In commenting on the refusal by leading cinemas to show a short advert of the Lord’s Prayer, The Most Rev David Chillingworth, Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church says: “I watched the ‘Prayer is for Everyone’ video which will now not be shown in cinemas. I was personally moved by it. It shows a very diverse group of people. They connect their everyday life and work to the Lord’s Prayer. This is not an attempt to package or to ‘sell’ religion. Rather it seeks to help people to make connections between life and faith.
“We are living through a time of great sensitivity about faith issues. The terrible events in Paris last week demonstrate that religiously motivated violence is one of the great challenges of our age. This is Scottish Interfaith Week, which reminds us of the challenge and the richness of living in a multi-faith and multi-cultural context. It is not in the best interests of our society that we should cultivate excessive sensitivity about what can be expressed. We all need to be able to look at and appreciate the integrity of one another’s faith. Most of all we need to be able to distinguish good religion from bad and not make the mistake of assuming that all religion must be seen as potentially offensive.”
The Primus spoke about this on BBC Radio Scotland’s ‘Good Morning Scotland’ programme on Monday 23 November at 07.55 – http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06pcz84#play – his interview starts at 01:55:20
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Scottish Interfaith Week 2015 runs from 22-30 November. There are a variety of activities taking place across Scotland – details can be found on the Scottish Interfaith Week website http://www.interfaithscotland.org/scottish-interfaith-week/
The Most Rev David Chillingworth, Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church attended the launch of Scottish Interfaith Week and also delivered a lecture as part of Scottish Interfaith Week in Dunfermline on Tuesday 24 November at the invitation of Fife Interfaith Group. For details on the lecture see http://www.bishopdavid.net/
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Resource material for Advent is available on the Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS) website http://www.acts-scotland.org/component/k2/item/212-acts-resource-for-advent-2015
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Eco-Congregation Scotland Environmental Chaplain, the Rev Trevor Jamison, has written a Prayer for the Paris COP21 (Conference of the Parties) Meeting 2015
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
The world, and those who live in it;
For he has founded it on the seas,
And established it on the rivers.
(Psalm 24: 1-2)
O God of this earth, as nations gather to meet in Paris,
We pray for the representatives of the rich and the powerful,
And for those sent there by the poor and the vulnerable.
Give to them all gifts of wisdom and discernment,
That they might truly understand what faces your world today,
And see what needs to be done in days ahead.
Give to them qualities of kindness, justice and determination,
That they may hear creation’s cry of distress,
And together take binding actions to safeguard the climate.
And stir up in us what we expect from others.
Make us wise and discerning, kind, and just,
Determined to play our part in caring for creation, now and for ever.
Amen.
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The second series of An Island Parish on BBC 2, featuring the Rev Dr Richard Hines and his wife Jen when they were in the Falkland Islands returned to screens on Friday 13 November (8.30pm) for six weeks. The Rev Dr Richard Hines is now Priest in Charge at St James Church, Aberdeen.
Speaking about the filming Richard says “Rarely did the experience become tedious even when it regularly required 5 or 6 separate takes from different angles and viewpoints to film the simple business of leaving the house or getting into a vehicle.”
It was whilst filming that a new friendship by e-mail with the Rt Rev Dr Bob Gillies, Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney was established through a mutual friend. Richard’s impending retirement and his willingness to consider a fresh opportunity for ministry led eventually to his appointment by Bishop Bob as a House-for-Duty priest-in-charge. Richard says”Bishop Bob assured me that if we had coped with the weather in the South Atlantic we’d likely feel at home in Aberdeen. He was right. With the warm welcome from the congregation itself and the occasional ‘Haven’t I seen you on television?’ from people we meet in the shops or on the bus, Jen and I have made many friends and do already feel remarkably at home in the North-East.
“It’s not a lazy start to my retirement, but a great and enjoyable privilege to be living and serving God in such a pleasant and interesting city. Quite a refreshing contrast to a small island parish!”
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November 25 – December 10
“From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All!”
More and more Anglican churches and dioceses around the Communion are using the international 16 Days of Activism against Gender based Violence to break the silence, challenge attitudes, and engage women and men in taking action to prevent and end gender based violence. The 16 Days begin on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and end on 10 December, Human Rights Day. This year’s focus is the right to education – 31 million girls around the world are not in primary school.
The Rev Terrie Robinson, Director for Women in Church and Society at the Anglican Communion Office says, “Together we can be a living witness to our Christian belief that men and women are made in God’s image. We are God’s daughters and sons, equally precious, equally loved. Men and boys can be victims and survivors of gender based violence too. For the 16 Days, the focus is on ending violence against women and girls but any activism that promotes equal and respectful relationship will be good news, all year round, whoever we are.” Resources for the 16 Days may be found on: http://iawn.anglicancommunion.org/resources/gender-based-violence.aspx>
Terrie would be delighted to hear of any events that take place in your church or diocese during the 16 Days. Please email her at: terrie.robinson@anglicancommunion.org
Elaine Cameron
International Anglican Women’s Network Steering Group
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The Diocese of Jerusalem has produced a Litany for Peace in the Holy Land, and is asking churches and Christians around the world to use it in their prayers on the first Sunday in Advent – 29 November 2015.
The Litany can be downloaded from the Anglican Communion website anglicannews.org/news/2015/11/pray-for-the-peace-of-jerusalem.aspx
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