Every day the news reminds us of the threads of evil in the world. But the difficult things in life are not the end of the story. The second line of the Lord’s Prayer is our commitment to being part of the solution – a pledge to play a role, however small, in the mission of God’s kingdom. Catch up on the journey so far at oxford.anglican.org/come-and-see.

Following the letter signed by all of the Church of England bishops in the Lords, the Bishop of Buckingham explains to GB News why there should be 'a proper, British, humanitarian response to the refugee crisis', and why the current government policy towards refugees is simply wrong.

When it comes to sharing the good news of the Covid vaccines, the best way to give hope to your neighbours is through a kind and constructive conversation. It’s as simple as H - O - P - E. In this short film, the Rt Revd Dr Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham explains why he thinks the vaccine is good news for us all. Find out more about this project and download resources to use at https://yourneighbour.org/vaccine-give-hope

When it comes to sharing the good news of the Covid vaccines, the best way to give hope to your neighbours is through a kind and constructive conversation. It’s as simple as H - O - P - E. In this short film, the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford explains why he thinks the vaccine is good news for us all.

When it comes to sharing the good news of the Covid vaccines, the best way to give hope to your neighbours is through a kind and constructive conversation. It’s as simple as H - O - P - E. In this short film, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, Bishop of Reading explains why he thinks the vaccine is good news for us all.

The Oxford Diocesan Synod motion, "Responding to the Climate Emergency", has been overwhelmingly supported by the General Synod of the Church of England. Setting out the challenges we face, Bishop Olivia, said "The signs from Westminster, friends, are not at all good: Lord Deben, the outgoing Committee Chair called the decision to approve the UK’s first new deep coal mine in 30 years ‘total nonsense’, and he was damning about plans to approve the Rosebank oilfield off the coast of Scotland. How, he asked, can we ask countries in Africa not to develop oil; how can we ask other nations not expand their fossil fuel production if we start doing it ourselves? Alok Sharma, who was Chair of the COP26 has said that the UK is at risk of losing its ‘international reputation and influence on climate’, that we risk falling behind without a response like the US’s vast subsidies for green industries. Zac Goldsmith, resigned two weeks ago, citing government apathy and the Prime Minister’s apparent disinterest in climate change as the cause. Just a few days beforehand, it was reported that our government is drawing up plans to drop the UK’s flagship £11.6bn climate and nature funding pledge. And on Sunday, it was claimed that Sir Keir Starmer ‘hates the tree huggers’ As our politicians row back to appease extreme elements on the back benches, there are ever more solid and compelling evidences of the extreme dangers we are in. Last week the UN secretary general said that “climate change is out of control”, as an unofficial analysis of world temperatures showed the hottest week on record. As our planet heats up, as tipping points are passed and interact with each other, as species go extinct, as water resources become scarcer, as increasingly large parts of the planet become simply uninhabitable for human beings… mass movements of people will begin. There could be as many as 1.2 billion climate refugees by the end of this century. We should be very, very concerned about instability that will be created by intense heat, water shortages and crop failures. We all want to know that our grandchildren will grow up in a stable and habitable world, but this climate crisis reaches well beyond self interest. This is, self-evidently, an issue which has injustice and inequality at its core, intersecting with every other part of our mission as Christian disciples, affecting first and catastrophically the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. This is a bleak picture, my friends. And I paint it not to be alarmist, but to concentrate our minds. The Bible has much to say on God’s love for this world; on the responsibility God gives to human beings to care for nature; and on nature’s provision for human beings. And right now God’s people have a heck of a lot of work to do." A full transcript of the speech is available at oxford.anglican.org/news

We have already more than 800 parish churches in the Diocese of Oxford. Why on earth would we want to grow still more congregations? This is an extract from one of the Mission and Evangelism sessions on our learning hub - learn.oxford.anglican.org "Here’s why I think growing congregations needs to be a key part of the life of the Church of England if we can in every place. – the Church has always grown by establishing new congregations in different places – there are scores of new housing estates being built right as our population expands – there is a wide gap between the culture of the church and the culture of society – Anglican parish churches have always been a collection of different congregations – Establishing new congregations has been enormously fruitful. Did you know that Anglican fresh expressions of church accounted for around 15% of Anglican congregations before the pandemic? Where there is a faithful witness to the good news, a sowing of the seeds of the gospel, then there will be in time new Christians who are to be encouraged and built up in the faith. Sometimes this will happen through people joining existing congregations – but sometimes it’s right to develop the missional community into a fresh expression of church in its own right and to seek to draw that church to maturity and sustainability. We are evolving again into a seven day a week church with many different communities to connect with the whole of our culture." – Bishop Steven Find out more and access the resources to help you at oxford.anglican.org/growing-your-church

The story of the Bible is fundamentally about how God created us, how things have gone wrong, and how God faithfully throughout human history has called people back into relationship with him. This going deeper course is designed to help you get a firmer handle on that big story through the use of videos, questions, and quizzes. This course can be completed on your own, or as part of a small group. Over six modules, you'll open your Bible, gain a deeper understanding of what God was doing throughout the pages of Scripture and how God is calling you to join in that same story. In this film Dr Andy Angel introduces our new 'Going Deeper' course on learn.oxford.anglican.org. Courses at this level take around 15 hours to complete and can be started at any time during the year. You’ll learn online at your own pace, or as part of a local group exploring six sessions together. learn.oxford.anglican.org is free to use and available to people living or worshipping in the Diocese of Oxford (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Milton Keynes). To find out how to register, check your copy of eNews or speak to your vicar.

"Jesus looks at this great area of the Thames Valley and at the 2.4 million who live within it and at the other half a million who will move in or be born here over the next decade. He sees a population which is harassed and helpless, cut off from the stories which give peace and meaning and purpose to their lives. "The Christian vision remains for there to be at the heart of every community, in every city, town and village a community of people who are his body: who offer love and care and practical support; who are there to be salt and light; who offer welcome and support without judgement; and who are channels of the good news of God’s love. "The needs are significant. Jesus would have us share in this compassion and love for the crowds around us and says to us as he says to Peter: Put out into the deep water and let down the nets for a catch." Watch Bishop Steven's address at the first of four area days that took place during autumn/winter 2019. Includes new Bible teaching and mention of the new Parish Planning Tool. (30 minutes)