John Stott on Charles Simeon at Taylor University from Randall Gruendyke on Vimeo.

He stood for many years alone, he was long opposed, ridiculed, shunned, his doctrines were misrepresented, his little peculiarities of voice and manner were satirized, disturbances were frequently raised in his church or he was a person not taken into account, nor considered in the light of a regular clergyman in the church.

–as quoted in William Carus, Memoirs of the Life of the Rev. Charles Simeon (New York: Robert Carter, 1848), p.39

Charles Simeon kept a portrait of Henry Martyn over his fireplace. Years later, Simeon would say to guests, "See that blessed man. No one looks at me the way he does … and seems always to be saying, "The years are short. Be serious. Be in earnest. Don't trifle – don't trifle." pic.twitter.com/mEUgdKvu2B

— Mark O'Donoghue (@revmarko) October 19, 2019

O loving God, who orderest all things by thine unerring wisdom and unbounded love: Grant us in all things to see thy hand; that, following the example and teaching of thy servant Charles Simeon, we may walk with Christ in all simplicity, and serve thee with a quiet and contented mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Many Christian heroes made a difference to the world by travelling it; Charles Simeon made a difference by staying in the same place ministering for fifty-four years.

Read my latest blog at https://t.co/kFvFxd2wJT pic.twitter.com/chMes2PS5Z

— J.John (@Canonjjohn) October 17, 2020

Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November, is the day traditionally put aside to remember all those who have given their lives for the peace and freedom we enjoy today. On this day people across the nation pause to reflect on the sacrifices made by our brave Service men and women.

Remembrance Sunday will fall on Sunday 8 November in 2020.

Read it all and make sure to look at other links on the site including the call to remember together this year.

Watch live coverage of the #RemembranceSunday commemorations at the Cenotaph on @BBCOne from 10.15am. pic.twitter.com/eYURZjXgux

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 8, 2020

‘Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage; hold fast that which is good; render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak; help the afflicted; honour everyone; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.’ (from the service for Remembrance Sunday SPCK)

Last year, this year, every year.

We will never forget.#RemembranceSunday #LestWeForget #WeWillRememberThem pic.twitter.com/bLgUT3LmGL

— HMS Queen Elizabeth🇬🇧 (@HMSQNLZ) November 8, 2020

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, together with the Bishop of London, have joined national faith leaders in calling on the Government to permit public worship during the forthcoming lockdown in England.

Read it all and the full letter at the link.

News: @JustinWelby @CottrellStephen & @bishopSarahM have joined with national faith leaders in calling on the Prime Minister to permit public worship during the lockdown in England. https://t.co/TbeyhkKttb

— Church of England in Parliament (@churchstate) November 3, 2020

But I am besides my purpose when I fall to bewail the cold affection which we bear towards that whereby we should be saved, my purpose being only to set down what the ground of salvation is. The doctrine of the Gospel proposeth salvation as the end, and doth it not teach the way of attaining thereunto? Yes, the damsel possessed with a spirit of divination spake the truth: “These men are the servants of the most high God who show unto us the way of salvation” [Acts 16:17] — “a new and living way which Christ hath prepared for us through the veil, that is, his flesh,” [Heb 10:20] salvation purchased by the death of Christ.

–Learned Discourse on Justification (my emphasis)

I am reminded that today is the feast day of Richard Hooker, author of The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity and Master of the Temple Church from 1585 to 1591 @ecclawsoc @TheInnerTemple pic.twitter.com/rTtjjbFKxg

— Mark Hill QC (@MarkHillQC) November 3, 2020

We are grateful for people’s energy, hard work and creativity in making this happen and we hope and pray this will continue. We are grateful that the new guidelines being introduced on Thursday not only allow churches to remain open for private prayer but also enable online worship to be broadcast from the church building. We were cautious about these issues during the first lockdown – perhaps overly so – but in this second lockdown we want to encourage church buildings to remain open for private prayer wherever possible, making sure that their buildings are Covid secure in the ways that we have learned in recent months, and to broadcast services from their church buildings. However, if you do not have the resources or wherewithal to do this, please do not feel that you have failed in any way. The good thing about provision of worship online, is that people can join in from anywhere and therefore we can support each other more easily in this endeavour. Our national digital team will continue to offer training and support and provide national services each week.

