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Back to the future: Maximising mission on re-entry
The ‘new normal’ has been unlike anything that we were used to before. Some of us haven’t stepped into a church building in over a year. Many of us have had to show admirable restraint while listening to ‘How great Thou art’ and only humming or whispering the words behind our masks. Few of us have…
Phil Knox
Reflect and Reset - part 2
You can start your Reflect and Reset journey right here, but we do recommend you take time to reflect in Part 1 before or alongside using Reflect and Reset Part 2.
England: Legal restrictions on church gatherings set to end
The Prime Minister has set out how England would proceed to step 4 (the removal of all legal limits on social contact) from 19 July. Advice will replace most legal restrictions and decisions on whether to uphold certain measures will be left to personal conscience. Despite case numbers continuing…
Danny Webster
Start with your street
Jesus’ instruction in the great commission to “go” is often met with good intentions, even zeal. Sadly, that enthusiasm can soon go out with a bit of a whimper in the face of the question, “but how?”. According to a recent survey by the Evangelical Alliance, the biggest barrier to witnessing is…
Martin Graham
Job Creation Project: Life when work stops
If losing a job is rather like a bereavement, then my wife and I felt triply hit. How do you cope when life continues but your work stops? What does it mean to be a fruitful frontline disciple if your frontline suddenly changes? What is the Bible’s perspective on all of this? And what practical…
Steve Osei-Mensah
Confessions of a hypocritical pro-lifer
Polls suggest that most people (women in particular) oppose such a move, and as one who affirms the value of human life both before and after birth, I am relieved that this is the case. As one who cares about how we might better host diversity of thought and belief in public life, I have been…
Damilola Makinde
The nation’s favourite hymn
I’m a pretty average singer. On the scale of ‘tone deaf to Pavarotti’ I’d place myself precisely at the half-way point. Those who have ever sung in the pew or terrace in front of me would agree that I’m more about quantity rather than quality. And in the last year I have desperately missed singing…
Phil Knox
How to host a 'Freedom Day' service
For some of us, there will have been grievous loss, as relatives and friends may have been very ill with the virus or even passed away. For others, there will have been painful loneliness and isolation, or the strain of home-schooling and shielding. And yet there will be some who have found great…
Nigel Freeman
Widely criticised aid cuts expose limits of the law
At the 2021 budget the chancellor announced that development assistance would reduce from 0.7 per cent of gross national income to 0.5 per cent. The Conservative Party had pledged in their 2019 election manifesto that they would maintain the level of spending. It had been a centre piece of the…
Danny Webster
Helping the refugee feel at home
In April, the Evangelical Alliance wrote about the Government’s new plan for immigration and urged members to fill in a consultation opposing the two-tiered system which will grade people based on how they entered the UK, regardless of the complex experiences of people seeking asylum. These…
Jo Evans
Government’s plans for Troubles prosecutions deeply concerning
The five political parties which make up the Northern Ireland Executive, as well as many victims and survivors of The Troubles, have condemned this approach, which would also end current and future civil cases and inquests. Opposition comes from right across the political spectrum and from groups…
David Smyth
England football racism: Am I guilty of ‘othering’ too?
I was worried about my safety. Travelling home that evening meant riding the tube through central London, where angry, intimidating and drunk groups of male football fans would be unavoidable. As a young woman I carry many past experiences of unwanted harassment at the hands of football hooligans,…
Emma Sowden
Theos report: We have an opportunity to humanise work
In January 2021 Theos commissioned YouGov to carry out polling that found 33 per cent of “work is just a way of earning to provide for life’s necessities” and 45 per cent say they would retrain for a different career if given the opportunity. In a society that is generally dissatisfied with work,…
Jo Evans
Scotland: Emerging from Lockdown
Gatherings and activities The following rules apply in relation to gatherings and activities in Level 0: Eight people from four households can meet in a private home.Ten people from four households can meet in an indoor public place, such as a café.Fifteen people from 15 households can meet…
Kieran Turner
Job Creation Project: Supporting entrepreneurs in their non-traditional ministry
One night in university led Reuben’s perspective on God to change drastically. He was coming home one wet evening when he passed a homeless man sitting on the pavement. When Reuben leant down to give the man some money and ask him how he was doing, the man began weeping. He explained that people…
Jo Evans