A group from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough has launched the Christian Census on Climate Change to allow Christians from all denominations across the country to voice their opinions and produce lasting data for discussion.

From a Christian viewpoint, do people think that climate change is of little importance and untouchable, or is it something that needs to be tackled from both a scientific and moral perspective? We would love to have your views. For churches who would like to take action in the wake of the UN climate talks in Durban, the census is an ideal way to get congregations talking.

The deadline for completing the census is the end of March 2012. Results of the census will be released at a special event in York Minster on Saturday 21st April.

The morning service will be led by Archbishop Sentamu, Roman Catholic Bishop Terence Drainey, The Revd Stephen Burgess (Chair of York and Hull Methodists), and leaders of other denominations. The afternoon will offer workshops on climate change and how congregations can become more environmentally sustainable.

To complete the census and for more information on the York Minster event, please visit our website at www.CConCC.wikispaces.com. Tickets for the York event are free and can be booked via our website.

For paper copies of the census or for more information, please contact Emma Casson, Administrator for the Christian Census on Climate Change on 07879372999 or CConClimateChange@gmail.com

This issue includes:

· New member to the Training Team

· Recognised Parish Assistants

· Supporting schools in the new Educational climate

· What’s on

The City Centre Pancake Races will be held in Parliament Street from 12 noon to 2pm, and provide an opportunity to talk people about what Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and Lent through to Easter is all about. We need people to take part in the races and to hand out information about events in our churches.

Traditionally the pancake race was a mad dash to use up leftover ingredients in the larder, cook them up into a pancake and run to Church in time for confession. The City of York Council in Partnership with York Churches are holding a slightly less traditional race, so if you think you can toss a pancake whilst racing against other teams then sign up to have a go.....

The fastest three teams will compete in a final that will be held at 2pm. The final will be followed by a short presentation ceremony.

To take part, download the entry form below or for more information contact the Revd Jane Natrass on 01904 623559

The Diocese of York celebrated 2011 as the Year of the Environment. We're trying to find out how people and churches engaged with this initiative - please could you spare a few minutes to answer these questions?

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 at www.diamondjubilee.churchofengland.org. There are lots of ideas for ways you can use the Jubilee to get involved with your community on the Diocesan website here.

The Diamond Jubilee Prayer reads:

God of time and eternity,
whose Son reigns as servant, not master;
we give you thanks and praise
that you have blessed this Nation, the Realms and Territories
with ELIZABETH,
our beloved and glorious Queen.
In this year of Jubilee,
grant her your gifts of love and joy and peace
as she continues in faithful obedience to you, her Lord and God
and in devoted service to her lands and peoples,
and those of the Commonwealth,
now and all the days of her life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The Revd Christopher Woods, Secretary of the Liturgical Commission and National Worship Adviser, said: “The fact that Her Majesty has been our Queen for 60 years and is still full of enthusiasm and joy is the occasion for a great deal of celebration and thanksgiving to God. To this end, the Church of England is delighted to compile prayers, both traditional and modern, to be used in church services in 2012: on Monday, February 6th, to celebrate The Queen’s accession to the throne; on Sunday, June 3rd, during the Jubilee weekend; and at other times during the year.”

The compilation, which all churches, groups and individuals may use, includes prayers which were said at Her Majesty’s Coronation service itself. There is even a short prayer which was written during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, but its words and sentiments are still very relevant.

The texts which are to be used on the day of Her Majesty’s Accession from The Book of Common Prayer are particularly suitable as 2012 is the 350th anniversary of the 1662 edition of the BCP.

The suggested Service of Thanksgiving is not the service that will be used in June at St Paul’s, but the Diamond Jubilee Prayer, composed by the Chapter of St Paul’s, will be used in the St Paul’s service.

Congregations are being asked to support the Real Easter Egg 2012 campaign after supermarkets failed to order sufficient quantities of the UK’s only faith Easter egg, despite overwhelming demand from their Christian customers last Easter.

The Real Easter Egg is the first and only Fairtrade Easter egg to explain the Easter story on the box and give money to charity. It was launched last year as a mail order gift after the supermarkets turned it down. Churches and schools joined a campaign to establish the egg by placing orders through mail order for many for hundreds of eggs at a time.

Morrison’s, Booths, Coop and Waitrose later changed their mind and decided to trial The Real Easter Egg just before Easter 2011. They all sold out within days with people walking past Cadbury’s two-for-one offers. Waitrose was inundated with online orders for hundreds of eggs as millions of Christians searched for the only remaining supplies.

With such demand and quick sell outs Manchester based Meaningful Chocolate Company, who manufacture The Real Easter Egg, expected a significant increase in the numbers ordered by supermarkets. However, one major retailer has decided to reduce their order and will only have 24 eggs in stores serving our biggest towns.

