This week's prompt is getting deeper than ever:
A door opened and I went through it.
Let's open some doors to see what awaits us on the other side.
I had the perfect door in my mind, but I couldn't get there this past week, so I went to the bookshelf and picked up a beautiful book "Romania: Signs of faith". It talks about faith and religion and old culture... it talks about- and for- the soul.
In there I found my picture (I knew it would be there):
|Gate of carved wood - Maramures; 1996|
photo by Dan Ioan Dinescu
Book: Romania, signs of faith - published by NOI Media Print
If you knock on a door in such a village the head of the house will open it and let you in. They will sit you down and feed you, whatever they have on the table they will fully share with you, even if they never saw you before, even if they will never see you after. To try to pay them for their hospitality is an insult. To love their neighbour and to care for their guest, to give him shelter and host the stranger (the one that comes in peace!) - that is part of their nature.
The hospitality of the people in that region is renowned and it goes back in history (our traditional folk stories all talk about strangers being welcomed with bread and salt and wine). You have to be there, to watch the early morning fog engulfing everything, to witness a sunrise in the hills and mountains, to breathe the dew - and maybe you'll understand the people. People who follow the secular rules of wrong and right, who see everything in the simple light of faith, without judging you, though. They have this incredible link with God, an old link (our faith is almost as old as faith itself: the country has been Christian since ~100 AD): they don't "go to Church", they breathe and live through it. For them (and us) God is truly your neighbour, the one whom you love and greet every morning and every moment, the Heaven truly starts at the village border.
Welcome! If you come in peace you'll be received with love and you'll find shelter for as long as you need it.
Thank you for coming into my world today - and please make sure you knock at all the other doors. Sally is a generous host through this wonderful journey!


Sunday, April 8, 2012
Even after all of this time, seven months or so, I am still at times overcome with disbelief that this has happened. It is like sudden bursts of reality that wash over my conscientiousness. I usually stop and tell myself, “JT, we’ve been through this before, and you’ve accepted it already”. But that does little good – and that is okay because the bursts of shock are usually brief and while they stun me momentarily, they don’t remove all of the work I’ve done, accepting my situation.
Which isn’t to say, I move through my life these days, completely serine – stoic; like a Buddhist monk, enlightened to a sense of perfect well being. That is not me, in spite of the brevity I have been able to muster. The fact of the matter is, I want to live, and I tell my doctors, no matter what they tell me, I am not going to die. They usually smile, and carry on with their work respecting my wishes to remain totally optimistic – perhaps even foolishly. Those bursts of reality at times, bring me to my knees in prayer for God to save me; heal me and while I don’t believe God gave me this illness, I have no doubt He can take it away.
As I am sure it is with every cancer patient, my ability to conduct my daily affairs with a positive attitude and enough hope to not only put one foot in front of the other but to smile and laugh every day, is composed of two seemingly opposed fundamental ideas. FIRST and foremost, although the statistics are against me, I believe down in my bones that I could be one of the few to actually beat this illness. My prayers, Vespers, Kyrie Eleisons (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Schola_Gregoriana-Kyrie_eleison.ogg) – all of my Praise and Thanksgivings include pleadings to God for me to achieve complete recovery. The belief that I have in this prayer-life is directly proportional to my sense of well being.
Secondly, if the cancer does come back, while I will have vast adjustments to make, and further acceptance to digest and nourish myself with, at this point I am living my life with the belief that the cancer will not return, or if it does, we can kill it again. So it is not so much that I am brave, but that I have hope and faith (some would say foolishly).
If my current life-plans don’t pan out, or in the case that I should need to adjust for a different possible outcome, I will do that when the time is more appropriate.
The unknown is a frightening thing to all of us – and not necessarily more so for those of us who have been diagnosed with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses. A human life is not an easy business; the fact that all of us have the knowledge of our own eventual demise seems like a cruel aspect of being human. But then it is not – for it is not that I am or that we are like ships at the mercy of stormy seas, tossed around with no power to affect our plights at all, but our sense of well being and the quality of our lives comes from our outlook of life – how we choose to perceive our predicaments. Do we live for the joyful moments, or do our attitudes succumb to the dangers inherent in every human existence? Our bodies will eventually succumb to those dangers. It is not only unnecessary for us to allow fear to rob us of the joys available to us, but if we live in constant fear of what bad things lurk around every corner then we are “dead people walking”. The day we meet God is out there somewhere for every one of us. That is one day, one moment. Meeting God will be a joyful experience beyond what I can imagine. But we also want to live. So let us remember, is not every day that we must die, yet some of us do exactly that.
Finally, it is not that I am completely without fear or doubt. I experience a little bit of both on a daily basis. But it is a process; a striving and even an average. Some days, I have to ask myself, did I spend most of my day with hope and faith or in fear and death? I have won the day if I can honestly say, even if just by a fraction, most of my time that day was spent in the positive.
The Apostle Paul said it best in one of the best passages in the Bible.
Philippians chapter 4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.


