Multi million cash injections to grow the CofE in Carlisle and Rochester
Two Church of England dioceses have received multi million cash injections to create new worshipping communities. The diocese of Carlisle has been awarded £6.8 million to create 90 new groups over the next five years, focussing on Barrow, Carlisle and the rural Derwent deanery. 200 new leaders will be trained and support will be offered to young Christians, from 0 – 25 years old. The diocese of Rochester will receive £11 million over the next five years to serve communities stretching from the Medway towns to Bromley, which will supplement £10.9 million “to help grow a flourishing and well-resourced parish system”. The Bishop of Rochester, Dr Jonathan Gibbs, has said he is delighted at the award, but raised concerns at the financial difficulties faced by three quarters of dioceses. He said a proposal for the Church Commissioners to offer short term funding was not sufficient and he appealed for local dioceses to be in control of finances, rather than control from the centre. Without this change, he said “the parochial system and the Church of England’s commitment to be present and ministering in every community will be under increasingly severe strain”.
Turning point as Jews emigrate from Israel into European countries
A report due out tomorrow (Wednesday) from the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, will give details of the emigration of Jews from Israel to European countries, where they are bolstering Jewish communities in the diaspora. The Guardian reports that this is a significant change, a turning point, reversing decades of Jewish people moving to Israel. It points to existing Israeli government statistics showing an acceleration of emigration from Israel, which it says is driven by factors including political polarisation, the high cost of living, the impact of wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and security concerns after the bloody Hamas raid into Israel of October 2023 and Iranian attacks. The IJPR research will chart how the influx of Jews into European countries has given Jewish communities a demographic and cultural boost and will suggest how this has resulted in a changed relationship of Israel to the diaspora.
US evangelicals criticise Trump over approach to aids and refugees
The US National Association of Evangelicals has taken issue with the Trump administration’s decision to cut international development aid, which it says, will mean an end to a programme preventing deaths from HIV/Aids. It has also criticised the administration’s “harsh” response to refugees which it says is unChristian. White evangelicals have been among Trump’s strongest electoral bases, principally on the issue of abortion. The Guardian reports that the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) is exempt from aid, but quotes the Association saying there is a lack of awareness in government that the aid cuts mean the infrastructure to deliver help is gone. A mission doctor says people will die unless the administration changes its approach.
Gateway megachurch founder charged with child sex abuse
The founder of the Gateway megachurch in Texas, Robert Morris, has been charged with five counts of child sexual abuse in Oklahoma in the 1980s, when he was a young man aged 20. The charges reveal his alleged victim was a girl aged 12 and that he abused her on several occasions until she was 17 years old. At the time, he was a travelling evangelist. In a statement, he admitted being involved in inappropriate sexual behaviour with a young lady in a home where he was staying. He said: “It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong”. He confessed, stepped away from ministry, repented and sought forgiveness and since then he had “walked in purity and accountability in this area”. He returned to the ministry in 1989 and set up the Gateway church in 2000.
Mosque vandalised in Aberdeen
A 17 year old has been charged after paint was thrown at the door of a mosque in Aberdeen, and a brick was thrown through the window, while worshippers were inside. People are said to have been shaken, but supported by the local community who came out to help clear up the mess. Mosques are now strengthening their security during Ramadan because of a rise in Islamophobia. Zara Mohammed, former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, says she is disheartened and “deeply saddened” by the incident but glad to see the community rally round, which she says is “the true spirit of community, especially during Ramadan”.
21 year old Seminarian brutally killed in Nigeria
The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need says a 21 year-old seminarian in Nigeria has been brutally killed by kidnappers. The diocese says that Andrew Peter was kidnapped with Fr Philip Ekweli, from a rectory next to their church near Okpekpe town, in Edo State. Armed attackers ransacked the church, smashing doors and windows and led the two men into the forest. Fr Ekweli was released after 10 days in captivity. The bishop in the region said the security situation in the state is worsening, people do not feel safe and the area has become a safe haven for kidnappers.
Holi festivals across Britain
Colourful processions, parties and outdoor gatherings celebrating the festival of Holi, have taken place in the UK over the past ten days, with most of them falling on Friday and Saturday. This report from Wales gives accounts of festivals in Wrexham, Swansea and Cardiff. And in Leicester, the report is here
Growing interest in ideas “Seen and Unseen”
The website Seen and Unseen, which offers articles with a Christian take on issues of modern life, is celebrating its second anniversary this week. It is part of the Centre for Cultural Witness, based at Lambeth Palace and funded by Spectator owner Sir Paul Marshall, whose aim is to “inspire a renewal in the public understanding of Christian faith”, at a time when churches “are struggling to make their voice heard”. In its short history there has been tumultuous change, with wars, elections, the Olympics and a coronation. Senior editor Nick Jones said: “We are not a news site, but the popularity of our content shows the growing interest in the seen and unseen themes beneath the headlines.”
