Pentecost balloon release cancelled

THE annual release of red helium balloons at Pentecost by a church in the diocese of Canterbury has been cancelled. The Revd Dr James Rosenthal, NSM in The Wantsum Group, said that the launch had to stop, as the deflated balloons might be harmful to animals. In the past, balloons with attached Bible verses have travelled as far as Belgium and Germany.
 

Church House Bookshop scoops award

THE Church House Bookshop has been named the Independent Large Retail Store of the Year at the Christian Resources Together annual awards. The shop is owned by Hymns Ancient & Modern, which also publishes the Church Times.
 

Church in Wales says 'cherish your yews'

THE Church in Wales has launched a campaign to protect yew trees in churchyards across the province. Many of the oldest yew trees (some thousands of years old) grow in churchyards, and for Cherishing Churchyards Week which begins tomorrow, the Church in Wales will send parishes which own ancient yews information on how to manage the veteran trees. Right: a yew tree in the churchyard of St Cynog's, Defynnog, in Powys, thought to up to 5000 years old, and possibly the oldest tree in Europe.
 

Church-school pupils to create video snapshot

CHILDREN at church primary schools in England are being encouraged to enter a national competition to make a film explaining what it means to them to attend a Christian school. The winning pupils will be invited to the House of Lords for tea with the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd John Pritchard, who chairs the C of E's Board of Education. The Church's chief education officer, the Revd Jan Ainsworth, said she wanted children to explain how their school's Christian ethos connected with their daily lives.
 

Week of prayer at St Paul's

THE Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres, has announced a week of prayer at St Paul's Cathedral as part of the diocese of London's plan for growth. The plan, Capital Vision 2020, was launched by the diocese last year (News, 14 June 2013), and to mark the first anniversary, sevendays of prayer will start on 9 June, at Pentecost. The 24-7 Prayer organisation will set up a prayer space within St Paul's during the week,and parishioners are being encouraged to pray for seven friends with whom they could share their faith.