Latest news from the Church of England

Church, charity and business leaders lobby Energy Secretary on community energy
The Church of England today joined a coalition of civil society leaders from UK organisations with more than 12 million members to call for community energy to play a substantial role in meeting the country's climate change targets.
Education is not a personal commodity, say churches
Student protests and the debate around Higher Education funding have prompted this year’s Education Sunday theme – learning and serving – which issues a strong challenge about responsibility to others
Diamond Jubilee Prayer and liturgical resources released
A prayer written at The Queen’s Direction by the Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee has been released. It will be used in the Jubilee Thanksgiving Service in St Paul’s Cathedral on Tuesday, June 5th. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have commended it for use throughout the Church of England and other Churches are also welcome to use it. Published alongside other new prayers for adults and children, and liturgical resources for use in the Church of England during Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee year, the new prayer is available online.
Church welcomes outlawing of cash for scrap
Paying cash for scrap metal will be outlawed, Home Secretary Theresa May has announced in a written statement to MPs.
Church pools its buying power to save parishes £10 million a year
13,000 Church of England parishes can now benefit from reduced prices for essential utilities and services. A new website, developed by the Parish Buying Service, is offering churches savings on £200 million worth of services each year.
Wolfson Foundation grants make 39 parish churches very happy in 2012
Thirty-nine parishes discovered last month that 2012 would be a good year for them when they were offered grants by the Church Buildings Council and The Wolfson Foundation to support essential repair works to their church buildings.
Provisional attendance figures for 2010 released – marriages up four per cent, national ‘mapping’ identifies at least 1,000 fresh expressions of church
The latest local church attendance figures from the Church of England for 2010 show that approaching 1.7 million people continue to attend Church of England services each month, and around 1.1 million attend one of the Church of England's 16,000 churches as part of a typical week. The figures additionally highlight for the first time the results of innovative Church initiatives, such as the ecumenical Fresh Expressions movement and the Archbishops' Council's Weddings Project.
£10,000 prize for commissioning new art for parish churches
Parishes throughout England can apply for a £10,000 prize for the best developed proposal for commissioning a new work of art for their church.
Lent course uses reality TV as modern day parables
Christ's unconditional love is illustrated through a mix of popular television programmes, films and Christian songs, activities, times of sharing, and prayer and scripture, in a new five-session course for Lent 2012. Called Experiencing God's Love, it is compiled by the Bishop of Sheffield, the Rt Revd Steven Croft, and published by Church House Publishing.
Agenda for February 2012 General Synod
Women bishops central to General Synod agenda that includes debates on assisted dying, health care, House of Lords reform, and Eucharistic prayers for use when children are present