11 November 2010
It is a pleasure for me to have been invited here this evening to deliver this talk which follows, I understand, in a tradition of such events here.
I must confess to you that when I was first approached to do this I was a little hesitant. I am no theologian and my study of history as an undergraduate at Oxford, although one of the best periods of my life was a long time ago. And there is a dangerous tendency of politicians to be willing to pontificate on most things, often with scant knowledge.
But over the 13 years I have been an MP, I have been fascinated, as a practicing member of the Church of England, by the growing debate on the role of religion in society. It’s a subject that has tended to be marked by contrasting responses from different Christian denominations. Challenged by the questioning of that which was previously unquestioned, different responses have emerged. Some are assertive, such as the Pentecostal and Evangelical Christians whose growth has bucked the trend of general decline in church attendance. Others have attempted accommodation with the growth of secularism and religious diversity. All operate in a climate of uncertainty as to the future shape our society and their place within it. It is this that prompted me to accept your invitation as it gives me the opportunity to pull together some personal thoughts on this issue.
I have chosen for my talk tonight the title the Christian Church and British Values. Let me say straight away, and as a careful politician, that in choosing this title, I am not any way suggesting that other faith groups are not contributing to the building of our society and national character. Indeed it would be difficult to do having spent several days of the last fortnight at mixed faith social gatherings, organised to celebrate Diwali. As I shall make clear during my talk I place great store on the contribution people of faith – or of none - have made and are making to our collective wellbeing. But our gathering in this beautiful church, which epitomizes our Anglican tradition of worship makes me want to concentrate on the Christian contribution and in particular its Anglican variant. This again is not to minimize the contribution of other Christian denominations whether Roman Catholic or Non Conformist, or to ignore the fact that Anglicanism is largely the product of one country in the United Kingdom. But as I will try to explain, its influence has been of key importance in shaping our collective identity. This also necessarily requires us to look back on our history to understand how our Christian heritage has shaped us, because it is by doing so that I think that we can also discern the role that Christians and Christian belief can play in our country’s future.
I want to start with the here and now. The detractors of religious belief claim that we now live in one of most secular societies in Europe. They look approvingly at the progressive decline in overall church attendance, the almost total disappearance of Sunday as a day set apart for worship or quietude and the encouragement of Winterval as a substitute for Christmas .
Those who value the contribution of religion can point out that although church going is not such a marked feature of our society as it was, even so, when asked the question a substantial majority of British people acknowledged some spirituality. In the census of 2001 only 16% of the population identified itself as having no religion. In contrast 72%-42 million people described themselves as Christian, this figure encompassing both those holding to the vaguest of Christian traditions and the active Christianity prominent particularly in Black evangelical and Pentecostal churches. And despite the prominence of Islam in the media, only 1.7 million out of 59 million described themselves as Muslim.
We have recently seen this debate played out during the visit of the Pope. Before his visit there was much speculation within the newspapers as to how his visit would be received. What can only be described as a great deal of cynicism was expressed, with much speculation and some gleeful hand rubbing as to which was going to be the more popular – the Pope’s celebration of Mass or the planned demonstrations against his presence. His critics did not just come from the ranks of secularists, there were many critics of the church on a number of issues. Pope Benedict does not benefit from the charismatic attraction enjoyed by his predecessor John Paul II, who was seen as a champion of freedom of religious expression against Communist tyranny.
In the event as we witnessed, this first ever state visit of a Pontiff was rather a success. Thousands turned out to line the streets as he passed. As one newspaper noted “ If there was one place where the predicted crowds simply failed to show these past four days it was on the Nope-to Pope rally in London on Saturday, a damp squib compared to the 50,000 in nearby Hyde Park for the papal prayer vigil” (Daily Telegraph Monday 20 September). But it seemed to me that his visit achieved rather more than just showing the cynics they were wrong. In just a few short days he made many Christians feel good by reminding us not only what we have achieved as a small but vigorous society but also why we had achieved it.
In his speech given in Westminster Hall, which I was privileged to hear at first hand, he praised us as a nation for our “national instinct for moderation…a pluralist democracy which places great value of freedom of speech, freedom of political affiliation and respect for the rule of law with a strong sense of the individual’s right and duties, and of the equality of all citizens before the law”. These values he concluded gave us an ethical dimension to policies that produced notable achievements of which he cited the global spreading of our participative government and common law legal tradition. The abolition of the slave trade, he declared, was based on “firm ethical principles, rooted in the natural law” and was “a contribution to civilization of which this nation may be justly proud”.
What fascinated me about the Pope’s visit is that it took a man of his authority to tell us what we should already know: and that is that religion and people of faith have played and play an enormous if unsung part in the fabric of our society, even though as my colleague Sayeeda Warsi, a Muslim, has said, it is deeply unfashionable to say so. It is all the more interesting that this analysis should come from the foreign head of a minority Christian denomination in Britain whose adherents were discriminated against officially until the mid 19th century and unofficially until much more recently.
A peeling back of the superficial secularism that now prevails as a politically correct norm reveals a substantial role for the Christian faith and faith based activity. It is not for the most part oppositional to other faiths or to secularism, or at least it has not been so until very recently-a topic which I shall return to in a moment. Rather it has created a zone of inclusion that seems to be widely appreciated. In a BBC poll in February last year almost two thirds (63%) of those questioned said that the “law should respect and be influenced by UK religions values. A similar proportion (62%) agreed that, “religion has an important role to play in public life. Remarkably the support for this was higher amongst the young than among the middle aged and elderly. Moreover 79% of Muslims polled, and 74% each of Hindus and Sikhs polled supported a stronger role in public life for the UK’s traditional Christian religious values.
Now I suggest that one of the reasons for this positive reaction is the immensely diverse levels of involvement in society that the churches and in particular the Anglican church facilitates. By way of example:
More people do unpaid work for Church of England organizations than for any other, with 8% of adults doing such work.
A quarter of regular churchgoers of all denominations are involved in voluntary community work outside of their churches delivering an estimated total of 23.2million hours of voluntary service.
The Church of England alone provides activities for 407,000 children and young people outside of church worship facilitated by 116,000 volunteer helpers.
Church of England congregations give more than £51.7million each year to other charities. This is I note is more than the amount raised by the BBC’s Children in Need appeal.
And I have not even begun to look at education where approaching one million pupils are educated in more than 4700 Church of England schools.
And so as not to leave out other denominations, it is worth pointing out that the Salvation Army spent over £103million last year on charitable activities and that the Catholic Church educates over 80,000 pupils in secondary schools.
It is I think noteworthy that this plethora of activity appears to command wide public approval. 72% of people polled in a recent survey agreed that Church of England schools help young people grow into responsible members of society and 80% agreed that they promoted good behaviour and positive attitudes.
As an MP I also encounter the presence of Christian religious practice suffusing our national culture at every turn. When the Queen opens Parliament she finishes her address by asking that the blessing of Almighty God should rest on our counsels. Both Houses open their proceedings with appropriate prayers and the Speaker, despite being an atheist of Jewish faith background has a chaplain to lead them. A number of Anglican bishops have a constitutional right to be present and vote in the House of Lords. All major expressions of national celebration or sorrow have a religious aspect and in the coronation of the monarch we have about as complete a marriage of Christian religion with the secular authority of the State as it would be possible to devise.
“Faith and truth I will bear unto thee” promises the Queen at her coronation. Instead of the Social Contract between State and citizen which in theory underpins the operation of the French State, we mark ceremonially the legitimization of our subjection to the Queen’s authority and that of her government on the basis of God’s holy ordinances. And it applies to all including her ministers such as myself who pledge oaths to her personally on appointment.
The relationship between church and state applies at a more local level too with the round of civic services and as you will have had here when your present rector arrived services of installation. In the case of the enthronement of the present Bishop of Oxford in whose diocese my constituency is located, I noted with interest that there were present when I attended, assorted MPs, three Lords Lieutenant, High Sheriffs, numerous Mayors local government chairmen, Judges, the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police and various representative members of the armed forces in uniform, quite apart from representatives of other faiths and denominations. In a different setting we will get the same coming together of religion and the State in three days time on Remembrance Sunday.
Some may argue that all this is but a decorative relic of an earlier age when the role of the Church was much more important-a sort of state sponsored Shinto. But it does illustrate the astonishing extent to which the Christian religion and in England its Anglican variant forms key building blocks of the collective expression of national identity. And Britain being a country where tradition is not prized beyond the point where it is irrelevant, the continuing flourishing of public manifestations of Christian belief and values must be because the tangible benefits of Christianity in education, charitable works and social cohesion, the good neighbourliness that binds us together and helps relieve some of life’s trials and problems remains such a potent force in our society.
The Church-State link is, I believe important as it provides a moral framework to the role of the State in relation to its citizens and a moral authority when the State acts. While we may now live in a rights based society with the ECHR to protect us, it reflects the Christian ethics of its drafters.
And it is I think of particular significance that the Church of England remains the vehicle of choice for most faith groups to bring people together at a time of difficulty. The ability of the Archbishop Canterbury to do this immediately after the 7th July 2005 was noteworthy.
Yet it is also clear that there are trends in place undermining the role Christian belief has played in our society. The State has in its anxiety to preserve harmony and civil society in an environment where been prompted by these differences to legislate more to regulate the way we behave towards each other and to try and ensure equality between competing individuals and groups.
Thus the Equality Act and its recent predecessors has created real uncertainty for Christians and for others where faith about how to reconcile their conscience with the demands of the law. The law itself seems to be accompanied by underlying demands that all adhere to more prescriptive codes of social behavior and “political correctness so as not to cause offence to others.
And in a country with a long history of protecting the right to freedom of expression we have witnessed a reversal of that trend. The Public Order acts have been used by the Police on more than one occasion to threaten individuals with prosecution, who express criticism of certain behaviour as sinful. A street preacher from my constituency was told by the local Police that he was allowed to preach the Gospel but that it was harassment to warn people that they might go to hell if they did not repent of their sins and that he would then be arrested! A couple of years ago the President of the National Secular Society Mr Terry Sanderson argued for the right of the State to dictate Christian doctrine. In response to two senior Roman Catholic leaders warning that catholic politicians who support abortion might be denied Holy Communion, a not it seemed to me unreasonable statement in view of its teachings on the sanctity of human life, Mr Sanderson said “There is an implied call to Catholic politicians and health workers to place Catholic doctrines above the wishes of the electorate. This is undemocratic and unacceptable.”
While this is happening, Islamic fundamentalists argue that there can be no division between state and religion and seeks to achieve this congruence through political action and to suppress all plurality of views other than its own once it has done so. It is highly demanding of special privileges in the meantime, with pressure for the introduction of State recognition of Sharia law to regulate family matters and demands for blasphemy laws to protect the tenets of their faith from criticism they deem offensive. Other religious groups have shown some similar trends with the violent protests by some Sikhs over the play Behzti echoing those over that occurred after Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses was published.
It is important to note that the visibility and impact of these groups is disproportionate to their numbers. Many Muslims request reasonable adjustments to the law to live their lives. Sikhs constitute for the most part one of the most tolerant and active groups in our society as I know in my own constituency. But moderate voices receive much less prominence than extreme views. There is an uneasy sense that it is those who demand the most by way of “rights” who get what they want and those who ask for nothing who find their freedom of expression and action curtailed in the name of social cohesion.
One consequence is that we have seen some Christian groups become much more vocal, with a greater assertiveness in the face what has been seen as the erosion of the ability to manifest their beliefs. As the measure to introduce an offence of incitement to hatred on the grounds of religion was amended against the wishes of government, so as to ensure that freedom of religious expression was maintained, a demonstration of singers from mainly black Pentecostal Churches sang outside Parliament. This episode also brought together a highly effective lobbying campaign under the umbrella of the Evangelical Alliance. Since then we have had the representations by Lord Carey, Bishop Nazir Ali and others arguing that Christian principles and ethics are being undermined in a tide of State prescribed secularism-a theme also picked up by the Pope on his visit.
Until recently most of the Church of England has shown a marked reluctance to get engaged in this debate. We have been true to our principles of moderation and tended to avoid assertive argument. It is only in the last couple of years that a parliamentary liaison officer has been appointed to talk with interested MPs and Peers and seek to influence key issues before Parliament. When the proposal for an offence of incitement to hatred on the grounds of religion was first proposed there were a number of bishops in the House of Lords who welcomed the proposal for its capacity to curb offensive remarks about any religion and saw this as more important than the implications of the proposals for freedom of speech. Insofar as the Church of England has been perceived by outsiders as controversial this has been associated with the increasingly intemperate language expressed at General Synod by factions for and against the appointment of women bishops!
Some have argued that the Church of England’s approach is a sign of its weakness or its irrelevance. For others assertiveness in this difficult area of competing rights and values raises difficult issues of Christian ethics and runs counter to the need to maintain love and tolerance of one’s neighbour. I must admit to finding it difficult at times to escape the conclusion that the Church of England is in danger of being marginalized over this important debate on national values. Relentless agonizing is certainly not an effective response to the challenge we face of nurturing and preserving those values the Pope identified in his Westminster address as being our key contribution to human development. We have good reason to be proud of the fact that the Anglican version of Christianity has played an important part in developing our national character and values. For much of what the Pope praised is intimately linked to our distinctive version of Christianity.
The history of our country is in important measure about the harnessing of Christian religious ethics to promote ethical standards within State and society. As was highlighted by the Archbishop of York when he said, “our identity as a nation owes more to our Christian heritage than many care to admit. Writing in the 8th century the Venerable Bede, the father of English history, wrote not only of how the English were converted, but how the Gospel played a major socializing and civilizing role in this country by uniting the English from a group of warring tribes and conferring nationhood on them.”
But that inestimable benefit still left us 500 years ago as a royal autocracy underpinned by religious orthodoxy that suppressed dissenting views with the energy still displayed today in Iran. The move from that state to the pluralist democracy we have come to enjoy today came about through a process of religious polemic, debate, failed attempts by the State to try and control the process and some violence-not one suspects what Henry VIII had in mind when he decided to assert the Royal Supremacy over the Church to resolve his problem in obtaining a divorce! We owe however to his daughter Elizabeth Ist to have injected a pragmatism into our religious affairs which while seeking to establish a single national church attempted to allow the maximum of flexibility to its adherents. As she famously said “I have no desire to make a window in to men’s souls”. Her strange combination of Protestant doctrine with the maintenance of many aspects of the old religion from sung liturgy in her Chapels Royal to the three fold ministry of bishops, priests and deacons marked an experiment in moderation that has remained with Anglicanism ever since.
Elizabeth’s attempt at a broad church failed. But it recognized the need for some compromise. So gradually and often through much personal forbearance and gritted teeth we have achieved a condition where the tolerance of the beliefs of others was seen as more advantageous to our wellbeing than imposed solutions and persecution. The Vicar of Bray may be a figure of fun, but his ability to accommodate himself to different regimes and the willingness of those regimes to allow him the latitude for accommodation is more imprinted with traditions of Christian charity and forbearance than the views and ultimate treatment of the Millenarian extremists who took part in the Putney debates and were denounced by Cromwell as “poor fantasticals” before some of them ended their days executed by him against the walls of Burford church. The courage of the jury in the Penn- Mead trial in 1674 to uphold the right of a jury not to be directed to return a verdict and to do so in favour of members of an unpopular sect of Quakers shows perhaps how well the lesson was being learnt that coercion of conscience was pointless. It is not an accident that there are pubs in England called the “Live and let live”.
The tolerance of Protestant dissenters in the late 17th century, Catholic emancipation in 1829 and Jewish emancipation in the 1840’s each unlocked the possibility for them to participate in the public sphere, something from which we have all benefitted. And the promotion of good works emphasized by John Wesley in the 18th century was a powerful force of social transformation. It links directly with the work of William Wilberforce in the Anglican tradition of harnessing Christian belief to bring about change for the better. Today we remember him principally for the abolition of the Slave Trade against powerful resistance from within the established Church where some Bishops were slave owners. But his work in seeking the reform of public morals set a benchmark for action that was taken up across Christian denominations in the 19th century, as was shown by the extraordinary work of Cardinal Manning in this sphere, now largely forgotten. Yet thousands, touched by his work for poverty-stricken dockers and his contributions o the Royal Commission on housing, attended his funeral in 1892.
None of this however happened without polemic and discord. Free of the modern constraints of political correctness and “Equality of esteem” between denominations and faiths, our 19th century forebears did not conflate tolerance of the rights of others to hold a viewpoint as inhibiting their denunciation of that viewpoint if they chose. Gladstone’s hostility to the doctrines of Roman Catholicism went hand in hand with co-operation with its adherents on social and political projects. He and Manning, friends since oxford, would meet regularly at their club. The Christian socialism of John Ruskin and William Morris was very different from the work of Lord Shaftsbury, a Conservative, in promoting “Ragged Schools” and social improvement. Yet today we can see them as very much within the same canon of Christian principles. Indeed it seems to me to be one of the benchmarks of our national tradition that Christian faith and action go hand in hand. When William Wilberforce questioned whether political activity was compatible with his deepening faith it was his friend William Pitt who told him. “You are deluding yourself into principles that have but too much tendency to counteract your own object and to render your virtues and your talents useless to yourself and mankind”. Pitt went on “If a Christian may act in the several relations of life must he seclude himself from all to become so? Surely the principles and practice of Christianity are simple and lead not to meditation only but to action”.
Nowhere is this better illustrated than in looking at charitable activity in our country. A Charitable purpose was first defined under Queen Elizabeth Ist when the object of the promotion of religion was entirely confined to the Church of England. But on the back of emancipation of all denominations and faiths and without any legislation these purposes have been extended by the courts to the activities of all religious groups. Thus a torrent of good works has been released which in many cases benefit the wider community. Faith schools, Anglican, Roman Catholic and then Jewish, charitable foundations for the relief of poverty, hospitals, children’s homes and of course international aid, an activity that transcends faith groups and is a defining characteristic of our national values with £9.9 billion contributed in the last year, all through a legal vehicle unique to our common law tradition and created with specifically Christian values at its origin.
I trust you will excuse me for this excursion into the past. But it seems to me essential to have done do in making an analysis of what contribution Christian belief may make to the future of our country and the values that we may take forward and develop.
We are currently being told repeatedly that we live in a post Christian age, a country permeated by either non belief or non Christian belief as evidenced I suppose by the recent instructions to the police as to how to behave correctly and respectfully if they stumble on a witches coven. But as I have attempted to demonstrate this evening I think this is a gross oversimplification of the position. Religious and social pluralism, the fruit of the growth of tolerance based on Christian principles so firmly rooted in the core values of our faith has indeed created an astonishing variety of religious and secular beliefs some of which are extremely challenging to the maintenance and development of a tolerant society.
But equally the reach of Christianity, as a result of exactly the same values, has in its social and political achievement in the lives of people in this country remains colossal in scale. Moreover respect for Christian ethical principles is very high even for those who do not share its beliefs or more pertinently only half share them. In this context it seems pretty clear that church attendance levels are not the only way in which faith is expressed. In 2001 41% of those who did not go to church nonetheless told an opinion survey that they prayed. Of the one third of respondents classified as “unreligious” in a British Social Attitudes Survey in 2008 49% considered that religious belief was beneficial in helping people find inner peace and happiness. And as we know from many diverse examples, if the formula of worship and involvement is right participation, through church attendance can grow, as shown here in this parish and in others with good leadership. And if overall regular church attendance continues to decline, 85% of the population of our country has attended a church in the course of a year, whether for a service- a wedding or a funeral or just as a quiet place to sit and think. The Church of England’s role in this is crucial because alone of all churches it has the reach and commitment to provide a universal service of spiritual support to those wanting it. Some in recent years have questioned this and suggested we might do better if we closed ourselves off through disestablishment and concentrated on our core support group. I cannot see how such an approach could help promote the values we share.
Similarly some question establishment in the context of Church-State relations and express the view that disconnecting the two would be desirable. But Christian faith and the Church of England are not rivals to the body politic of our country. They complement each other, brought together by shared history and as I tried to show earlier, provide a vehicle for relations between state and all faith groups that are immensely valued. There will of course always be some tension in the relationship but that is not a good reason for abandoning it. The danger at present is that faced with growing religious, moral and cultural diversity the State responds through increasing controls to regulate the way individuals relate to each other in the name of preserving civil society. It is a serious error, because it tends to push moderate religion out of the public and political sphere altogether. Shackled by bureaucracy it is deterred from carrying out work of wider public benefit. Anxious about transgressing rules of political correctness it does not speak out on important ethical issues. This leaves the field clear to those of exclusionary viewpoints. They are not inhibited by the rules. They can hog the limelight of debate with confrontational views. This means that constructive debate between Christians and those of other beliefs and none in the public sphere are much less likely to occur. I think this matters a great deal, as it is through such contact that we moderate each other’s attitudes and behaviour by exchanges of information, opinion and ideas. This is as true in the realm of faith as it is in that of politics. Thus by this historical process our practice of Anglicanism, although linked by tradition with that of earlier generations is obviously different from that of 16th century Englishmen. The same can be seen with the Islam practiced by Ismaili Muslims prompted into dialogue and involvement in western public life at the instance of the Aga Khan or current Roman Catholicism and Judaism. The danger of over regulation of society is that it institutionalizes difference. Christian churches and Anglicans in particular have a key role in continuing the dialogue that has so successfully shaped our present values. To quote Pope Benedict again “Religion is not a problem for legislators, but a vital contributor to the national conversation”.
It is also clear that there are going to be considerable opportunities in modern society for Christian groups to develop their social participation. Indeed research by the Hooper Institute suggests that people who are religiously observant give more overall in this area than their secular or non practicing counterparts. Thirty years ago the view was that the State would increasingly replace the voluntary sector as the provider of services. Yet the present Coalition government has recognized that voluntary action is a vital part of community empowerment. It is part of our freedom of expression and should be valued as such. Through it people can voice and act on their concerns and priorities independently of the State. By so doing the development of social capital can be promoted and flexible and tailored responses made to new, as well as established social ills. This is the thinking behind what has been called the “Big Society”. It is not of course a new concept at all because it is what churches have been doing for generations. But if it works then it is hoped it will lead to an attitudinal change so that people will be freer to do what they do best: help each other according to their own instincts not those prescribed by the State. It offers I believe another area of opportunity for the churches to influence values and the Government has already recognized that the Church of England is likely to be able to play a key role in this process because of its statutory duty to be accessible to all on is cure of souls principle and the wide respect it enjoys as a result. The Government’s“Presence and Engagement” strategy now to be extended in the “new neighbours programme” which will do even more to build constructive relationships between people from different faiths is of great interest to my Department of Communities and Local Government colleagues
The question for us therefore is whether we as Christians see the glass as half empty of half full. If the first, then gloom at the pace of change, and the challenge of religious and cultural diversity, will become a self fulfilling prophecy of failure. But if the latter we are in the midst of a world of opportunity to promote our faith and our values in the face of new challenges and do it as successfully as we have been doing it her for the last millennium and a half. If at times our Anglican tradition may seem weak and be lampooned for its searching self doubt it is because our response to historic events has been based on the belief that the search for divine truth involves not only faith but sustained and logical argument and a willingness to respect others points of view. It is a tradition that has great strength and if we make good use of it and are self confident with it we will do much more in years to come to help shape our national identity and seek the common good.


