Archbishop Launches Living Wage Rate for UK; Methodist Church makes grant to victims of Hurricane Sandy; Ban Christmas lists for children urges MU; Council overturns Church ban on homemade jam
Archbishop Launches Living Wage Rate for UK
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu together with Julia Unwin CBE Chief Executive of Joseph Rowntree Foundation /Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust today launched the UK Living Wage.
The UK Living Wage is calculated by the Centre of Research in Social Policy and is based on work on Minimum Income Standards, carried out over four years by the JRF. Today it is announced that the rate for the UK outside of London as £7.45. This morning, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, announced the new rate for London as £8.55.
The Living Wage rate is designed so that recipients have a basic quality of life for themselves and their families.
The Archbishop said: “I recently sponsored a Fairness Commission in York and one of the Commission’s key recommendations was to call for a Living Wage to be introduced across the city. Introducing a Living Wage recognises that people should be paid a fair wage for a fair day’s work. We need to value each and every person, rather than cutting adrift those unfortunate enough to find themselves at the bottom.
“Paying a decent wage for our workers is a sign that as a nation – publicly, privately, corporately and individually – we recognise the unique contribution of others to the common good.”
http://www.archbishopofyork.org/articles.php/2673/archbishop-launches-living-wage-rate-for-uk
Methodist Church makes grant to victims of Hurricane Sandy
The Methodist Church in Britain has agreed a grant of £18,000 in aid to support communities struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
The grants made from the Church’s World Mission Fund will go to churches in Cuba and Haiti to help them rebuild their communities following the storm that has also wreaked havoc across the east coast of the United States. The United Methodist Committee on Relief’s hurricane appeal will receive £3,000 to aid relief in the States.
Ban Christmas lists for children urges MU
Telegraph – A carefully written letter to Father Christmas is an annual tradition for many children, but according to the Mothers’ Union it should be a thing of the past as the charity calls for an end to the ‘commercialised’ Christmas list.
Report that a new survey by the Mothers’ Union and backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury shows that “a letter to Father Christmas” (present list) is placing undue pressure on parents to buy additional presents for children.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9655522/Ban-Christmas-lists-for-children-urges-charity.html
Council overturns Church ban on homemade jam
Evening Standard – A ban on sales of homemade jam in used jars at church fetes has been overruled by a London council after it refused to police the edict.
Croydon council said the ban was unworkable after reading the circular by the Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service which told parishes not to allow the sales of jam and other preserves in jars that had been used before.
The headline reads “Church ban on homemade jams comes to sticky end after council overrules it”.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/croydon-council-overturns-church-ban-on-homemade-jam-8281544.html
Christians to stay silent for persecuted church
Christians in the UK and Ireland will be staying silent in solidarity with Christians silenced for their faith around the world.
The sponsored silence takes place on 25 November and is being organised by Release International.
Funds raised by the initiative will go towards the charity’s work supporting victims of persecution like Asia Bibi, a Christian woman on death row in Pakistan for blasphemy.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.to.stay.silent.for.persecuted.church/30982.htm