*** DEBUG START ***
*** DEBUG END ***

UK news in brief

by
08 November 2013

PETER GARDNER

Extended welcome - Holland House 

Extended welcome - Holland House 

'Positive story' for retreat houses

THE opening of a new extension to Holland House (pictured above), a retreat house in Worcestershire, has been welcomed as a sign of hope amid news of the challenges facing the sector (News, 1 November). A statement on Tuesday said that the House faced "serious challenges", but that the opening was a "positive story of successful fund-raising, committed Friends and a project delivered on time and on budget". 

'Gagging law' will be put on hold

THE Government has agreed to delay work on the Transparency of Lobbying Bill, described as a "gagging law" by charities (News, 11 October), for up to six weeks in the House of Lords. The concession on Tuesday followed the publication of a report by the Commission on Civil Society and Democratic Engagement, chaired by Lord Harries, the former Bishop of Oxford, which warned that the Bill risked "profoundly undermining the very fabric of our democracy". Under the proposed Bill, money spent by third parties during a pre-election period would be severely restricted.

New Moderator named in Scotland

THE next Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland will be the Revd Dr Angus Morrison, Minister of Orwell and Portmoak Church in the Presbytery of Perth. He will take up the office, a post held for one year, in May 2014. 

Radio 2 awards London choristers

TWO young choristers are celebrating after being crowned winners of the BBC Radio 2 Young Chorister of the Year 2013 competition on Thursday of last week. The awards went to Luke McWatters, aged 13, who sings at the Temple Church in London, and Laura Barraclough, aged 11, who sings at Holy Trinity, Sloane Square. The grand final was compèred by Diane-Louise Jordan, who presents Sunday Hour on Radio 2, and was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London.

Radio

Climate-change prayer published

CHRISTIANS have been urged to pray during the annual United Nations conference on climate change, due to take place in Warsaw from 11 to 22 November. Christian Ecology Link (CEL) has published a prayer which asks God to ensure that "short-term business interests bow to science". Ruth Jarman, the CEL trustee who wrote the prayer, said: "With every passing year there seems less expectation that the UN's process of tackling global carbon emissions will be successful, and less hope that climate catastrophe can be averted. For people of faith this is no reason to stop demanding action from our leaders and makes prayer even more vital."

www.greenchristian.org.uk/archives/6362

Comment

Browse Church and Charity jobs on the Church Times jobsite

Forthcoming Events

Women Mystics: Female Theologians through Christian History

13 January - 19 May 2025

An online evening lecture series, run jointly by Sarum College and The Church Times

tickets available

 

Festival of Faith and Literature

28 February - 2 March 2025

tickets available

 

Visit our Events page for upcoming and past events 

Welcome to the Church Times

 

To explore the Church Times website fully, please sign in or subscribe.

Non-subscribers can read four articles for free each month. (You will need to register.)