Presidents of Churches Together in England herald 'year of celebrations in England'

L-R: The Revd Michael Heaney, The Most Revd and Rt Hon Dr Rowan Williams, The Rt Revd Jana Jeruma-Grindberga, The Most Revd Vincent Nichols

Thursday 26th January 2012

The full message is below:

2012 is a year of celebrations in England. The Olympic and Paralympics Torch Relays, the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen and the 30th Olympiad will provide opportunities over the four-month period of May to September for people to gather and celebrate together in ways which will both enhance and deepen community life.

As the Presidents of Churches Together in England, on behalf of all its members, we rejoice that so many of England’s churches are committed to being at the heart of these celebrations and are already preparing practical ways to build and support communities in their localities. In the build up to the Olympics and Paralympics, the work we are doing through our own denominational staff and through the work of More Than Gold (UK) is unprecedented.  More Christian communities from different traditions than ever before are coming together to plan practical ways of serving the project of the Olympic Games, which can bring many and diverse benefits.

The end of this week of prayer for unity amongst Christians (18-25 January) also marks six months until the Games officially begin. At this significant moment we reaffirm our commitment made ten years ago in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen to work towards the visible unity of all Christians in the one faith, expressed in common discipleship, worship, witness and service.

The Most Revd and Rt Hon Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
The Most Revd Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster
The Revd Michael Heaney, Moderator, the Free Churches Group
The Rt Revd Jana Jeruma-Grindberga, Bishop, Lutheran Church in Great Britain.
(The Presidents of Churches Together in England)

Back · Back to top