Diversity award for founder of Teahouse network
THE founder of The Teahouse network for Chinese-heritage clergy, the Revd Mark Nam, received a National Diversity Award last Friday, for being a “Positive Role Model”. Mr Nam, Vicar of St John’s, Woodley, in Berkshire, has previously received a Lambeth Award for his work, which includes advocacy in relation to Chinese labourers recruited into the British army during the First World War (News, 19 November 2021).
Jesuit charity cautious about policy of ‘one in, one out’
THERE is a “lack of transparency and accountability” about the implementation of the UK and France’s new “one in, one out” migrant agreement, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) said last week. The first person to be removed from the UK under the scheme arrived in France on Thursday of last week. Under the agreement, a number of those crossing by small boats are returned to France in exchange for asylum-seekers who have not tried to cross the Channel and meet certain eligibility criteria. Legal challenges have reportedly prevented planned deportations. In a statement, the JRS said that “behind every border policy are human lives, each with dignity and rights that must be upheld.”
Chelmsford parish magazine wins Gold Award
THE parish magazine, In Touch, of All Saints’, Springfield, in Chelmsford diocese, won the Gold Award for the best church magazine in a competition run by the Association for Church Editors (ACE). ACE announced the winner on Saturday at its annual meeting in Birmingham. The editor of the magazine, Robin Stevens, was presented with a trophy and framed certificate. He, who was at one time the Church of England’s National Stewardship Officer, said: “I was gobsmacked. If I’d known I was going to win, I’d have worn a tie.”
Research affirms the importance of retreats to well-being
A POLL of 50 participants in National Retreat Week suggests that retreats are beneficial to their well-being. Nearly nine out of ten of those surveyed (88 per cent) had attended a “formal retreat with an organised programme”, while 58 per cent had “taken time away from home for a personal retreat”. Ninety-four per cent of participants found that going on retreat benefited their mental health and well-being: 70 per cent “strongly agreed”, and 24 per cent “agreed”.
Coventry’s medieval music explored in new app
THE Royal Birmingham Conservatoire launched an app in July which features virtual reconstructions and historically informed performances seeking to recreate the sound of music in Coventry between 1451 and 1642. The app, Aural Histories: Coventry, is the result of a three-year research project led by the conservatoire’s Professor Jamie Savan. It uses “state-of-the-art virtual reality and audio techniques” and includes singing by the choir of Holy Trinity, Coventry, as well as performances on period instruments, such as the cornett and shawm. Aural Histories: Coventry is available for Android and iOS devices.
Process in October to fill see of Bangor
A MEETING of the Electoral College for the see of Bangor will start on or before 29 October. Recent Electoral Colleges have asked that several preliminary steps be taken before the College meets, including a public advertisement in the Church Times. Additional preliminary safeguarding screening of potential nominees will also take place before the College. The archdeacons of the diocese of Bangor were supportive of giving “a little more time” for the running of the electoral process.
C in W agree Prayer Book addition and Faroe Islands relations
IN OTHER business, the Governing Body of the Church in Wales, meeting last week, unanimously passed a Bill to incorporate into the Welsh Prayer Book an additional order of service for confirmation; and agreed to the inclusion of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Faroe Islands in the Porvoo Communion.