Living at the beach certainly has it’s perks. For us, that includes seeing the sunrise on the beach. Easter is coming, and there are several local services that will let you do just that.
Bring your blankets and chairs, come casual or in your Sunday best, totally up to you. They’re more relaxed than a formal Sunday service (read: the kids can be a little louder😉), and you’ll have one of the best views on the planet for Easter morning. I mean, we might be a little partial, but there’s just nothing better than an Emerald Coast sunrise.
If you’re looking to have your Beach and Easter too, these beach services in and around the Destin area might be for you :
EASTER MORNING SERVICES April 16, 2017:
Destin United Methodist
- 6 AM Beach Service, Henderson State Park.
- 7:30 AM Beach Service, The Crab Trap in Destin
- Destin United Methodist FB page
Hope Lutheran Church
- Easter Sunday Sunrise Services at 6:30 and 8 a.m. on the beach at Ed Walline Park on County Road 30A.
- Hope Lutheran FB page
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Shalimar, Grace Lutheran Church of Destin, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Fort Walton Beach and St. Paul Lutheran of Niceville
- 37th annual Easter Sunrise Service on the beach at 6 a.m. Sunday at Beasley Park on Okaloosa Island.
- Grace Lutheran of Destin FB page
- Seaside Beach, Coleman Plaza (The Obelisk) at 6 a.m Sunday. In case of inclement weather, come to the Seaside Chapel.
We love the beachy vibes of these morning services, but if you’re looking for a more traditional Easter Sunday service, those are happening too. Also, please keep in mind that weather, and schedules, can change. Contact your church for the most up to date information.
Looking for more Easter weekend activities? Check out our event calendar.
Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments below or contact us if you know of a Sunday beach service in Destin or South Walton not listed here.


