Rapid Reading Summary
First female Dean is to be appointed in Edinburgh Diocese
History is set to be made in the Scottish Episcopal Church when the first female Dean will be appointed in May. The Bishop-Elect of Edinburgh, The Very Rev Dr John Armes intends to appoint The Rev Susan Macdonald as Dean of the Diocese of Edinburgh, following his consecration as Bishop on 12 May in St Mary’s Cathedral, Palmerston Place. Susan Macdonald will be installed as Dean on Sunday 13 May, at a service in the Cathedral. The role of the Dean of a Diocese is both administrative and pastoral. The administrative duties include oversight of church buildings and inspection of the registers, inventories and records of congregations, and generally acting on behalf of the Bishop when required. Other roles include supporting the Bishop in his ministry in the diocese and deputising for the Bishop in a variety of situations.
http://www.scotland.anglican.org/index.php/news/entry/first_female_dean_is_to_be_appointed_in_edinburgh_diocese/#When:08:45:48Z
Archbishop of York Backs Community Covenants
ACNS – Writing in a national newspaper last weekend, the Archbishop paid tribute to the brave servicemen and women who put their lives on the line on a daily basis. Dr Sentamu has also expressed his support for Community Covenants which aim to strengthen relationships between military and civilian communities. The Community Covenant was launched in May 2011 and already has received formal support from over half of Yorkshire and North East local authorities. The Archbishop said: “Our bereaved families and our veterans, injured or able-bodies, young or old need recognition for what they have given for this country. They give their time and skills and are prepared to risk their lives on behalf of us all, and for some this means the ultimate sacrifice. Her Majesty’s forces need our support, not only when they are on military operations overseas but when they are home too. The values of courage, discipline, respect for others, integrity, loyalty and selfless commitment make a ‘force for good’ for all”.
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2012/3/7/Archbishop-of-York-Backs-Community-Covenants
Tearfund and Christian Aid join crisis network
Two Christian organisations have been asked to be part of a network of experts that can be called on by the Government in times of international crisis.
Representatives from Tearfund and Christian Aid will be asked to advise when crises, such as famine, floods and earthquakes, take place around the globe.
The new facility will mobilise life-saving support from Britain’s best businesses and charities in the critical hours after a disaster strikes.
Supplies, experts and vital aid are too often tied up with paperwork, rather than being deployed straight to the disaster zone, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said.
The new facility allows organisations with experience in disaster response to access funding within hours, thereby reaching affected people faster and saving more lives. It will mean the best organisations from across the UK can be mobilised in the critical first 72 hours following a disaster.
Tearfund and Christian Aid are among 34 non-government organisations that specialise in disaster response that has been invited by the UK Government to join the network.
The new Rapid Response Fund will be activated in the event of a large-scale crisis. The selected organisations will be approached within two hours and expected to take immediate action.
Andrew Mitchell said: “Clearly we need our best experts, equipment and aid on the scene as quickly as possible after a disaster, not tied up in red tape. Tearfund need to be able to do their job in that vital window of 72 hours, to save as many lives as possible.
“Only the professionals, with relevant skills and equipment will be approved. By working with a small pool of specialists, we will end the dangerous crush of aid organisations which often pour into a disaster zone.
“These organisations represent the very best performing disaster response agencies. This will allow them to focus on delivery. Make no mistake, however, qualification for the fund will be revoked at the first sign of poor performance.”
David Bainbridge, Tearfund’s International Director said: “When a disaster hits a country or wider region, it’s essential that the humanitarian response is both rapid and coordinated.
“Whether it’s a natural disaster or one caused by conflict, this network will help agencies respond faster, each having their specific role to play. The result will be even better relief aid meeting vital needs and saving more lives in the immediate aftermath.”
Lord Ashdown’s review of how Britain responds to humanitarian emergencies said that a pre-qualification process would ensure there was a focus on delivery, not bureaucracy, in the first critical stage of disaster response.
Prayers written for media in wake of scandals
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, and BBC Radio Four presenter the Revd Richard Coles have written prayers for the media.
Their prayers are featured on the Church and Media Network’s website alongside other resources to encourage churches and individual Christians to pray for the media on Sunday May 20.
Andrew Graystone, director of the network, explained: “This call to prayer is part of our response to the intense discussion of media standards over the past twelve months. The media is under pressure as never before with financial constraints and many illegal and dubious practices being rightly brought under the spotlight.
We don’t condone any of these practices. But we know that at its best the media performs a vital role in our society, giving a voice to the voiceless, holding the powerful to account, keeping people informed and highlighting wrongdoing. As Christians, we want to affirm the vast majority of journalists and others who work in the media who are doing their best to work to high ethical and professional standards, and to pray for them.”
The Network has called for churches to mark Sunday May 20 as a Day of Prayer for the Media, and to include the local, regional and national media in their regular prayers. The charity has also encouraged churches to engage better with the media, telling them about their activities and giving them feedback on what they broadcast or publish.
The Archbishop of York’s prayer reads:
Lord Jesus Christ, you speak and bring all that is seen and unseen into being: we give you thanks for the gift of the media to reach the far flung places of the earth with messages of hope and life. We give you thanks for those who risk their security and even their lives to expose injustice and to bring news of hope. May they strive to be the bearers of good news, that all people may come to know the abundant life for which we have been created; and yet more wonderfully redeemed in Jesus Christ. We offer our prayer in your name, in the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of the Father. Amen.
Glad to be gay-friendly: How one faith school is tackling the issue of homophobic bullying
Independent – Children in faith schools are more likely to suffer homophobic bullying. In the end it was a “no-brainer”, according to Paddy Storrie, deputy head of St George’s, a faith school in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, which today will receive a national award for the way it has tackled homophobic bullying. He had just seen some material produced by Stonewall, the gay rights campaign group, on the effect of homophobic bullying and found it “just jaw-dropping”.
It sickened him to read that children in faith schools were more likely to be subjected to homophobic bullying than those in non-faith schools – 75 per cent of gay and lesbian children said they had been subjected to it, compared with 65 per cent in non-faith schools.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/glad-to-be-gayfriendly-how-one-faith-school-is-tackling-the-issue-of-homophobic-bullying-7544628.html