A new initiative focused on survivors of church-based abuse and those who support them has been launched today.The initiative spearheaded by Newcastle Diocese, is a response to recent guidance issued by the Church of England to church officers and church bodies on how to respond well to victims and survivors of all kinds of abuse. It has been part funded by the charity Safe Spaces, a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone who has been abused by someone in the Church.If I Told You, What Would You Do?’ is a suite of accessible materials and resources, including a series of seven videos with more than 50 people reading the words of survivors, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell. Survivors have also produced original artwork and music, which is being made available.The project was the brainchild of Sarah Troughton and David Creese, both survivors of faith-based abuse, who worked closely with the Diocese of Newcastle’s Safeguarding Advisor Carol Butler to develop the content.The Bishop of Berwick and Acting Bishop of Newcastle, the Right Reverend Mark Wroe said: “I am deeply moved and challenged by this extraordinary piece of work which has been led by those with lived experience of church-based abuse. For far too long there have been those who have suffered abuse in church and not felt safe enough to report it, as well as those who have reported it and not been cared for in the way they deserve. This project works alongside the other safeguarding procedures we now have in place as we continue to learn how to make our churches safer places.“We believe that one of the best ways we can help individuals and communities to respond well to abuse is through creative projects. This creates space for a conversation between those with lived experience and others in their communities. Imagination is one of the most powerful resources God gives us to foster a more empathetic understanding of the needs of survivors and what helpful responses might look and sound like as we journey forwards together. “For these reasons we have engaged in creative projects designed and delivered by those with lived experience of abuse, those who minister to them, and others in our communities who support this vital work.”
Christians being confirmed or baptised in the Oxford diocese will henceforth be asked to commit to protecting the environment as part of the church’s formal liturgy.The addition to the ceremonies is supported by the Right Rev Steven Croft (see photo), bishop of Oxford, and asks people being baptised or confirmed to “strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the Earth”.The move, thought to be the first of its kind in the country, comes amid growing concern about the climate and ecological crisis among religious leaders. Earlier this year, more than 500 church leaders signed a letter to the government calling for no new fossil fuel developments, and Christian activists have been at the forefront of many climate protests in recent years.Steven, who is a member of the Lords select committee for the environment and climate change, said the church had a key moral and spiritual role to play in addressing the climate and ecological emergency.“The target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is already slipping away from us,” he said. “Society has only a limited time to act but we should be in no doubt whatsoever that there is a strong and deep possibility of change if we act now.”The addition to the liturgy comes as the Oxford diocese announces plans to spend £10m improving the energy efficiency of its vicarages in an effort to hit net zero emissions by 2035. It is one of 10 dioceses to have divested from fossil fuel companies, making commitments not to invest in coal, oil and gas in the future.At a national level, the Church of England has been criticised for not acting quickly enough to cut its links with fossil fuel companies. It began to cut ties to coal and other heavily polluting industries in 2015, then pledged in 2018 to divest by 2023 from high-carbon companies that were “not aligned with the goals of the Paris agreement”. But as the deadline approaches, the organisation has said it is still “engaging” with key oil and gas interests, rather than cancelling all of its holdings.
Last week I slowed dowN – I switched everything off and went on a long walk. In fact I walked the St Cuthbert’s Way from Melrose in the Scottish borders to Holy Island in Northumberland.And the world opened up to me. I saw orchids growing in the hedgerow. A hare racing up the path ahead of me. Seals basking on the rocks. A cairn on an isolated hill top in the Cheviots. None of this could be seen from a car window. I had to get off the beaten track. I had to slow down.I slowed down to what some people call the speed of thought, or what I like to think of as God’s pace, walking speed, the speed of prayer.Someone once said that Jesus changed the world at three miles per hour. What they meant, is that he walked everywhere. And as he walked, he met people and listened to them and ministered to them and talked to them and changed them. And what might also be implied, is that our feverish demand for speed, and for getting everything done yesterday, is also changing the world, but not necessarily for the better. It seems these days that many of us, including me, want to get from A to B in the quickest possible time by the shortest possible route. But not only does this put every moment of the day under enormous stress and the endless pressure to produce and achieve, it means I miss out on all the beauty in between, things that can only really be appreciated by slowing down. Some things – you might even say the best things – simply can’t be done in a hurry. Like producing the best wine, or cooking a really good stew, or growing a garden. And as I walked, this was my prayer: Lord, make me slow to rush ahead of you – because that’s what I think is happening in so much that is wrong and confused in our world today and we see it’s devastating effects in displaced people, heat waves, flood, forest fire and famine - but make us quick to follow where you lead, and find a new and better way of inhabiting this earth.You’re probably not able to go on pilgrimage this week as I was lucky enough to do last week, in fact it’s been hard to get anywhere with the various strike action – so perhaps there has been a chance for some slow time, downtime, time to enjoy your day. I might take a long cut home. Throw away the teabags and rediscover the lost happiness of those two minutes we used to have when we warmed the pot and waited for the tea to mash. I’m going to switch off the telly tonight. Put a chair in the window. Look at the world. See what I can see. Count my blessings.You see, I don’t want any more time saving devices in my life, because they just add to the pressure of fitting more in. I want some time creating devices. Things that will slow me down.
