THE ROCK THAT HANDS OUT ROLLS

Reading rock festival-goers were welcomed with open arms by a local church, offering lunches, toilets, mobile phone charging and a spot of shade from the sun. Caversham Baptist Church, close to the festival grounds, estimated that a thousand music fans took up its offers of hospitality. Church members, from teenagers to 60-somethings, rolled up their sleeves for what has become a regular fixture in the church’s outreach

Source: Baptist Times (30/8)

Seven weeks ago the rock festival camping site was completely flooded and it seemed most unlikely that the festival could be held but, a few weeks and a lot of drainage later, a record number of fans were camping on the still damp ground. I think it was somethig like 80.000 who came this year and an extra camp site was set up on the opposite side of the River Thames at Mapledurham, with an enterprising local boat owner providing a fleet of ferries to take fans across to the official camp site. There was great rejoicing that the sun shone for the whole weekend so that the fans were spared the mud bath that has characterised the rock festival in recent years.

BIBLE ANIMATIONS GET BBC2 OUTING TODAY

Friends and Heroes, a new series of Bible stories given the computer-generated graphics treatment, launches on Tuesday week (11/9). The first episode featuring reluctant prophet Jonah casts off at 10.45 am on BBC2.

Source: Church Times (31/8)

Tuesdays at 10.45am? Who will be watching at that time of day midweek? I wouldn't - if I hadn't been tipped off that it was happening! I hope it's not too long because I have to be down in Caversham centre by 12 noon! I hope this post might alert a few others to watch it.

FAYED ACCUSES BISHOP OF ‘HIJACKING’ MEMORIAL SERVICE

Mohamed Al-Fayed has hit out at the Bishop of London for ‘hijacking’ last Friday’s memorial service for Diana, Princess of Wales, to express his ‘personal opinions’. The Bishop, Richard Chartres, appealed for an end to the skirmishing over the Princess by urging, ‘let it end here’. But Fayed, speaking to the Sunday Times, declared that the Bishop ‘shouldn’t have hijacked a memorial service to let us know various of his personal opinions – for that’s all they were. He preached at us to let her memory rest, but how can that happen when the truth is still being covered up?’ The inquest into Diana’s death is scheduled to take place next month.

Source: The Sunday Times (2/9)

We all knew what the Bishop meant and we can understand Mohamed Al-Fayed's hurt because of the unfinished business of the impending inquest. However, when the inquest is over I truly hope that the media will respect the Bishop's plea to 'let it end here', so that all the families concerned may know real peace and be free to remember Diana happily.

'Back to Church' Sunday

‘TELL ME WHY’, APPEALS BISHOP
A bid to discover why people have stopped going to church – and what might draw them back – has been launched by the Bishop of Oxford The Rt Revd John Pritchard is asking residents across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire to visit his website, or write to him, to let him know why they might be ‘avoiding’ church. ‘We know people fall out of the habit of coming to church for all sorts of reasons,’ Bishop John said. ‘I’d like to try and understand and to say they are always welcome.’ His ‘Tell Bishop John’ campaign ties in with Back to Church Sunday on 30 September.
Source: BBC (4/9)

I think a lot of people simply slide out of the habit after an invitation to do something else one Sunday, not meaning to give up church-going but finding that they had got caught up in doing something else instead. Also a number of people now work on Sundays - and, let's face it, if you have a large mortgage to pay, the extra pay that is generated by worked on Sundays is very welcome and often the Sunday jobs are quieter and less stressful than normal.

MEDIA BIBLE FOR A POST-CHRISTIAN CULTURE

The Joseph Rank Trust is funding the launch of a project for greater biblical literacy in church and culture. St John’s College in Durham University will be partnering with Methodist Minister the Revd Brian Brown, executive producer of the children’s TV series The Story Keepers and forthcoming series Friends and Heroes. Revd Brown will be involving theologians, churches and the media in finding contemporary ways of communicating the biblical message. The Rev Dr David Wilkinson, principal of St John’s College, said it would be a privilege to work with Brian Brown, who had ‘taken biblical scholarship and media communication to a new level’.
Source: Methodist Recorder (30/11)