It was both awe-inspiring and humbling to be introduced into the House of Lords, having been summoned by Her Majesty 'to be personally present at our aforesaid Parliament... and to give your counsel upon the affairs aforesaid'. The Introduction itself was a short and simple affair, as the bishops of Birmingham and Carlisle walked me into the Chamber, the writ was read, I responded, and then - with a bow to the Lord Speaker - took up my place on the Bench of Bishops. And while I have a rather demanding day job already in the Diocese of Guildford, I do hope to make a real contribution in the Lords as well, especially in the area of FoRB - Freedom of Religion and Belief - around the world. The day itself was much enhanced by having my wife, my sister and three of our children in the public gallery, with little grandson Natti sitting in the Bishop's Robing Room and treating the occasion with due solemnity!Watch the coverage here Bishop Andrew
For the past 30 years St Mary’s in Ticehurst, East Sussex, has invited the small flock - made up of six ewes and their lambs - into the churchyard for part of the year to increase biodiversity.Penny Evans, a licensed lay reader at the parish, explained: “We now have Wiltshire Horns in the churchyard, which works very well with our churchyard conservation project. “Wiltshire Horns do not need shearing, and so there is plenty of wool available for the birds' nests. “Birds even fill their boxes with cosy sheep wool. They also do an excellent job of looking after the grass in the churchyard.”In fact, the sheep helped the church gain a Gold Eco Award from the environment charity A Rocha UK. It is only the 24th church to achieve the award. Increasing biodiversity in the churchyard is part of this work and a summer meadow has been created by St Mary’s.Wiltshire Horns were once very common, before experiencing a decline in numbers during the 19th and 20th centuries. The flock return to its farm between January and March before returning to the parish with their lambs. “Sheep bring great pleasure to people of all ages,” Penny said. “People love visiting to watch the lambs playing. “It's a favourite place in the village for families, and people spend time sitting on the benches and taking in the peaceful atmosphere.”Helen Stephens, from the environment charity A Rocha UK, said: “We are delighted to celebrate St Mary's, Ticehurst Gold Eco Church. “It reflects that caring for God’s creation is integral to the church community’s mission and ministry and recognises the practical steps they are taking, including the 40 per cent of land used as pasture for a small flock of rare breed sheep.“St Mary’s is clearly committed to taking action at every level. We hope this award will prompt other churches to engage in caring for God’s world, to be part of a growing community of churches and other organisations, working together to restore and protect this precious planet.”The Church of England is currently consulting on its “routemap” to net zero carbon. It has pledged to reach net zero carbon by 2030, following a call from General Synod in 2020.
Members of the Church of England General Synod have unanimously backed a motion of support for churches around the world as a bishop warned of the “monstrous evil” of the “wholesale denial” of freedom of religion or belief in many countries.The motion called for dioceses and parishes to pray and offer other practical help to those facing persecution because of their faith and to rally support and raise awareness ahead of a global summit on Freedom of Religion or Belief taking place in London this summer.In a debate which heard powerful accounts of how Christians maintain their faith amid threats, violence, imprisonment and murder, members were told that 360 million Christians - about one in seven around the world - face persecution. The Bishop of Truro Philip Mounstephen, who carried out a review of Persecution of Christians across the Globe for the Foreign Office in in 2019, said the situation has deteriorated even in the last year. He highlighted the “disastrous fall” of Afghanistan to the Taliban, “now making it the most dangerous country on earth to be a Christian”, and the “outrageous murder” of Pastor William Siraj returning home after Sunday service in Peshawar on January 30. “The wholesale denial of freedom of religion or belief in today’s world is a great evil,” he said. Bishop Philip said he had been shocked by the ‘scale, scope and severity’ of what had been found during his review. “That people should be targeted simply because they believe different things and organise their lives accordingly is a monstrous evil,” he said. Opening the debate, brought by Lichfield Diocesan Synod, Penny Allen said: “You may have already seen the Open Doors website and the World Watch List where countries are highlighted where persecution takes place, in order that people may know and accept the reality of the situation in each country. “It is very sobering to learn that now 360 million Christians, that is one in seven around the world, face persecution.” Today’s debate comes after the General Synod held a debate on Freedom of Religion or Belief last April in which the Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines, warned that “human dignity and flourishing is diminished” when religious believers and atheists are persecuted. Father Damian Feeney, from the Diocese of Lichfield, co presenting the debate today, said there was an “ethical imperative to love all people without condition”. “Ten months ago, the Bishop of Leeds rightly reminded us that we cannot separate out persecution of Christians from that visited upon other groups and traditions.” He added: “To the Christian, persecution against any is anathema, and the principle of viewing all this through a human rights lens is vital... We pray that today a spark which ignited an individual conscience can blaze into a fire of prayer, advocacy and practical concern for our sisters and brothers for whom danger and vulnerability are the daily reality carried for allegiance to Jesus Christ. “We are dealing here with the lives of fellow humans, the least we can do is to try to understand what happens to people who live in this shadow.” The motion (see below for full wording) was passed with 329 votes, with none against and no abstentions.
