Latest news with #ChurchOfEngland
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
From Severn Hospice chaplain to counselling with alpacas
The chaplain of a Shropshire hospice is leaving his role after 30 years to pursue a new adventure on his alpaca Edwards worked at Severn Hospice and was a former Church of England he will use his knowledge to offer specialist counselling and training services at his farm at said his time at the hospice had been a privilege, often helping people and their families as they went through end-of-life care. "The hospice has a non-religious foundation, but it recognised that offering a spiritual dimension to its care was just so important," he said."Spirituality is very difficult to define - for some it's a religion and belief in a greater power, for others not. "But everyone has it within them and it's how they respond to that which defines it for them... my role was to help them connect to whatever was within themselves."Mr Edwards also often arranged and performed weddings and blessings for patients, as well as conducting their he would conduct a person's funeral shortly after their helping patients, he also helped staff as part of his pastoral duties."My time at the hospice has been so rewarding and fulfilling, but I'm not retiring, I'm just giving up full-time work," he Edwards will be using his alpaca farm to offer counselling and training, adding that the animals offered a "real therapeutic benefit", particularly for people who are neurodiverse. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
New Gateshead deacon working supermarket and church aisles
A supermarket worker is dividing her job in the checkout and church aisles after becoming an ordained deacon with the Church of Robinson, from Ryton, Gateshead, said her 23 year experience at Asda has allowed her to build up a passion for helping well as serving customers in her community champion role at the Gateshead store, the 59-year-old can now also conduct church services, baptisms and funerals. "I see myself as somebody that walks alongside people, so whether that's in their happiest or saddest moments - I just want to be there for them," she said. "It's a joy to be able to ease people's burdens and if I can help anybody in any small way then that's what God has called me to do," she Robinson is one of eleven new deacons to be ordained at Durham Cathedral, by the Right Reverend Sarah Clark, Acting Bishop of is serving her curacy at St Cuthbert's Blaydon, St Patrick's High Spen and St Barnabas Rowland's Gill - and in a year she will be able to marry people and distribute communions across the Tyne area. Ms Clark said watching Mrs Robinson "grow in faith and confidence has been lovely"."Donna's long service with Asda reflects her strength of character and qualities of loyalty, dedication and love of people," she her time at Asda, Mrs Robinson said she had met people from all walks of life and helped hundreds of charities through her role as community turn, she said colleagues and customers had supported her ambition to become a deacon. "People who come in and buy raffle tickets from me have congratulated me, so it is really nice to be recognised," she said. Mrs Robinson said she knew she wanted to become a deacon after "feeling Gods presence" amongst the silence while swimming in a labyrinth during a family holiday in Scotland. "It was a perfect day, blue skies, and I just sat in the labyrinth and felt the silence, there was lots going on in the background but there was no distraction for me and that's when I knew."She left school at 16 and admitted because she was not academic, the four years of study at Lindisfarne College of Theology was "difficult" and a "rollercoaster of emotions".During the process she was diagnosed with dyslexia which she said "made sense" because of previous events that had happened in her life. "I'm just a working class girl from the north east of England and one piece of advice I would give any student at college now is if I can do it, anybody can do it," she said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Church abuse victim stages quiet protest at General Synod
Jenny Read says she was abused as a little girl at a church in the north-east of England. Last week she protested outside a meeting of the Church of England's parliament as it signed off on a compensation scheme for abuse victims, which she says is too little, too late. It is 07:30 BST on a grey, humid July morning in city is hosting General Synod - the Church of England's parliament - which is about to approve the landmark compensation Read, who travelled from her north-east of England home because she "had to be here", has already set up says, as a child, she was "sadistically" abused over a number of years at her local church by her own father, and also by a male curate and a female church adulthood, she and her sisters, who also say they were abused as children by the same people, reported the allegations to the Church of England three times, but it never launched a formal investigation. Ms Read is at General Synod to protest. But she is not blocking traffic, nor is she chanting or shouting into a megaphone. She is sitting peacefully in a camping chair opposite Central Hall, where the event is being held, drinking a cup of tea and eating a is quiet, but she no longer feels silenced and her presence is her stands a banner she has made. In big red, black and green letters it reads: "Three sisters sadistically abused at a NE church still waiting for justice." Ms Read's appearance in the shadow of the chamber housing the most powerful figures in the Church of England is the day members of the public, bishops, clergymen and clergywomen approach her to ask what her story is. Some take over food and Read says she is here to tell Church leaders that there is an "urgent need" to treat people who report abuse allegations with kindness because "that hasn't been our experience".Her fight for answers has been re-traumatising, she says, but she has waived her right to anonymity in order to share her may have passed but the mental anguish caused by the abuse and the alleged "fobbing off" from Church leaders has not, she a face-to-face meeting with her in May, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the interim leader of the Church, offered an "unequivocal apology" for the abuse she had experienced and "recognised that it will have affected her life in many ways".Last month, following a BBC investigation which revealed the Read sisters' story, the Church of England also said it was "truly sorry" for the response they received when they made their initial reports. 