The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has appointed the Revd Tosin Oladipo as his new chaplain.Tosin, who is currently a parish priest in East London, will serve as chaplain to Archbishop Justin and the Lambeth Palace community. He will also have responsibility for developing Archbishop Justin's priority of prayer and the Religious life, particularly through the Community of St Anselm. He will begin the role at the start of July.Tosin takes over from the Revd Prebendary Dr Isabelle Hamley, who in November last year was appointed Secretary for Ecumenical Relations and Theology at the Church of England’s Council for Christian Unity, and Theological Adviser to the House of Bishops. The Revd Cortland Fransella has served as Acting Chaplain to the Archbishop since then.For the last three years, Tosin has served as part of the leadership team at SAINT, a resource church in East London, with specific responsibility for outreach, prayer, and the development of interns and ordinands. He has overseen community engagement and the revitalisation of St Mary’s Leyton, as part of a partnership between Chelmsford and London dioceses. He has also been responsible for the work of the Lighthouse project, which has distributed over 300,000 meals to those in need since the start of the pandemic.Alongside this, Tosin has led the prayer life of the church, which in the last year has included developing a digital ‘Rule of Life’: a creative and liturgical space to help sustain its community through the pandemic.Before training for ministry, Tosin worked for 15 years in digital and video tech start-ups. He is married to Angela, a mental health professional.Archbishop Justin said: “I am delighted that Tosin will be joining the Lambeth Palace community. The chaplain at Lambeth ensures that prayer and worship underpin everything we do, and that our gaze remains fixed on Jesus Christ. I am grateful that Tosin will be bringing his immense pastoral skills, passion for the Gospel and dedication to prayer to the senior team at Lambeth, and I look forward to working alongside him enormously. My prayers are with Tosin and Angela as they say goodbye to their community in East London and prepare to join us at Lambeth.”The Revd Tosin Oladipo said: “It will be a great privilege and an exciting challenge to serve as Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury - to pray for him and his family and to help deliver his priority for Prayer and Religious life. I look forward to joining the amazing community and working with the brilliant team at Lambeth Palace. Angela and I have loved our time in East London as part of SAINT. We will miss the team and all the incredible people we have come to know in Hackney and Leyton. Please pray for us as we enter this new chapter.”
MONDAYCreator God,from the tree of the garden of Eden,to the tree in the city in Revelation,we thank you for your vision of creation healed.Help us to be your agents of restoration, tending to the beauty of the Earth,and enabling your healing of the nations.Amen.TUESDAYO God, the heavens are not glad, the earth does not rejoice warming gases fill the atmosphere pollution turns clean air foul climate breakdown wreaks havoc.The sea roars with the grief of all the plastic that fills itof the destruction of coral reef.The fields exclaim despairfor delayed rains and prolonged drought for species extinction on a daily basis.No song of joy rings out from the trees of the forest decimated by forest fires.How long O God, how long until your justice comes for all your creatures and the earth.In you we put our trust.Amen.WEDNESDAYOur God,we pray for transformationof hardened hearts and closed minds resistant to the changes neededfor sustainable and thriving futurefor all of creation.for stones of apathy and indifferenceto become hearts of concern and compassion, for stones of self-preservationto become hearts of secure generosity,for stones of fear of scarcityto become hearts of generous abundance,for stones of judgement and shameto become hearts of mercy and grace,for the stones of longing and consumerismto become hearts satisfied and in communion with your phenomenal creation.Transform us by your Spirit That we might be your people And you, our God.In your name we pray,Amen.THURSDAYA prayer based on the hymn "How Great Thou Art".Our souls sing out a joyful song,Our souls sing out how great thou art.We consider the works you have made The stars of the night, the leavesof the treesThe birds of the air the oceans and streams.Our souls sing out a mournful song, Our souls grieve before our God. We consider the works our hands have made;The warming of the planet, the rising of seasThe wilting of the harvest, devastating communities.Our souls sing out a contrite song Our souls bow down low.We regret the works our hands have madeThe impact on the poorest,the livelihoods lostThe deepening of poverty, the environmental and human costOur souls sing out a penitent song, Our souls turn back to what is right. We consider the good works our hands can make;The words of justice we can speak,the acts of love we can giveThe hand of solidarity we can extend, for others to fully live.Our souls sing out a hopeful song Our souls look to the Lord, where our hope comes fromWe consider the works you call us to; The love of our neighbour, the stewardship of the earth.The flourishing of all creation, the wonder of its worth.AmenFRIDAYGreat God,Who makes the sun to rise, and opens the heavens Hear the cry of the peopleWho sow in hope for rain, but reap only despairHear the cry of the peopleSeeking shelter from the storm, their hopes and homes submergedHear the cry of the people,When creation is hitting back, with rage and resistance Give us hope, grant us salvation,Give us a new relationship with creationWith reverence to tend this gift from YouAnd say once again of the earth and all you createdIt is GOOD.AmenSATURDAYBlessed God,We give thanks for the work of Christian Aid and other aid agencies around the world.Strengthen all who work for them, sustain them in their hours of need.Encourage people to be generous in their giving and, most of all, inspire mankind to listento the messages shared by Christian Aid as they attempt to make our world a better, safer, healthier and fairer place.Amen
St Paul’s Cathedral is facing its worst financial crisis in 300 years due to the decline in tourism during the pandemic and could close permanently if new regular funding is not found, its dean has said.The cathedral’s income fell by 90 per cent last year while its doors were closed to visitors, as the City of London landmark relies almost entirely on tourism and ticket sales for its income.The running costs, including maintenance and upkeep, of the 324-year-old cathedral come to £8 million per year. St Paul’s received £3.3 million from the government’s culture recovery fund, less than half of its costs, forcing the cathedral to spend most of its reserves.The Very Rev David Ison, the dean of St Paul’s, said the cathedral’s bosses had engaged in “crisis management” over the past year but said some “big decisions” were now needed to keep the building open.“If we can’t raise the resources to be able to employ the people to look after the building and pay for the heating and lighting, we would have to shut our doors,” he told the BBC.Most renovation work, including a £15 million plan to replace sections of the cathedral’s lead roof that date back to the 17th century, have been put on hold.Oliver Caroe, an architect tasked with monitoring the condition of the cathedral’s structure, has warned that the building is “rotting”.“We have collections under these roofs, really precious objects, and there are buckets next to them, covered in plastic because the roof leaks,” he said. “I think everyone would be shocked if this building ran into trouble. It is in trouble now.”About 25 per cent of the cathedral’s staff have been made redundant during a restructuring and some have been furloughed, but there are fears that cuts may have to go further and could affect the cathedral’s famous choir, which includes 12 professional singers alongside its 30 choirboys.
