Thank goodness 2009 is over and done!

I can't say that the last twelve months have been the most enjoyable. For us as a family the year has been dominated by the death of my older brother Barry. Although he died in May a shadow still hangs over us. Barry was the first death in my nuclear family (both my parents are still alive) and the shock still reverberates. Barry's death has led me to ask questions about my own life, the conclusions can sometimes feel mixed.

I can't understand why someone as good as Barry died in such a horrible way whilst others flourish. This is a question I am often asked by others. I used to try and answer them. Since Barry's death I have just nodded in agreement.

I had thought of writing a review of 2009, but I think I will leave it at that. 2009 is not a year I will remember with much affection, unlike every other year since about 1951!

3000 people with 7 toilets and sexual abuse in a Methodist Church

We don't seem to hear much in the UK about the escalating refugee crisis in South Africa that is focussed on an overcrowded Methodist Church. I picked up this report this morning from the US National Public Radio. It is well worth investing six minutes of your time. I'm wondering if there is anything that we, in the wider Methodist family, can do to help. This is a case of a church taking risks and being heavily penalised and attacked.

Follow these links:

• 30 children missing
• Groups back church 
• Children flee officials
• Civil society organisations condemn situation at church
• Methodist church faces court action
• Young boys sell their bodies for sex at a Methodist Church
  

Happy Christmas!

Well my mother-in-law has arrived for Christmas, so my office becomes a bedroom for several days. This will therefore be my last post before the festvities. So may I take this opportunity of saying that I hope all my regular readers and those that are not so regular, have a happy Christmas.

Meanwhile Thursday will see the release of the Christmas message from David Gamble, President of the Methodist Conference. A preview is availble here. It makes a lot of sense. Well done David after a difficult start.

It has been said by many in recent years that British Methodism needs an "alternative narrative" to the current one of decline and certain extinction. I think I've stumbled across that narrative and hope to publish more in the New Year. But next week I'll be back talk about that new year

On another planet

I recently had a conversation with a Senior Churchman. I shan't identify

the denomination, the person or the circumstances. Sadly I have a feeling that the conversation could have been typrical of that with any number of ecclesiastical position hunters.

"How are things David?"

"Been a bit tough," was my reply, "last year business fell by 50%, this year it has already fallen by a further third."

"But you have enough to eat? asked Senior Churchman

"Yes"

"and you still have a roof over you."

"Yes"

"Well in that case....."

"Hang on a minute, I worked hard to build up my business....."

I realised that Senior Churchman really wanted me to blandly say that everything was fine or that I had problems with arthritus. He couldn't cope in a mature manner with one of the many business people in the modern economy who are finding things tough. I suspect that Senior Churchman rarely meets anyone involved in the world of work. He was about to give me an offensive sermonette.

When I think of Senior Churchman's strategic and daily managerial responsibilties I realise why that particular denomination makes so many poor decisions. I also realise why many people don't come near the doors of a church. Had I been a character in The Beano a bubble would have appeared above my head. I would be thinking "What a *#!##*!"

Do we need church planting?

A bit of a whinge. I keep coming across examples of people "church planting". Yesterday I had a Christmas note from a friend whose son and daughter-in-law were off to a northern cathedral city, to "plant" a church as if the city hasn't got enough already, in fact it has so many some have been converted into wine bars.

Here in the West Midlands established churches are frequently approached by prospective church "planters" often from overseas denominations or from the south, wanting to hire premises. Presumably once the church is "planted" they will be looking for premises of their own.

For the host church such an arrangement can be an attractive money spinner, provided they price the arrangement carefully. But  this will be at the expense of creating an alternative, possibly competitive congregation, not on the doorstep, but actually inside the door.

Personally I see no problem where there are clear linguistic issues. I can understand that migrant communities would want to worship in their own vernacular. There have been examples of this in the West Midlands where such churches have worked hard at their relationship with the host church.

If the "planted" church have issues about style of worship possibly the host church may feel it is a different way of proclaiming God's word that should be encouraged.

But when the church "plant" speaks the same language, has a similar basis of faith to the prospective host church, what on earth are doing shipping people round the country to "plant" churches?

Conversely, prospective host churches need to ask ourselves where we are failing? It is quite clear that many young people just don't see established denominations as being the place they should be. However they are attracted to the new micro-denominations. What do they do right that we apparently do wrong?

Should homosexuals face execution? - a question from the BBC

This blog has raised before the issue of the punishment of homosexuals in the name of religious belief. Last time we were talking about Iran.