However, worship online still means that the people of God do not have access to the sacraments which are so central to our life in Christ. This is a huge loss and since we were not consulted about the lockdown provisions, we fully intend to speak with government about why certain exemptions are made and not others, emphasising the critical role that churches play in every community. The sacramental life of the church cannot be seen as an optional extra. Nor can we separate out our worship from our service, it is always both and not either or.

Nevertheless, we will of course abide by the law and ask you to do the same. We must do all that we can to keep our communities safe and to enable the NHS to manage this crisis. The Recovery Group chaired by the Bishop of London will be issuing specific guidance in the next day or two.

Bearing in mind our primary vocation as the Church of Jesus Christ to pray and to serve we call upon the Church of England to make this month of lockdown a month of prayer. More than anything else, whatever the nation thinks, we know that we are in the faithful hands of the risen Christ who knows our weaknesses, tiredness and struggles and whose steadfast love endures for ever.

Read it all.

'The sacramental life of the church cannot be seen as an optional extra' I will make this clear as I speak with Government Ministers today. https://t.co/RvO3Tu98Vm

— BishopSarah (@bishopSarahM) November 2, 2020

Downing Street has announced that Her Majesty The Queen has approved the nomination of the Revd Canon Malcolm Macnaughton, presently Chief of Staff to the Archbishop of York, as the next Suffragan Bishop of Repton in the Diocese of Derby.

Malcolm was educated at Queens’ College Cambridge and trained for ministry at Ridley Hall. He served his title at St Andrew’s Haughton-le-Skerne, in the diocese of Durham, and was ordained Priest in 1982. Malcolm was appointed Priest-in-Charge at the Anglican Methodist Local Ecumenical Partnership of All Saints, Newton Hall in the diocese of Durham in 1985. In 1990, he became Team Vicar of St John’s Hoxton in the diocese of London, and served as Area Dean of Hackney from 1994 to 1999. In 2002, he was appointed Team Rector in the Hambleden Valley Group of Churches in the diocese of Oxford, and became Area Dean of High Wycombe in 2005. Malcolm took up his current role as Chief of Staff to the Archbishop of York in 2007.

Malcolm is married to Pam, an ordained pioneer minister and a leadership specialist with the Church Pastoral Aid Society.

Read it all.

Downing Street has announced that Malcolm Macnaughton is to be the next Bishop of Repton.#derbyshire #derby @churchofengland @madederbyshire @ChurchTimes https://t.co/1LiOyoOEIy pic.twitter.com/G9J0ycz07M

— Diocese of Derby (@DioceseofDerby) October 30, 2020

Australia, London, – a group of 64 investors and their representatives with USD $10.2 trillion in Assets Under Management have today written to the Boards of mining companies operating in Australia and internationally to seek assurances about how the sector obtains and maintains its social license to operate with First Nations and Indigenous communities.

The investor group of long-term institutional investors is considering the implications of what occurred at the Juukan Gorge on the wider mining sector to support alignment between best-practice and company action.

The investor group is seeking information on the action companies are taking to understand and manage the risks. The group is clear that although the example of the destruction of the Juukan Gorge has arisen in Australia, the principles apply to projects across the world.

The letter from global investors states:

“As responsible investors and their representatives, we are committed to working with the mining sector to support verifiable outcome-oriented processes and standards that ensure that such events are not repeated. To do so, we need to better understand your approach to management of the cultural heritage and First Nations and Indigenous community relations.”

Read it all.

