FREE n12 years iof britnging y good news to churches throughout the South West Number 158 December 2013 STAINED GLASS Editorial / Advertising Telephone 01636 525607 Email:[email protected] Editor John Clawson GLORY Local Correspondent Primrose Peacock To read this newspaper online visit our website www.bellcourtltd.co.uk Page 9 Hot cushions to keep Ancient church worshippers N ANCIENT reprieved Exeter church Uhas been re - warm Aprieved from closure and is now entering an exciting new phase with the open - ing of a mini commu - nity library. On Saturday St Mary’s Church, Polit - more, will be opening a mini-library in its building and will also be celebrating the re - prieve. When villagers re - alised their grade 1 listed church, in the centre of the village was about to be closed because two longstanding church - wardens were retir - ing, they sprang into action. Villager Jan Davey and parish clerk Jenny Edwards Poltimore Parish stepped forward to Church become new church - wardens, so the church could continue, whilst Carole Shaw formed the Friends of TWO churches in Devon are piloting hot cushions to keep wor - Poltimore Church and the library idea was shippers warm during services during the winter. born. The re-usable, portable ‘hot-bott’ cushion will be used from today “There is a list of rectors in the church and (Sunday 3 Nov) in churches in Broadclyst and South Tawton. the first one starts at 1259. How could we let Each church has been given 50 cushions to trial, with the aim of our church close with all that history?” said keeping worshippers warm and comfortable during services. Jan. “We are now keeping the at the heart of The pilot is part of the Diocese of Exeter’s ‘Shrinking the Foot - the community where it belongs. There is a print’ campaign to reduce carbon emissions. The Church of Eng - sense that is has come to life again and it land in Devon is exploring a variety of new and efficient heating has become a focal point again.” systems for church buildings. Three quarters of the more than The congregation of around 20 will continue 600 churches in Devon are listed buildings, and many are very to worship in the church. old and large and difficult to heat. Villagers have donated books to the mini The cushion contains a chemically-triggered re-heatable pad community library, Devon County Library which remains warm for up to 90 minutes and can be held or sat Service have lent four boxes of books which on in a church pew or seat. The pad is later boiled in water for it will regularly change and is offering a re - five minutes for future use and can be re-heated up to a thou - quest service. sand times. The pack is biodegradable at the end of its life. Bookcases were donated, pews were Continued on page 3 moved and the library sits in a recess behind the organ. Volunteers will open the library on Various items in this newspaper have been Saturday and Wednesday mornings and will extracted from the Diocese of Exeter website be offering cups of tea. 2 Unity No 158 DECEMBER 2013 A new resource pack for Devon churches will help parishes, home groups or individual worshippers Women religious take part in Fairtrade Fortnight 2014. ask pope for world More than day of prayer just Sunday TRAIDCRAFT HAVE A GREAT RECORD against trafficking in working for justice and promoting fair trade,’ says Bishop Nick. “This pack By Carol Glatz helps us explore the biblical roots of After Pope Francis entrusted two Vatican Vatican residence. Christian concern for the poor and help - academies to study the problem of human They had written to fully points to practical action that all of trafficking, a group of women religious asked the pope thanking him us can take. I am pleased to commend the pope to raise greater awareness in the for his work and focus this resource and to encourage us to church about the issue by establishing a on the marginalized, support Traidcraft in whatever ways we worldwide day of prayer and fasting. and alerted the pope can.” "The pope was very interested in our sugges - about the need for How will you celebrate Fairtrade Fort - tion and asked us what date we would like greater involvement night 24 Feb – 9 March 2014? the day to be," Consolata Sister Eugenia by the church, espe - Traidcraft is the Fairtrade pioneer that Bonetti told Catholic News Service. cially by religious con - supplies many churches and households "We told him Feb. 8 -- the feast day of St. gregations of men, with Fairtrade ingredients, textiles and cued victims. Josephine Bakhita," a Sudanese slave who parish priests and schools in curbing the de - gifts. Their development wing, Traidcraft Bishop Sanchez told journalists that the pope found freedom