Now, in terms of Britain's colonial history we are nearer to home in Uganda, although Britain has dabbled in Iran in the past.

Yesterday the BBC ran a provocative "Have Your Say"  forum that provoked quite a few comments. They asked the simple question "Should homosexuals be executed?", changed after protests to "Should Uganda debate gay execution?"  (You are too late to add your own comment, the BBC closed the forum just as I was writing this).

What surprised me was the number of comments  posted that actually supported the the bill, some even from the UK! Perhaps the question was a bit crass but the comments certainly highlighted that even in a changing world there are still those who see some of the more extreme manifestations of Islam as an acceptable benchmark.

Many of the comments included the line that Europeans should not make judgments about African "culture and tradition". My response to that is to ask whether the antisemitism of much of Europe during the first part of the 20th century was acceptable? I recall hearing similar comments from white South Africans during the Apartheid era: "You do do understand our culture". No thanks I didn't buy that and I don't buy the idea that I am barred from commenting on executing homosexuals because I'm not African nor Muslim.

Whatever our views on homosexuality we have to be careful of taking them into other people's lives and bedrooms. Obviously the criminal law has a role in protecting vulnerable people from exploitation and this goes beyond homosexuality, but it is a blunt instrument with which to "protect" traditional family values as some Ugandans claim.

The Guardian has more.

and a happy Christmas from the Eden Project!

A few weeks back another Methodist blogger queried an anti "political correctness" youtube video which claimed that staff at the Eden Project in Cornwall had been banned from wishing visitors a happy Christmas because they would mention the name of Christ. Well I sent the Eden Project a short enquiry and have had the following assurance:

Our staff may wish happy Christmas to whoever they wish. We have employees from many varied religions, cultures and backgrounds here, all of whom we embrace and respect. Most of us celebrate Christmas, some ofus don't. We have a staff Christmas party and many of out teams hold their own individual Christmas celebrations.

The Eden culture is inclusive, as an organisation we like to think of ourselves as non religious. By that I mean not belonging to any one denomination, but spiritual.
Thank you for your interest.
Yours sincerely,
Brenda Brett
Customer Liaison Co-ordinator

Why do these self appointed busy bodies - the anti "Political Correct" brigade make these stories up and tell lies on Youutube videos?

An Island Parish: why the deception?

Well we learn something everyday. Until this evening's edition of BBC's An Island Parish  I never fully understood that Methodist Ministers on the move were handed a complete file of vacancies together with a pen portrait allegedly written by each church. We went through this a few years back but our pen portrait was subverted by the powers that be. We weren't allowed to tell prospective Ministers about the church as it was and the result, predictably, was a disaster.

According to the programme the Reverend David Easton was apparently - this last summer - looking for a new post. We know this isn't true as his appointment to Aberystwyth had been announced in the Autumn of 2008 after the furore following the last series highlighting the vote against extending his stay on Scilly. I can't say that I am happy that we, the Methodist Church, have connived with those elements of tonight's programme that were apparently fabricated for the cameras. Why the deception? We don't need it.

One other aspect of this is that the programme shied away from the spiritual side of the process. If David had been seeking God's guidance for his future this was not stated this evening. The whole thing was presented as just another secular appointment process, which I fear that, too often, it is.

Steve Wild, the Chair of the Methodist District in Cornwall arrived with 150 Methodists from the mainland to express solidarity with the Methodists on Scilly. I'm not certain if the solidarity was for the failure to extend David's stationing or whether it was to mourn the public relations disaster of the last series. However I think it showed Methodism in a positive light, even if the singing of God be With You Till was even more off key than when I sing it.

I have a nagging feeling - and I write as someone who has spent an entire working career in public relations - that there hasn't really been an attempt by anyone with professional PR experience within the Methodist Church to engage with the programme makers. I may be wrong but I suspect the Cornwall District was just left to get on with it. Let us hope disaster is averted when the series returns in January. Meanwhile I would prefer there to be  no further "reconstructions" for the cameras, but don't put a fiver on it.

If you wish to know more about this story click the label below marked "An Island Parish"

Child abuse safeguards - don't celebrate too soon

This mornings British Sunday newspapers are awash with stories that the proposed controversial "vetting and barring" scheme designed to protect children from abusive adults will be considerably watered down.

One of the more balance reports appears in the Observer, others in the right wing press are more celebratory seeing this as a blow to the "politically correct nanny state".

