Churches with small congregations could be sold off and converted into free and affordable housing with services held on Zoom, a reforming reverend has suggested. Up to 12,000 places of worship across England are said to be little more than ‘museums gathering dust’ with less than 30 people attending. Most are prohibitively expensive to maintain … Read more
A prolific gang stripped the lead from dozens of rural churches across England causing utter devastation to village communities, a court was told today. Police swooped on the Romanian men, who were all living in the West Midlands, after the targeted churches were left with repair bills collectively totalling more than £2million. Among those counties … Read more
Shutdown of churches and ban on weddings during Covid crisis has cost CofE ‘£150MILLION’ and could trigger a cull of parishes Sources suggest Church of England lost £150m in donations during Covid crisis Money-saving reforms could include cutting number of bishops to less than ten Parish boundaries could be redrawn to reduce the number from … Read more
Churches risk being ‘engulfed by a crimewave’, campaigners warn, after more than 5,000 offences were recorded last year An average of 13 crimes a day were committed between July 2019 and July 2020 This was despite a four month lockdown and offences included arson and rape Items stolen included 300-year-old brass bell from England’s smallest … Read more
Some churches in the UK are earning an average of £200 a month by renting out their parking spaces to drivers, it has been revealed. A website that allows property owners to hire out their vacant parking facilities says that over 100 churches are now registered online – and making a tidy sum out of … Read more
Chinese officials have reportedly ordered some Christians to smash the crosses on their churches and remove images of Jesus from their homes. Authorities have recently destroyed religious symbols by force in churches in multiple provinces, including Anhui, Jiangsu, Hebei and Zhejiang, according to US-based news site Radio Free Asia. Furthermore, officials of Shanxi, another region, … Read more
Churches across England have thrown open their creaking doors for the first time in 104 days as they welcome the public back for Sunday services. Westminster Abbey, York Minster and Canterbury Cathedral were all lit up as congregations arrived this morning, alongside cathedrals and churches across a patchwork of parishes. But services took place under … Read more
Coronavirus testing could be carried out in parks, churches and even sports grounds under radical plan to increase number of patients being screened Health officials are piloting six ‘walk through’ test centres across England The centres will be in Leeds, Newcastle, Rochdale, Brent, Newham and Slough Many of the centres are located close by to … Read more
Places of worship across the UK reopened for private prayer on Monday with worshipers and clergymen wearing personal protective equipment. The government gave approval for church buildings to open up for supervised individual prayer for the first time since they closed their doors on March 24, while non-essential shops have also been allowed to reopen. At … Read more
PAUL THOMAS on… churches in lockdown By Paul Thomas For The Daily Mail Published: 02:11 BST, 4 June 2020 | Updated: 02:11 BST, 4 June 2020 Advertisement To order a print of this Paul Thomas cartoon or one by Pugh, visit Mailpictures.newsprints.co.uk or call 0191 6030 178. Share or comment on this article: