Church supports petition for Government help on community energy; Charities voice concerns about welfare changes; New era of learning for Methodist Church; RSCM Leeds Choral festival
Church supports petition for Government help on community energy
Church of England representative David Shreeve joined others today from the Community Energy Coalition to hand in a nearly 60,000 signature petition to the Department of Energy and Climate Change. It calls on the Government to provide greater support for co-operative and community-owned energy projects.
Ed Davey MP, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change received the petition which is one of the highlights of Community Energy Fortnight. The campaign aims to engage and inspire people about the wide-ranging benefits of community energy.
St John’s Sunshine, a community benefit co-op in Old Trafford, Manchester is an exciting example of the type of projects that are already making a difference. Photovoltaic panels installed on the south facing church roof generate electricity for St John’s Centre next door. The Centre, which serves a diverse faith and cultural community, becomes more sustainable in the process. In addition, each year members of the co-op, which include both church and community investors, award ‘sunshine grants’ to local groups from the income generated from the Feed in Tariff.
“This little energy project won’t save the world’ says the Revd John Hughes, priest in charge at St John’s. ‘but it does show how a volunteer led energy business can bring together people in a community to make a difference on their patch of the planet.’
David Shreeve the Church of England’s national environment adviser said: ‘The Church is very well placed to encourage communities to come together and develop energy projects. Our buildings are installing a variety of renewable processes, but there could be many more especially if the Church can work with local communities. We would like to use our unique networks to increase awareness and information which would put potential interest in touch with completed installations to encourage more community projects around the country.”
Charities voice concerns about welfare changes
Leading Catholic charities have voiced their concerns about rising domestic poverty levels and pressure on public expenditure following the recent changes to the benefit system.
Thirteen Catholic charities, including Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN), St Vincent De Paul Society (SVP) and Nugent Care, outlined concerns in an open letter addressed to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee.
They called for an investigation into the impact of the Government’s welfare changes, warning that although they may make short term gains, they will put greater pressure on health and education budgets in the long run.
The charities are particularly concerned about the impact of overcrowding on the health and educational development of children, with recent estimates suggesting that over 21,000 families are living in overcrowded conditions in London alone.
The letter discusses this issue, reading: “Whilst the DWP acknowledged that restrictions to housing benefit may result in overcrowding, adversely affecting health, mental wellbeing and children’s educational attainment, the resultant long-term impact upon public finances has not been quantified.
“With thousands of children now living in overcrowded accommodation and sharing bedrooms with their parents, this factor alone has the potential for considerable exported costs to the NHS, the education system and the wider economy.”
Helen O’Brien, Chief Executive of CSAN said: “We have real concerns that trying to make short-term cost savings on welfare, will actually generate greater costs to society in the long run.”
She expressed the hope that the charities’ concerns would be addressed in the near future.
“We are particularly concerned that changes to household benefit may lead to more families living in overcrowded properties as they struggle to afford rent on their current homes,” she said.
“It is therefore extremely troubling that the costs to the NHS, education system as well as to the wider economy do not appear to have been quantified in any way. As well as the clear human cost, the long-term price of poverty is likely to have significant financial implications for the taxpayer.”
New era of learning for Methodist Church
The Methodist Church has formally changed its learning structure to offer more training from locally placed staff across 11 regions.
The Discipleship and Ministries Learning Network will work through two institutions, Cliff College and the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham, as well as from homes or regional offices.
The network was set up following recommendations from the 2012 Fruitful Field report and its development follows a year of debate in the Methodist Council and other governing bodies.
The changes will result in more staff being based regionally than before.
Jude Levermore, head of Discipleship and Ministries, believes the changes hold enormous potential for the Church’s growth.
“This is a response to the challenge of being a ‘Discipleship Movement shaped for Mission’. To be a vital, growing church, we need to be a learning church,” said Levermore.
“By having more Connexional Team members in the regions, we can combine the strengths of being a Connexional church with the strength of local mission. Being closer to where people are allows the Church to get the best out of what is already happening and what will be developed. The potential is huge.”
Some aspects of training, like in safeguarding for example, is a requirement across the Connexion, but in other areas, the Learning Network will be tailored to meet regional needs.
Levermore added: “In each of the 11 training regions there will be conversations between the regional coordinators and the chairs of the districts in that region and other District officers. These will produce learning and development work plans for each region.”
Paul Taylor, Director of Learning and Development (Regions) agreed, saying: “Each region has different needs, which vary by geography, demographics and local vision. So we want to listen to the regional and local needs along with the things that are identified as being Connexion-wide.
“The needs of a rural region will be different to those of an urban one. Each region will be able to explore what its learning and development forum will look like. The membership of such a forum used to be quite rigidly set, but now will look different in different regions, to be able to better discuss local needs.”
The Reverend Canon Dr David Hewlett, Principal of the Queen’s Foundation, said he was delighted to be part of this “new era” in Methodist learning and development.
He said: “As an ecumenical college, with 24 academic staff and over 400 registered students, including 150 who are preparing for ordained or authorised ministries, we are committed to bring the widest range of our research and experience to all those we work with.”
RSCM Leeds Choral festival
Members of church choirs from across the North of England will converge on Leeds Town Hall later this month for a choral festival.
Choristers of all ages are being invited to take part in the festival, called The Whole Company of Heaven.
The festival is being organised by the Royal School of Church Music and will be directed by Dr Simon Lindley, the City of Leeds organist.
Choristers will sing compositions by Francis Jackson and T Tertius Noble, both past organists of York Minster, and Ernest Bullock, as well as church music composers George Dyson and Charles Villiers Stanford.
The festival culminates in a special service at 3pm that will also mark the eve of the feast day of St Michael and All Angels with hymns on the theme of angels and saints. Preaching the sermon will be the Bishop of Beverley, the Right Reverend Glyn Webster.
“We are hoping for 600 choristers from across the whole region, including cathedral choirs from Wakefield, Sheffield and Bradford,” says Andrew Robinson, the RSCM’s Regional Music Adviser.
“This is a celebration of the role of music within worship and a rare chance to bring together choristers to celebrate our fine North of England heritage of church music, in the iconic space of Leeds Town Hall.”
Singers, whether as part of a choir or individuals, need to book in advance to take part and music will be provided in a service book priced at £6. For more information go to www.rscm.com/riponandleeds or contact Andrew Robinson on arobinson@rscm.com.