Unlike other faiths, which are catered for by the biggest chains, Christians will struggle to find anything connecting Jesus with the major Festival of Easter on the supermarket shelves. Out of the 80 million Easter eggs on sale this year 99.99% will be secular made from non Fairtrade chocolate and with no charitable donation.

A spokesperson, from the Meaningful Chocolate Company, said: “We though we had proven that people were not afraid to buy an Easter egg which mentions Jesus, gives money to charity and which helps in communicating the true meaning of Easter. It seems incredible that the only Easter egg gift on the market, which caters for the Christian community, is rejected or marginalised by our biggest retailers.

“Last year churches and schools campaigned with their wallets and ordered tens of thousands online and complained to supermarkets which were not stocking. This year we need to continue to campaign by placing orders online in order to establish The Real Easter Egg”

The Real Easter Egg is breaking new ground this year and has had a make-over with brighter colours. The Easter story on the outside of the box is a colourful visual and there are three crosses on the front. For the first time ever on an Easter Egg there is a bible quote under the lid and a free copy of the Easer story included inside every box. These new features make the egg even more attractive.

The recommended retail price is £3.99. The Real Easter Egg is made from 125g of high quality Fairtrade chocolate and 15 pence from every sale is donated to Traidcraft Exchange.

There are limited supplies so early ordering is advised. The official Real Easter Egg online shop is at www.realeasteregg.co.uk. To ensure supply, churches are advised to place a bulk order by the end of February. The site has sign-up form, posters and other resources. Online ordering will be open for as long as supplies last or until the middle of March but check the official online shop of Facebook for details.

Traidcraft will also have major stocks available through its online shop and its network of church re-sellers. A number of Independent retailers, including Cathedrals, are expected to stock. The Real Easter Egg online shop will include details of all retailers as they start selling.

The people of Guisborough can find out on Saturday 4 February (7.30pm) at St. Peter’s Church when Dr Warner will be interviewed and then pick his favourite tunes for the “Desert Island Disks” event.

The format borrows heavily from the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs which celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2012.

“Music is an intensely personal thing isn’t it? What one person likes another would find infuriating on a desert island, but I suppose I would be stranded alone so it wouldn’t really matter! Still, it will be fun to share it with others!” said Bishop Warner today.

Bryan Sandford, organiser of the event, said today: “We are all very excited and looking forward to the event and we know people are coming from all across the Archdeaconry with more welcome on the door.”

To find out more please visit and register at: www.parishbuying.org.uk

Alternatively you can contact procurement@churchofengland.org or call 0800 368 0887

Hazel dormice are not the sort of mouse you would usually find inside a church – but you might find them in churchyards or cemeteries. Dormice used to be widespread throughout much of Britain but their range has diminished significantly over the past century. Their distribution has been generally reduced to the southern parts of England and Wales due to changes in woodland management, farming practices, loss of hedgerows and the fragmentation of woodland. They are now a European Protected Species and a UK priority species and theTrust has been leading conservation efforts in this country for over 20 years. It coordinates a national monitoring programme for the species, and has reintroduced populations to some counties and run training courses in dormouse-friendly woodland and hedgerow management. There is a lot more information at www.ptes.org/dormice .

To conserve dormice effectively we have to know where they remain and we are constantly on the search for new sites. Would you be able to find out whether you have dormice in your churchyard? Dormice are shy creatures, nocturnal and often in tree canopy or hidden within hedgerows so they aren’t easy to spot. As it is illegal to deliberately disturb them or their resting places this is perhaps a good thing. But there is an easy way to tell if you have dormice that can engage anyone in the hunt for them making it an ideal activity for volunteers including families with children.

You are most likely to find dormice in broad leafed woodland and hedgerows and they favour hazel trees for their nuts but also eat fruits, beechmast, sweet chestnuts, honeysuckle and small insects depending on the season. So a churchyard with woodland or hedgerows in the vicinity is the most promising, although dormice do turn up in other habitats too so it’s always worth a check. The simplest and most systematic way of doing a basic survey for signs of dormice in churchyards is to conduct a nut hunt by searching the ground for nibbled nuts. Dormice nibble hazel nuts and these are easy to identify from other nuts. When they feed they leave unique tooth marks on hazel nuts that can be distinguished from the tooth marks of other animals. Our Great Nut Hunt survey pack shows how to distinguish the dormouse nuts and how to do the survey generally. See details here: http://www.ptes.org/moremammals/gnh/

Once done, the findings can be submitted online and potential dormouse nuts can be sent to PTES for verification. The trust can then let you know if you have dormice present. Where they are present the trust can advise on future management of the site and provide dormouse boxes for on-going monitoring where appropriate.

For further information contact Ian White, Dormouse Officer, ian.white@ptes.org or 020 7498 4533.