Churches help out after failure of Weymouth Olympic initiative
Weymouth’s Bayside Festival for the Olympics has gone into liquidation. But churches from the area are helping shocked stallholders and security staff. Festival organisers closed their gates on Friday, blaming poor attendance. The Rev Anni Douglas, co-ordinator of Weymouth and Portland churches Refresh 2012 said, ‘We sent our volunteers round the site to see how people were feeling, listening to them and providing refreshments. They really appreciated it and we had a good response,’ she added. Refresh 2012, set up by the local churches to provide activities, youth events and exhibitions at the Olympic sailing site, were also hit by the closure. Refresh 2012 had offered to meet with the festival organisers Mainsail Ltd and the borough council on Friday to try to rescue the event. But their offer to mobilise an army of 300 local church volunteers to run the site and keep it going fell on deaf ears.
Pray: that the Christians in Weymouth will still be able to serve the community with offers of God’s love. (1Pet.4:10)
Salvation Army get on their bikes for Olympics
Many Olympic venues are already achieving iconic status - but one about to enter the public’s consciousness already has an illustrious history. Next Saturday and Sunday the Salvation Army-owned Hadleigh Farm in Essex will play host to the Games’ mountain biking event. It will be the first time an Olympics event has been hosted on land owned by the Salvation Army. The commercial farm is more than 120 years old and is continuing the work started by William Booth in helping unemployed or marginalized members of society to retrain and find employment. Comprising 600 acres of crop and 300 acres of organic grassland with a highly-regarded tea room and farm shop, it also houses a training centre to help people with special educational needs learn subjects such as IT and carpentry.
Pray: that this event will raise awareness of the work of the Salvation Army at Hadleigh Farm amongst those with special needs. (Ps.135:13-14)
Police and churches partner to tackle crime
Speaking at a conference organised by Faith in Britain and the Metropolitan Police Service, Commissioner Bernard Hogan Howe said, ‘There's no way that we can police this city alone - we have to do this with the people not to them.’ The conference came just ahead of the first anniversary of the riots that brought scenes of violence, arson and looting to the streets of London, Manchester and other parts of the UK. The Commissioner concluded by saying, ‘It can't be just about enforcement - it has to be about diversion, encouraging people to live a better life.’ Les Isaac, whose Ascension Trust has pioneered Street Pastors across the UK, challenged the Church to act. ‘If my gospel is just for Sunday morning it is absolutely useless, if it is just for heaven then it is not to be talked about. It starts here on earth in a very practical way.’
Pray: that this conversation will produce more ways in which the Church can help the Police's work tackling the many forms of disorder in society. (Ps.33:12-14)
More: http://w ww.eauk.org/current-affairs/politics/police-and-churches-partner-to-tackle-crime.cfm
Police chief warns on spending cuts
One of Britain's most senior police chiefs Sir Norman Bettison of West Yorkshire Police warned that Government spending cuts will leave officers unable to cope with a repeat of the riots that swept the country last year. He said the demand for forces to axe 20% from their budgets by 2015 will put public safety ‘in jeopardy’ and make policing widespread disorder virtually impossible. His fears were echoed by the chief constable of South Yorkshire Police, David Crompton who said minimising the impact on frontline services will become impossible if there are further cuts. 'At the moment we are keeping a lid on things and they are going in the right direction. That is a tribute to everyone in this force.’ Both forces ruled out privatising frontline services and following the example of Lincolnshire Police, which has signed a controversial £20 million contract with security firm G4S.
Pray: that God would give the Government wisdom as they utilise the diverse budgets at their disposal. (Pr.16:16)
