News O
come, all ye faithful - and they did. Church was a big
draw at Christmas. O
come, all ye faithful - and they did. Church was a big
draw at Christmas. More
than four out of ten adults attended church this past
Christmas - up by a third in the past four years. Christmas
worshippers are on the increase, with more than 43 per
cent of The
figure has been steadily rising since the turn of the
millennium from the 33 per cent found by ORB in 2001, to
39 per cent in 2003 and now 43 per cent in 2005. The
Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, said:
"It was a privilege to offer a warm welcome to
people who enjoy church at Christmastime. These
figures indicate two things. First, that the busy-ness
of the season hasn't crowded out the hunger for the
Christmas message. And second, that Christmas gives
us a great opportunity to connect with the wider
community all year round." The
poll also found major support for Church of England
schools. Seven out of 10 agreed that Church of England
schools have a positive role in educating the nation's
children. Among people of no religious persuasion and
those of non-Christian faiths the level dropped but was
still more than half (52 per cent) and six in 10 (61 per
cent) respectively. The
survey shows that churches attract people of all ages and
across all areas of the country at Christmas, with the
highest attendance levels in city areas (46 per cent),
suburban (46 per cent) and rural (49 per cent). Lowest
attendance levels are among 18 to 24 year olds (28 per
cent) and those who live in seaside towns (25 per cent).
In Half
the adults in "These
figures show that churches and church schools bring
valued aspects of community life to local neighbourhoods,"
said the Rev Lynda Barley. "Seven in every 10 adults
support Church of England schools and nigh on nine out of
every 10 have been in a church or other place of worship
in the last year. High levels of support for local
churches and chapels are maintained among people of all
religious affiliations and of none. With 43 per cent of
adults in church at Christmas, that probably translates
into approaching 25 million people of all ages." ORB
surveyed 1019 adults aged 18 and over by a random
telephone poll between November 4 and 6, 2005. Try
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0870 0272 810 World
Vision launches emergency appeal for southern As the
food crisis continues to loom over southern The
impact of HIV/Aids across the region cannot be
underestimated. When a family cannot work or grow food
because carers are sick or dying from Aids, the problems
facing them and their community are severely
compounded. Children, especially girls, drop out of
school as they are required to look after dying family
members. The
long-term impact is an uneducated, unskilled and poverty-stricken
generation that will continue to emerge. This will impact
negatively on the development of southern Meanwhile,
across southern instability
have all contributed to threaten millions of lives across
the region. New
joint Anglican-Methodist appointment to advise churches
on child protection issues A
Methodist minister who is also an experienced Probation
Officer has been appointed to the first national joint
post created by the two Churches since the historic
Anglican-Methodist Covenant was signed in November 2003. The
Revd Pearl Luxon is now the first Safeguarding Adviser
for the "Creating
this post allows the two churches to speak with one
voice," says Pearl
Luxon is currently Head of Safeguarding for the Marriage
pays in every way, says CARE Editor:
Do you have any doctors or teachers or social workers in
your church who might like to comment on this? Or are
there any couples into their second marriage who would be
willing to say publicly how much harder they had found
life when they were on their own with children? Social
concern charity CARE has strongly supported recent
comments made by a former senior judge that the
government has an important role to play in upholding the
institution of marriage. Dame
Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, retired president of the High
Court's Family Division, condemned the 'down-grading' of
matrimony, saying the withdrawal of tax incentives by the
government meant there was no financial incentive to
marry or remain married. CARE's
own research shows that a couple splitting up will earn
them an average of £58 per week more in tax credit
handouts. The survey examined 74 couples and compared
their incomes and the benefits they receive with the
handouts they could expect if they broke up. In 62 of the
cases, couples would be better off if they split up and
in one case a family with average earnings would be
better off by more than £200 per week. CARE
has joined Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss in saying that
more support for marriage would have economic as well as
social advantages for the public and for the State. A
lasting marriage brings as much happiness as having an
additional £60,000 income, according to economists at
the Research from the National Association of Community Family Trusts shows taxpayers pay £15 billion per year to pick up the pieces of broken marriages, the equivalent to a quarter of the entire NHS bill. The effect of couples breaking up for children is also detrimental, with children in broken families twice as likely to face emotional problems and ill health. |