Special Grace for Diamond Jubilee lunches
Community lunches will take place all across Britain on 3 June in celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Churches are being encouraged to take the lead in their communities so that Big Jubilee Lunches start with a specially written Grace. The Grace has been seen by the Queen and reads - O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, we give you thanks for the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth; for her steadfast faith and for her royal service to this nation and all the peoples of the Commonwealth. Bless the food before us and the people beside us; may the sharing of this meal strengthen our communities, and nurture the bonds between us of friendship, hope and trust. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ who reigns as servant of all. Amen.
Pray: that many communities will use this opportunity to pray together on June 3rd (Ps.133:1)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/special.grace.for.diamond.jubilee.lunches/29900.htm
Church bell ringing nationally
Churches all over the country will be ringing out their bells simultaneously for three minutes at 8 am on 27th July as part of the London 2012 Festival in celebration of the beginning of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. On the 19 May the Olympic torch began its journey around the country. Churches in the land are invited to ring their bells as the torch passes. The central council of church bell ringers state on their website, ‘If your bell tower is on the route, you should contact your local authority to tell them that you would like to ring as the torch passes. If the route doesn't pass your tower, but goes through the town, it is still worth contacting your local council to see whether they are planning any events to mark the occasion,that you might be able to contribute to.’
Pray: for a mighty call to ring out from our churches across our nation.
More: http://cccbr.org.uk/olympics/torch-relay/
Dawkins hopes free Bibles will turn kids off Scriptures
Richard Dawkins is backing a scheme to send a commemorative copy of the King James Bible to every state school, but only because he thinks it will turn kids off the scriptures. Last week Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, began sending commemorative copies of the Bibles to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Version. Professor Dawkins says that the initiative is justified because of the historic text’s impact on the English language. The renowned atheist even said that he would have made a financial contribution to the £370,000 scheme if he had been approached. However he made clear that his underlying motive was the hope that the scheme would turn youngsters off the Bible. Prof Dawkins, writing in the Observer, said, ‘I have an ulterior motive for wishing to contribute to Gove’s scheme'. Note: Richard Dawkins recently explained that he is a militant agnostic, not an atheist, as he cannot disprove God’s existence.
Pray: that the Bible will continue to be of abiding importance and read even more in schools(in contemporary versions) because of this publicity. (Heb.4:12)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/dawkins-hopes-free-bibles-will-turn-kids-off-scriptures/
Think tank claims Government is failing families
A leading independent think tank has claimed that the Government is failing to sufficiently support marriage and the family. The Centre for Social Justice, set up by Iain Duncan Smith, has published a report detailing the Governments progress in family-related policies. The report gives the Government only four out of ten for its family policy, stating that, ‘There is still no solid commitment to actively prevent family breakdown or recognition of the important contribution of marriage to stability.’ The report suggests, ‘strong, stable families are central to improving outcomes for our children – and what children want most is to live with both their parents if possible. Strengthening families requires supporting marriage, helping people build strong relationships and providing coordinated help for our most chaotic families. Changing the culture so that family stability is valued by society requires strong governmental leadership and bold decision-making.’
Pray: for the hundreds of Christian initiatives supporting parenting and families and similar proposed government initiatives to make a positive impact on our nations values.(Heb.13:4)
More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/social/think-tank-claims-government-is-failing-families