Precious in thy sight, O Lord, is the death of thy saints, whose faithful witness, by thy providence, hath its great reward: We give thee thanks for thy martyrs James Hannington and his companions, who purchased with their blood a road unto Uganda for the proclamation of the Gospel; and we pray that with them we also may obtain the crown of righteousness which is laid up for all who love the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

James Hannington, bishop, missionary and martyr, died this day in 1885. Three years before, he heard of missionary deaths in Buganda (part of modern Uganda) and went there as a replacement. He's an example of what others endure for the sake of the gospel. https://t.co/BfD1yrnJSM pic.twitter.com/HoaS2Z2fD9

— Peterborough Cathedral (@pborocathedral) October 29, 2020

We are delighted to share the news that CEEC has announced the appointment of the Rt Revd Keith Sinclair, currently Bishop of Birkenhead in the Diocese of Chester, as its National Director.

Bishop Keith’s retirement from the See of Birkenhead in March 2021 was announced earlier this month. He will assume this new role on 27 April 2021, the 100th anniversary of the birth of CEEC’s founder, the late Revd Dr John Stott CBE. Bishop Keith is a Church Society member and spoke at the 2019 Church Society conference, Redeeming Love and Faith. Church Society is a member organisation of CEEC and our Director, Lee Gatiss, is on the CEEC Council.

The appointment of a National Director for CEEC represents a significant development in the level of their activities in terms of CEEC’s ability to engage with the issues facing the Church of England from the perspective of evangelical Anglicans who subscribe to the Authority of Scripture and the historic formularies of the Church.

For the Church of England, this is a time of both great challenge and opportunity. However, it would be wrong to ignore the fact that theological differences and tensions exist within the Church which threaten to fracture the life and witness of parishes and dioceses up and down the country. For this reason, CEEC believes that this is an appropriate time to invest in additional personnel resources to ensure that traditional Christian teaching, as found in Scripture, is heard as clearly as possible through the mission and witness of evangelical Anglicans. It is noted that such evangelical Anglicans represent a very significant portion of Church of England weekly attendance.

Read it all.

The Acting Bishop of Chester, Keith Sinclair, has released a statement regarding news that the North West bishops have decided to work for the formation of a new non-residential college which would open in September 2021. https://t.co/Y9EBD9z9DM pic.twitter.com/iBGWU7pCSL

— Diocese of Chester (@ChesterDiocese) July 2, 2020

Key insights from an ongoing Church of England research programme into clergy flourishing are to be distributed to curates across the country as part of an initiative to promote clergy wellbeing, it was announced…[this week].

Findings from the first phase of the Living Ministry project – a 10-year study into clergy flourishing and wellbeing – have been incorporated into a new booklet, How Clergy Thrive, published by Church House Publishing.

The booklet, sponsored by Clergy Support Trust, is a practical resource for all clergy. It summaries qualitative and quantitative findings from the research in areas including the spiritual, relational, physical and mental as well as material wellbeing of clergy and ordinands.

The study identifies six principles that contribute to the wellbeing of ordained ministers, including handling expectations, recognising times of vulnerability, healthy boundaries and the importance of affirmation.

Read it all.

We're committed to improving the wellbeing of all. 🙏

From an initiative to promote clergy wellbeing, insights from research into clergy flourishing are being distributed to curates across England.

Discover How Clergy Thrive at the link below.https://t.co/6qm3N7kbkt

— The Church of England (@churchofengland) October 21, 2020

Here’s the thing. Half of our churches, 8000 of them, have 26 adults or fewer on a Sunday. If you had 26 people to form a Christian presence in a community, you wouldn’t start from here. You wouldn’t have a listed building which costs thousands to heat and insure. You wouldn’t have the protocols for running the church written into law. You wouldn’t have so many aspects to Sunday worship (warden, verger, organist, reader, prayer leader, vicar, sidesperson) that there’s barely anyone there who isn’t there because they’re on a rota. You wouldn’t open an Anglican Extra, you’d have an Anglican Express. In fact, you probably wouldn’t open a building at all.