The Observer reports:

Laws forcing the 11 million people who help out in schools and nurseries to undergo criminal record checks to prove they are not paedophiles are to be dropped following a massive outcry.

In a major government U-turn, Ed Balls, the schools secretary, has bowed to public opinion and will announce tomorrow that the controversial vetting and barring scheme, due to be introduced next July, will be dramatically watered down.

His decision follows a storm of protest over the summer, when it emerged that parents who take children to sports events or drive them around on behalf of scout groups would be among those subject to checks.

The "watered down" proposals come after a review by the former Dr Banardos Chief Executive, Sir Roger Singleton, who has always struck me as being a very safe pair of hands. I believe his recommendations would be based on common sense.

However I'm not joining the right wing celebrations. Having worked in the statutory social services and the Methodist run National Children's Home (now Action for Children), I've come across several people who have turned out to be child abusers. On first sight they are very impressive, very committed workers, however after a period of time the truth would come out and it appears that their interest in children's work sprung from their interest in children.

Over the years I've also heard reliable stories of people described as a "family man" taking advantage of providing lifts, offering to babysit, as a way of worming themselves into a position of trust from which they can groom their potential victims. These people are very clever. They know how to stay under the radar of the various surveillance systems. Those that are subsequently prosecuted represent only a small proportion of abusive acts and abused victims.

Having spoken to several people who have been abused, I know that the abuse lasts for ever. Stopping that happening is a small price to pay for the intrusive apparatus of an effective betting and barring scheme.

This morning's Independent on Sunday carries a worrying report that some women are going into social media channels such as facebook to share information and mutually encourage abusive relationship with children. I can't understand why the police just can't move in on facebook and jail the lot of them. Surely encouraging child abuse is a crime?

Let us hope and pray that the new scheme keeps the interests of children at its heart.

No, I don't want to see pictures of a naked Tiger Woods

No, I don't want to see pictures of a naked Tiger Woods. But I don't understand why a British court has been asked to rule that these pictures can't be published in Britain (I'm not certain this includes Scotland) or that an injunction has been issued which even says the British media can't report the substance, ie the existence of these photos.

Well this blog hasn't been issued with the injunction. We won't publish the photos if they come into our hands, mainly because that isn't our sort of material. We probably won't even mention this story again because we constantly complain about intrusion into the private lives of individuals. BUT it is time Britain stopped foriegn millionaires abusing our legal system to suppress stories when they know full well their own courts wouldn't give them houseroom.

Just for once, the Archbishop gets it right

This blog is no great fan of Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury but today's report in the Telegraph shows that he is for once absolutely spot on when he says many Labour government ministers see faith as eccentric and foreign.

Now let's be clear where I am coming from. I'm a lifelong Labour Party member and have served as an elected representative on the local council and the European Parliament. Williams's experience correspondents very much with my own. I'd go a little further and say that were it not for the need to court the support of ethnic minorities and therefore respect their beliefs, much of the Labour Party would be militantly anti-clerical.

Williams says:

Dr Rowan Williams said ministers were wrong to think that Christian beliefs were no longer relevant in modern Britain and he criticised Labour for looking at religious faith as a “problem” rather than valuing the contribution it made to society.

The Archbishop also suggested that the “political class” was too remote from the concerns of most people, who still had God in their “bloodstream”. In his only interview in the run-up to Christmas, he called on ministers to be more willing to talk about their own beliefs.

Dr Williams told The Daily Telegraph: “The trouble with a lot of Government initiatives about faith is that they assume it is a problem, it’s an eccentricity, it’s practised by oddities, foreigners and minorities.

“The effect is to de-normalise faith, to intensify the perception that faith is not part of our bloodstream. And, you know, in great swaths of the country that’s how it is.”

I can't get no satisfaction....

After a heavy blogging week - art, climate change, viral marketing, personal advice - I wanted something to lighten the mood on a Saturday morning downtime.

So I am posting "I can't get no satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones, to which I and Fat Prophet have danced on many occasion, though not too recently.

This is dedicated to The Yellowhammers, a new rock group, that staged their inaugral perfomance on Tuesday night at the CBSO auditorium and made "Satisfaction" the centre piece of their performance. Well done lads - they even have a page on facebook!

Methodists in Britain on Linkedin

I have taken it upon myself to get a viral ball rolling. Today I logged into my Linkedin account and set up a new group called "Methodists in Britain".

I'm finding that more and more of my business contacts are setting up profiles on Linkedin and this business network site is growing at very fast.

