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:

Archbishop of Canterbury: scars of slavery still with us
Church Leaders sign-up to Walk of Witness
Your first action for Lent: Make someone laugh
Supporting children through difficult times
Grants of 1.6 million announced for cathedral repairs
Church Wedding Roadshow launched to help Couples
New book challenges spend, spend, spend culture of weddings
Quarterly investment update from the Church Commissioners
Encountering the Passion
Archbishop of York: martyrdom of Janani Luwum
Holocaust needs to be remembered as real event
Archbishop pays tribute to Abb Pierre
Commission of enquiry needed into failing penal system
Tanzanias impressive progress
Archbishop speaks out for African cleric imprisoned for peaceful political views
Ordination of Women to the Episcopate
Tailor Made: Communications Training to suit you

Archbishop of Canterbury: scars of slavery still with us

Dr Rowan Williams, has said the scars of slavery are still with modern society and that Zanzibars slave trade history is crucial to the understanding not just of the history of East Africa, but of humanity. Dr Williams comments came during a visit he made to the main island of Zanzibar together with Primates of the Anglican Communion, who were holding a meeting in nearby Dar Es Salaam. See: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/releases/070201.htm

Church leaders sign-up to join pilgrimage Walk of Witness

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, will be joined by a host of church leaders as they embark on an event set to draw many hundreds of Christians together in London to commemorate the landmark anniversary of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Church leaders confirmed so far to take a place alongside the Archbishops for the Walk of Witness on Saturday 24th March include: the Bishop of Southwark, the President of the Methodist Conference, the Revd Graham Carter; the President of the Baptist Union, the Revd Kate Coleman; the Director of the Evangelical Alliance, Joel Edwards; the Chief Executive Officer of the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, Katei Kirby; and the Chief Executive Officer of the Church Army, Mark Russell.

See: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr1807.html

Your first action for Lent: Make someone laugh

The Church of Englands Love Life Live Lent campaign kicked into action on 19 February, when the first in a series of text messages was sent to subscribers make someone laugh. The daily texts each suggest an action that will help spread generosity and neighbourliness, and to mark the occasion the Church is inviting people to share their favourite good, clean joke on the Love Life Live Lent website, www.livelent.net. See: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr1607.html

Supporting children through difficult times

Thirty two per cent of children have been bullied, almost one in ten children are bullied at least once a fortnight and 10 is the peak age for being bullied. These figures from childrens charity NCH, and other worrying facts about the difficulties children cope with have led a ground-breaking coalition of churches and charities working with children to run a series of events called Building Strong Towers. The events aim to help children through difficult times with issues such as bullying, family problems or life at school.

The Methodist Church, Scripture Union, the Church of England, the United Reformed Church and childrens charity NCH have been instrumental in the development of these events. Author Robert Harrison will lead an interactive workshop on his book The Strong Tower, which uses Bible stories of people in hard situations to show how we can support others. Local and national experts will offer practical support around the tough issues children encounter in the world today. More information and a booking form can be found at http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/news/event_details.asp?id=124

Grants of 1.6 million announced by English Heritage for cathedral repairs

The Very Revd Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark, speaking on behalf of the Association of English Cathedrals, said: "The Association of English Cathedrals welcomes this significant contribution to the repair of cathedrals and gratefully acknowledges the additional funding this year from the Wolfson Foundation. English Heritage has also made it abundantly clear that these grants represent a small proportion of the cost of work to cathedrals annually. Several cathedrals still need enormous injections of money if conservation is to succeed. Most cathedrals were packed again at Christmas 2006, holding many extra services to meet the growing demand. But it is not simply at Christmas or Sunday and daily worship that the cathedrals of this country are making a massive contribution to national life. See: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr1507.html

Church wedding roadshow launched to help couples

The Church of England has sparked a national debate about the cost of weddings and the need to invest in the long-term relationship rather than just the big day. Now it is taking to the road to continue the discussion at wedding shows across the country.

More than 700 people posted comments on the BBC website in two days following the launch of a new book from the Church of England that advises couples and churches on ways of making weddings more environmentally-friendly, and how to save money on the costs of the event. Making the Most of Weddings offers engaged couples - and the churches that play a major part in their wedding day - a sense of the options open to them, aimed at helping keep the focus on the wedding as a public commitment to their relationship with each other, and with God. See: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr1407.html

New book challenges 'spend spend spend' culture of weddings

Buying your wedding dress from a charity shop and giving it back afterwards, inviting your guests to bring a bottle, and arriving at the church as part of a flower parade or in a taxi are all suggestions included in a new book published by the Church of England. See: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr1307.html