Plans are underway for the 7th annual Thy Kingdom Come – a global ecumenical prayer for evangelisation, initiated by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York – occurring from Ascension to Pentecost. This year, the campaign will host an online launch event on 28th February- unveiling resources and plans for this year’s campaign, which will take place from the 26th May to 5th June. New resources will be unveiled for churches, families and individuals, as well as ways worshipping communities can participate over the 11 days.For adults, the main resources this year is the Prayer Journal and Novena- both written by Archbishop Justin Welby, with the Novena based on 1 Peter, the foundation scripture for the Lambeth Conference. 150,000 free copies will be given away as part of this year’s campaign. TKC will also be teaming up with 24-7 Prayer providing daily audio reflections for their Lectio 365 app. For children & families, there will be a brand-new series of Cheeky Pandas animations based on the Fruit of the Spirit (including a platinum Jubilee related episode) packed with fun, music, and biblical truths. Each episode will have an accompanying activity pack and assembly plan, which can be used at church, at home, or school. For youth, there will be a brand-new video series produced by a leading Christian Youth Ministry. A number of other special resources & plans will be revealed including contributors for the main 11- day video reflections which in the past, have included His Holiness Pope Francis, Pete Greig, Gemma Hunt and Archbishop Justin Welby. The movement has been supported by a range of high-profile ecumenical leaders in the UK including all the presidents of Churches Together in England, all the major denominations and various parachurch organisations. Speaking of this year’s plans, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: “Thy Kingdom Come happens every year because we constantly rely on a fresh empowering of the Holy Spirit. The urgency, vitality and necessity of Christians across the world joining together praying, ‘Come, Holy Spirit’ is essential. This is not primarily for our own renewal – but that we may live the calling of Christ to be His witnesses. I commend the resources the TKC team have produced for this year and pray they would enable our prayers, which we pray in the certainty that the Father always gives the Spirit to those who ask.”The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, who wrote last year’s Prayer Journal, said: “I look forward to this year’s Thy Kingdom Come – a fantastic opportunity for Christians across the world and from different denominations and traditions, to unite in prayer for friends and family to come to faith in Christ. With resources to suit everyone, I pray that it may also be a time of encouragement, joy and celebration as we broaden our vision and see Jesus is loved, known, worshipped and followed by people throughout the world.”His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox of London, Papal Legate to the United Kingdom said: “’Thy Kingdom Come’ has become a time of the year when we gather around a yearning for God’s presence upon us and His Spirit within us. It is a time for the Church to shine in its diversity and to proclaim God’s love, and reflect His light into every corner of the world. I am looking forward to my involvement this year and to seeing the wonders that the Church can perform, with God’s grace, when it works as one.” Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said: “In all our human endeavours, we need the presence of the Holy Spirit, “the Lord, the Giver of Life”, whose gift to the Church and the world we celebrate again at Pentecost. During the days of prayer of “Thy Kingdom Come”, we pray as a Christian family that others might share in the consolation and joy that come from knowing and loving our Blessed Lord. May our constant request be that the Holy Spirit guide us, strengthen our resolve and “renew the face of the earth”.”Carla Harding, the Director of 24-7 Prayer GB said: “We need God to empower His Church so we can effectively witness to those who don’t know Jesus. That’s why 24-7 Prayer are helping people around the globe join in with Thy Kingdom Come through Lectio 365, our free daily devotional App. Together, from Ascension to Pentecost, we will invite the Spirit to fill us afresh, and ask God to help us turn our prayers into mission.”Daud Irfan, this year’s Youth President for the Methodist Church of Great Britain said: “As we are approaching another season of Thy Kingdom Come, I am excited to not only be a part of this mission but to see the abundant grace of God, work powerfully to be a blessing for many through this global movement.”CBeebies Gemma Hunt, one of the voices behind the Cheeky Pandas said: “Each year there is such a variety of ways to get involved with TKC and 2022 is really spoiling you! I’m honoured to be a part of a few projects that I hope you will look out for; including the brilliant 24-7 Prayer App Lectio for Families, which is collaborating with TKC for a week of prayers and see if you can hear my voice of not one but two Cheeky Pandas. TKC 2022 is an opportunity to pause, reconnect, recharge and power in to the year ahead!”Emma Buchan, TKC Project Director said: “We are so excited to share our plans for TKC 2022 at this webinar. At the heart of TKC is our commitment to serve the Church, hoping to inspire, equip and enable all to grow in faith; by providing free, spiritually nourishing resources for all ages. As a result, we will be giving away in total 150,000 copies of the Prayer journal and Novena. Our award-winning app will also be back and will be available in 9 different languages.”Across the Anglican communion support for the movement continues to grow. From Brazil to Burundi and beyond.The Revd Devsiri Peiris, Prayer Coordinator Church of Ceylon in Sri Lanka, said: "It has been an amazing journey to partner with the Archbishop of Canterbury in this global wave of prayer…we experience the awesome power of the Holy Spirit."From the Dean of Melbourne in Australia, The Very Revd Dr Andreas Loewe, said: “We have found Thy Kingdom Come to be a wonderful transformational opportunity for all people of all ages and many nations to come together and pray that five friends of theirs might come to know Jesus Christ."Bishop Francisco, Bishop of South Western Brazil, said: "Every year, more and more people are involved in this beautiful movement: beautiful because it is a movement of prayer."Bishop Pontien of Rutana, Burundi said: "It is a privilege to us as a church to join other nations and other churches in the world to pray God that may pour His Holy Spirit upon the world and especially upon people who are still in darkness so they may know and accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord."