At the same time I'm not aware of any group within British Methodism that seeks to help business and professional people network. So this is a start. If you are on Linkedin log on now and join this new venture. Perhaps you could even start the first discussion!

Our summary profile will boast:

Methodists in Britain is dedicated to linking Methodists at work in business and the professions with a view to mutual support and providing resources to the wider Methodist community.

Advice wanted

One of the interesting things about keeping a relatively high profile blog is that all sorts of people write to you about all sorts of things.

However yesterday I was a bit surprised to get an email from the US asking for some very personal advice. It did cross my mind that it may be a "send up" along the lines of the Henry Root letters but after sleeping on it, I decided to accept it at face value.

The letter raises an interesting question about marital relationships about which I feel am totally untrained to offer advice. The training of Methodist local preachers in Britain does not include handling pastoral issues and I have no counselling experience. From time to time though we are confronted with difficult problems when people seek us out after a service.

The question is fairly basic:

Hello, my wife and I are both Methodists. I want to ask a Methodist preacher a question pertaining to our sex life. We want to get an outside opinion of how God would view sexual acts between only us. Certainly not to go into detail but after you are married so long you tend to experiment with different things to keep the level of excitement up. We just want to get a opinion on this topic.

My tentative answer is this:

God celebrates sexual relations between married couples, it is part of the sacrament that they confer upon one another. Provided you are honouring one another, you are honouring God. The important word is the "we": there should be no element of coercion - psychologically, spiritually and certainly not physical. Both husband and wife should feel comfortable. We should pray about our sexuality, just as we should about any other activity.

There are a number of helpful books available for Christians. I would start with "Intimate Issues" by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus. It is subtitled "21 questions Christian women ask about sex" but it is helpful to both men and women.

Dillow and Pintus have a dedicated website: http://www.intimateissues.com/. "Intimate Issues" is a bit blunt in places, but that may be exactly what you are both looking for.

They also have a more general book called "Intimacy Ignited" which looks at the sensual messages of the Song of Solomon, I haven't read the book but I certainly can recommend the Song of Solomon as a picture of Biblical sensuality and encouragement.

Other readers, especially Methodist Ministers and local preachers are welcome to add their comments and suggest other resources that they have found useful in their work.

Why do we lie?

WEAR ABC 3 :: Top Stories

Well here's a nice seasonal story sent to me by IanG a regular reader.

CRESTVIEW - There's some controversy in Crestview tonight about Santa Claus.Children are asking questions about a church sign that's sending a bold message about the meaning of the holiday.Channel Three's Liz Nagy explains."Santa isn't really coming for Christmas. Jesus is"Those are the words hanging on the marquee at Auburn Pentecostal Church on Highway 85.Samantha Davis, "I was offended by it because I have five children. I my daughter read that I'd be really angry."Davis spotted the sign on her way to work.But she first heard about the holiday message from a young neighbor, shaken up by what the sign says.Samantha Davis, "She was crying. She though "Santa's not coming and the church doesn't lie." Stephanie Henderson.

Despite my appearance last week as Santa at the church Christmas Fayre I must admit to having some sympathy with this church's position. Why do we tell children lies about Father Christmas? And if we lie about Santa, why should they have any reason to accept anything else we say about faith and belief?

With my own children I have been quite definate that Father Christmas does not exist. Unfortunately they were too smart for me. Each year we would put out a mince pie and glass of sherry for Father Christmas, plus a carrot for Rudolf. I would assure them that the drink, mince pie and carrot would still be there the following day. The first thing on Christmas morning the children would rush up stairs to tell me that the sherry had been drank, the mince pie eaten and the carrot nibbled!

However one of my children did understand that I was telling the truth. Father Christmas did not exist. He told several of his school friends (IanG will know exactly which one I'm talking about!) and my wife had to contend with a very angry neighbour, as it happens an atheist, complaining that it was unacceptable for us to tell our children the truth and then to pass the truth on to her children!

During my time in Brussels I always enjoyed and learnt to appreciate the continental version of Father Christmas, St Nicolas, who arrived about this time of year. It seperated the Father Christmas myth from the nativity, to some extent retaining the integrity of the Christian message at Christmas.

Having said that why do we make such a fuss about Christmas when all the evidence is that the nativity actually happened in early Autumn?

At the risk of bringing the wrath of goodness know who down upon me I think the Church would be better using the winter festival as an opportunity to celebrate the family and inviting people to meet and share with those they love.