Covid will make the figures for 2020 such a mess that there probably isn’t any point collecting them, and 2021 may not be much better. As many have observed, it is accelerating changes that were already happening. Businesses on the edge are shutting down. Trends towards online shopping have increased. What does that mean for the church? There is nothing in the stats to suggest that we are about to turn a corner. Or if we are, it’s turning in the opposite direction to the one we want. There are islands – many islands (1600 according to the stats) of growth, many others holding their own, and making a life-changing contribution to local individuals and communities.

But, but…… the parish system hasn’t changed since it was introduced towards the end of the Dark Ages. The overall structure of the CofE hasn’t changed for a century. The buildings we operate on haven’t changed for (insert your own figure here). The structure of deployment, church life, legal framework seems set in concrete. Witness the absurd debate about communion since lockdown. Don’t get me started.

Maybe the Bishops should have shut us down for longer at the start of covid. Because we shape our tools, and then our tools shape us. Any church that doesn’t have a life without it’s building, or its Sunday gathering, has been so shaped by them that it has ceased to be a church.

Read it all.

The latest attendance statistics for the C of E make sobering reading. This will be the last chance to gather such information for a few years—but is it also last chance for the C of E?https://t.co/CPqqcbDMAH

— Dr Ian Paul (@Psephizo) October 22, 2020

Mark was educated at St Mary’s University, London and Anglia Polytechnic University and trained for ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He served his title at All Saints Chilvers Coton with St Mary the Virgin, in the diocese of Coventry and was ordained Priest in 1997. In 2000, Mark was appointed Priest-in-Charge, and latterly Vicar of St Alban Windy Nook, Gateshead in the diocese of Durham. Mark took up the roles of Priest-in-Charge of St Barnabas and St Jude, and Vicar of Holy Trinity Jesmond in the Diocese of Newcastle in 2007. In 2017, Mark was additionally appointed Area Dean of Newcastle Central Deanery.

Mark took up his current role as Archdeacon of Northumberland in 2019, having been Acting Archdeacon since 2018. He is married to Caroline (a renal consultant and research professor) and they have three school age children. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne and growing up in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, Mark knows the North East well.

Read it all.

Downing Street has announced that Her Majesty The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Mark Wroe, currently Archdeacon of Northumberland, as the next Suffragan Bishop of Berwick in the Diocese of Newcastle @churchofengland. For more: https://t.co/DDvxMBxm7H pic.twitter.com/rlbrxmrs0p

— Church of England in the Diocese of Newcastle (@NclDiocese) October 20, 2020

The UK’s most senior Anglican bishops warned Monday that legislation breaching part of the Brexit divorce agreement the government signed with the European Union will set a “disastrous precedent” and could undermine peace in Northern Ireland.

The warning came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government told British businesses to prepare for a no-deal economic break with the EU in 10 weeks’ time, after the UK declared negotiations on future trade ties at an end unless the bloc makes major concessions.

In a letter published in the Financial Times, the top archbishops in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said the government’s Brexit-related Internal Market Bill would give the government power to break international law and had “enormous moral, as well as political and legal, consequences.”

“We believe this would create a disastrous precedent,” said the letter, signed by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who heads the Church of England, and four other archbishops

Read it all.

(AP) Top #Anglican bishops slam ‘disastrous’ bill as #Brexit talks teeter https://t.co/yp7PlVMrsm #politics #uk #eu #foreignrelations #ethics

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) October 20, 2020

During the course of two plenary sessions and breakout groups the House reviewed the recommendations of the report, affirming that any response by the Church needs to be sensitive to, and mindful of, the views of victims and survivors.

The House unanimously endorsed a motion fully accepting the IICSA report, unreservedly apologising to victims and survivors for the harm done by the Church and committing itself to urgently implementing the recommendations.