The development of community cohesion in the face of terrorist attacks
As a member of the Kerslake Review into the Manchester Arena suicide bombing in May 2017, Karen Lund was involved in the review and assessment of information about the response to the attack. Karen will speak about developing community cohesion in the face of such attacks, addressing the following points.
Who are we? Setting the context of the community of Manchester
Dualism and responding to terrorism
Matter and spirit: growing as a community
Building resilience and rebuilding community
Karen Lund is an ordained priest, and is currently the Archdeacon of Manchester.
Her formative years were in the South East, but following ordination in 1994, as one of the first women in the Church of England to be ordained, she found herself slowly migrating towards the North West region of England, and was Team Vicar in the Turton Moorland Team in Bolton before coming to Manchester.
Karen holds a degree in Theology from Canterbury Christ Church University.


Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
God is faithful. The Bible tells us this, and we would agree with this statement if someone asked. But how often do we take notice of God’s faithfulness in our day-to-day lives? A lot of the time, we get wrapped up in our busy schedules and our work and trying to accomplish what we think is important, to the point that we can forget that God is the one who holds everything together — including our paychecks and our bank balance.
Until something happens and our bank balance and bills don’t match up any more, that is. Then we are forced to ask ourselves, do I really believe with my heart what I say with my mouth about God’s faithfulness? Will my actions during crisis show that I trust God to provide what I need when I need it?
Times of crisis are good for revealing the heart, but we don’t have to wait until we’re at rock bottom to look to God for a display of His grace and wonder and provision. In our community garden, we can see God’s faithfulness being worked out. We come together as a group of workers — as gardeners! — and we do all that we can to prepare the ground, plant the seeds, tend the beds, and wait for the harvest. But it’s God who makes the seeds become plants and the plants produce vegetables. We just can’t do that part. At all. We have to trust that God will do it. And when He does, we will literally be able to feed on His faithfulness, in the form of tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers and carrots and lettuce and whatever else we decide to plant.
Already we’ve seen God’s faithfulness in the garden displayed through His provision of the materials and help we need to get this endeavor off the ground. His provision has come through donations of money for supplies, time and labor for building the beds, and equipment to carry out the work. It is beautiful to wait and watch what God does when we have needs, and we are thankful for His faithfulness.


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Bobby Robson RIP
NUFC.com coverage September 2009
The afternoon of Monday September 21st saw an invited crowd around 1,000 people attend a service of remembrance for Sir Bobby Robson at Durham Cathedral.
Big screen beambacks to SJP (where around 2,000 attended) and Ipswich town centre enabled fans to follow proceedings, which included tributes from Gary Lineker (pictured), Sir Alex Ferguson and Bobby's former Fulham playing colleague and best man, Tom Wilson.
Professor Ruth Plummer also spoke about Bobby's battle with cancer and the legacy of the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre he helped to establish at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital.
The Dean of Durham, Michael Sadgrove also spoke, as did Martin Wharton, Bishop of Newcastle - and SJP season ticket holder.
Lady Elsie Robson and sons Paul, Andrew and Mark were present, with Elsie saying afterwards that:
"It was the service Bobby wished for and he chose much of the music, like Pie Jesu, Nimrod and Nessun Dorma, himself.
Katherine Jenkins sang "Pie Jesu",
Tenors Unlimited provided "Nessun Dorma" and there were communal
renditions of “Praise my soul the king of heaven" and "Abide
The Very Rev Michael Sadgrove, dean, officiated and bade welcome, assisted by Canon David Kennedy, who led the prayers. Canon Robert Spence read the lesson and the Right Rev Martin Wharton, Bishop of Newcastle, gave a reflection. The Bishop of Jarrow pronounced the blessing.
Mr Paul Hayward read The Unifying Poem.
The Cathedral Choir was conducted by Canon James Lancelot, Master of the Choristers and Organist, and Mr Keith Wright played the organ. The Last Post was played by Mr Tom Glendinning, senior Lay Clerk.
The Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne, the Lord Lieutenant for Tyne and Wear, the Mayor of Ipswich, the Mayor of Durham, the chairman of Durham County Council, the deputy leader Newcastle Council attended.
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There are somethings I hope for when I am gone.
1. That my friends and family will miss me.
2. That I am considered to be a honest man.
3. That I am a man of my word.
4. That they remember me for my humor.
5. That my kids and grandkids know that I loved them,no matter what they have done.
6.That people remember me as a hard worker,that did my job well.
7.Instead of crying for me , they remember only the fun times.
8.That the best times of my life was when we had family dinners or just got to gather.
9.I enjoyed christmas morning and was more excited than any of our kids.
10. Most of all I hope the Lord welcomes me with open arms!


Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski said the community wants to send the message: ‘Stand with Ukraine and stop the war.’
27 February 2022
Dozens of diplomats and MPs have joined Ukrainians in the UK for a service to show “undivided solidarity” with the country amid Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian ambassador Vadym Prystaiko, MPs Nickie Aiken and Mark Pritchard, Estonian ambassador Viljar Lubi and Canadian high Commissioner Ralph Goodale all attended the service at the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Holy Family of London in Mayfair on Sunday morning.
Before the service, Kenneth Nowakowski, bishop for Ukrainian, Belarusian and Slovak Eastern Catholics in the UK, told the PA news agency that the community wants to send the message: “Stand with Ukraine and stop the war.”
He said: “Today is really going to be a day of prayer and reflection, and a day of solidarity for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.
“I think the message we want to say collectively is ‘Stand with Ukraine and stop the war’, and just be in solidarity and let people know that you support them and that you support the peace.”
On the general feeling within the UK’s Ukrainian community, Bishop Nowakowski said: “I think over the last 50 hours we’ve experienced everything.
“We’ve experienced great heartbreak. We have experienced resolve that we are going to do whatever we can do.
“I know that many people have come to us for blessing and that they are returning to Ukraine either to be with their families or indeed to take up arms to defend Ukraine.”
He added that Catholic bishops in Ukraine are staying with the people and the churches are open, providing pastoral care and “hoping that faith will help people get through this challenging and difficult time”.
During the service members of the congregation, many of whom were tearful throughout, sang Ukrainian hymns like Bozhe Vekykyj Yedynyj – meaning “God is the One and Only”.
John Wilson, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Southwark, condemned the “evil” invasion of Ukraine as he made a powerful sermon during the service.
He said: “We stand with you in undivided solidarity but so must every person and every nation that believes in peace.”
The bishop went on to call the invasion “outrageous” and “an act of unjustifiable aggression” which has “brought war to our people and to Europe”.
“The news and images from Ukraine in recent days are truly devastating,” he said.
“We have watched in despair and disbelief as your country has been violated and it continues – the death toll is rising, each day loved ones are being killed, families are being parted and people are being displaced.
“The sick and elderly and babies and young children are forced underground as lives are torn apart and homes are destroyed.
He later added: “Everyone loses in war and the face of humanity is disfigured.”
“None of us can be indifferent to the evil taking place in Ukraine.”
Outside the church, volunteers Zhanna Gnydenko, 45, and Andriy Melnyk, 33, were collecting donations to buy medical supplies and equipment like bulletproof vests that would then be driven in a lorry to Ukraine.
Ms Gnydenko told the PA news agency: “We are volunteering to do anything to help.
“We came to the service to direct people to help, to give them advice and to collect money, and that way we can connect and organise this better.
She also thanked Boris Johnson for the support he has shown Ukraine in the last few days.


