Burmese refugees face 'critical' Christmas
Thousands of refugees from Burma face a critical time this Christmas following Cyclone Nargis and volatile food prices.
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Date: 13-11-2008

Monks brawl at Jerusalem shrine
Israeli police have had to restore order at one of Christianity's holiest sites after a mass brawl broke out between monks in Jerusalem's Old City.
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Date: 12-11-2008

Priests are Xmas chart contenders
Three priests from Northern Ireland are among the favourites for the coveted Christmas number one spot, just months after signing a £1m record deal.
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Date: 12-11-2008

Church attacked over remembrance
The Church of England has been criticised for its role presiding over Armistice Day events remembering British troops killed in action.
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Date: 12-11-2008

Methodist Church welcomes push for responsible pricing of alcohol
The British Methodist Church has welcomed calls from MPs to set minimum prices on alcoholic drinks. A report from the Home Affairs Select Committee ‘Policing in the 21st Century’ published today, highlighted the serious problems of alcohol-related crime and anti-social behaviour. It calls for an end to ‘happy hours’, supermarket loss-leading promotions, and the introduction of minimum sale prices for alcohol. David Bradwell, Public Issues Policy Adviser at the Methodist Church said: "Alcohol misuse is a growing problem. This is partly due to the easy availability of cheap booze – alcohol was 69% more affordable last year compared to 1980. This is why we support the recommendations of the Select Committee." The Methodist Church has a long tradition of promoting abstinence and moderate drinking as a way of tackling the problems alcohol causes. David continued: "John Wesley railed against cheap gin in the 18th century because of its devastating impact on the lives of the most vulnerable people. The Methodist Church today urges the Government to move towards imposing minimum prices for alcohol and ending irresponsible promotions by retailers."
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Date: 12-11-2008

DR Congo fighting forces thousands to flee
Tearfund partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo are drawing up plans to help people caught in a new outbreak of violence in the volatile east of the country.
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Date: 02-11-2008

China's official churches reach out to unregistered ones
Recently elected leaders of China's officially-sanctioned Protestant churches have said they care about house churches that sometimes operate underground and that they are willing to provide them with Bibles - writes Francis Wong.
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Date: 02-11-2008

Archbishop sends message of reconciliation to Hindus for Diwali
Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has sent an annual message to Hindu communities in Britain for Diwali, the 'festival of lights', which is also marked by Sikhs and celebrates the victory of good over evil and hope over despair.
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Date: 02-11-2008

Carers to commemorate homeless people who have died in London
St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London and campaigning network Housing Justice will next week hold an Annual Service of Commemoration for those homeless people who have died in the capital in the past year.
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Date: 31-10-2008

Zimbabwe Christian leader criticizes lack of action by the churches
The leader of Zimbabwe's largest functioning alliance of Christians says the country's main grouping of traditional Protestant churches and the African and global umbrella church organizations with which it is affiliated have been notable for their silence on what is happening in his country - writes Peter Kenny.
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Date: 31-10-2008

Dalai Lama 'loses hope' for Tibet
This weekend the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, told his followers he had lost hope of reaching agreement with China about the future of his homeland.
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Date: 29-10-2008

Summit on anti-social 'challenge'
The church and police are to join forces in a bid to help curb anti-social behaviour across Wales.
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Date: 29-10-2008

Humanist weddings grow in popularity in Scotland
The recent growth in humanist marriages in Scotland means they have overtaken Episcopal ceremonies for the first time, say organisers of the ceremonies. Since they were first made legal their number rose from 82 in 2005 to 710 in 2007.
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Date: 29-10-2008

Hunger crisis lurches from bad to worse
Even by Zimbabwe’s depressing standards, it’s an amazingly awful sight.
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Date: 26-10-2008

South Africa poverty 'emergency'
A former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town has described poverty in South Africa as being worse than ever.
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Date: 26-10-2008

Church of England links its world development campaigners on the web
The Church of England’s national network of local campaigners on world development issues is being linked together more effectively on the worldwide web in a bid to amplify their voices on crucial global topics.
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Date: 26-10-2008

