Nannies have long been vital members of many harassed working parents’ households. Now an army of specialists to take care of every element of child rearing is falling in behind them.

Mothers and fathers are increasingly outsourcing the upbringing of their children. They can employ a professional toilet trainer, someone to teach their child to ride a bicycle and another expert to remove hair lice.

An advertisement was posted this week on the widely used website childcare.co.uk by a 36-year-old mother in Surrey looking for a “professional toilet trainer” for her three-year-old daughter. It provoked mixed reactions.

The mother claimed that she and her husband worked full time in “demanding jobs”. She added: “We have previously tried to train her but unfortunately due to our busy careers we’ve realised we simply do not have the time to do so.

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One of the largest evangelical churches in the country is withdrawing itself from relations with neighbouring Anglican churches over irreconcilable differences on their teaching on sexuality.

St Helen’s Bishopgate, which attracts nearly 2,000 worshippers across its four services each week, declared it was in ‘impaired relationship’ with fellow Church of England parishes in its deanery in central London.

William Taylor, rector of St Helen’s, cited ‘the widely publicised views held by certain members of the deanery chapter’ as reasons for the split.

‘We (the clergy, wardens and PCC of St Helen’s) no longer consider these church leaders who have ceased to ‘believe and uphold the Christian faith Church of England has received it’ to be ‘walking together’ with us in any meaningful partnership’, he told the area dean Rev Oliver Ross.

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Wanda Lopez grew tired of seeing children shivering at the bus stops.

She set aside a couple thousand dollars and purchased hundreds of brand-new coats. With the help of local organizations, she assembled 250 hot meals, 200 turkeys and boxes of canned food, and put it all out on display Friday in a North Charleston parking lot.

Lopez worried the frigid rain would keep people away. But within hours, all of the food and most of the clothes were gone.

“This is blowing my mind,” Lopez said. “So many people need hats, coats, gloves, boxed food. Basic things.”

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Recovering addict gives hundreds of coats, hot meals to needy on Remount Road https://t.co/tbOuGZF5jh #chsnews pic.twitter.com/KPgW5Xzcga

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) December 9, 2017

Thou who with thine own mouth hast avouched that at midnight, at an hour when we are not aware, the Bridegroom shall come: Grant that the cry, The Bridegroom cometh, may sound evermore in our ears, that so we be never unprepared to meet him, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. Some boast of chariots, and some of horses; but we boast of the name of the LORD our God. They will collapse and fall; but we shall rise and stand upright. Give victory to the king, O LORD; answer us when we call.

–Psalm 20:6-9