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's New Year message - God 'doesn't do waste'
• Archbishop of York's Sunday Mirror column ‘Long To Reign Over Us’
• Archbishop of Canterbury’s statement on Zimbabwe
• Check your spending - it's a matter of life and debt
• Church responds to draft Anglican Covenant
• University chaplains are giving master classes in social cohesion, say faith groups
• Dioceses consulted on housing assistance for retired clergy
• Churches encouraged to look to the ultimate role model on Education Sunday 2008
• Church Commissioners tune in to Time Team’s Street of the Dead
• People and Places - Voices of the Church of England
• 2008 Tailor made communications training programme
• Elections to Church of England bodies
• Christmas round-up
  • Christians share gift of faith with their friends this Christmas as thousands congregate at nation’s cathedrals
  • Archbishop of Canterbury - Joy of Christmas is about God’s love for creation
  • Archbishop of York calls for action against ‘God being violated’ in Zimbabwe and Darfur
  • Archbishop of Canterbury - Pause for Thought on Terry Wogan, BBC Radio 2
  • Archbishop of York’s ‘plan for world change’: Daily Telegraph article

Archbishop of Canterbury's New Year message - God 'doesn't do waste'

”By this stage of the holiday season, I imagine you might be looking with dismay at your overflowing rubbish bin, or the mountain of debris piling up outside your back door. Food, drink, presents – they all come with more and more packaging. Even the most eco-conscious of us is likely to have a bit of a bad conscience after Christmas.” The full text of the message may be found here.

The message is also available on youtube

Archbishop of York's Sunday Mirror column ‘Long To Reign Over Us’
”This week the Queen became Britain’s oldest ever Monarch. When she was born it was not thought that Princess Elizabeth might become Queen. However the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 led to the enthronement of Elizabeth’s father George VI, whose death in 1952 led to the ascension of Queen Elizabeth II.” The full article may be found here.

Archbishop of Canterbury’s statement on Zimbabwe
In response to reports that some Anglican church services in Harare had been disrupted by state officials, Dr Williams condemned unequivocally the use of state machinery to intimidate opponents of the deposed bishop of Harare, Nolbert Kunonga. Details here.

Check your spending - it's a matter of life and debt
The Church of England has compiled a Post Christmas Debt Check for consumers worried about how much their wallets have been hit by Christmas and New Year spending. Details here.

Church responds to draft Anglican Covenant
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have submitted a Church of England Response to the draft Anglican Covenant. Details here.

University chaplains are giving master classes in social cohesion, say faith groups
A major report commissioned by the Church of England and supported by many of the main faith communities in the UK offers a tutorial in the valuable work of university and college chaplains up and down the country. It calls on Higher Education Institutions and the government to continue to invest in chaplaincies to help them further their significant contribution to social cohesion, at a time when 43 per cent of young people in England and Wales have experienced higher education. Details here.

Dioceses consulted on housing assistance for retired clergy
The Church of England is to consult dioceses and individuals on how it can best support retired clergy in need of housing assistance after a life of service to the church, as in recent years house price growth has outstripped the increase in average earnings. Details here.

Churches encouraged to look to the ultimate role model on Education Sunday 2008
In a world of competing role models, Jesus' powerful challenge to 'come and see' is at the heart of Education Sunday 2008. Details here.

Church Commissioners tune in to Time Team’s ‘Street of the Dead’
The 13 January edition of Channel 4's new series of Time Team was filmed on one of the Church Commissioners' farms near Bishop Auckland, in County Durham. The dig took place in April 2007 on Binchester Hall Farm, the site of one of the largest Roman forts in the country. Details here.

People and Places - Voices of the Church of England
The latest edition of the Church of England's 'People and Places' podcast features three more short interviews with people who work within the Church. The Revd Katie Tupling talks about what it's like being a priest with a disability serving in the Derbyshire Dales; Premier Radio's Cindy Kent interviews the Church of England's Director of Mission and Public Affairs, Malcolm Brown; and the Bishop of Birmingham's Adviser for Youth Ministry, Helen Tomblin, reveals why she set up the Laughing Sole clean comedy club. To listen to People and Places, click here or search via this link.

2008 Tailor made communications training programme starts soon
The 2008 Tailor Made Communications Training programme gets underway on 20th February, with 'How to get your church noticed', a day designed to help parish churches raise their profile in their local community. Also coming soon are our popular magazines and newsletters course on 21st February, ideal for anyone who needs to give their publication a facelift, and our beginner's guide to creating a website on 4th March. More information on all our courses can be found here or by calling 020 7898 1465.

Some of the courses in the 2008 programme have filled up already, so if you are interested in our training please contact us as soon as possible.

If you have a team of staff or clergy that you'd like to train together, or you have a specific issue that you would like some help with, we can arrange bespoke training for you. This can take place either at the Training suite at Church House Westminster or, if you would prefer, at your base or another location of your choosing. For more information and to discuss your requirements please call 020 7898 1465 or email comms.training@c-of-e.org.uk

Elections to Church of England bodies
Detailed results of recent elections to various Church of England bodies may be found here.

Christmas round-up

Christians share gift of faith with their friends this Christmas as thousands congregate at nation’s cathedrals
More than 140,000 people were expected to attend a Church of England cathedral for a service on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day this year, following a 7.5 per cent rise in worshippers between 2005 and 2006. Details here.

Archbishop of Canterbury - Joy of Christmas is about God’s love for creation
“The joy of Christmas teaches us that God’s relationship with the human race is primarily one of love for his creation,” according to the Archbishop of Canterbury. In his Christmas Sermon, delivered at Canterbury Cathedral, Dr Williams said that “our capacity to avoid this reality contributes to our confusion”. The full text of the message may be found here.

Archbishop of York calls for action against ‘God being violated’ in Zimbabwe and Darfur
In his Christmas sermon at York Minster, Dr John Sentamu has said that “the message of Christmas challenges our complacency, our prejudices, and our misconceptions about God and humanity.” The full text of the message may be found here.

Archbishop of Canterbury - Pause for Thought on Terry Wogan, BBC Radio 2
”We sing quite a bit about ‘Tidings of comfort and joy’ at this time of year. But it would be a pity if we felt Christmas ought to be a time when we turned our faces away from uncomfortable things in our society. Surely it ought to be a time when we summon up courage to confront a few issues – simply because it’s a time when we are more conscious than ever of the good things that have been given to us, material good things to celebrate with, and also, if you’re a Christian, the biggest gift of all, the birth of Jesus.” The full transcript may be found here.

Archbishop of York’s ‘plan for world change’: Daily Telegraph article
“From an obsession with fame to child-trafficking and corrupt regimes, it is time to take responsibility for the problems of the 21st century,” says the Archbishop of York. Full article here.