'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
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