Diocesan News
Bishop's Comment
Diary Forecasts Rising Spiritual Temperature in Diocese.
Frequently my diary is so full that I cannot answer the question 'What are you doing tomorrow?', let alone the following week. Significant meetings and engagements are ranged back-to-back month after month and I wonder when I will have time to prepare and pray for all the people and places God is bringing to my attention. Last weekend was a typical example. On Friday, breakfast with members of all of the major political parties was followed by the opening of a community centre in Perry Common, the launch of the West Midlands Christian Police Network and interviews for a key diocesan Education post. In the evening I licensed a new priest in Hall Green. The next day, Saturday, I celebrated a Patronal Mass at St Albans Highgate and launched the building campaign at St Stephen's Selly Park. Confirmations and baptisms at Dorridge and Edgbaston followed on the Sunday. These local highlights give some indication of the activity of the Holy Spirit and Christian growth that crosses church traditions, ward boundaries and demographic differences. I dare to hope that the evidence of the diary, emails and changed lives indicate a rise in the spiritual temperature in our region. I expect we are all aware of the political context in which we are now operating. Cuts are inevitable and the Coalition is calling for more community participation - labeled the 'Big Society'. The Big Society calls for a big response and I believe the Church is ready to do just that. As well as the local initiatives that are transforming lives and changing communities there are some regional movements that are helping to catalyse the churches' participation in community regeneration and political engagement. Our own community regeneration department, supported by the Church Urban Fund (CUF) is developing its capacity by establishing Thrive West Midlands that will offer support, advice and networking to all Christian community projects across the region. Meanwhile Redeeming Our Communities is launching its Birmingham initiative with A Million Acts of
Kindness. ROC aims to bring together the 'urban trinity' of church, city council and police to promote flourishing neighbourhoods, lower crime rate and Christians' engagement within their localities. A big showcase event is planned for November 16th at the NIA and tickets are already on sale for just £5 each. (Visit www.redeemingourcommunities.org.uk/nia to buy tickets for yourself, your friends and your families.) The event will be magazine-style with music and interviews and will feature local people and organisations that are already bringing change to their neighbourhoods. ROC is bringing a wide range of church leaders together to plan the event and to pray for the good of the city-region. The themes of lonely, isolated people of all ages and the well-being of young people are emerging for this year. Look out for further ROC conversations being held across the region - where people get together to think about the challenges and opportunities in their neighbourhoods. At a recent ROC breakfast we talked about mapping the local lights that are kept bright by hard working and committed people - an army of unsung Christian heroes who we find serving through churches and community projects. If these lights were brought together their brightness would be overwhelming but so often we downplay our contribution - or to borrow the words of Matthew chapter 5 - hide our light under a bowl. In Verse 16 of the same chapter Matthew records the words of Jesus: "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." My diary, my e-mails and my conversations show me that it is my privilege to see numerous lights shining in Birmingham and region. Let's make sure the politicians, the policy makers and the people around us see these good works done in the name and power of Jesus Christ and so give glory to our Father in heaven.
David Urquhart, Bishop of Birmingham
Bishops' call for 'hopeful realists' to serve the common good
28 June 2010
Christians are called to be "hopeful realists" about the state of the world, politics and economics, "living thankfully" while challenging unjust systems and regimes, according to a new Church of England teaching document. Living thankfully before God: Living fairly before each other aims to help Christians examine some key contemporary social issues, highlighting the Biblical foundations for living "the kind of life shaped by faith and hope [that] expresses itself in love for God, love for our neighbour and care for the world that God has made and given to us to look after." In stressing this fundamental Christian idea, it argues that "thinking it is possible to live a fulfilled human existence without loving God and our neighbour is thus like thinking that it is possible to play cricket without trying to score runs or take wickets." Published while the new government continues to assess its priorities, the document examines how such an approach can be applied to three specific areas of contemporary concern. It outlines: how preventing another financial crisis partly depends on the extent to which the banking sector accepts its moral duty to "serve the common good" and ensure that the riskiest activities, typically rewarded with short term profits, are avoided in favour of safer, more sustainable financial products and solutions;
in terms of extending care for the environment, how we can balance the long-term demands on the planet's resources while having the minimum negative impact on the rest of creation. This demands honesty about the relevant scientific evidence on global warming and a more concerted effort to take appropriate action to reduce it, especially to focus "on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world who are already feeling the impact of environmental changes most acutely"; the need to refocus on the vital importance of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, specifically how individuals can take personal action to help meet the aims, including building pressure on governments by creating social consensus around the key public policy issues. Living thankfully before God: Living fairly before each other adds to a collection of materials hosted on the Church of England website at www.cofe.anglican.org/generalelection/church.html, originally published to help Christians consider various areas of social policy ahead of the General Election. The teaching document has been commended by the House of Bishops as a basis for discussion and prayer
by local parishes, and is freely available at: www.cofe.anglican.org/info/papers/ltbgprint.pdf (text only version available at www.cofe.anglican.org/info/papers/ltbgtext.rtf). The booklet is also available in a printed form from Church House Bookshop, Great Smith Street, London, priced £6 (email bookshop@c-ofe.org.uk, telephone 020 7799 4064).
