A church in Worcestershire has been told by the Charity Commissioners that it would be “reasonable” for it to decide not to register chancel-repair liability (CRL) against 30 households in its parish. The PCC of St Eadburgha’s, Broadway began the process of registering liability during an interregnum, after advice from the legal advisory commission of the […]
Tag: Archive
For Walsall fans, the road to Wembley starts here
Please excuse a rare piece of commentary on this, the unofficial first day of the new football season: One of the recent additions to the match-day entertainment at Walsall Football Club – thanks to the work of Steve Davies and the Walsall FC Supporters Trust – is the appearance at half time of Saddlers’ legends […]
MP gives warning on Chancel Repair Liability
Chancel Repair liability (CRL) is an issue “on the verge of explosion”, a junior government minister, Peter Luff, has said. Mr Luff, the MP for Mid Worcestershire, is helping the PCC of Broadway with Wickhamford to find a way to avoid registering CRL against 30 households in its parish. “My strong sense is that this […]
PCCs given liability warning over Chancel Repair “assets”
Parochial church councils that fund chancel repairs without securing funds from a lay rector could be guilty of a breach of trust, with “serious consequences” for PCC members, Neville Rowles, a conveyancing solicitor with the Manchester-based law firm Boote Edgar Esterkin, has suggested. He warns: “Members of the PCCs concerned could be open to a […]
Archbishops of York and Wales call for fairtrade for British farmers
The Archbishop of York, Dr Sentamu, and the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, have urged that Fairtrade principles should be extended to British farmers; and the Farm Crisis Network has asked churches to designate this Sunday as a day of prayer for farmers in the UK. The moves are made against a background of […]
I’m not a photographer, nor a photo-journalist, but we’re all multi – “skilled” now
I make no claims to be a photographer. So much so that I was forced to stop taking photos for a short while last year when the dial on my Canon EOS 10D dropped off. I couldn’t figure out how to ensure it was on the “automatic” setting and had to send the camera for […]
Anglican mission agency USPG defends name-change
The chief executive of the Anglican mission agency USPG, the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, has issued a strong response to claims that its recent name-change means that it is embarrassed by the gospel. The society announced last month that it would become known as “Us” from November, saying: “The original title […]
PM backs right to wear cross at work
The Prime Minister has pledged to change the law to ensure that Christians can wear crosses at work. Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon, David Cameron said that he fully supported the right of people to wear religious symbols at work. He described it as “a vital religious […]
Board of Deputies of British Jews slams General Synod debate on Palestine-Israel
A senior Jewish leader has described the language used in Monday’s General Synod debate about Israel and Palestine as evoking “nothing but simple anti-Semitic themes from history”. The Synod approved a Private Member’s Motion moved by Dr John Dinnen (Hereford), endorsing the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), despite objections […]
General Synod Digest – summary of just about every speech
Last week I was with Church Times reporter Madeleine Davies; reporter and deputy news editor Ed Thornton; and deputy editor Glyn Paflin; at the General Synod in York for the Church of England’s General Synod. We were there to produce a number of reports for the paper and the Church Times new website; but also to […]