Dean of Ely appointed; Church Army takes hope to the streets; Council decides not to resume prayers; Bishop welcomes Nissan expansion plans;
Special edition Gospel of Mark for the Olympics; Prime Minister ‘disappointed’ with music industry over explicit videos
Dean of Ely appointed
It was announced from Downing Street yesterday morning that the next Dean of Ely is to be the Revd Canon Mark Bonney. Mark, 55, is currently the Canon Treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral, an office he has held since 2004. Educated in Ipswich and at Cambridge, he was ordained deacon in 1985 and priest in 1986. He was Chaplain and then Precentor at St Albans Cathedral between 1988 and 1992, vicar of Eaton Bray (1992-96), and Rector of Great Berkhamsted from 1996 until he moved to Salisbury. He was a member of the General Synod from 1995 until 2010, serving as a Chaplain to the Synod for five years, and as a member of the Liturgical Commission for four years. He is Chair of the Salisbury DAC and is the Cathedral’s representative on the diocesan Sudan Committee which promotes the diocese’s link with Sudan. Canon Bonney, who is married with two teenage daughters, will be installed as Dean of Ely in September.
Church Army takes hope to the streets
Christian Today – Church Army has announced a new campaign in response to last summer’s riots across England.
Hope on the Streets has been launched to highlight the many ways in which people’s lives are being changed for the better through the work of the church.
Church Army chief executive Mark Russell said he had been struck in the midst of the riots by “the hopelessness with which so many people live their lives”.
“Homelessness, unemployment, addiction, low self-esteem, lack of ambition, all of these things contribute to thousands of people living their lives without any sense of purpose,” he said.
“It is into this world that the message of Jesus needs to be heard, a message of freedom, a message of transformation but above all a message of hope.”
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/church.army.takes.hope.to.the.streets/29645.htm
http://www.churcharmy.org.uk
Council decides not to resume prayers
Christian Concern – A town council has decided not to reinstate their prayer meetings due to concerns that new Government powers to protect the practice are not strong enough.
Bideford Town Council was forced to stop its long standing prayer meetings at the start of official business after a High Court ruled that there was “no statutory power” to allow the tradition. The case was originally brought against Bideford Council by the National Secular Society, after councillor and atheist Clive Bone complained about the prayers. The High Court ruling caused a huge outcry and led to Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, intervening to try to secure the right of Council members to start their meetings with prayer. Mr Pickles quickened the introduction of a “general power of competence” under the Localism Act, giving Councils the authority to engage in any act which is lawful for an individual, including the holding of public prayers. He subsequently claimed that: “Bideford Town Council will be able to hold prayers once more at the start of Council business”.
http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/social/bideford-council-decides-not-to-resume-prayers
Bishop welcomes Nissan expansion plans
Christian Today – The Bishop of Durham has expressed his delight over Nissan’s plans to produce an extra model at its Sunderland plant in 2014. The announcement was made by the car giant during Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to Nissan’s headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. Production of the new hatchback is expected to create an additional 225 jobs at the Sunderland factory and 900 within companies that supply Nissan. Bishop Justin Welby said the decision was an important milestone in the regeneration of the north-east economy.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/bishop.welcomes.nissan.expansion.plans/29640.htm
Special edition Gospel of Mark for the Olympics
Christian Today – Authentic Media has released a new special edition of the ERV Gospel of Mark for the Olympic Games. The ERV (Easy-to-Read Version) was developed over 30 years from its origins as the English Version for the Deaf, which also gave rise to the NCV and ICB translations. It was intended for outreach to the deaf and people for whom English is not their first language. It’s easy-to-read format also makes it ideal for the un-churched. The special Olympics edition of the ERV Gospel of Mark features ERV anglicised text and profiles of Christian sports men and women likely to take centre stage at the Games, such as Allyson Felix in the 400m sprint, Debbie Flood in rowing, and Maya Moore in basketball.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/special.edition.gospel.of.mark.for.the.olympics/29648.htm
Prime Minister ‘disappointed’ with music industry over explicit videos
musicweek.com – The head of a Church Of England pressure group has accused the UK music industry of a poor response to a report concerning sexualised music videos – and has reportedly been backed by PM David Cameron. Reg Bailey, ( CEO of the Mothers’ Union) author of Government-commissioned …
http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1049100&c=1