in Italy and became a nun in mand for prostitution by promoting a "culture Exchange, is the UK’s only development wants to see the working group's findings and charity specialising in making trade work the late 19th century. of respect." recommendations, and that "he will do some - for farmers in marginalised communities. She said the idea for a worldwide day of Sister Eugenia, who together with some 250 thing important" with the information. By helping farmers work together in co- prayer came from "the need to do something women religious through the Union of Major The pope told him recently that the acade - operatives, address climate change, and that joins us together" to tackle the global Superiors of Italy, has spent the past two mies' attention to the problem was very im - improve business skills, their work often problem; some dioceses and parishes are decades fighting the illegal sex trade and portant to him and that the work that came results in products that achieve the Fair - active on the issue while others are unaware helping victims. out of it would be "valuable," the bishop said. trade Mark and eventually find their way or indifferent, she said. She said that after the Mass she and the "The church as a whole isn't sufficiently on to our supermarket shelves. Sister Eugenia, a leader among religious three sisters presented the pope with a aware of the problem" or hasn't focused Exeter Diocese’s Fair and Local Steering women in Italy working against human traf - signed poster, photographs and letters from deeply enough on how serious a problem it Group encourages parishes to discover ficking -- particularly women and young girls women who have been rescued from traffick - is, he told Vatican Radio. more about Traidcraft Exchange’s back - forced into prostitution -- was one of about 80 ers, but are being held in a detention facility Worldwide, at least 21 million people are vic - ground work to Fairtrade during Fairtrade people attending a Nov. 2-3 working group on in Rome. tims of forced labour, including sexual ex - Fortnight 2014. trafficking at the Vatican. They also gave the pope a small white and ploitation, and traffickers bring in an So get organised now – contact a local She talked to CNS Nov. 3 about her informal blue rug that detainees had made by crochet - estimated $32 billion annually because of Traidcraft Fairtrader and book a stall, get meeting with Pope Francis in late September ing strips of paper bed sheets with a plastic their illicit activities, the U.S. State Depart - a team together and plan a Traidcraft Big when she and three other sisters from differ - fork, Sister Eugenia said. ment's 2012 Trafficking in Persons report Brew coffee morning, Bake Off competi - ent religious congregations were invited to at - The Vatican working group on trafficking was said. An estimated 100,000 to 300,000 mi - tion, or Fairtrade Pasta Supper. tend the pope's early morning Mass at his organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sci - nors are victims of sex trafficking at any given ences, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sci - time, according to the U.S. Justice Depart - ences and the Vatican-based International ment. Federation of Catholic Medical Associations. The November meeting was the first time the Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancel - Vatican academies had dedicated a session lor of the academies, said Pope Francis had to studying human trafficking, the bishop specifically asked him to have the academies said. They will have another meeting next study the problem of new forms of slavery, in - year in the run-up to a larger gathering in cluding the trafficking of people and human 2015, the bishop told journalists. organs. "The pope, ever since he was an archbishop, While he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, had already intuited this serious social prob - the future Pope Francis had been a strong lem," Bishop Sanchez told Vatican Radio. supporter of local activists and initiatives "We were dumbstruck for not having figured fighting human trafficking and supporting res - it out beforehand." WHHYY NNOOTT GGEETT FREE 1 n2 years of i bringing tgood to ch y news urches t hroughout S the outh West Tony Campo lo spoke to a packe Number 1 UNITY d Cathedral Editorial / Ad 56 October UNITY vertising Tel 2013 e Page 4 phone 01636 52560 Local Cor 7 Email:john@ To read responde bellcourtltd this newsp nt Primro .co.uk Edit aper onlin se Peacoc or John Cla e visit our k wson website w ww.bellcou rtltd.co.uk Salvation A rmy Summe Cam r DELIVERED ps help give Uchildren a h oliday DIRECT TO YOUR Major D enise Cooper The , day the Salvation Arm y will get.