Search results for *:*
IDOP Online: Let's honour the persecuted church, our risk-taking family
Some of us may have heard the story of Hae Woo, a brave North Korean Christian, who once planted a church in a labour camp. In 2018, after speaking at a Christian festival in the UK with Open Doors, she gave out pairs of socks to some of us younger people. I treasure these socks in a box under my…
Helen Locke
The 500 Project
The Reformation changed everything - from work, the church, the modern state, democracy, free speech, capitalism, individualism, liberalism, the Enlightenment and many other areas of life have been revolutionised by the Reformation. Every aspect of our daily lives looks different because of a young…
New government safeguarding guidance: Keeping Children Safe
Keeping Children Safe consolidates all legislation and best practice that has come before from the government and informs safeguarding in churches and other faith-based organisations. For this reason, Paul Harrison of Christian Safeguarding Services (CSS), states this guidance will be a…
Jo Evans
Government commits to appointing new envoy for religious freedom
This comes as welcome news for politicians and religious communities alike, as the report, produced in response to the persecution of religious minorities around the globe, revealed that a staggering 84 per cent of the world population live in areas where religious freedom is limited or banned, and…
A Catholic Perspective on the Reformation
As part of the ‘500 Project’ we have asked a range of contributors from across the spectrum to stimulate and challenge our thinking.
A bond of common humanity
Old wounds of racial and ethnic hostilities have resurfaced in the industrialised north this year. The world watched and heard George Floyd utter his last words, “I can’t breathe,” which sparked protests and calls for racial justice for black and minority communities in the US and in other…
Dr Hephzibah Egede
Let's pray every step of the way
As I called out to God and asked for prayer backup, I realised afresh how much I needed my Father’s help and how easy I had become used to trusting others rather than in God alone. Fortunately, I was able to pick her up later that day. The doctors reassured me that the new medication should work…
Responding in recovery
However, as March came to an end and April moved us deeper into lockdown, it became more and more apparent that this was unlikely to happen. It was difficult and painful. My hopes and dreams for my wedding day were unravelling as quickly as new coronavirus cases were rising. We’ve all had our lives…
Rachel Arnold
Digital church: five lessons from lockdown
As well as providing an opportunity for ill or holidaying members of our congregation to stay connected, we noticed new people joining us. Some were exploring faith, intrigued enough to click on a link and watch a service but possibly not intrigued enough to visit a service in person. We began to…
Mark Pugh
Rising above the storm
Over the last few months I’ve often been reminded of this Dickens’s quote as I’ve observed both beauty and ugliness during this pandemic. The virus has taken so many lives across our country and the world. Its secondary effects upon our own land will be long-lasting, with high unemployment,…
Roger Sutton
Facing facts and shaping the future
The global pandemic has stopped the world in its tracks. Locking entire nations down, it has relieved people of any sense of control they might have had. Across the UK, the church has responded admirably to the trauma. Loving our neighbours, meeting their needs and taking opportunities to introduce…
Dr David Landrum
Churches frustrated at forced closure
Schools, colleges and universities are asked to remain open but otherwise the restrictions are very similar to when the first lockdown was imposed in March. This means that churches and other places of worship are required to close for public services and are only allowed to reopen for limited…
Danny Webster
UK day of prayer – 13 November 2020
The Evangelical Alliance called a UK day of prayer on 13 November. We worked together with networks, denominations and churches to bring people together to pray. As communities across the UK face further restrictions and lockdowns, as many churches are forced to stop their in-person gatherings, as…
Letter from the Muslim Council of Wales
Dear Sian Rees, I am reaching out in response to the attack in Nice on Thursday last week in which three people were killed in a church. It hurts me, and indeed many of the Muslims I have spoken to in recent days, that the killer shared our faith. As I am writing this, news has broken of another…
Executive summary
Between the 1 and the 12 October we received responses from more than 1,000 individuals and in excess of 450 church leaders, giving us a fuller picture of how churches are navigating the continually changing landscape, evolving laws and guidance, and the challenge of local and regional…
