Page 11 - Moravian Messenger Oct 2020

Child Poverty Petition and Trees
Update from the Mission and Society Committee
One of the resolutions from Synod 2018 called for the creation of a petition to the UK Government via the Parliamentary Petition Scheme to ask the Government to take action to end child poverty in the UK. Advice was taken from various sources including MPs, Parliamentary Secretaries and charity groups who had petitioned before. Following this consultation, a petition was drawn up in the correct format. The wording of the petition was agreed by the proposer and seconder of the resolution from Synod, the Provincial Mission and Society Committee, the Provincial Board and Catherine West MP. Catherine West is the MP for the Hornsey and Wood Green, the Parliamentary
Constituency that Church House is situated in. She will sponsor the petition if the required number of signatures are obtained. Just as the petition was ready to be launched the General Election of 2019 was called. Thankfully, our petition had not been launched because a General Election being called rules all current live petitions become invalid. Normally petitions re-open four weeks after an election result but the current government did not open petitions until seven months after their election.
The Mission and Society Committee has met on five occasions during the pandemic using Zoom and felt that with the pandemic ongoing and to the forefront of all minds, that it would be best to launch our petition at Synod in March 2021 when it could be given a real focus. This position was also agreed
by the Provincial Board. The proposer and seconder of the original proposal were notified and both agreed to this.
The Mission and Society Committee will also be submitting a proposal encouraging the planting of trees to combat climate change and increase natural habitats. More information about the background to this proposal can be seen on the Woodland Trust website. The Woodland Trust are urging individuals and communities to plant trees in respect of supporting the Woodland Trust in its aim of increasing the UK woodland cover from 13% to nearer 37%.
Synod 2021 will have a real Mission and Society flavour.
Br Mark Kernohan
On behalf of the Mission and Society Committee
Notices
Lay Worship Leaders’ Weekend
The PEC announces that the Lay Worship Leaders' Weekend, planned for 23-25th October 2020 has been postponed hopefully to a future date in 2021. This was due to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Available to a Good Home
The piano in the memorial chapel Church House, which is a nice walnut colour, needs a new home. It was played recently and is in tune. It is free to anyone who can arrange to have it taken away. It has not been used for the previous two years. Please contact Br Kernohan at Church House for more details.
Congregational Register
Marriages
15th August 2020 Tim Walker & Laura Betts
Deaths
23rd July 2020 Jayne Louise Clark 29th July 2020 Gladys Wedgeworth 7th August 2020 Emma-Louise Flynn
born sleeping (in Gods arms)
Baildon
Dukinfield Horton
Gracehill
From Church House
Provincial Diary for October
Meetings are continuing to be held online wherever possible:
3rd YDC
5th PEC Meeting: Synod 2021
8th Faith and Order and Ecumenical Relations Committee
10th IDC
10th EDC
10th LDC
17th MDC
17th WDC
27th Church Service Committee
Sukkot - Jewish
Homeless Sunday (www.housingjustice.org.uk)
11-17 Prisons Week (www.prisonsweek.org)
18 Anti-Slavery Day (www.antislaveryday.com)
18-25 One World Week (www.oneworldweek.org)
24 United Nations Day (www.un.org/en/events/unday)
24-30 Good Money Week, previously National Ethical Investment Week (http://goodmoneyweek.com)
25 Summer time ends
29 Prophet's Birthday - Muslim
3-9
11
31
Halloween
131
Dates to remember!