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 visit to China
Bishop welcomes preservation of Prisons Inspectorate
People of faith sustain vibrant rural communities
Shock poster pressures supermarkets to back Bishop
Commissioners to market financial interest in housing loans
Prayers for all Times and Seasons in three new publications
The Revd Sir Derek Pattinson RIP
Law Commission consultation: “Cohabitation: the Financial Consequences of Relationship Breakdown”
Archbishop calls for secure future for Hospital Chaplaincy
The Church of England appoints its first Bishop for Urban Life and Faith
New Church of England schools to offer a quarter of places to non-church families
Guidelines on dealing with domestic abuse launched
Bishop of Manchester appointed to chair women bishops legislative drafting group
Church launches official resources to mark the journey of faith
Planting for growth: new ideas for countryside churches
Archbishop announces new Third Church Estates Commissioner
Tailor Made: Communications Training for a Mission Shaped Church

Archbishop of Canterbury’s visit to China

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, spent a varied two weeks touring China and visiting a range of communities across the country. During a press conference on his journey back to the UK, the Archbishop reflected on his trip and spoke of his encouragement at the changing context of life in China, including government concessions on the death penalty and the development of Sunday Schools.

Read his full reflections at: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/
releases/061023.htm

Highlights of the trip include:
The Archbishop's remarks to Chevening scholars in Nanjing where he spoke of China emerging as a senior partner in the fellowship of nations.

Read the full text of his remarks at: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/
releases/061010.htm

The Archbishop's lecture at Wuhan University where he traced the roots of the university system in the desire to nourish spiritual and moral maturity, as well as intellectual skill. This, he said, provided a model for universities to continue their contribution to the ongoing debates on the moral dimensions of public life both in China and in the West.

Read the full text of his lecture at: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/releases/061013.htm

The Archbishop's sermon preached at Chaoyang Church, Beijing, where he argued that, as part of building up a harmonious society, churches and church members should join in and play their part in the debates that responsible people are having.

Read the full text of the sermon at: http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/sermons_speeches/061022.htm

Bishop welcomes preservation of Prisons Inspectorate

The Rt Revd Dr Peter Selby, Bishop of Worcester and Bishop to HM Prisons, has welcomed the Government's announcement that it will not proceed with a proposal to merge the Prisons Inspectorate in a ‘super-inspectorate’ covering all parts of the criminal justice system.

Bishop Peter said, "I warmly welcome the Government's decision to achieve common purpose and shared working among the criminal justice inspectorates by cooperative working rather than structural reorganisation. This achieves exactly the balance of independence for the particular responsibilities of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and of the sharing of insight that we all want to see."

Read the full statement from the Bishop: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr10806.html

People of faith sustain vibrant rural communities

Research published recently shows that vibrant rural communities are sustained and enhanced by the actions of people of faith. These often unseen actions benefit the whole community, argues the findings of Faith in Rural Communities: Contributions of Social Capital to Community Vibrancy, which was supported by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). “It is the quality of the relationships that make a rural place really vibrant,” said Dr Jill Hopkinson, National Rural Officer for the Church of England, “and this contributes to breaking down barriers between groups in rural places.”

Read more about the report: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr10706.html
Order it online: http://www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/publications/
faith%5Fin%5Frural%5Fcommunities/

Shock poster pressures supermarkets to back Bishop

The Bishop of Bolton, the Rt Rev David Gillett, has launched ‘Halloween Choice’, a campaign challenging supermarkets to offer a wider range of merchandise to people who want to celebrate Halloween in an alternative way.

The campaign is supported by a striking poster and postcard design which features actual masks available for parents or children to buy, one of which depicts a serial killer from a film. The material carries the tag line - “Not all parents want to see their kids dressed as monsters or murderers this Halloween”.

Read more about the Bishop’s campaign: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr10706a.html
Find out how you can get involved in lobbying for change on next Halloween’s supermarket shelves: www.halloweenchoice.org

Commissioners to market financial interest in housing loans

The Church Commissioners announced in October that they had begun detailed discussions to sell their financial interest in housing loans granted to the Church of England Pensions Board. This is a sale of the Commissioners' income stream from these loans and not a sale of the ‘bricks and mortar.’

All retired clergy who have mortgages under The Church's Housing Assistance for the Retired Ministry (CHARM) scheme have been informed by letter of the transaction, and reassured that their loan conditions with the Pensions Board remain unchanged.

Find out more about this announcement: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr10206.html

Prayers for all Times and Seasons in three new publications

Common Worship further enriches the worship of the Church of England with the eagerly awaited publication of Times and Seasons. Concentrating on the major liturgical cycles, particularly Advent to Candlemas and Lent to Easter, this latest addition to the Common Worship family of resources helps to plan and prepare worship that embraces the richness of the Christian year.

Alongside that material, Times and Seasons provides resources for the festivals and seasons of the agricultural year, as well as material to explore themes such as creation and the environment. Practical resources include creative service outlines, fully worked out services for all the major festivals and a wealth of seasonally appropriate liturgical material, such as that used in the new Christingle service published this year by The Children’s Society.

Discover more about Common Worship: Times and Seasons: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr10506.html
Order your copy now: http://www.chpublishing.co.uk/product.asp?id=2392649

The Revd Sir Derek Pattinson RIP

The Church of England mourns the loss of Sir Derek Pattinson, who died, aged 76, on Tuesday, October 10. As Associate Secretary General, he helped to see into being the General Synod of the Church of England in 1970 and served as its Secretary General from 1972 to 1990. Pattinson oversaw a huge range of significant discussions within the Church, including a possible Anglican/Methodist Reunion, the televised Ban the Bomb debate and debates on women and the priesthood.