'Survivor focused' compensation The Church has put aside £150m for what it is calling the Redress Scheme, to which any victim of Church-related abuse can apply. It was agreed by General Synod, but still needs to be officially signed off by the Church says the scheme is "survivor focused" and "offers more than money".As well as financial compensation, which can range from £5,000 to £660,000, survivors and victims can also receive "a formal apology, acknowledgment, therapeutic support, and other forms of bespoke redress", it can be made via a designated website and "independently assessed by trained assessors" who will consider the type of abuse, aggravating factors and the impact on the victim, it will then decide the level of compensation and support given."This is about the Church facing its past failures with honesty and humility," it says. The Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen, who chairs the Church's Redress Board, says it is "a matter of great shame" that the scheme is needed. He has previously said it was unclear how many people would apply."I am confident the scheme will provide much needed redress to survivors," he says, adding it will be "bespoke" for each scheme has already been delayed by several years and, for Ms Read, it is too has already "spent so many hours and months" in therapy and does not want to "spend any more of my remaining years trekking to therapists", she says."Even if I got the highest award possible, that doesn't compensate for my trauma."Ms Read has been diagnosed with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder linked to her childhood abuse which has, at times, plagued her adult relationships have been affected and she has only ever been able to work part has panic attacks in religious buildings which make her feel "terrorised" to the point she "has to scream" and get out. Episodes of feeling suicidal mean she "has struggled to survive" on occasions. "Redress sounds good but, from past experience, I can't quite believe it," Ms Read says."It's really urgent to highlight the need for the Church to get safeguarding right, not just on paper but in actions."Her silent protest brought some closure and, after decades of her feeling dismissed, people have eventually listened, she says."I feel like my voice has finally been heard. I can now move on with the rest of my life." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Diocese to decide future of 1000-year-old Billingham church
A Church of England diocese is set to make a decision about whether to hold a public consultation over the future of a 1,000-year-old parish applied to close St Cuthbert's Church last year due to rising costs and falling of St Cuthbert's community group believe they have put forward a viable business plan to take ownership and continue using the building, with secretary Charles Wellington saying closing it would face "massive local opposition".A decision to hold an open consultation or not is to be announced by the Bishop's Council of the Diocese of Durham on Monday. A spokesperson said "no decisions about the future use" of the church had been made. Mr Wellington continued: "St Cuthbert's is more than 1,000 years old and is an object of pride and great regard for the people of the area."Completely closing this wonderful building would run into massive local opposition." 'Strong views' The diocese spokesperson said the Friends of St Cuthbert's Church's correspondence indicated they did "not oppose the closure of the church for regular worship, but have strong views upon the potential future use of the church". "Should the Bishop's Council decide to open consultation, the Friends of St Cuthbert's Church will have the opportunity to participate in that consultation and at this stage no decisions about the future use of the St Cuthbert's Billingham have been made, nor will such decisions be made by the meeting of Bishop's Council."If the community group's plan is eventually accepted, the parish would close the church before immediately transferring it to the community group, acting in its capacity as a charitable community Friends of St Cuthbert's Church already offers a range of community activities at the church from concerts to exhibitions, displays and nature walks, alongside traditional services."Our business plan is 100% viable and will allow the church to continue as the heart of the town, providing heritage, culture and entertainment for the whole community," Mr Wellington group hopes to apply for heritage funding to secure the long-term future of the church. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Church of England votes to remove outdated document on sexuality from clergy selection
By Muvija M LONDON (Reuters) -The Church of England's governing body voted on Tuesday to do away with requiring those who want to become clergy to agree to a 1991 document on sexuality, saying some of the assumptions in the paper now appeared prejudicial and offensive. The document, titled "Issues in Human Sexuality," described "homosexual practice as especially dishonourable" and called on homosexual Christians to lead a life of abstinence. The mother church of 85 million Anglicans worldwide said the decision, which marks another step towards making the Anglican faith more inclusive for the LGBTQ+ community, was independent of the ongoing "Living in Love and Faith" process that is exploring sexuality and marriage. The CoE's decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples in 2023 deepened divisions both at home, where it is the established church, and in Anglican strongholds in Africa and Asia, where homosexuality remains illegal in some countries. The motion to change the vocations process was passed overwhelmingly at a meeting of the General Synod, made up of bishops, clergy and laity, the CoE said. It added that the move does not alter the Church's doctrine. The paper was originally intended as a teaching document, but had assumed a more definitive role to set out expected conduct within the Church's discernment and vocations process. The 48-page document states that "homophile orientation and its expression in sexual activity do not constitute a parallel and alternative form of human sexuality as complete within the terms of the created order as the heterosexual." "A paper introducing the item to Synod members noted that the tone, language, and some of the assumptions in 'Issues' are now contextually inappropriate, and appear prejudicial and offensive to many people," the CoE statement said. Charles Bączyk-Bell, an openly gay Anglican priest from London, said the document was dated even at the time of publication, and that it had been used to screen people out of the ordination pathway. "Now it has gone ... it opens the way for liberalisation of the church's policy on same sex relationships and means we can stop using it as a kind of reference text,' he told Reuters.