The House also unanimously agreed with the proposal that the Church should move towards establishing an independent safeguarding structure, with a new trustee body responsible for safeguarding to take over responsibility for the Archbishops’ Council. The House also agreed that an interim arrangement be put in place for additional independent oversight of safeguarding, prior to the establishment of the new trustee body.

The House then underlined the importance of a full response to the IICSA report being released in the coming weeks.

Read it all.

House of Bishops' meeting. Discussion of IICSA report, among other things. https://t.co/IS63DlRhg8

— Gill Kimber (@WardenGill) October 20, 2020

The Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell becomes the 98th archbishop, taking over from Dr John Sentamu as the second most senior Church of England cleric.

A limited number of people were allowed to attend the socially distanced service, which was streamed online.

Archbishop Cottrell said he was “delighted and humbled” to take up the role.

“I have begun my ministry at a time of huge hardship and challenge and at the moment Covid19 is having a particularly devastating impact in the north,” he said.

“We don’t know how long the current restrictions will be in place. However, the worship and work of the church goes on bringing much needed hope, relief and practical help to the communities we serve.”

Read it all.

Archbishop of York enthroned in socially distanced service https://t.co/2pZ5bxaRUk

— Margaret M Bennett (@FLYFLEDGLINGFLY) October 18, 2020

Church communities and people of faith must challenge the systems and structures that have allowed modern slavery to become the fastest-growing crime around the world, a panel of international experts and activists told a webinar hosted by the Church in Wales in advance of Modern Slavery Day on Sunday.

The speakers concluded that it had to be about more than raising awareness of something in which services and products used every day were implicated: manufacturing supply chains, casual labour, and sexual and criminal exploitation. Statutory systems were fragmented and not working well, despite the Modern Slavery Act and the introduction of the National Referral Mechanism, they said; “pitifully small” numbers of perpetrators were being brought to justice.

An estimated 40.3 million men, women, and children worldwide are estimated to be trapped in modern slavery, among them potentially up to 136,000 victims in the UK alone. “We are losing the battle,” the former Bishop of Derby, Dr Alastair Redfern, founder of the C of E’s Clewer Initiative on modern slavery, said. He described it as “the sharp end of inequality”. There was a “massively strange silence” among Christian people, he said, in a climate in which consumers wanted cheap goods and claimed rights without responsibilities.

Awareness was not enough, panellists said. Unity was the greatest weapon against trafficking, said Commissioner Christine MacMillan, who is the founder and director of the Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission, and chairs the World Evangelical Alliance’s Global Human Trafficking Task Force.

Read it all.

An estimated 40.3 million men, women, and children worldwide are estimated to be trapped in modern slavery, among them potentially up to 136,000 victims in the UK alone https://t.co/RUqKfj8q1Q

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) October 15, 2020

Last week, the Diocese of Oxford posted a video, the first in a planned series of four, in which Olivia Graham, the recently-appointed bishop of Reading, gave a short theological introduction to the reasons why Christians should be concerned about the environment. In it, I think she said some unusual and (it turned out controversial) things:

2.48 The incarnation isn’t a single birth, but it began 14 billion years ago with an event we call the Big Bang. At that moment, God poured Godself into the emerging universe…every particle of it charged with the incarnate presence of God. The whole earth, then, is God’s body, the whole cosmos is incarnational…

3.22 Creation and incarnation are not two separate events, but one process of God’s self-giving and self communication.

4.22 All that happens is sustained and sanctified; every act of evolving nature is an act of God, because every act of nature’s growth is the energy of divine love. Evolution is not only of God, but is God incarnate.

