Queen marking coronation anniversary; Bishops fast for the Big IF and the 1 in 8 who go hungry every day; Bishop welcomes UN High Level Panel call for an end to absolute poverty
Queen marking coronation anniversary
About 2,000 people will join the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey later for a service marking the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation.
Read more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22762878
Inspection report on St John’s College, Nottingham
An inspection report on St John’s College, Nottingham published today expresses ‘confidence’ in 11 out of 16 criteria including its governance, management, constitution and organization; its teaching and learning; its worship and training in public worship; and its community and corporate life – leading to an overall judgment of ‘confidence with qualifications’.
At the time of inspection, St John’s College – working in partnership with the University of Chester to provide a number of recognised pathways for ordination training – had 72 Church of England ordinands engaged in training, of which seven were training for assistant status ministry; there were 13 Methodist and two Baptist students.
A total of 14 recommendations for action for St John’s include: completing the College’s teaching and learning strategy; enhancing feedback on academic progress; ensuring the provision of online access to electronic resources provided by the University of Chester; and taking steps to ensure that the College moves from deficit to surplus in its income.
Theological colleges and part-time training courses are inspected every six years by teams of inspectors appointed by the bishops of the Church of England. Where training is delivered ecumenically, Church of England inspectors work in partnership with teams from the Methodist Church and the Baptist Union.
The St John’s College, Nottingham inspection report is available on the Church of England website by clicking on the link to latest reports: http://www.churchofengland.org/clergy-office-holders/ministry/ministerial-education-and-development/quality-assurance-in-ministerial-education/inspection-reports.aspx .
Bishops fast for the Big IF and the 1 in 8 who go hungry every day
Bishops of Birmingham, Oxford, Salisbury, Sheffield, Buckingham, Pontefract, Ramsbury, St Germans and Sherborne will be among thousands of people across the country giving up food on Thursday, 6 June, to draw attention to the fact that 1 in 8 people around the world go hungry every day. The Big IF Fast aims to encourage world leaders to tackle hunger and save millions of lives.
The Rt Revd John Pritchard, Bishop of Oxford, said: “It’s just outrageous that the world produces enough food for everyone, but not everyone has enough food to eat. As a Christian, I want to stand up for those who are suffering and dying as a result of hunger and don’t have a voice. I hope that my small act of going hungry for a single day will help bring the plight of the starving to the attention of our world’s leaders.”
The other bishops joining the Big IF Fast are: The Rt Revd David Urquhart, Birmingham, The Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, Salisbury, The Rt Revd Steven Croft, Sheffield, The Rt Revd Alan Wilson, Buckingham, The Rt Revd Anthony Robinson, Pontefract, The Rt Revd Edward Condry, Ramsbury, The Rt Revd Chris Goldsmith, St Germans, and The Rt Revd Graham Kings, Sherborne
The Big IF Fast is being organised by the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign. This coalition of more than 200 charities, faith groups and other organisations is working together to demand changes to the food system, like keeping promises on aid and stopping tax dodging by big companies, that will benefit hungry people. Participants have been invited to add their names to a petition to Prime Minister David Cameron, calling on the G8 to take immediate action on global hunger when it meets later this month in Northern Ireland by.
Thousands are expected to attend Big IF rallies in London’s Hyde Park on Saturday, June 8, and at Belfast City Centre on June 15 to further pressure the G8 world leaders before they meet in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, on June 17-18.
Bishop welcomes UN High Level Panel call for an end to absolute poverty
The Rt Revd Alastair Redfern, Bishop of Derby, has welcomed the post-2015 development agenda report of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel, co-chaired by David Cameron. The report, A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development, builds on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals experiment and calls for an end to absolute poverty by 2030.
Bishop Alastair, the Church of England’s Lead Bishop on international development and a board member of Christian Aid, said: “The High Level Panel deserves our sincere thanks for their dedication and diligence in producing such a comprehensive and forward looking Report. The Report captures the universal values at the heart of the Millennium Declaration and builds on the successes of the MDG experiment while recognising that the world has changed and is changing.
“With its emphasis on transformative change, equitable partnerships and sustainable development, the Report proposes a challenging new development model to end poverty by 2030. This Report calls for prayerful reflection and thoughtful public debate. This is a debate that the Church at all its levels needs to be involved in.”
The report of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development