Church of England to have stake in new bank; Conference focuses on experience of singles in the church; Big Bible Study at Worcester Cathedral
Church of England to have stake in new bank
The Church of England has taken a stake in a new “challenger” bank being created from 314 branches of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
RBS is being forced to sell the branches under European Union rules for the government bailout it received in 2008.
The dormant Williams & Glyn’s brand is being revived in the £600 million deal to form the new bank, which will take on the major high street players.
The consortium backing the new bank includes the Corsair Capital investment fund and Centerbridge Partners.
The Church of England said the new bank would have a focus on ethical standards and service the needs of retail and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
It has a projected 5% market share of the SME and mid-corporate banking markets, and a 2% share of UK personal current accounts.
Andreas Whittam Smith, the Church of England’s first estates commissioner, said: “The Church Commissioners are excited to have the opportunity to be involved in creating a UK challenger bank operating to the highest ethical standards and giving consumers more choice. We are delighted that the Royal Bank of Scotland recognised the strengths of our bid and the consortium’s vision, and have chosen the consortium as their preferred bidder.”
Andrew Brown, Secretary to the Church Commissioners, said: “This is a great opportunity for the Commissioners to invest in an exciting opportunity for the benefit of the serving and retired clergy, bishops, cathedrals and the wide work of the Church of England throughout the country especially in areas of need and opportunity.”
Conference focuses on experience of singles in the church
A conference will be taking place in Bedford next week to hear the experiences of Christian singles and consider their place in the church.
The conference takes place at Priory Methodist Church on 5 October and is being organised by Christian Connection, a Christian dating agency.
It follows extensive research by Christian Connection into the experience of 3,000 single Christians in the UK.
One of the key findings from the survey was the feeling in over half of all single churchgoers that their churches think there is something wrong with them.
With one in three adults neither married nor cohabiting in the UK, the issue of singleness is becoming more pressing for the church.
The Life, Love and the Church conference has been designed to get people thinking and talking about singles in church, and sharing positive experiences.
Statistician David Pullinger, who carried out the research for Christian Connection, will be speaking at the event.
“Churches find it hard to cope with single people in – or outside – their churches,” he said.
“A majority of single Christians say their church does not know what to do with them.
“More than half of all single Christians aged between 30 and 60 believe other people think there is something wrong with them because they are single.
“This event will be much more than just talk. Participants at the conference will be able to share their experiences and ideas and leave inspired and take away ideas for their churches and lives.”
The conference will explore how single people can make a difference in their own lives and what churches can do to make themselves warm and inclusive to single Christians.
Christian Connection’s founder Jackie Elton said: “It will be a chance to talk, listen, share, dream and be positive and talk about change.”
Big Bible Study at Worcester Cathedral
Around 150 people came together to study the Bible at Worcester Cathedral last Saturday. The Big Bible Study was jointly led by the Bishop of Worcester, Dr John Inge, the Roman Catholic Archbishop for Birmingham, Bernard Longley and the Reverend Keith Judson, Heart of England Baptist Association Regional Minister.
The day started with a short time of worship in the Nave of the Cathedral as the three leaders lit the Unity Candle before they led those present in a study of John 21: 1-25.
The Reverend Keith Judson gave the first address setting the passage in context and drawing out different sections while making reference to other parts of the gospel.
Archbishop Bernard Longley then led everyone in an ‘Ignatian’ style study of the passage inviting people to use their imagination and pretend they were Peter as they reflected on what he may have been feeling at the time.
Those present were then split into groups of 10 to take part in a prayerful approach to the passage known as Lectio Divina.