5.00 Can there be any separation between the sacred and the profane?

5.16 Father, we praise you with all your creatures…they are filled with your presence and your tender love.

5.41 Today you [Jesus] are alive in every creature in your risen glory.

I wasn’t really surprised that there was a reaction to this, since anyone who knows a bit of biblical theology will have spluttered into their tea cups. Simply put, it is a central affirmation of Scripture, and of all orthodox theology in the Judeo-Christian tradition, that God is distinct from God’s creation, and should not be confused with it—in striking contrast to a whole range of other religious traditions. The term ‘incarnation’ does indeed mean ‘taking on flesh’, and by implication means that that which is incarnated was not previously embodied. This both means that the incarnation, the coming of the Word of God in human form, was a unique event, is theologically surprising (since God does not have a body), and that it is also something we bodily humans cannot do; our mission can never be ‘incarnational’, since (unlike God) we are have never been unbodied—even if our mission engagement is contextual and takes the form of concrete actions (which are much more helpful terms).

The idea that every act of creation is an act of God is bizarre—are the slaughter of one creature by another, and the previous mass extinctions, all acts of God? I think Stephen Fry’s position, that these are a source of offence to the idea of a loving God, is much more persuasive! Yes, there can be a separation of the sacred and profane; the only time when this separation is finally ended is when heaven comes down to earth in the New Jerusalem at the end of this age. No, all God’s creatures are not filled with God’s presence; if so, then there is no need for redemption. And Jesus is not yet alive in every creature—if so, then we would have nothing to proclaim.

Read it all.

New post: On bishops, creation and the environment https://t.co/UtrqkFC8Zm

— Dr Ian Paul (@Psephizo) October 16, 2020

Keep us, O Lord, constant in faith and zealous in witness, after the examples of thy servants Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer; that we may live in thy fear, die in thy favor, and rest in thy peace; for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

"Be of good comfort, and play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."
God bless the Oxford Martyrs Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. pic.twitter.com/QCGUL9iGST

— Archbishop Cranmer (@His_Grace) October 16, 2020

A church in the North West of England is pioneering mental health support as reports of mental health issues rise during the Covid-19 pandemic.

St Cuthbert’s Church in Croxteth Park, Liverpool, has seen an increasing demand for what it offers to those with mental health problems.

Speaking ahead of World Mental Health Day 2020, he vicar, the Revd Laura Leatherbarrow, said: “There’s a feeling across the board of people who have never suffered with mental health issues before are now getting anxious – or getting back depression or being diagnosed with depression for the first time.

“I’ve certainly seen Covid having a profound effect on all ages – younger as well as older.”

Read it all.

Regular attendance at Church of England churches has fallen again, latest figures show.

The number of regular worshippers attending a Church of England church once a month or more decreased by 1% in 2019 to 1.11 million.

On average, 854,000 people attended Church of England services and acts of worship each week in October 2019, a decline of 2.1% compared to the year before.

The additional number of people attending services for schools in Church of England churches rose by 3% to 182,000, but usual Sunday attendance fell by 2% to 690,000 in 2019.

Read it all.

On average, 854,000 people attended Church of England services and acts of worship each week in October 2019, a decline of 2.1% compared to the year before. https://t.co/WpltS4wHph

— Christian Today (@ChristianToday) October 12, 2020

The Bishop of Birkenhead, Keith Sinclair, has announced that he is to retire on 08 March 2021, 14 years to the day after he was consecrated.

Announcing the news, Bishop Keith said that he was thankful to God for calling Bishop Mark to the role of Bishop of Chester and said that he is hoping that his retirement in March will help the process of the appointment of two new suffragan bishops of Stockport and Birkenhead.

Read it all.

Keith Sinclair, Bishop of Birkenhead speaking on Revelation 3:20. pic.twitter.com/l985CVjQXH

— Father Richard SMMS (@mission_priest) November 20, 2018

The Anglican Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador has announced it’s running out of money and may need to stem its losses with layoffs, closures and sale of assets.

In an Oct. 5 letter obtained by CBC News, the diocesan finance committee said COVID-19 lockdown measures — which prevented gathering for worship for months — had a “devastating impact” on the church’s finances.

“While a number of our parishes continued to receive offerings and donations via drop-off collections and electronic means, it is clear that COVID-19 has negatively impacted our stewardship,” the letter says.

