Jewish communities to receive £10 million for security
THE Government has announced a £10-million “emergency cash injection” to bolster security around synagogues and Jewish schools, after a recent rise in anti-Semitism. The funding was announced last Friday, two weeks after the terror attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, in which two people were killed and four were hospitalised (News, 3 October). It will pay for more security staff and equipment, such as CCTV, alarms, and floodlights, around Jewish sites. The Prime Minister said: “The devastating truth is that anti-Semitism is on the rise in Britain, and we must defeat it. . . Tackling this hatred will not be solved with quick fixes. It will take work across communities and in every part of our country and every part of our society. It is a national effort that I am determined this government will lead.”
Bishops renew calls to scrap two-child limit
THE Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, who is the lead bishop for child poverty issues, has signed a joint letter to the Prime Minister renewing a call for the “immediate complete removal of the two-child limit” on benefits. The letter, organised by the charity Alliance 4 Children, urges Sir Keir Starmer to make this change a “cornerstone of your new strategy”. It cites “overwhelming evidence” that “the single and most effective and cost-efficient measure to reduce child poverty – both its breadth and depth – is the total abolition of this limit (together with the benefit cap). The Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, and the Bishop of Manchester, Dr David Walker, were also among the signatories of the letter, which was handed into Downing Street on Monday.
RSCM invites organists to ‘play along’ Handel
THE Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is organising a mass organ “play-along” event, “Hands on with Handel”, on St Cecilia’s Day, 22 November. In a part of this year’s Director’s Challenge, organists of any standard across the world are invited to play the Largo “Ombra mai fu” from Handel’s oratorio Xerxes and share their performances on social media using the hashtag #handsonwithhandel and #playtheorganyear. Instagram posts will appear on the RSCM’s social-media wall. The RSCM hopes that churches will host “open-console” sessions to introduce more people to the organ. “Easy, intermediate, and full arrangements” of the music are available on the RSCM website, together with free resources including session plans and practice tips. rscm.org.uk/whats-on/directors-challenge
Songwriters seek to connect St Andrew’s churches
TWO Christian songwriters, Nick Axford and Mack Robinson, who attend St Andrew’s, Ashburton, in Devon, are calling on churches with the same dedication across the world to like and share online their new song, “Lost and Found”. It is being released on 30 November, St Andrew’s Day, in aid of the Fishermen’s Mission, St Andrew being the patron saint of fishermen. The aim is to connect as many churches of St Andrew by either playing the music video in church or sharing the link on their social media. Mr Robinson, who wrote the lyrics, said: “Just fill in our contact form and we’ll add you to the list of churches taking part and send you the song video, lyrics and sheet music ahead of its official release date. We’re hoping this challenge might appeal to St Andrew’s churches across the world!” The song was recorded at Between Sounds Studio, in Buckfastleigh, and the video features footage from on board a Brixham fishing boat Julie of Ladram, including an air-sea rescue of the skipper. axfordrobinsonmusic.org
Embrace offers ‘space for conversation’ on Middle East
EMBRACE THE MIDDLE EAST has released a four-week course for churches and small groups, “Gracious Dialogue: A guide to listening and speaking well about Israel and Palestine”, which “invites Christians to engage with one of the most complex and emotionally charged issues of our time, not with fear or division but with grace, empathy and an open heart”. The sessions include differing interpretations of Paul’s letter to the Romans, and pivotal moments in history, from the Balfour Declaration to the events of 7 October 2023 and beyond. The author, the Revd Su McClellan, an associate minister of Coventry Cathedral, said: “This resource is about creating space for conversations we often avoid. It’s not about agreement, but about understanding. It’s about seeing through another’s eyes and listening deeply to one another as members of the Body of Christ.” The charity’s patron, the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, writes in the foreword: “May church communities across many different contexts engage with this rich material, and through the gift of creative dialogue discover yet more of what it means to be the Body of Christ.” shop.embraceme.org/gracious-dialogue
Hereford church to be sold
ST NICHOLAS’s, Hereford, which closed for worship on 1 May, owing to declining numbers in the congregation, is on the market for £450,000. Encore Enterprises, previously known as Hereford Music Service, had hoped to use the Grade II listed building in the city centre as a community venue, but the diocese has since confirmed to local media that the company has withdrawn, citing planning challenges. The sale includes the church building, believed to date to 1842, and St Nicholas House, which has been used as a church hall, and has two large meeting spaces. The agents, Bruton Knowles, say that suitable uses may include a Christian place of worship, community centre, or museum, or, subject to meeting planning requirements, an office or housing.
