‘All Are Welcome’: Britain’s Methodist churches unite in hymn against division and fear
Methodists in Britain have responded to the recent protests in London, the disorder outside asylum hotels and the flag raising campaign across the country, with a hymn. A new arrangement and recording of “Let us build a house where love can dwell”, also known as “All Are Welcome”, has been made into a film, featuring over 140 congregations from diverse backgrounds, joyfully proclaiming in many languages: “All Are Welcome”. Ben Lawrence, digital content producer at the Methodist Church, who wrote the arrangement and produced the recording, said: “Many people have been made to feel, not just unwelcome, but frightened and intimidated by what is happening. We want this to be a song of reassurance, friendship and understanding. When we posted the invitation for churches to record their contribution we were staggered by the response. Within 48 hours of making the ask, over 100 church groups had sent in their recordings, illustrating the strength of feeling held by many when faced with intimidation in their communities.” The hymn was written by the American Lutheran composer Marty Haugen for the opening of a church building and is used in worship as a gathering song. Organisers hope that Methodist churches and Christian groups will play and share the hymn in the coming weeks “to reassure everyone in their communities that all truly are welcome”. The hymn is here
Call for discussion on integration and the ‘weaving of society’
Daniel Singleton, the CEO of Faith Action, a national network of faith-based and community organisations engaged in social action, says that Britain needs to learn lessons from Singapore on community cohesion and integration. In a blog, he said there is much talk in the UK at present of community tensions, immigration, rights, and welfare systems, yet for some time, “governments of all different hues have neglected this area of policy and failed to invest the time or effort to articulate or find consensus on what it actually means to integrate into the UK”. On a recent visit to Singapore, he heard the president, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, talk about the active “weaving of society”, by civil society, faith and families, which did not happen by chance, but only through shared hopes, shared purposes, and shared endeavour. Mr Singleton took away the idea that “We should not aspire to the quilt, a patchwork of many parts stitched together which may tear at the seams in times of pressure, but to the tapestry, a single piece woven together from many threads of different colours and textures supporting each other. A nation at one with itself.” Full article here
Israeli women ‘abused and raped in Britain’ after being matched with violent men
A Jewish Chronicle investigation has found that dozens of Israeli women have been brought to Britain to marry men from strictly Orthodox communities with backgrounds of abuse and violence. The report says that women are typically from poorer families and are matched with abusive men, with false claims that they are wealthy, and under the impression they will be in the UK temporarily until they return to set up home in Israel. The investigation by Jane Prinsley, includes quotes from women abused, forced to have children and raped. Six cases have come to light, and twelve women have sought counselling for similar situations in the past year. Jewish Women’s Aid, which supports women and children affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence, said they have witnessed this “disturbing pattern” emerge in recent years. The report is here
Mayor of Bethlehem says ‘emigration is draining the Holy Land of Christian presence’
The mayor of Bethlehem, Maher Nicola Canawati, has met Pope Leo XIV to draw attention to the plight of Christians in the West Bank, saying that emigration is draining the Holy Land of its Christian presence. He told Vatican News: “People have been leaving Bethlehem, leaving Palestine because of what’s happening and what’s going on. The Palestinian Christians are now only 168,000 in the Holy Land, while there are over 4 million Palestinian Christians all over the world. That by itself shows how much pressure there is on the Christians”. Mr Canawati is a Christian, a requirement for the mayor of Bethlehem, which houses the oldest Christian community in the world. He said the Pope agreed the top priority was to stop the war.
Catholic bishop welcomes recognition of the State of Palestine
Bishop Jim Curry, lead bishop for the Holy Land for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has welcomed the UK government’s recognition of the State of Palestine as a “right and not a reward”. In a statement, he said: “During the visit of the Holy Land Coordination group earlier this year, I met with Palestinian Christian communities in the West Bank – in Bethlehem, Aboud and Taybeh – and listened to their stories about the realities on the ground and the hardships they face every day. Their pain reinforced my conviction that the path to justice and peace can only be achieved when equal rights for all peoples – Jews, Christians and Muslims – are respected. I therefore echo the Holy See’s conviction that the Two-State Solution remains the ‘only viable path for Israel and Palestine’, grounded in internationally recognised borders.” He also called for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages must be secured, and aid “for the millions who require it”.
Seven Buddhist monks killed in Sri Lanka cable car accident
Seven Buddhist monks have died in a cable car accident at the Na Uyana Monastery in central Sri Lanka, which is spread over more than 5,000 acres of forest on a mountain range. CNN reports that of those who were killed, three were foreign nationals from India, Russia and Romania. The cable car’s tracks are on a steep incline, parallel to a huge, winding set of steps, and the report says an image shows a frayed, snapped cable.
Britain’s Rabbinic couples share secrets on how to make marriage work
Rabbi Jonathan Romain and his wife Rabbi Sybil Sheridan are one of eight married Rabbinic couples in the UK and in an article in the Jewish Chronicle, he tells the story of how six of them met recently for tea. He mulls over how they’ve all made it work, in his own case for 44 years. He says: “Despite the conventional wisdom about rabbis being ‘invisible six days a week and unintelligible on the seventh’, most of us tend to work 24/7. As well as leading services and teaching classes, we spend an enormous amount of time on pastoral work. When there are two of you doing that, how does the marriage survive?.. One couple waggishly suggested it was because rabbinic couples see each other less than regular ones and ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’. Another posited it is because we have less time to argue!”. Article is here.