Archdeacon Sam Rose told CBC the pandemic has exacerbated previous financial struggles resulting from a reduction in church attendance.

“Like most organizations the onset of COVID accelerated this rapid decline,” he said Thursday.

Read it all.

With months of no in person services, dwindling weekly collections and no rental income from church spaces, this won't be the only church we see struggle financially https://t.co/8zTIRCABhQ

— Peter Cowan (@PeterCBC) October 9, 2020

The dean of Sheffield, the Very Revd Peter Bradley, has announced his resignation, referring to the “tremendous pressure” he had been under in recent weeks, which, he said, had “seriously affected” his health.

Dean Bradley told the congregation of Sheffield Cathedral on Sunday: “It is with great regret that I tell you that I have resigned as Dean of Sheffield, with effect from 31 December 2020. I know this will come as a shock.

“You may be aware of the tremendous pressure I have been under over recent weeks, which has seriously affected my health. After prayerful reflection and conversations with people who know me well, including the Bishop, I have decided that the time has come for me to move on.”

The Dean has been under fire since the Cathedral Chapter announced in July that it would be disbanding the choir “to create a Music Department and Choir ready for the exciting future of the mixed urban community in which we live and work” — a decision which Dean Bradley defended (News, 24 July).

Read it all.

“You may be aware of the tremendous pressure I have been under over recent weeks, which has seriously affected my health.” https://t.co/9UqbEBPNP8

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) October 5, 2020

The Church of England failed to protect children from sexual abuse, and created a culture where abusers “could hide”, a report has concluded.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse’s report says the Church’s failure to respond consistently to abuse victims added to their trauma.

It added that alleged perpetrators were often given more support than victims.

The Church said it felt “shame” over the failings detailed in the “shocking” report.

The report, which is the latest in a series of publications from the IICSA, said 390 clergy members and other church leaders were convicted of abuse between the 1940s and 2018.

The Church defended alleged perpetrators instead of protecting children and young people from sexual predators, the report added.

Read it all.

Something for which we must properly repent and continue to challenge structures of authority that protect the perpetrators not the victims. A work in progress, but still much to be done>>Church of England failures 'allowed child sexual abusers to hide' https://t.co/0qVgjO0Ikj

— Gregory Platten (@GregoryPlatten) October 6, 2020

Let us pray.

For a plain text and audio version of today's prayer, visit https://t.co/Rn4jDVCRSG. pic.twitter.com/AfrF3PfIF2

— The Church of England (@churchofengland) October 5, 2020

The first indication that things weren’t quite right was when I was walking my dog on Monday evening last week. I was aware that my muscles were aching, but, as I was otherwise fine, I thought no more of it. However, at three the next morning, I woke shivering all over. An hour later, I was drenched in sweat. My temperature was 38.4º. I knew I needed to self-isolate and get a test. Feeling so grim that I couldn’t sleep, I curled up on the sofa, and at 6 a.m. started trying to book a test online.

Four and a half frustrating hours later, I got a drive-through appointment for later that afternoon. I wasn’t that worried. I had been careful, and I didn’t know anyone else locally who had been ill; so I thought that I had one of the colds that seemed to be doing the rounds. I had a horrid sore throat and congested sinuses, which seemed to support my assumption. It was just irritating having to self-isolate until the test came back.

The test centre were friendly and efficient, and told me I would probably have the result within 24 hours; so we started planning what we would do when I got the all-clear. My husband had a list for the supermarket. I was going to walk the rather bored dog.

I spent most of the next 24 hours in bed, dosed up on paracetamol to hold the fever and aches at bay (although I did lead a brief online midweek service from my living room). Then, on Wednesday afternoon, I woke up from yet another nap to find a text on my phone. I had tested positive for Covid.

There have been many surprises about this diagnosis. The first is the sheer amount of Covid-related admin there is.

Read it all.

Infected vicar: ‘I thought I had been careful’ https://t.co/Xc6sjBxwg5

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) October 2, 2020