Monthly news bulletin from the Communications Office, Church House, London.

Feel free to forward this to others, or to use in diocesan or parish newsletters or magazines.

This news bulletin is issued to members of General Synod, recipients of the e-mailed daily briefing, within the National Church Institutions’ All Staff bulletin and to parish magazines via the http://www.parishpump.co.uk website. It is also available on the Church of England website at http://www.cofe.anglican.org/info/cofegazette/

Please scroll down to read items. Comments, please, to Peter Crumpler, Director of Communications on peter.crumpler@c-of-e.org.uk

This month’s contents:

• Christmas messages: Archbishop of Canterbury’s Christmas message to the Anglican Communion Archbishop of Canterbury’s Advent letter to Primates Archbishop of Canterbury on BBC Radio 2
• Church hands out virtual cards for Facebook friends to share Christmas message
• Archbishop of York in BBC Mugabe Protest
• Protocol for review of past child protection cases
• In Review December 2007
• Tea and toast with the Archbishop of Canterbury
• Getting top marks: People of all faiths and none back church schools’ popularity
• Archbishop of York criticises “unhealthy seam of rampant individualism” of human fertilisation proposals.
• Churches comment on Government’s incitement to hatred plans
• Archbishop of Canterbury – why social cohesion needs religion
• Quarterly investment update from the Church Commissioners
• Archbishop of Canterbury confirmed as a Co-President of Religions for Peace
• Bishops’ office and working costs published
• Archbishop of Canterbury's video message for World Aids Day
• Multi-faith chaplaincy
• Churches publish their ethical investment policies
• Sense Making Faith
• Statements from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York welcoming the release of Gillian Gibbons

Christmas messages:

Archbishop of Canterbury’s Christmas message to the Anglican Communion

“May God give us every blessing and joy in the Christmas Season.” The full text of the message may be found here.

Archbishop of Canterbury’s Advent letter to Primates
“Greetings in the name of the One ‘who is and was and is to come, the Almighty’, as we prepare in this Advent season to celebrate once more his first coming and pray for the grace to greet him when he comes in glory.” The text of the Archbishop’s Advent letter to the Primates of the Anglican Communion may be found here.

Archbishop of Canterbury on BBC Radio 2
The Archbishop gave a Christmas message on the Chris Evans show (BBC Radio 2) on 12 December. Details here.

Church hands out virtual cards for Facebook friends to share Christmas message A selection of Christmas greetings cards blessed by the Church of England is set to take the social networking site Facebook by snowstorm this Advent. Details here.

Archbishop of York in BBC Mugabe Protest The Archbishop has called on the people of Britain to unite in their opposition to the Government of Robert Mugabe – to “pray, march and protest” - and to come together to act on Darfur. Details here

Protocol for review of past child protection cases Following the announcement of the key principles of the review of past child protection cases by dioceses in the Church of England, the model protocol has now been published. Details here.

In Review December 2007
The December 2007 issue of In Review – a sixth-monthly update on the work of the Church’s National Church Institutions published in the Church Times and Church of England Newspaper, is now available on the Church of England website. Articles can be cut and pasted for diocesan and parish websites and publications. To view In Review online, click here.

Tea and toast with the Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop invited three Kent teenagers to his home in Canterbury for tea and toast, and to answer their questions for a magazine interview, ranging from his views on abortion to what he does in his free time. Details here.

Getting top marks: People of all faiths and none back church schools’ popularity The majority of those who do not see themselves as Christians reject the idea that church schools create divisions between different sections of society, a major survey has todafound. Six out of ten non-Christians who feel that church schools are different from other state schools also believe that church schools give places to children of all backgrounds, and two-thirds of the same group agree that Church of England schools provide a broad and balanced education, the findings show. Details here.

Archbishop of York criticises “unhealthy seam of rampant individualism” of human fertilisation proposals.
Dr John Sentamu has called upon the Government to abandon its plans to remove the requirement for a father in IVF treatment. Details here.

Churches comment on Government’s incitement to hatred plans The Church of England and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales have commented on the Government’s proposed amendment to the Public Order Act 1986 to create a new offence of incitement to hatred on grounds of sexual orientation. Focussing on the use of threatening words or behaviour which are used with the intention of stirring up hatred goes a considerable way towards meeting the Churches’ concerns, they say in a memorandum to the parliamentary committee responsible for the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill. Details here.

Archbishop of Canterbury – why social cohesion needs religion The Archbishop gave a wide-ranging lecture on 6 December at the Building Bridges Conference in Singapore. In his lecture Dr Williams discussed the position of the “absolute truths” of faith over and above political power, and how this plays out in a society where several faiths co-exist: “Does disagreement about truth necessarily mean the violent disruption of social co-operation? I shall be arguing that it does not, and that, on the contrary, a robust view of disagreement and debate between religious communities may play a major role in securing certain kinds of social unity or cohesion”. Details here.

Quarterly investment update from the Church Commissioners
The First Church Estates Commissioner's newsletter for the quarter to September 2007 is now available here.

Archbishop of Canterbury confirmed as a Co-President of Religions for Peace Dr Rowan Williams was confirmed as a Co-President of Religions for Peace – known as the world’s largest and most representative multi-religious organization dedicated to peace. Details here

Bishops’ office and working costs published
The 2006 office and working costs of bishops in the Church of England were published on 13 December. Figures for individual bishops were first published, for the year 2000, in December 2001. Bishops’ office and working costs were previously published as a total figure. Details here.

Archbishop of Canterbury's video message for World Aids Day
The Archbishop said churches need to be brave, imaginative and honest in the fight against the spread of HIV and Aids. Details here.

Multi-faith chaplaincy

The new LSC (Learning and Skills Council) Handbook and Guidance on Multi-Faith Chaplaincy in Colleges of Further Education) was launched at the Association of Colleges’ annual conference. This was a joint project with fbfe (National Council of Faiths and Beliefs in FE) involving participation from multi-faith teams across the country. It covers all aspects of chaplaincy work, from pastoral work and worship, to managing tensions and community cohesion. Copies will be sent by LSC to all colleges and all chaplains. Details here.

Churches publish their ethical investment policies
Members of a range of denominations can now see how their Churches are putting Christian principles into investment practice. On 11 December the Church Investors Group (CIG) launched its website, which not only sets out the ethical investment approach of members but also includes responses to some recent controversial issues. The website is at www.churchinvestorsgroup.org.uk.

Sense Making Faith
Sense Making Faith is a resource and workbook for both individuals and groups, released on 10 December. Focussing on the physical senses and the human imagination, it allows people to learn more about both spirituality and sharing faith.

Sense Making Faith comes from the ecumenical Mission Theological Advisory Group, a joint initiative of the Church of England and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. It is released in conjunction with a website, www.spiritualjourneys.org.uk. This carries further journeys and explorations, additional information and a wealth of downloadable text and image material. In addition there are more resources for clergy and groups, as well as news and useful links.

Statements from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York welcoming the release of Gillian Gibbons Statements from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York welcomed the release of British teacher Gillian Gibbons from prison in Sudan. Details here.