ blogs
Andrew Nunn The last chapter
Stephen Lynas A hard day’s night
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love LGBTI+ and Church of England Teaching Documents – a history
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church General Synod, Survivors and Institutional Power
Archdruid Eileen The Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley Salt and Light
Savitri Hensman ViaMedia.News Church & Sexuality: Like a Mighty Tortoise…
Jon Kuhrt Psephizo Why do churches manage people badly?
Martin Sewell Archbishop Cranmer Safeguarding: the Church of England’s house is slowly being rebuilt
21 CommentsThe morning’s business is in Order Paper Four.
The afternoon’s business is in Order Paper Five.
As usual, Stephen Lynas is providing his excellent summaries of each day’s business.
Stephen Parsons wrote this in advance of the first item of business on Safeguarding: Is Synod overseeing a revolution in the treatment of abuse survivors? We also covered this here.
At the end of the Safeguarding debate Synod passed the following motion by 361 votes to nil, with no recorded abstentions.
That this Synod
(a) endorse the Archbishops’ Council’s response, set out in GS 2158, to the five recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in its investigation report Anglican Church Case Studies: Chichester/Peter Ball (May 2019) at pages 206 to 207;
(b) welcome the statement in paragraph 4.1 of the response that the National Safeguarding Steering Group (NSSG) “remains committed to ensuring that words of apology are followed by concrete actions”;
(c) urge the NSSG to bring forward proposals to give effect to that commitment that follow a more fully survivor-centred approach to safeguarding, including arrangements for redress for survivors;
(d) request that the NSSG keep the Synod updated on the development and implementation of responses to recommendations relating to the Church of England that are made by the Inquiry, including by submitting a report for debate by the Synod not later than July 2021.
The paper (GS 2158) referred to in the motion is online here.
The rest of the morning session was devoted to a debate on the Climate Emergency and Carbon Reduction Target. The motion as originally proposed was amended, most significantly when “2045 at the latest” in paragraph (a) was replaced by “2030”. This amendment was quite narrowly carried by 144 votes to 129 with 10 recorded abstentions. At the end of the debate, the amended motion below was carried on a show of hands.
That this Synod, recognising that the global climate emergency is a crisis for God’s creation, and a fundamental injustice, and following the call of the Anglican Communion in ACC Resolutions A17.05 and A17.06;
(a) call upon all parts of the Church of England, including parishes, BMOs, education institutions, dioceses, cathedrals and the NCIs, to work to achieve year-on-year reductions in emissions and urgently examine what would be required to reach net zero emissions by 2030 in order that a plan of action can be drawn up to achieve that target;
(b) request reports on progress from the Environment Working Group and the NCIs every 3 years beginning in 2022 and;
(c) call on each Diocesan Synod and cathedral Chapter to address progress toward net zero emissions every 3 years.
The first item of business in the afternoon was a debate on so-called Paupers’ Funerals. The motion before Synod (after amendment) was
That this Synod noting:
(a) the substantial rise in the number of ‘pauper funerals’ in England and the pain and hurt arising from them; and
(b) the call of the Gospel to meet people as Jesus does, in their time of need, as well as the duty of Christians to the poor as set out in Proverbs 31.8-9 and Deuteronomy 15.7-8;call upon the Archbishops’ Council to direct and resource the Life Events Advisory Group, in consultation with the Churches Funeral Group and the British Council of Funeral Services to:
i. undertake the formation of plans at national, diocesan and parish levels to utilise Church resources (whether in the form of finance, volunteers or buildings) to tackle the issues relating to and, where possible, end ‘pauper funerals’;
ii. work with other stakeholders to find ways, at an affordable price, to deliver a more compassionate send off for the departed and to meet the spiritual and emotional needs of those left behind; and
iii. report progress made with reference to the above by the end of 2021;and further call on Her Majesty’s Government to develop with Council leaders, a national plan and basic standards for pauper funerals, which should include allowing a Christian funeral service to take place in Church or at a Crematorium; for family or others to attend; and the return of the departed (where permitted) to family members.
and this was carried by 273 votes to nil, with one recorded abstention.
Next was a debate on Children and Youth Ministry. The motion before Synod (after amendment) was
That this Synod, recognising the continuing decline in numbers of under 16’s engaging with Church:
(a) encourage dioceses to act urgently and consider practical ways they can support and resource those churches both with significant numbers of children and young people and with specific aspirations to increase their numbers of the same;
(b) encourage dioceses to make provision to support and resource those churches serving communities which currently have small numbers of children, teenagers and young people;
(c) request dioceses to share good models of practice through churches helping to resource others so that we have many more churches engaging with children and young people;
(d) request the NCI’s to commit funding for qualitative research on the data received to help understand best practice in a variety of contexts;
(e) encourage dioceses to explore new ways to grow new church communities with young people as a primary missional focus;
(f) request the Evangelism and Discipleship team to ensure this work is clearly joined up with Growing Faith; and
(g) request an update from the Evangelism and Discipleship team in two years with analysis of progress in these areas.
and this was carried on a show of hands.
Official press releases
Overwhelming support for Synod safeguarding motion – This includes links to some of the speeches in the debate.
General Synod sets 2030 Net Zero carbon target
General Synod calls on Government to act over ‘pauper’ funerals
Press reports
Church Times
C of E ‘to be carbon-neutral by 2030’, after Synod rips up original target
Synod accepts that ‘serious money’ must be found for abuse survivors
The Guardian
Church of England may have to pay out millions over child sexual abuse
The Telegraph
Church of England cuts target for carbon neutrality by 15 years, from 2045 to 2030
Christian Today
Archbishop of Canterbury reaffirms apology to victims of clergy abuse
Ekklesia
Operation Noah welcomes Church of England decision to set 2030 net zero target
Blogs
Andrew Nunn Reality
Stephen Lynas You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
[This page will be updated during the day.]
9 Comments