Our last Bright Lights meeting was on love. Abby stressed the importance of loving like God loves us. I think this is something I need to work on a lot. Sometimes it’s hard to love; either we don’t think and snap someone’s head off when they ask a question, or we’re tired and don’t feel like being civil, or we simply don’t take the time to listen to the people around us. But this is something we can’t overlook, because without love we. are. nothing. 1 Corinthians talks all about love. One verse says, “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13 Something we tend to forget is that we don’t deserve God’s love, but He gives it anyways, therefor we should have no excuses for not loving each other. So I challenge you to go out there and love that person who it’s hardest to love, and show them the grace that has been shown to you. 😀
Today is the National day of Prayer! Pray for America and Trump. 🙂
It’s not about what you’ve done, it’s about what has been done for you. […]
Guys!!! I managed to find all of my play (Gospel According to Scrooge) on you tube!!!!! It’s from my first year (2015). Watch for me in my red dress!! ❤ Sorry, the videos from this year weren’t posted. Those of you who were in it this year, enjoy getting to see Emma and Kevin as Belle and Ebeneezer.
I hope these will help you as they’ve helped me. Remember, whatever it is you are going through, God’s got ya!
One of the biggest blessings God gives us is godly friends. They are the ones who will root for you no matter what. They will stay up until 2:30 in the morning talking to you about everything under the sun. They will teach you to drive, even if it possibly means their life! 😛 They will pray for you and will give you the advice you need when you need it. Friends will do the craziest things with you, like turning the treadmill on fast and sitting on it and go flying off. They laugh over the things you say. Or they will just hang out in the gaga ball pit while your moms talk. They will hug you and cry with you when Scrooge is over, and laugh with you when the boys start mock crying to make fun of you. The cool thing is, they are loyal to you. I want to thank God for the awesome friends I have. 😀


Our meetings are held every last Saturday of each month at the Crossroads Christian Church, 1300 Suncrest Dr., Johnson City, Tennessee at 11:00 UTC (7:00 P.M. Eastern). Meetings are held down in the lower auditorium. Sometimes we don’t have meetings, unless we decide on another date.
**** Christmas Dinner on Saturday, December 16, 2017 at 6:00 PM at Crossroads Christian Church****
Next Meeting: Saturday, April 28, 2018


Festivals with Children by Brigitte Barz
In Festivals with Children, Brigitte Barz describes the nature and character of each Christian festival, its symbols and customs, and gives practical suggestions for celebrating these festivals in the family. Some of the holidays described include: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Holy Week, Easter, Ascension, Whitsun, Saint John's Tide, Michaelmas, Martinmas, St. Nicholas Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving. This book is a great reference to understanding the holidays some of us are exposed to but don't know much about. Clearly written and easy to read. Paperback, 96 pages, 5 1/2 x 8 1/2".


While living in Seattle during and after college, my wife and I never found a church that suited us. When we got engaged, we needed someone to marry us, but we didn’t have a strong relationship with a pastor. However, my wife had been active in Young Life and had served closely with a man she respected. He graciously agreed to marry us, which was a huge blessing and honor. None of us took the marriage covenant lightly, and he offered to provide pre-marriage counseling sessions with him and his wife. They are a wonderful couple with a wonderful marriage and four wonderful boys. It was a privilege to learn from them and pray with them as we prepared for our wedding. I am so grateful to Curt for making the commitment to walk with us through our engagement. Curt gifted us with his time and put much thought and effort into our pre-marriage sessions and his message at the ceremony. We will always be grateful for the special role he played in our marriage.
Image: Sharing words of wisdom before our wedding.


Lizzy Carroll, CPM
Certified Professional Midwife, NARM
BA Science in Midwifery, Mercy In Action College of Midwifery
Neonatal Resuscitation Provider Certification
CPR/Basic Life Support, American Heart Association
Lizzy Carroll is a Certified Professional Midwife and third-culture kid. She grew up in Uganda as part of a missionary family where God first planted the dream in her heart of becoming a midwife. After attending a friend’s birth in her village during high school, she saw firsthand the value of compassionate support during pregnancy and birth. Lizzy’s passion for midwifery continued to grow as she recognized the scarcity of quality care in many low-resource settings and the opportunity to make a long-lasting impact in families’ lives.
Lizzy graduated from Mercy In Action College of Midwifery with a Bachelor’s of Science in Midwifery (BSM). During her training, she had the opportunity to learn alongside midwives with varied educational backgrounds and attend 100+ out-of-hospital births in both Texas and Kansas. After completing her clinical training at Wichita Birth Assistance, Lizzy is now a Staff Midwife as well as the Office Coordinator.
While her long term goal is to serve overseas, Lizzy believes that God has placed her in the U.S. for the next season of her life. She is excited to join the WBA team in serving the Wichita community! “It is an honor to walk alongside families during such a transformative time in their lives,” Lizzy says. “I feel truly privileged to be welcomed into that space. If women come away feeling empowered, informed, and supported, then I am confident we have done our job well.”
In her spare time, Lizzy enjoys spending quality time with friends and family (often over a cup of warm chai!), serving at church, and connecting with the international community in Wichita.
Lizzy serves a one-hour radius outside the Wichita Metroplex and offers flexible scheduling (evening or weekend visits available). She would be delighted to meet your family and see how she can partner with you on your birth journey!


Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin
The mother church of the dioceses of Dublin and Dublin’s oldest building, Christ Church Cathedral is one of Dublin’s most recognised and beautiful landmarks.
Dating back to the 11th century, the cathedral and the exhibition “Treasures of Christ Church” reflect 1000 years of history, architecture and worship in Ireland.
Fast becoming one of the most popular things to do in Dublin, the Belfry visit can also be added on to the tour to make your groups cathedral experience even more memorable. The Belfry add-on is conducted by an experienced member of the cathedral staff. It includes the chance to climb the 80 steps to the cathedral belfry, admire the view from the roof of the south transept and the chance to actually ring the record-breaking bells! This exclusive tour is only available to groups and group leaders must accompany the students on it.
March & October:
Monday – Saturday: 09.30 – 18.00 hrs
Sunday: 12.30 – 14.30 hrs; 16.30 – 18.00 hrs
April to September
Monday – Saturday: 09.30 – 19.00 hrs
Sunday: 12.30 – 14.30; 16.30 – 19.00 hrs
November to February:
Monday – Saturday: 09.30 – 17.00 hrs
Sunday: 12.30 – 14.30 hrs
Closed on 26th December.
The last admission is 45 minutes before closing.
Notes for Group Leaders
This is a self guided tour. Contact us for prices, if your group would like a guided tour.
This is a working cathedral and place of worship so please note that entrance is limited during service times. There may be some restricted access due to services and events so please check for alterations prior to your visit.
Duration of Visit
Approximately 30 minutes for a self-guided tour of the Cathedral only.
Christchurch Place, Dublin 8


- Category: Personal Commentary
- Published: Friday, 30 April 2010 18:59
- Written by Lisa Wilder
A review of the Poetry Performance of Jordan Scott and the Sounds of the Element Choir, Thursday, May 21, 2009 at the Music Gallery in Toronto, Canada.
There was a mystical quality to Jordan Scott’s performance at the Music Gallery in May of this year. The venue, St. George the Martyr Anglican Church, was built in 1844. Although partly burned down in the 1950s, the church retains its stone structure and stained glass, reflecting its original purpose as a place of worship. This is appropriate for the shows put on by the Music Gallery, experimental and unconventional performances that encourage thoughtful reflection in the listener.