Read the full obituary: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr10606.html

Law Commission consultation: “Cohabitation: the Financial Consequences of Relationship Breakdown”

The Church of England has told the Law Commission consultation: “Cohabitation: the Financial Consequences of Relationship Breakdown,” that public policy should promote and encourage marriage, as it contributes to the common good.

The Rt Revd Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark said: “It is perfectly justified in terms of public policy for marriage to continue to confer particular benefits and privileges not available to those who choose not to commit to an enduring legal relationship, so long as adequate steps are taken to prevent manifest injustice. The test we would commend in assessing possible solutions is whether they will genuinely correct injustices without at the same time downgrading or creating disincentives to marriage.”

Read the full response: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr10406.html

Archbishop calls for secure future for Hospital Chaplaincy

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has given his strong support to the work of hospital chaplains and has stressed the need for a commitment to securing effective chaplaincy services across the National Health Service at a time of job cutbacks and financial restraint.

In a recent meeting with Health Minister, Lord Warner, Dr Williams spoke of his concern about reports of disproportionate cuts in chaplaincy services in some parts of the NHS. Whilst recognising the financial constraints on the NHS and the need to ensure that all areas – including chaplaincy - bear their fair share of any cutbacks, Dr Williams stressed that chaplaincy should neither be considered a ‘soft target’, nor bear a disproportionate burden of staff reductions

Read the Archbishop’s full statement: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/abchcc.html

The Church of England appoints its first Bishop for Urban Life and Faith

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have appointed the Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, Bishop of Hulme, to promote the dissemination and implementation of the report Faithful Cities, the follow up report to Faith in the City, which was widely welcomed at its launch in May. The appointment is for three years, during which the Bishop will respond to issues of urban policy and life on behalf of the Church.

Discover more about this exciting appointment: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr10006.html

New Church of England schools to offer a quarter of places to non-church families

All new Church of England schools should have at least a quarter of admission places available to non-Christians but Parliament should not expect the same commitment from other faith communities, the chairman of the Board of Education has told the Secretary of State for Education.

In a letter to Alan Johnson, the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Rt Rev Dr Kenneth Stevenson, writes: “As chairman of the Board of Education and National Society, and as the Church of England’s spokesman on education in the House of Lords, I want to make a specific commitment that all new Church of England schools should have at least 25% of places available to children with no requirement that they be of practising Christian families.”

Read the Bishop’s letter: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr10106.html

Guidelines on dealing with domestic abuse launched

Pastoral guidelines on Responding to Domestic Abuse, prepared in response to a General Synod motion in 2004 and approved by the Archbishops' Council, have been published. The guidelines give basic information about domestic abuse, set out principles for dealing with it, and offer practical recommendations for those with pastoral responsibility, as well as encouraging parishes and dioceses to develop policies. They point out that the most useful resources are generally those available locally but cite a selection of church resources for training and raising awareness. A series of appendices discuss particular topics in greater detail.

The guidelines can be found at: www.cofe.anglican.org/info/papers/domesticabuse.pdf

Bishop of Manchester appointed to chair women bishops legislative drafting group

The Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, Bishop of Manchester, has been appointed by the Archbishops’ Council to chair a legislative drafting group to consider proposals for allowing women to be consecrated as bishops. The drafting group was called for in a motion carried by the General Synod in July 2006.

Find out more about this announcement: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr9806.html

Church launches official resources to mark the journey of faith

The Church of England has published resources to equip local parishes with tools to help mark major milestones in a Christian’s journey of faith. The new materials have been developed in response to calls from churches for quality resources to help celebrate baptisms and confirmations – the two major services at which Christians make a public affirmation of their faith or their commitment to raising a child in that faith.

Learn more about these new resources: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr9706.html
See what they look like, and order them now, by searching the Church House Publishing site for the resources you are interested in: http://www.chpublishing.co.uk

Planting for growth: new ideas for countryside churches

Churches in the countryside should consider setting up farmers’ markets and using school buildings after hours to organise café-style events to reach out to rural communities, argues a new book released today by the Church of England.

Mission-shaped and Rural, written by the Revd Sally Gaze, sheds light on how traditional models of the Church’s work in the countryside should be complemented by emerging forms of ministry in order to meet the needs of today’s rural communities. This follow-up book to Mission-Shaped Church seeks to transform the aspirations of the original report into further reflection and recommended actions specifically for those engaged in rural ministry.

Find out more about Mission-shaped and Rural: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr10906.html
Order your copy now: http://www.chpublishing.co.uk/
product.asp?id=2392633

Archbishop announces new Third Church Estates Commissioner

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has announced the appointment of Mr Timothy Walker to serve as Third Church Estates Commissioner in succession to Lady Brentford.

Read more about this announcement: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/abcthirdcec.html

Tailor Made: Communications Training for a Mission Shaped Church

You know what you want to say, you know what you want people to hear, but how can you make it happen? Our 2007 programme of communications training courses are tailor made to help you get your key messages across. Next year we are offering different streams of courses to match different levels of experience and different needs.

Details are being finalised at present, and the 2007 programme will be launched at the end of November. To request a copy of the course brochure please contact Suzanne Gray on 020 7898 1465 or comms.training@c-of-e.org.uk