Quarterly investment update from the Church Commissioners

The First Church Estates Commissioner's newsletter for the quarter to December 2006 is available at http://cofe.anglican.org/about/churchcommissioners/news/newsletterq42006.html

Encountering the Passion

A set of dramatized readings of the Gospel accounts of the Passion of Christ have been published by Church House Publishing, offering churches new material as they prepare their programme of Holy Week services. The booklet designed using the award-winning Common Worship format presents the events leading up to Jesus trial and crucifixion, as recorded in the four Gospels, in the form of dramatized readings. These are offered alongside an introductory section offering practical advice on presenting the readings within the context of worship. See: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr1907.html

Archbishop of York - Sermon at Commemoration of 30th anniversary of the martyrdom of Janani Luwum

The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, gave the Sermon at a Service at Westminster Abbey held on 16 February to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the martyrdom of Janani Luwum, Archbishop of Uganda, on 16 February 1977. See: http://www.salvonet.com/diocese_of_york/cgi/news/news.cgi?t=template&a=1001

Archbishop - Holocaust needs to be remembered as real event

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has said that the Holocaust needs to be remembered as a real, historical and well-documented event. In a statement to mark the UKs Holocaust Memorial day on 27 January, he said that the day should be marked for future generations. Read the full statement at: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/releases/070125.htm

Archbishop pays tribute to Abb Pierre

The Archbishop of Canterbury paid tribute to the French priest and social campaigner Abb Pierre, who died at the age of 94. Dr Williams said that his prophetic voice had reminded the Church of its calling to serve the poor:

" Abb Pierre was one of the great witnesses of our day to the Church's commitment to the poorest and most excluded. Always a controversial figure, at his best he challenged the Church to be more courageous and faithful to its calling. We thank God for this and pray for him and all who shared, and still share, his calling."

Archbishop Commission of enquiry needed into failing penal system

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is calling for a commission of enquiry into the Penal Justice system, which, he says is failing both offenders and victims because it cant cope with the primary need to change the behaviour of those convicted.
The call come in a lecture to the Prison Reform Trust on the 1st February. Read the full lecture at: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/sermons_speeches/070201.htm

Archbishop Tanzanias impressive progress

The Archbishop of Canterbury paid tribute to the progress in Tanzania since independence. Speaking during a courtesy call on the countrys president, HE Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Dr Williams said that Tanzania had been for him a symbol of hope during his younger days. Tanzania stood and stands for what can be achieved through democratic development, he told the President. Read further details on the meeting at: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/releases/070216.htm

Archbishop speaks out for African cleric imprisoned for peaceful political views

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is lending his support to an Amnesty International appeal for Reverend Bienvenido Samba Momessori, a clergyman imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea for his peaceful political views.

Read more on this at: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/releases/070221.htm

Ordination of Women to the Episcopate in the Church of England

Following a debate in July 2006, the General Synod invited the Archbishops Council to set up a legislative drafting group to prepare the draft measure and amending canon necessary to remove the legal obstacles to the consecration of women to the office of bishop; and to prepare a draft of possible additional legal provision consistent with Canon A4 to establish arrangements that would seek to maintain the highest possible degree of communion with those conscientiously unable to receive the ministry of women bishops.

The Group now invites representations in respect of its brief (without duplicating comments put to the earlier exercises by the groups led by the Bishops of Rochester, Guildford and Gloucester). These should be sent to its Secretary, Jonathan Neil-Smith, at Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ [e-mail: womenbishopsgp@c-of-e.org.uk ] to arrive by 30 March 2007.

Tailor Made: Communications Training to suit you

The Church of Englands Communications Office at Church House, London will launch a new exciting training programme in March, with two courses aimed to help you get your message across on air and online. New for 2007 is Spreading your message in cyberspace: get started with your website, which will give you the tips to make sure your web presence makes a big difference for your organisation's profile. Also running is our popular TV and radio training day Being Interviewed. This will help you become an effective interviewee and give you the opportunity to practice your interview skills for radio and TV. We have a few spaces available on both these courses, for more information go to www.commstraining.cofe.anglican.org or ring 020 7898 1465

Also new for 2007 is Communicating the Gospel in plain English, which aims to help you give your speaking and writing a cultural relevance audit. Learning from a variety of experts in simple speech (from St Dominic to Eddie Izzard), you'll learn how to make every word count and gain confidence in public speaking, preaching and communicating one to one. More information is available at http://www.commstraining.cofe.anglican.org/2007/cge.php or by ringing 020 7898 1465.

Finally, diocesan or church staff can be given a bespoke course at their base, tailor made to their requirements. The Communications Office can offer a range of courses in this way, from senior diocesan staff training to a basic course for staff for whom communications is only part of a varied role. For more information please ring 020 7898 1465.