New Special Envoy on Girls’ Education named
THE Prime Minister has appointed Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone and The Weald, as the UK’s first Special Envoy on Girls’ Education. She will focus on supporting and advocating the education of girls around the world, with a target of getting 40 million more girls into school by 2025. Before becoming an MP in the 2010 General Election, Ms Grant was a solicitor for 23 years, specialising in protecting women and children from domestic abuse. She has previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice and Women and Equality. She is said to be an active member of the Church of England. In 2013, she spoke “a God-fearing woman” in support of same-sex marriage. She will continue in her existing appointment as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria.
Founder of publishing house dies
KEVIN MAYHEW, of the Christian publishing house of the same name, died on Thursday of last week. An announcement posted on the publisher’s social media pages read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Kevin Mayhew on Thursday 14th January, after bravely battling Progressive Supranuclear Palsy for a number of years. Kevin started the company 45 years ago, with a dream and a passion for music, which continued throughout his life. Sharing seven daughters with his wife Barbara, along with grandchildren and a large extended family, who gave him much joy outside of work, Kevin will be greatly missed by family, friends and colleagues.”
Army chaplains to receive pastoral supervision
A NEW ecumenical pilot project has been launched through which army chaplains receive monthly, one-to-one pastoral supervision. The project, Footsteps, was created at the direction of the Chaplain-General to HM Land Forces, Clinton Langston. St Luke’s Healthcare for the Clergy is to provide experienced pastoral supervisors to support ten army chaplains in the UK of various Christian denominations, including the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church; supervisors from the RC diocese of Portsmouth are to support a further ten chaplains. Sessions will take place away from army premises and in person, as soon as this is possible. The outcomes will be assessed academically during the two-year trial period, which started in November and will end in March 2022. A renewal is planned for a further six months, after a mid-term review. The Wellbeing Adviser for St Luke’s, Jan Korris, said: “The purpose of Footsteps is to equip army chaplains, personally and professionally, to flourish in their ministry.” Methodist chaplains are already being supported through a permanent scheme run by their own Church.