St Josephs Nursing Home, Lismore is a 130 bed Accredited Aged Care Facility owned and operated by the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church, Diocese of Lismore since 1936. St Josephs and Mary’s Grange are located on the grounds of St Vincent’s Private Hospital . The facilities specialise in high care services for the frail aged, palliative care and dementia residents. The facility enjoys a reputation for high quality care. St Joseph’s is seeking to fill the following casual and permanent part-time positions:
Assistant in Nursing â Certificate III/IV
Reporting directly to the Manager Aged Care â St Joseph’s Nursing Home, the Assistant in Nursing assists in the provision of high quality care and support to our resident’s and their families.
To be successful, applicants will need to possess the following:
The successful applicant will be required to work in harmony with the mission and values of the Catholic Church.
To learn more about St Joseph’s Nursing Home including our mission and values, please visit our website : http://stjosephsnursinghome.org.au
Please submit your resume detailing your experience along with a cover letter to The CEO, St Vincent’s Private Hospital through by clicking the Apply Here Button.
* Applicants must have the right to work in Australia (Australian citizen or permanent resident) to be considered eligible to apply for this position.
* This position requires current evidence of Influenza vaccination, a National Criminal History Check (NCHC) and a Working with Children Check (WWCC) to be supplied prior to commencement.


Prepare and distribute suitable bible study guides for use by small groups in high schools, colleges and among the KSCF Associates respectively. We also offer training on effective bible study leadership and participation.
2016 BIBLE STUDY GUIDE - SERIES 10: DISCIPLESHIP
Since the inception of KSCF, one of the core activities of the fellowship has been the preparation and distribution of topical Bible study guides for use in small groups in high schools, colleges and among the KSCF Associates. In 2003, the study guides were categorized in series to ease the distribution and follow-up of the same, thus “study to show yourself approved” series which has now gotten into series 10. Every year, a new series is released and is recommended for use across the country.
Paul’s advice to his spiritual son Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 is useful to all Christians. He told him, “Study to show yourself approved of God, a workman who is not ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (KJV). In order to help Christians show themselves approved, we have a series entitled, “Study to show yourself approved”. This year, 2016, we have released series 10 which focuses on discipleship. The series has 21 studies focused on three key areas: Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ (7 studies), Growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ (8 studies) and Discernment as a disciple of Jesus Christ (5 studies). We therefore recommend this Bible study series for use in all Christian Unions in high schools and colleges, associate teams and churches that we may see more Disciples of Christ being nurtured to grow into maturity.


Bahrain : His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received, at the Al-Safriya Palace today, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People in the Vatican, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, Eugene Martin Nugent, and Vicar Apostolic in the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia and Apostolic Administrator of Northern Arabia, Bishop Paul Hinder, on the occasion of their visit to the kingdom to attend the opening of the new cathedral in Bahrain.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle handed over to HM the King a written message addressed to him by His Holiness Pope Francis.
In the letter, Pope Francis expressed his thanks and appreciation to HM King Hamad for the opening of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia in Bahrain, praising HM the King’s interest in strengthening relations among different religions and cultures, and praying to God the Almighty to preserve HM the King and the people of Bahrain, as well as to bless HM’s efforts to promote peace and love among all.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle conveyed to HM King Hamad greetings from His Holiness Pope Francis, and his wishes of ever-lasting progress and prosperity to Bahrain and its people.
HM the King requested Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle to convey his greetings to the Supreme Pontiff, wishing him abundant health, wellness and successful noble humanitarian efforts.
HM King Hamad praised the important role played by His Holiness Pope Francis in fostering dialogue and understanding among religions and civilisations, as well as in promoting the values of human fraternity, tolerance and coexistence among all, reiterating the kingdom’s constant keenness to strengthen the existing friendship and cooperation relations with the Vatican State, in addition to exchanging visits with it in order to contribute to consolidating love and peace.
HM the King welcomed those present, and praised their participation in the inauguration of the new cathedral in the kingdom, noting that the event embodies Bahrain’s civilisational and humanitarian role, as well as hosting of the houses of worship of various religions for many decades, reflecting its people’s tolerance, love and respect for all throughout the country’s long history.
Those present expressed thanks and appreciation to HM the King for HM’s constant keenness to promote rapprochement among cultures and religions, lauding Bahrain’s progress strides, and stances in support of coexistence among religions.


Sunday, December 4, 2016, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Join us on
Dec. 4 from 2 – 4 pm for a FREE Advent Concert featuring music ministries from around the Worcester Diocese as they celebrate the Advent season with an afternoon of singing and fellowship. Although each year is different, over the past seven years this event has presented groups singing in many different languages including Vietnamese, Spanish, French, Lithuanian, Polish, Latin and English. Complimentary refreshments will be served in the Hall following the music. To be held at Sacred Heart - Saint Catherine of Sweden, 596 Cambridge Street, Worcester.


Here are my 24 Bible verses!
1. Daniel 10:12 Then he continued "Do not be afraid Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come in response to them."
2. Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
3. Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.
4. John 15:8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
5. Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
6. Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless, he shields all who take refuge in Him.
7. Jeremiah 29:12 For you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
8. 1 Peter 1:18-19 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. and the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
9. Colossians 3:12 Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothes yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
10. Deuteronomy 6:4-6 Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
11. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
12. James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its race so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
13. Isaiah 40:31 But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
14. 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me.
15. Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
16. Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship.
17. Job 28:28 And he said to the human race, "the fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."
18. Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
19. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
20. 1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, His love endures for ever.
21. 2 Timothy 1:7 For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self discipline.
22. Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."
23. Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you, the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."
24. Luke 2:11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, he is the Messiah the Lord.
And there are my 24 verses! Not all of them are memorized but I'm getting close, mom! Thanks for pushing, encouraging, and loving me!


Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,
says Yahweh of Hosts. Zechariah 4:6
Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of Glory may come in! Who is this King of Glory?
Yahweh of Hosts: He is the King of Glory. Psalm 24:9-10
"The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways,
but a good man will be satisfied from above."
Every spot is not a sign of leprosy. Every mark of sin does not prove a backslider. A man may be overtaken in a fault, or it may be the sin of ignorance, or it may be a sin abhorred and resisted yet still cleaving. Backsliding implies a willful step--not always open, but the more dangerous because hidden. Here was no open apostasy, perhaps no tangible inconsistency. The man may be looked up to as an eminent saint. But he is a backslider in heart. A secret canker of unwatchfulness, worldly conformity, neglect or indulgence has insensibly devoured his strength. He was once pressing onward; a languor has now stolen over him. His heart beats unsteadily. He has become formal and hurried in his prayers, lukewarm in the means of grace, reading his Bible to soothe his conscience rather than to feed his soul.
The first steps, instead of alarming and bringing him to secret weeping, hurried him onwards from one liberty to another till he lost all power of resistance. His unsoundness was known to God long before it was manifested to the church. Before the matter of Uriah, indolence and security had probably unhinged the man of God and laid him open to the tempter (2 Sam. 11:1,2). Perhaps this dispensation may be permitted to teach the child of God his need of watchfulness and dependence. The backslider's folly and wretchedness is graphically portrayed as a merciful warning to the church. He needs no other rod than his own ways. To be filled with them, and thus to become the fountain of his own misery is the most fearful of all Divine judgments.
The good man is also filled from himself, yet not as the backslider with misery, but with solid satisfaction. God has given him a fountain fed from a higher fountain--a living spring within himself, the witness of the Spirit, the life and joy of the Heavenly Comforter, the rejoicing testimony of his conscience, the assured hope of glory. This is not independent of God, the one source of self-sufficiency, but it is Himself dwelling in the heart and filling it with his fullness.
Let the sinner compare the satisfaction of sin and godliness, the curse and the blessing, and lift up his heart for the direction of a right choice. Let the backslider return to the gospel to awaken his contrition and reanimate his faith. Let the good man invigorate his soul daily from his well of consolation.
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But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28. “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18.
Gambling - Is it a sin? The subject of gambling is multi-faceted and something that can divide Christians. On one side of the fence, there are those who argue that it is only a game and, like anything else (eating, drinking, etc.), it is acceptable as long as it does not become controlling or addicting. On the other side are believers who argue that gambling on any level is morally wrong.Some say that gambling is wrong because the only example in the Bible is the soldiers at the foot of the cross. These men, it is said, gambled for the clothes of Jesus. How depraved! Unfortunately, this incident cannot be used to preach against gambling because the soldiers were not gambling. Gambling always involves risk. The participant must have an ante. He must stand to lose. The Bible.D oes the Bible teach against slavery? Does the Old Testament or New Testament condone slavery? What does the Bible say about slavery? Abolition of Slavery Started With Christianity. Long before the end of the Civil War in the United States, William Wilberforce began the effort to abolish slavery in the British Empire. In 1788 Wilberforce.
Gambling usually indicates a love for money, and the Bible says that it’s impossible for us to love both money and God. Matthew 6:20 tells us to store up treasures in Heaven, and not on Earth. Everything here will pass away, including money. Gambling isn’t a sin, but it’s near impossible to separate gambling from the love of money. For this reason, it is something that all believers.
Under this view of Christian liberties and what the Bible does not specifically address about gambling, the acceptance of gambling is then conditioned upon the presence of all four of the above.
What does the Bible say about swearing? Sincerely, David. Dear David, Swearing is as old as the human race. The Bible is filled with examples of people who swore. Let me share and comment on several verses which apply and then share several Biblical principles that might help us all in determining our level of swearing—or not swearing! But, first let’s define the word. Swear has two main.
God sent His ultimate gift of love through His son Jesus Christ, thus showing the world what real love looked like. If that was not enough, God wrote a love letter to each person on this earth in the form of the verses in the Bible, giving us promises of what humanity can become through the power of His love. Additionally, God outlined love in the Bible by showing how a husband should love his.
Proverbs 13:11 - Wealth (gotten) by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. 1 Timothy 6:10 - For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Hebrews 13:5 - (Let your) conversation (be) without covetousness; (and be) content with such things as ye.
So, what does the Bible say about gambling, and should a Christian gamble? Gambling is driven by greed. God has always taught us to be thankful and appreciative of His provisions. God also wants us to feel contentment with everything that we have. When gambling, there is always the desire to win more money. So, you give up a portion of your.
Does the Bible say anything about addiction? Addiction is a word typically used to describe a person's dependence upon a substance or habit, either physically or psychologically. Though traditionally used in relation to the abuse of alcohol or drugs, people also use addiction to describe an unhealthy focus on other areas ranging from food to video games.
The Bible doesn't specifically forbid gambling, but it does repeatedly warn us against the pursuit of materialism, and it also repeatedly warns us against putting the love of money above the love of God. Gambling probably shouldn't be classed as a sin - but that doesn't mean that it's an activity that a Christian should enter into without giving serious consideration to their motives for doing.
The Bible also teaches that sexual immorality is a sin against our own bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18c). Additionally, in 1 Peter 2:11, it says that sinful desires war against our souls ( 1 Peter 2:11 ).
Bible Verses About Is Gambling A Sin Bible verses related to Is Gambling A Sin from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance - Sort By Book Order. 1 Timothy 6:10 - For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Philippians 4:19 - But my God shall supply all your need according to.
Furthermore, how can one say gambling does not contribute to society or the economy? The economy of Las Vegas only HAS an economy because of gambling. Look at all the jobs casinos create through out the country. The bottom line is it is not expressly forbidden in the Torah, or the Talmud that gambling is against halacha. Reply.
Although the Bible never specifically says gambling is bad, there are many Bible verses on gambling that instruct Christians to lead a holy, positive life. We gathered some of these Bible verses on gambling together for you to read. Reflect on these and pray to God, should you ever have a problem with gambling in your life! Proverbs 13 :11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he.
The church has spoken out very little and done virtually nothing in opposition to the presence and influence of gambling. Government, especially on the state level, is an advocate for gambling, and the church needs to take a stand, expose the evils of gambling, and declare how it's really at odds with the principles of Scripture.
It does warn against all forms of self-indulgence, adultery of the mind, and fornication. One of the problems involved is that though God created sex for enjoyment and pleasure, it is to be confined to the marriage relationship because it is also designed to express love (not just sexual love), unity, and total commitment. Masturbation is an act of self-gratification rather than a part of.