Think of a house as a home not an asset, says charity chief
Giving the inaugural Housing Justice lecture on 22 October, the charity's chief executive Alison Gelder spoke of the need to change the values of society so that we think of houses and flats as homes rather than assets.
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Date: 26-10-2008

Church think tank donates to atheist bus campaign
When buses emblazoned with adverts declaring "there's probably no God" start trundling through the streets of London, passengers may be surprised to learn who is supporting them.
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Date: 26-10-2008

Religious leaders say finance crunch must not derail anti-poverty action
The global financial crisis should not derail progress that has been made on fighting poverty worldwide, religious leaders have said, adding that the current financial market turmoil makes attempts to tackle deprivation all the more urgent - writes Chris Herlinger.
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Date: 03-10-2008

Quaker week will focus on story telling in good faith
Building bridges with storytelling is the focus for an information week beginning on Saturday, when Quakers in Britain will profile their life, faith and practice as a distinct and viable commitment in a divided world.
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Date: 03-10-2008

'30-second Nativity' competition
A competition to tell the Christmas story in 30 seconds or less has been launched by a Christian group.
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Date: 03-10-2008

India's remote faith battleground
Anti-Christian riots have rocked several parts of India over the past month. The BBC correspondant Soutik Biswas travelled to a remote region in the eastern state of Orissa, where the recent violence broke out, to investigate the complex roots of the conflict.
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Date: 30-09-2008

Churches open doors for 'guests'
Anglican churches across Britain hope to attract up to 30,000 new faces on Sunday after a drive to extend personal invitations to would-be worshippers.
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Date: 30-09-2008

Christians in parliament protest over treatment of asylum seekers
This Sunday two Christian campaigners from Manchester will begin a 2-week protest camp outside the Houses of Parliament to call on MPs to help change UK policies that are making refused asylum seekers destitute.
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Date: 26-09-2008

Church urged to put its money where its message is, after asset revelations
The Church of England has been encouraged to "put its money where its message is", after revelations that its finance managers have been using similar tactics to the ones the archbishops condemned City traders for - to maximise profits on its £5 billion assets and investments.
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Date: 26-09-2008

RSPCA urges church to celebrate animals
The RSPCA is calling upon clergy to celebrate animal services with renewed focus this October following a new Church of England initiative to make 'Time for God's Creation'.
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Date: 19-09-2008

Buddha relic tour graces Scotland
A collection of relics of the Buddha and other Buddhist masters is in Scotland for the first time as part of a world tour.
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Date: 19-09-2008

Muslims have 'victim mentality'
British Muslims are guilty of a "victim mentality" and should take greater responsibility for their lives, a Muslim Labour MP has argued.
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Date: 17-09-2008

No 10 staff get 'reflection room'
Tension may be running high in Downing Street - but there is one corner where serenity reigns, it has emerged.
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Date: 17-09-2008

Sentamu praises community work by faith groups and dismisses critics
Anglican Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu has called on the British Government to give fuller recognition to the work carried out by faith groups in the delivery of social services in England.
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Date: 17-09-2008

Mixed responses to Zimbabwe power sharing deal
There has been hope but also caution laced with anxiety among social justice and human rights campaigners in Zimbabwe to the news of a power sharing deal between President Mugabe and the opposition, mediated by South Africa.
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Date: 17-09-2008

Fresh Food for Poole's Food Bank
As part of Faithworks Poole's ongoing partnership with the Borough of Poole’s COAST project (Community Outreach and Support Team for adults with learning difficulties), the Poole Food Bank is being given some of the fresh produce from a community gardening scheme.
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Date: 07-09-2008

Faithworks strengthens participation in English regional policymaking
Christians and other faith groups will have their capacity to participate alongside others in regional policy-making in England enhanced thanks to the new Regional Networks Support project, says Faithworks, which has established the initiative.
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Date: 07-09-2008

Cliff Richard sticks up for gay relationships
Leading evangelical Christian celebrity Sir Cliff Richard, who is now aged 67, thinks the church should be supportive of committed gay relationships and says he is sick of intrusive speculation about his own sexuality.
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Date: 07-09-2008

Muhammad novel set for UK release
A controversial novel about the Prophet Muhammad and his child bride, scrapped in the US, will be released in the UK.
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Date: 06-09-2008