Oh Come All Ye Tweeters; Women bishops: Apron protests held at churches; Don’t fix just some of York Minster’s problems, fix olive them; Church Urban Fund chair condemns cuts and backs Beveridge principle; Charities, church groups and unions criticise policies that punish the poor: Media review – Terry Waite meets his captors; Westminster Abbey TV review
Oh Come All Ye Tweeters
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams (@lambethpalace), the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu (@johnsentamu) and Archbishop Designate Justin Welby (@bishopofdurham) will have their Christmas Day sermons tweeted for the first time ever this year. They will be joined by congregations and clergy from across the Church of England (@c_of_e) in a Christmas Tweet campaign on #ChristmasStartsWithChrist.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, congregations and clergy in the 12,000 parishes of the Church of England are being encouraged to get out their smartphones and livetweet the joy and meaning of Christmas to the 10 million people who make up the UK’s ‘Twitterati’.
“This is a brilliant opportunity for parishes to take the good news of the first Christmas out of churches and into people’s lives and homes,” says the Revd Arun Arora (@RevArun), Director of Communications at the Archbishops’ Council. “It is the first time that the joy and excitement of Christmas will have been broadcast widely on Twitter. There are large numbers of social media enthusiasts to be found in pews and pulpits across the country. This is an invitation for them to join together to celebrate the joy of the Christ Child coming into the world, taking the real meaning of Christmas to a new digital audience. Churches from all denominations will be invited to broadcast their services via twitter.”
A Twitter spokesperson said: “Twitter brings you closer to the things you are passionate about – and for millions of people across the globe that is faith.”
“It is fantastic to see the Church of England embracing Twitter and using it to share their Christmas message with new audiences.”
The hashtag #ChristmasStartsWithChrist goes live on Christmas Eve. Tweets can be expected from carol, crib and midnight services, before carrying on into Christmas morning services at which stage the highlights of the sermons at Canterbury Cathedral, York Minster and Durham Cathedral will join the torrent of tweets.
Women bishops: Apron protests held at churches
Women have worn aprons to church services in the Diocese of Hereford in protest against the Church of England’s decision to reject women bishops.
Organiser of the silent protest, Christine Walters from Stoke Lacy in Herefordshire, said she had had support from congregations across the diocese.
She said: “People get the joke and that it’s a silent but very solid protest.”
Last month the Church’s general synod voted narrowly against the idea after it was rejected by the House of Laity.
Sixty-year-old Mrs Walters, who is the secretary to the Bromyard Deanery, wore a bright yellow apron to the service at St Peter and St Paul Church in Stoke Lacy,
She said: “The wearing of aprons mocks the idea that women are only fit to serve tea and coffee but we are fit to take high office. More at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-20657294
Don’t fix just some of York Minster’s problems, fix olive them
The Church Times tells us that York Minster is in the middle of a £23 million restoration programme, which has included replacing large quantities of stonework. Some of the attempted restoration efforts of the past have accelerated the decay, but there is hope that a dressing made from olive oil could save limestone fabric from eroding. The cartoon that accompanies the article ponders whether Jamie Oliver might be taken on as a consultant.
The Minster is currently in the middle of a £23-million restoration programme, which has included replacing large quantities of stonework. The research – funded by the UK Science and Heritage Programme – could now be used to help conserve other historic limestone buildings around the world.
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2012/7-december/news/uk/extra-virgin-for-york-minster
Church Urban Fund chair condemns cuts and backs Beveridge principle
The chair of the Church of England charity, the Church Urban Fund (CUF), has criticised punitive government welfare cuts and the emaciation of the vision behind the welfare state.
Writing in the Observer newspaper, the Ven Paul Hackwood, chair of CUF, says: “If we want to preserve our society and the social bonds that tie us together, we need to help people survive shocks and provide them with a level of income at which they can preserve their dignity.”
“We must hold firm to the Beveridge principle that our social insurance system should provide a minimum standard of living ‘below which no one should be allowed to fall’,” he adds.
Charities, church groups and unions criticise policies that punish the poor
Charities, church groups and trade unions have combined to call on the government to stop punishing the poorest through its economic and welfare policies.
Some 45 NGOs have signed a joint letter to the media coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the ground-breaking Beveridge Report on welfare.
MEDIA REVIEW
Report that ‘twenty years after he was freed, Terry Waite makes his peace with Hezbollah’.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/return-to-hell-former-hostage-terry-1482664
Review of ‘an enjoyable, if somewhat pedestrian, trip behind the scenes’ at Westminster Abbey; BBC2, Friday 9.00pm.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/tv-and-radio-reviews/9730011/Westminster-Abbey-BBC-Two-review.html