Prayer – I’ve come to regard it as a beautiful thing. I’d love to tell you why… it’s a bit rambley but see what you think…
and below I’ll write a new prayer each week. I’ll be saying it once every morning and once every evening- say it, close my eyes, take a breath – let it be with me for the week. If you try it too / want to send me yours please do.
Aware of the joy and present everyday in the spirit of living,
may I rejoice in the success of others bringing through a message of togetherness, inspiration, hope and strength


Welcome to St Wilfrid’s RC Primary School in York!
Welcome to our school website. We hope that it will provide up to date information for our current families, as well as giving prospective new parents and members of the wider community an insight into the life of our school.
We understand that choosing a school for your child is an incredibly important decision and believe that the best way to make an informed choice is to experience a school in action. We warmly welcome visitors and invite you to make an appointment to see our school and find out more.
At St. Wilfrid’s, we aim to ensure that each child has the opportunity to reach their full potential and develops a love of learning within a warm and supportive family atmosphere rooted in our Catholic faith. We recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents and parish communities and hope that this new website will support and further strengthen those links.
I hope that you enjoy exploring our developing website and that you find everything that you are looking for, but please feel free to contact us if there is any further information that you require.
Jane Conway Headteacher


Kaikorai Presbyterian Church has stood at the crossroads for 140 years, but as early as 1852 pioneer families trudged along bush tracks and muddy roads, (for those days the bush extended from Flagstaff to the shore) for weekly prayer meetings, first in Hood Hall (now Ferntree House), and then at Wakari School. As a mission outpost of Knox Church a minister preached weekly at the school. The need for a church grew and with self-sacrifice and faith, £477 was raised, and a modest wooden building with a shingle roof was erected on land gifted by Miss Helen Hood. This was the first Kaikorai Presbyterian Church albeit still operating as a “daughter” of Knox Church. The first service was held in 1866. Such was the faith and growth of the congregation that in 1868 they were established as an independent congregation and authorised to call a minister, the first of many who served not only the church but also the community. That first church building became too small, and again the congregation met the challenge, and with extensions, a second church came into being in 1880. As the congregation grew so did the district, with the advent of the Roslyn Mills and the cablecars. In 1906, again in faith, a tender of £2750 was accepted for the erection of a new church. The Mayor of Roslyn laid the foundation stone (beneath which is a time capsule!), and in 1907 the third church held its first service. It stands, today, on the site of the old wooden church which was moved to the rear of the grounds to serve as a hall. In the brick church four stained glass windows were installed to honour founding members. The original wooden church was demolished to make way for the present hall, which is in constant use by both church and community. By 1918 there were twelve places of worship in the area prompting thoughts of union. But it was not until the centenary of the church that it became part of the West Dunedin Union, serving the districts of Wakari, Halfway Bush, Brockville and Kaikorai – the very areas from which those early settlers traveled to worship, and Waitati. We had union too with the Roslyn Methodist Church and the local Congregational and Church of Christ churches. Today the pendulum has swung and we are again Kaikorai Presbyterian Church. The 138 years have seen the rule of six sovereigns, the emergence of the depression (during which the congregation gave unobtrusive unemployment assistance), and two world wars. The church has moved with changing times, with heated and earnest discussion as to whether organ music should be permitted, and decades later whether dancing should be permitted at Bible Class socials! Should those founding members see us now, they would wonder at our form of worship, the way in which we meet the needs of our young people, but they would rejoice that the message, and the mission, so dear to them, remains unchanged – to live together and serve each other in love. ~ Mary Cumming.
Today Kaikorai Church remains at the heart of the community. With it’s doors open throughout the week the congregation and community share these premises for a wide variety of purpose. Today we are thankful for our forebears who planned and scrimped and saved and provided facilities which have stood the test of time, and wear and tear from thousands of users – young and old. We are thankful for their vision and dedication and we who call Kaikorai Church, home, are determined to continue to build for and serve the Kaikorai community for many years to come. This is why in recent years we have instigated many community events (‘Kaikorai Carols; Children’s Day) and family friendly activities such as Mainly Music, PlayGroup, and the Youth work which we share with Brockville Community Church. This is why we operate Indoor Bowls and Walking Groups, and why we offer Alpha and provide various other opportunities to assist people of this community to build value into their lives.
It is also why we have recently completed work on an administration block to better serve our community, and why we are ‘slowly’ refurbishing the exterior of our historic church, and why shortly you will see further work done on the carpark and grounds. You see we’ve been here for 140 years, and God willing it is our commitment to be here well into the future, worshipping God and sharing the love of Jesus within the Kaikorai community and beyond. We invite you to join us in worship and exploration as together we discover how great and constant is the love of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
Last Updated (Saturday, 01 August 2009 14:54)


The front page of the “Living” section featured a nice story on Jerry Walls and Southside Baptist Church, and a column on the church that “voted on gravity.”
It amazes me that churches purporting to follow Jesus would literally vote to support a practice the Bible condemns. This column appeared in the Macon Telegraph on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017. Ironically, the same issue of the newspaper did a nice feature on Jerry Walls of Southside Baptist Church. We just hosted a trip to Israel with Southside. What an honor to be connected with a great man and a great church.
Here’s the column:
There once was a church that entertained a debate on gravity. Some of the more progressive members of the church felt the law of gravity was no longer relevant in a modern society. “Gravity is too restrictive,” said one member.
“It has held us to the ground far too long,” said another.
“Even if I personally choose to believe that gravity still has some value,” said another member, “we need to include those who do not believe as I believe. Who am I to judge?”
“I certainly don’t want to offend anyone in our community,” said the pastor. “That would not be a loving thing to do.”
And so it came to pass that the church had a vote on gravity. After an admirably civil discussion, the majority voted to ignore the old-fashioned and outdated standard. From that day forth, the law of gravity was off the books. When it was over, the church congratulated itself for its progressive attitude. Its members headed happily to their homes. No one seemed to notice that the law of gravity had ignored their decision, even as they left the building.
There are some matters on which a church should never vote. The law of gravity is one example. God’s definition of marriage is another. Perhaps it is not surprising that political leaders and secular courts have recently redefined marriage. Politicians and judges are not charged with upholding biblical standards. That’s a pity, for without a biblical anchor of unchanging morality, generations of political leaders and judges have been amazingly inconsistent in dealing with the most basic of human values.
Consider American history for a moment. Our political leaders and judges once defended slavery. Aren’t you glad another generation abolished the “right” to own human beings?
One generation of our national leaders supported legal segregation only to see the next generation deem their opinions and actions “immoral.” Indeed, there was nothing fair about “separate but equal” policies in this country.
On the other hand, leaders from the past would never have passed or even considered laws protecting abortion or assisted suicide. They also would have never dreamed of defining marriage in any way except the way it had been defined for centuries.
The definition of “right” and “wrong” in any society is a matter of debate and subject to the whims of those in charge. If Abraham Lincoln is your leader, you’ll get solid moral leadership. If Adolf Hitler is in charge, there will be hell to pay.
Thank God for the Bible.


