Priests’ life peerages and other Honours
THE Revd Dr Russell Rook OBE, a partner of the Good Faith Partnership, is among the 30 life peers to be nominated by the Prime Minister shortly before Christmas. Among the six Conservative nominations was the Revd Dr Nigel Biggar CBE, Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology in the University of Oxford. Appointed LVO in the New Year Honours (News, 3 January) were the Revd Neil Gardner, Domestic Chaplain to the King in Scotland and Parish Minister of Canongate Kirk; and Canon Edmund Newell, lately Chief Executive of Cumberland Lodge, the education and conference centre in Windsor Great Park. The Revd Ann Hitchiner, Chaplain to the Forces (Third Class), Royal Army Chaplains’ Department, Army Reserve, an Anglican priest in Herefordshire, was appointed OBE. Among the BEMs was Dr Derek Gallagher, lately vice-chairman of the Friends of St George’s Memorial Church, Ypres, in Belgium, for services to charity.
Ted Harrison, writer and artist, dies
THE writer, broadcaster, and artist Ted Harrison died, aged 75, in Aberystwyth last week. Mr Harrison, an occasional contributor to the Church Times for several decades, worked with BBC Radio 4 for 20 years, presenting Sunday and Does He Take Sugar? He was the BBC Religious Affairs Correspondent and a reporter on The World at One and The World Tonight. He went on to become a television producer, working on programmes including Redcoats for ITV and Elvis and the Presleytarians for BBC1. He wrote 25 books. He also illustrated books, most recently Richard Coles’s series The Lives of Improbable Saints.
Obituary to follow
Faith into Action learning series launched
CHRISTIAN AID is hosting a new online learning programme, “Faith into Action”, to help people to understand the causes of global poverty and campaign for change. The Campaigns and Organising Officer, Jess Hall, said that, in the monthly sessions, which begin on Monday, “We will hear from people speaking up for change in their churches and communities in the UK and from communities standing up to injustice around the world. Together we’ll spend an hour connecting our faith with ways we can take impactful action for global justice.” Last year, more than 600 people downloaded Christian Aid’s guide “Breaking Bread”, on how to lobby MPs on issues such as prioritising peace or cancelling low-income countries’ debts.
jason bryantToasty posty: This post-box topper was spotted opposite St Mary’s, Bridport, in Dorset, this week. A post-box topper is a crochet or knitted hat or bonnet for a pillar box, designed as a tribute, commemoration, or simply for public enjoyment
Correction: a story last week about a meeting of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (News, 3 January) misquoted the communiqué as saying that the Anglican Communion was moving “from a season of raw and antagonistic division to one of reckoning with what will likely be a long process of revolution”. In fact, the communiqué said that there “will likely be a long process of resolution”. We apologise for the error.