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Wiltshire Churches Together

 is a partnership between the major Christian denominations and churches in Wiltshire.

This website provides information to support the Church and ecumenical movement in the County.

Wiltshire Churches Together is part of the Churches Together ecumenical movement, being affiliated to
Churches Together in England and  World Council of Churches.
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Latest News

Enough Food for Everyone IF

Be in Hyde Park on Saturday 8 June to show the G8 you care about hunger 
The background:   the world produces enough food for everyone. So why does one person in eight go to bed hungry every night? Why do two million children die unnecessarily every year, because of hunger?  
It doesn't have to be this way. 
There is enough food for everyone - but only if governments unite to make companies more accountable, fight tax dodging, focus aid on small-scale farmers and stop land grabs.  
On 8 June world leaders are meeting here in the UK for the G8 and tackling the causes of hunger is on the agenda. They have the power to act. We call for action on tax, aid, land and transparency.  
Over 170 development agencies and faith groups are joining forces in London on Saturday 8 June to show world leaders the strength of support for urgent action to tackle global hunger. We have an unprecedented op[portunity to get the change we need. And YOU are invited. Join the service in Westminster Central Hall at 11.30 am and the demonstration in Hyde Park at 2 pm.   More details from the Christian Aid website or  enoughfoodif.com 
Good Friday Act of Witness

In Devizes, as in many towns throughout Wiltshire, members of many of the churches gathered together to remember Our Lord's crucifixion.  
After a short service three wooden crosses, which had been brought from different parts of the town, were carried in procession. 
QUIET DAY at IVY HOUSE - Inspiring and Thought-provoking

A participant writes: we assembled from the Far and Wide of Wiltshire to come to Ivy House in Warminster. It is a noble Georgian House . It use to be a convent , so that lends a serenity to the house.  
The day was led by David Cornick a very distinguished scholar and leading man in the U.R.C. He's now General Secretary of Churches Together in England and came all the way from Cambridge for the day. 
The first talk he gave us was from Chapter 1 of Pauls letter to the Colossians , The title was 'Hidden with Christ in God '. He said that verse form Paul used was a very unusual vehicle for Paul : 
'He is the image of the unseen God 
and the first -born of all creation  
for in him were created 
all things in heaven and on earth'  
In this poem Paul introduces two ways in which Christ can claim to be the "head"of every thing that exists. 
After coffee we examined by "Lecto divina " the parable of the curing of the ten Lepers. Different members were struck by different words in the gospel reading . Why was it the Samaritan was the only leper to return and praise the Lord? David was struck by the word 'saw'. Jesus glimpsed the lepers from afar and understood everything. 
After lunch David talked about the fact that Christians were not exclusive , we should live in charity with others. He talked of the wonder of the world. He introduced us to Mary Oliver a modern American poet , who prayed through her poetry . She ""wrote of a loon " and it cried out in the sweet savouring of its life, which if you have heard it you know is a sacred thing. He also quoted from Richard Mabey, the naturalist, whose recent book "Nature Cure" relates how he was cured from depression by the wonder of nature.  
On a cold day with snow flurries Ivy House was very warm and welcoming.  
Bishop calls for prayers for starving consumers and struggling farmers

The Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Rev Stephen Platten, has called on people to pray for the whole food production chain from struggling farmers, in the UK and elsewhere, to those that do not have enough to eat.  
Backing the  Enough Food For Everyone If  campaign, the Bishop emphasised the call for governments, companies and individuals to work together to take the necessary steps to reduce the millions currently going hungry and the amount of food wasted.  
At the other end of the food chain, he added, those who produce food also need prayers. Farmers in the UK, for example, are facing cuts in their income of up to 50 per cent due to weather damage, according to latest estimates from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.  
"The world produces enough food for everyone, yet nearly a billion people are starving," said Bishop Stephen. "If we all work together we can make dramatic progress towards ending global hunger - IF. But we must not forget those who produce that food.  
"The UK, in recent months, has seen dreadful weather that has ruined crops and disrupted harvests. The end result, according to DEFRA, is that many farmers face a cut in income of up to a half. Such crop failures can happen anywhere, so, while we pray for an end to global hunger, we should pray for those who produce the food, too."  
For more information on the campaign go to   Enough Food If. 
Secretary to Wiltshire Churches Together

Mrs.Liz Overthrow
19 Bratton Avenue
Devizes
SN10 5B
Tel:01380 :722404
E-mail: liz.overthrow@btinternet.com

 





One Firm Anchor

The Rev Robert Miller, RC priest in Tisbury has a new book out: 'One Firm Anchor' (Lutterworth Press, ISBN 978 0 7188 9290 6). It covers the church's ministry to merchant seafarers and fishermen from the earliest centuries; after the Reformation, looking at the effect of a divided Christendom and the emergence of the denominational societies in the nineteenth century, which he follows through to the Second World War.  
He is to be invited to talk about this, or his previous book on the colourful Anglican priest, Charles Hopkins (who in 1911 led the first and only international strike of merchant seamen), but encourages those who invite him to extend local invitations across the denominations.  
He can be contacted on 01747 870228 ( rwhm274@btinternet.com ).  
Badge Machine Hire for less than £20  Running a school fete, birthday party, holiday club, youth group or family event? Badge making is loved by children of all ages and is simple and easy to do.  
Wiltshire Scrapstore has a Badge Machine available for hire and can provide all the parts you need to make badges at a price that makes this an excellent low cost activity or a great fundraising opportunity.  
To book the Badge Machine for your event and for more information, contact Wiltshire Scrapstore on 01249 730011 or email  create@wiltsplay.org.uk. 
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