The Torah Became Flesh
The Prologue of St. John’s Gospel
A Hebrew Catholic Perspective
Exodus 33: 7 ― 34: 35.
Exodus 33: 7 — 34: 35
NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
7 1 The tent, which was called the meeting tent, Moses used to
8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, the people would all
9 As Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would
10 On seeing the column of cloud stand at the entrance of the
11 The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one man
12 Moses said to the LORD, “You, indeed, are telling me to lead
13 Now, if I have found favor with you, do let me know your
14 2 “I myself,” the LORD answered, “will go along, to give
15 Moses replied, “If you are not going yourself, do not make
16 For how can it be known that we, your people and I, have
17 The LORD said to Moses, “This request, too, which you
18 Then Moses said, “Do let me see your glory!”
19 He answered, “I will make all my beauty pass before you,
20 But my face you cannot see, for no man sees me and still lives.
21 Here,” continued the LORD, “is a place near me where you
22 When my glory passes I will set you in the hollow of the rock
1 [7-11] The meeting tent is mentioned here by anticipation; its actual construction is described in the following chapters.
2  I myself: literally, “my face,” that is, “my presence.” To give you rest: in the Promised Land; some understand, “to put your mind at rest”; others, by a slight emendation in the text, render, “to lead you.”
3  You may see my back: man can see God’s glory as reflected in creation, but his “face,” that is, God as he is in himself, mortal man cannot behold. Cf ⇒ 1 Cor 13:12.
Exodus 33: 7 — 34: 35 (continued)
NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 The LORD said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the
2 Get ready for tomorrow morning, when you are to go up
3 No one shall come up with you, and no one is even to be
4 Moses then cut two stone tablets like the former, and early
5 Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with him
6 Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out, “The LORD,
7 continuing his kindness for a thousand generations, and
8 Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
9 Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along
10 “Here, then,” said the LORD, “is the covenant I will make.
11 But you, on your part, must keep the commandments I am
12 Take care, therefore, not to make a covenant with these
13 1 Tear down their altars; smash their sacred pillars, and
14 2 You shall not worship any other god, for the LORD is
15 Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of that land;
16 Neither shall you take their daughters as wives for your
17 “You shall not make for yourselves molten gods.
18 You shall keep the feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven
19 “To me belongs every first-born male that opens the womb
20 The firstling of an ass you shall redeem with one of the flock;
21 “For six days you may work, but on the seventh day you shall
22 3 “You shall keep the feast of Weeks with the first of the
23 Three times a year all your men shall appear before the Lord,
24 Since I will drive out the nations before you to give you a
25 “You shall not offer me the blood of sacrifice with leavened
26 “The choicest first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the
27 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write down these words,
28 So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and
29 As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets
30 When Aaron, then, and the other Israelites saw Moses and
31 Only after Moses called to them did Aaron and all the rulers
32 Later on, all the Israelites came up to him, and he enjoined
33 4 When he finished speaking with them, he put a veil over
34 Whenever Moses entered the presence of the LORD to
35 Then the Israelites would see that the skin of Moses’ face
1  Sacred poles: “Ashera” was the name of a Canaanite goddess. In her honor wooden poles (asherot) were erected, just as stone pillars (massebot) were erected in honor of the god Baal. Both were placed near the altar in a Canaanite shrine.
2  The LORD is “the Jealous One”: see note on ⇒ Exodus 20:5. Some, by a slight emendation, render, “The LORD is jealous for his name.” Cf ⇒ Ezekiel 39:25.
3  Feast of Weeks: the festival of thanksgiving for the harvest, celebrated seven weeks or fifty days after the beginning of the harvest. It was also called Pentecost (fiftieth) and coincided with the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, fifty days after the offering of the first fruits (⇒ Lev 23:10-11; ⇒ Deut 16:9).
4  He put a veil over his face: St. Paul sees in this a symbol of the failure of the Jews to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah: the true spiritual meaning of the writings of Moses and the prophets is still veiled from the unbelieving Jews. Cf ⇒ 2 Cor 3:7-18.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible,


What happens to young people when they hit 18? Working in areas where the majority are unlikely to go to University, we realised that there is a big need for young people who’ve experienced a level of transformation, to continue growing as people into adulthood.
Sorted+ is a Christian community run with young adults that aims to enable young adults to grow in faith, life skills and be able to give something back to their peers and the local community. Some of our young adults want to work with younger teens so that they can receive the support they received previously. Some work as carers whilst others have got involved in altruistic activities.


The Basilica of El Cobre located in the province of Santiago de Cuba is getting ready to welcome Pope Francis and will offer a mass on September 22nd in the church located 18 kilometers from the center of the city.
Maria Caridad Lopez, in charge of the press in the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba told ACN News Agency that the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity (Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre) was recently refurbished to host two important events.
She pointed out that one of them was the visit of Pope Benedict the XVI and the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the image of the Virgin.
Then, she added that the restoration process included changes to several of its internal functions aimed at returning the areas to its original sites.
For example, the space that occupied the Milagros Chapel where followers carry out their promises was put in its original area.
That is why the first was transferred to one of the side aisles which was previously closed and whose opening contributed to an improvement of the area’s ventilation.
She added that part of the carpentry that was deteriorated due to time and plagues mainly in frames, both in windows and stained glass and the area where the Virgin stands were refurbished.
Work was done in the interior and exterior areas; painting of the building and improvement of the electrical and sanitation systems, lightening and audio.
Installations surrounding the church were also restored like the Casa de Retiro whose construction dates back to over 60 years and were benefited by the sanitation and external systems.
In the first, the chapel, dining room, ten rooms, telephone center, reception and protocol halls were restores, actions that make up all of the building where the former San Basilio Magno Seminar was located.
There were also new constructions like the home of the priests where Pope Benedict the 16th lodged and which will also be the area where Pope Francis will stay; facilities were created for the access of people with special needs and the green areas were also taken care as well as the interior streets and Mariana Plaza.
Previously the temple with the religious image was at the Cerro del Cardenillo but due to the exploration of copper in the area it was demolished.
Pope Francis will visit Cuba from September 19th to the 22nd and in addition to Santiago de Cuba, he will offer masses in Havana and Holguin.


Worship Together March 2015
Churches Together in the Victoria Hall, 8th March 2015
On Sunday 8th March, over 150 folk from all the churches in Selkirk, Ashkirk and the valleys, met in the Victoria Hall to worship together. Following on from the World Day of Prayer earlier in the week, the service focussed on praying for the world.
The service began with a responsive call to worship led by some younger folk, then the musicians led the gathered congregation in “All creatures of our God and King”, a rousing start to the service. A reading from Luke reminded us that we should never give up praying.
The theme was developed in four parts. Firstly, we though about our world – the beauty and wonder of it – and its fragility and the damage we have done. All were invited to write down one aspect of our world which brings us joy, and one aspect which brings sadness; these were passed to neighbours and prayers were offered.
Next we thought about war and the plight of refugees – and recognised our part in it, praying for peace and wisdom for leaders in troubled places. The congregation were invited to respond “Hear our prayers” after each section of prayer, then to share “the peace” with neighbours in the hall, and to carry that peace out into the world at the end of the service.
The third aspect was healing and wholeness. We heard contrasting stories of Sierra Leone, devastated by Ebola, and Rwanda, where reconciliation after the genocide of 1994 had led to the establishment of a universal health care system – a good news story. We heard the story of Jesus healing a leper, and prayed that we would follow in his footsteps, bringing healing in his Name.
Between each section, the lively music group, drawn for several churches, led us in two more hymns: “Come people of the risen King” and “We cannot measure how you heal”.
The final input was from Amy Ward, who told us of the ministry of El Barrio 4 Christ in Guatemala, where she had been working for the last 2 years – a story of green shoots of hope in a context of poverty, violence and corruption. An offering was taken, amounting to £579, which will go to support the ongoing work of Christian Aid and El Barrio 4 Christ.
Following the final hymn, the congregation remained to chat and have coffee, taking the time to meet members of other congregations.
All this was possible thanks to the hard work of the coordinating group, the musicians, the technical team, the stewards, Jacqui Lee for organising children’s activities at the back of the hall, the kitchen team and the hall keeper.