Posted on 12/24/2017 5:55:22 PM PST by marshmallow
St Thomas Werneth in Oldham has been given the green light to remove the pews so it is able to hold more events within the wider community.
In a ruling last month, Geoffrey Tattersall QC said the church would be allowed to remove the pews as the proposals would have major public benefit outweighing any harm resulting from the loss of the pews.
The area, which is close to Manchester, has an 88 per cent non White-British population.
Its website encouraged people of all nationalities to attend the services.
They said: We usually have at least six nationalities represented in the congregation on a given Sunday.
Whatever your background you can be assured of a warm welcome to our services and our Parish life.
The Chancellor of the Diocese of Manchester said: Its continuing presence is important in enabling social cohesion and contact between local Muslims and Christians.
The purpose of the re-ordering of the Church is to open up the Church for community use, as part of its service and mission to the mainly Muslim community in the parish and to enable the wider community to share its heritage.
"The Church wishes to be a place of welcome, growth and engagement for the local communities."
(Excerpt) Read more at express.co.uk ...
It’s not the pews that matter.
Allah is an idol and Jesus has nothing to do with him.
A lengthy read. Apply to what you see around you.
https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2016/01/18/bracken-the-alienork-way/
Regards,
HLB
What night will be terrorist night?
What court has say over what a church does?
Is this because of historic status of the church?
What was the makeup of the court? Islamic, Christian, Atheist?
IIRC if Muslims pray in your bldg they consider it Islamic territory.
Confucius say, he who farts in church sits in own pew.
They can consider it what they wish. It’s what God thinks that counts.
Leadership at that place needs a slap upside the head.
Maybe two.
LOL
So they’re allowing the worship of the Anti-Christ in a Church.
Confucius say best defense against rape, is to beat off attacker.
It’s a Church of England Ecclesiastical Court. As the Church of England is the Established Church (a state Church), it has connections to a variety of government functions in England, and has its own official court system recognised by Parliament and convened under the authority of the Crown.
The article is somewhat sensationalist and misleading. The intention is to replace the traditional wooden pews which are cumbersome and uncomfortable with more comfortable modern seating. This is not specifically being done to appeal to Muslims, but to make the Church more comfortable for everybody using it. Modern heating and toilet facilities that are wheelchair accessible are also being installed.
It is true that the Church offers outreach to the local community which is largely Muslim, but the major part of that is actually missionary work to try and encourage people to join the Church - it’s a Bible Study group delivered in Arabic and Farsi.
While the building is historically significant and dates from 1855, the current pews were only installed in the 1970s.
I left the Church of England because I thought it had lost its way - but this particular parish actually seems to be trying to do the right thing - encouraging Christian locals to come back to services by making the Church more comfortable, and providing non-Christian locals the opportunity to study the Bible.
Thanks for your detailed answer
A mistake.
You may not have noticed the pun you made. Are you sure you want to go down that road. Its author is showing better than you might like.
**The Chancellor of the Diocese of Manchester **
Catholic or Anglican Church?
Sometimes not everything red is wearing tights and horns and a pointy tail.
Church of England, Diocese of Manchester: massive heresy.
They don’t even care.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.