Professor John Pitts is one of the guest speakers at the Bite the Bullet church conference on gang culture taking place in north London on Saturday. He believes churches are in the ideal position to run gang initiatives, with their members being local and often connected with the young people and families experiencing gang-related problems. Street Pastors founder the Rev Les Isaac said he hoped many Christians would attend the event and gain a greater understanding of gang culture by hearing Mr Pitts’ insights. He told of young people have admitted to attending church with
The show is one of the largest events in the UK, attended by thousands of people. Although individual churches have had stands at the show, this year the Scottish Churches Rural Group has brought them together in a Scottish Churches Pavilion. The pavilion demonstrates the united witness of Scotland
The first-ever survey of local opinion about a proposed mega-mosque proposed close to the site of the 2012 Olympics stadium has found that more people would prefer a mixed use of the site. Nearly 7 in 10 residents (68%) in the East London borough of Newham said they would prefer a mixed-use development of houses, shops and community facilities to the 12,000-capacity complex proposed by Islamic sect Tablighi Jamaat. In the survey undertaken by ComRes, nearly 6 in 10 of Muslim residents in Newham (58%) also said they would prefer a mixed-use development for the site. Yet around 8 in 10 of all residents say they have not been given enough information about the proposals (75%) and that they need more as the proposals are likely to have a significant impact on the local community (81%).
The Bishops of Lichfield and Wolverhampton and the Archdeacon of Walsall have been awarded possession of a West Bromwich vicarage by Birmingham County Court. The church leaders brought a claim in the court to recover possession of the vicarage of the Good Shepherd with Saint John after the former vicar, the Rev Patrick Okechi, refused to move out. In December 2008, Mr Okechi was removed from office and barred from serving as a priest for 10 years after a Church of England tribunal ruled hat he had behaved with
Their stories may have important lessons to teach us about the power of global celebrity and the frailty of those human beings who are subjected to it, says Mal Fletcher. Actually, on some levels, it seems to parallel the life arc of another ‘king’ of popular music and ruler of pop-culture - Elvis Presley. Their stories may have important lessons to teach us about the power of global celebrity and the frailty of those human beings who are subjected to it. Like Michael, he was able to bring a new audience to what was previously thought of as ‘black′ music - in Elvis’ case it was Rock n Roll, in Michael’s it was more R&B and soul. The new music was borrowed, in the main, from black rhythm and blues and gospel, and was considered dangerous and even antisocial, which made it all the more attractive.
The 115-year-old college, which trains candidates for ministry in the Anglican and Methodist churches in Wales and beyond, wins praise in all four branches of its work
The book attempts to answer questions such as what constitutes a worthwhile life, what it means to be made in the image of God, how far we should intervene in
Christian Solidarity Worldwide has called on the United Nations Security Council to take immediate action to secure the release of Burma
The event attracted many families and teenagers with extreme sports demonstrations, live music, and play areas for children in addition to the main sermons delivered by Palau. He went on to speak to anyone in the audience feeling like they were about to lose control of their lives because of the temptation of drugs or alcohol. Luis Palau He urged the crowd to seek Christ in moments of weakness and trust Him to help them overcome any temptations they were facing. Palau spoke of his sadness at the death of a 22-year-old man from a drugs overdose in a McDonalds toilet cubicle in Inverness just before his arrival in the Highland capital. He warned against the dangers of sexual temptation, saying that although sex was a beautiful gift from God it should be used within God
The conference was organised by World Council of Churches in cooperation with the Council of Churches in the Netherlands, the Dutch migrant church association SKIN, missionary and diaconal agency KerkinActie, the interchurch organisation for development cooperation ICCO and ecumenical advocacy group Oikos. The participants looked at the problems faced by migrants and minority groups such as the Roma in Europe, discrimination based on the colour of one’s skin, the disregard for land rights of indigenous peoples, and Dalits being treated as “untouchables” in India. Earlier in the conference, WCC General Secretary the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia urged Christians to live out the core message in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan and treat others as their neighbours. The conference, held in Doorn, near Utrecht in the Netherlands, marked the 40th anniversary of the WCC