$30 for a blog post

I have been offered $30USD to post anything I like on a subject of an advertising agency's choosing. Has anyone else had a similar offer? Or is it a spohisticated attempt to get my bank account details? Be interested to know if I am alone on this one.

For the record I receive no payment for any of this blogging and always declare any financial interests in particualar.

It's all about cash, not carbon

This morning a triumphant and well meaning President of Methodist Conference David Gamble hails the findings of new poll evidence that over half of people in Britain have taken steps to reduce the amount of energy they use at home in the last year.

David celebrates with the slightly ambiguous claim that "These results show that people are already doing things that cut their carbon footprint, whether they know it or not. Helping to save the planet can often also be a way to save money. People might feel powerless in the face of climate change, but there are things we can all do.”

Actually the reason I and thousand of others, are taking a keen interest in our energy consumption is that over the last three years our gas and electricy bills have risen by nearly a third. In 2006 we paid £900, this year it will edge towards £1200 without any evidence that we are actually using any more electricty or gas than previously.

I have absolutely no idea what that means in terms of the family carbon footprint, but I resent rewarding Russian energy oligrarchs and the privatised utilities with even more of my hard earned cash..

Sometimes I think Methodism's new found obsession with climate change gets in the way of common sense.

A playwright on this blog

A few weeks ago I posted about a play performed as part of a Glasgow homosexual arts festival called "Jesus, Queen of Heaven" by transsexual writer Jo Clifford (right).

I felt that my post was fairly even handed but I pointed out that the writer clearly understood the theological implications and possible offence of referring to Jesus as "Queen of heaven".

Some weeks have passed and I thought that, like most posts, it would simply be forgotten.

So I was astonished when I returned home today to find that not only had there been a another comment on the post but it came from the playwright herself.

Part of Jo's comment says "I've been meaning to respond to your post about my play for a long time, and really just to thank you for it too. The crucial thing to tell you is that i did not intend to cause offense either with the title or the publicity image either." She says more, and readers are welcome to see the comment in full and make their own judgments and comments, which are, on all posts over a fortnight old, subject to my moderation.

Jo runs her own blog - a diary - which details aspects of her life and some of the background to the play. I've had a sample look at some of the things she has written over the years and much of it is pretty mundane, covering some of the same topics dealt with on here and other political/faith blogs.

An interesting read, especially where she struggles with issues of gender identity, something that I spent an entire term studying as part of my sociology degree in the 1960s. Much as we think society has changed Jo faced many of the same challenges that were reported in the academic work that I saw during the middle of the last century, though I don't think any academic would dare now refer to "spoilt sexual identity".

After reading some of her posts I think I accept that whilst Jo's title and subject matter would cause offence, I accept her claim that she did not intend to cause offence.

This leaves me pondering whether I would actually go and see this play. I suspect not, but I'd be interested to read the script. I know this is all a bit off my beaten track for this blog but I'm delighted that Jo Clifford thought it worthwhile to post a comment.

Philateley at Christmas

One of my Ministerial friends has introduced me to the world of stamp collecting- and an entirely new angle on Methodist blogging!

He is a member of a site called http://www.myphitalely.com/ which is a sort of facebook for stamp collectors. During Advent and the twelve days of Christmas he plans to blog some examples from his collection of seasonal stamps together with the Christmas message. The blog can be found here. Locals will recognise the beard!

"Theo" explains how to use the site to the best advantage: "If people go to http://www.myphilately.com/ they can access the site's Gallery by clicking on the "Friends" tab and then clicking "Gallery".This accesses everybodys uploaded images, the latest first. I am uploading images of one Christmas issue a day until Jan 6th. Furthermore, if instead of clicking "Gallery" they click "stamp albums" they will get a gallery of available albums. If my one, "Christmas", "owner theo", is clicked they get just my christmas images and no others.

Theo is clearly getting a lot out of this interest, he adds "http://www.myphilately.com/ is of course worldwide and I have friends in my network from all over."

I'll put a link on the sidebar as a blog I watch. Please pass the word on.

Yo ho ho: four hours of Father Christmas

This is how I spent four hours of my life today when I stood in for one of the world's most famous celebrities.

His fans came out in their hundreds, well twenties, and I quickly learnt a thing or two.

First of all, if you are in a multi-ethnic area and ask the children their names, don't repeat them back because you get it wrong!

Secondly when you ask them if they have been good all year don't be surprised when they reply with an answer that is evidently not true.

Thirdly when you ask them what they want for Christmas, again don't repeat it back. Just nod sagely and say "I will see what I can do".

Finally watch out for the worldly wise. One wanted to know if he could see my reindeer, another rather implied that I was an impostor!

A third child went round the back of the grotto and helped himself to an extra present.

All in all an exhausting day which raised a few pounds and gave us a little more contact with an ever changing local community.

No I don't believe in Father Christmas and certainly didn't teach my children there was a Santa. As I get older I find my beliefs compromised! Bah humbug!

Christmas Fayre @ City Road, Birmingham

Reminder: Our first Christmas Fayre today at City Road Methodist Church, Birmingham. We open at 4 and close at 8. Some of you may recognise Father Christmas! Pop in and give us a little encouragement!

Advent misery for problem gamblers

It may be the season to be jolly, but for Britain's growing number of problem gamblers Advent and the run-up to Christmas expenses will be yet another cause of misery.

Britain's problem gambling is now so serious that scarce National Health Service resources are being diverted into a new clinic complete with child-care facilities.

Sadly, for reasons that have been rehearsed on this blog many times, the Methodist Church is totally compromised. Our Public Affairs Department send out shed loads of media releases about issues we can do little to influence such as climate change, but are unable to comment on a problem that impinges on practically every British community that Methodist churches seek to serve.

Last night he London Evening Standard reported the real extent of the problem:

Mothers addicted to gambling are to be offered free childcare in an attempt to tackle the growing problem. The National Problem Gambling Clinic in Soho — the NHS's only such facility — is offering free childminding while the women are treated.

Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, who heads the clinic, said the demands of childcare and the stigma attached to addiction made it harder for women to seek treatment.

The Gambling Commission estimates there are 250,000 problem gamblers in Britain, but Gambler Anonymous thinks it is nearer 600,000. Evidence indicates the number of women with problems has doubled in recent years, and they now make up a quarter of addicts.

Experts blame that statistic on the explosion of online gaming. The internet has made gambling more accessible because casinos tend not to be female-friendly while women can now play in the comfort of their home.

Dr Bowden-Jones said some women were playing up to 10 hours a day online. The psychiatrist and addictions expert added: “Women are playing online when their partners are at work then shut down the web when their husbands come home. It's made easy for you as long as you have a credit card.

“There are sites which are targeting women. But the children are placed in front of the TV so the children are not getting the emotional nurturing. By offering childcare, women can get treatment and know their children will be looked after and don't have to tell anyone where they are going.”

The clinic, at the Soho Centre for Health in Frith Street, was set up after concerns from experts that there was no dedicated NHS centre for addicts. Since opening last September, the centre has treated 290 patients but only about a dozen have been women.

Dr Bowden-Jones appealed for women problem gamblers to come forward.

Those in their twenties and thirties who need to bury the pain of depression or trauma are most at risk of addiction. She said: “Women problem gamblers have different emotional issues from men. Often they're depressed and gambling is a way of numbing the pain. They gain a short-time high.”

How websites are betting on women

Casino and poker websites are attracting large numbers of women with “female friendly” gimmicks — including Barbie pink colour schemes, “hunk of the month” pin-ups and gambling horoscopes.

There are an estimated 2,000 gambling websites, and an increasing number are exploiting the fact women feel safer playing online. The age profile for female online gamblers is 25 to 34, according to a recent Gambling Commission survey.

Simon Collins, director of Cashcade, which runs getmintedbingo.com, says it has an 80 per cent female audience.

Praise indeed!

I must admit I thought my article on Church Finances which appeared in the Methodist Recorder a couple of weeks ago would disappear without trace. However I'm delighted to see that it struck a chord with at least one reader, Richard Gould, who writes this week:

"How refreshing to read such a succinct and realistic article on church finances.

My own church, facing a finacial crisis several years ago, implemented TRIO - The Responsibility is Ours - and very successfully transformed our income to enable us to pay our assessment from weekly offerings and Gift Aid.

The 80/20 rule applies to us as well and sadly offereings are now on decline again.

The sad thing is that a minority of Methodists will read this article and few will take the message to heart."

I did like Richard's concept of TRIO and may use it in future fundraising. I suspect that many life long Methodist just take the finances of the church for granted.

Let them go

So the bosses of RBS, bailed out by us the taxpayer, have threatened to resign if they can't give themselves big bonuses.

This surely should be a no brainer. Let them resign. Let's turn RBS into a mutual or coperative run for the benefit of the commununity rather than these self styled "masters of the universe".