The Church of England in Greater Manchester is encouraging its churches to welcome cycling by offering bike racks, cycling cafes and safety courses.

It’s part of supporting the new Beelines project, a plan by cyclist Chris Boardman and Transport for Greater Manchester to transform Greater Manchester into Britain’s first ‘cycling city’, aiming to persuade two-thirds of those who currenlty sue their car as their main mode of transport to walk or cycle.

Chris Boardman said: “Churches are a fantastic hub that can bring people together. By supporting cycling they can help people get around in a more ecologically friendly, healthy and pleasant way.”

It also coincides with the church’s aim for Manchester to become an Eco Diocese.

The diocese has produced an interactive map on its website to help churches find where they will sit on the Beeline ‘network’ of walking and cycling routes.

The Diocese of Manchester commissioned Church Times artist Dave Walker to create a cartoon encouraging churches to welcome people who cycle.

The Bishop of Manchester, Dr David Walker, said “Beelines is all about making it easier to get about the city, on foot and by bike. We’re really excited about it because it will improve people’s health and it will help to people to get about. Our churches are ideally placed in every community to offer a welcome for cycling. It fits well with our desire to…

Violence between Christian farming communities and Muslim Fulani herdsmen in the middle belt areas of Nigeria has increased in recent years, although the land-based rivalry is ongoing.

Many Christians fled the more Muslim Northern states because of lack of opportunities and discrimination and settled in areas such as Plateau state and Benue state. However, these areas now face violence and the increasing targetting of church communities.

Sulieman, a Christian from Nigeria, told Premier that Plateau state had experienced some of the worst violence: “This year alone we counted more than 56 villages that have been attacked” he said, “even last week, there has been at least three attacks…these attacks target these communities; burning houses, killing people and basically displacing people from their homes, from their farmlands and from their sources of income”

When asked why this was happening, he explained that it was a battle over land – as Christians move from the north to avoid discrimination they clash with those in the states they move to.

“The attacks from 2009-2014 have mostly been through Boko Haram in the north east, where several Christians were uprooted from their communities and many of those people ran from those communities to places like Jos and Plateau state to find a place of refuge, but now we struggle with communities being attacked by Muslim…

Benedict Rogers from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said any forthcoming trip could only be endorsed if the pontiff took regime leader Kim Jong Un to task over human rights concerns.

He said: “On the surface, it’s of course a welcome invitation but I think it should be treated with a huge amount of caution.”

“If the pope does accept the invitation, he should only do so if he goes and speaks about the horrific human rights situation – particularly religious freedom – in the country.”

A letter of invitation has been passed on from leaders in Pyongyang to the President of neighbouring South Korea, officials in Seoul announced on Tuesday. Moon Jan-in is due to meet Pope Francis during a visit to Europe next week.

It comes four months after a much-anticipated visit between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore.

North Korea has consistently been named in Open Doors’ annual World Watch List as the country where persecution against Christians is worst.

Spokeswoman, Tamsin Taylor told Premier: “We know that there are 70,000 Christians imprisoned in North Korean camps.

“It would be really interesting to hear what the pope’s views are on a forthcoming visit.”

Following a similar invitation for the then-Pope John Paul II to visit North Korea, the Vatican said a papal trip would only be possible if Catholic priests were accepted there.

Click here to…

The model measures 23 feet across and is 500,000 times smaller than the moon itself. It is made up of thousands of Nasa satellite images of the moon’s surface.

It features alongside Tim Peake’s Soyuz TMA-19M space capsule.

The cathedral, which is celebrating its 900th anniversary this year, won a competion to become the sixth location to host the Soyuz space capsule as it makes a tour of eight cities across the UK.

It has been presenting a programme of space-themed activities during the exhibition, including a StarDome presented by Leicester’s National Space Centre and now, the Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram.

The Very Rev Chris Dalliston, Dean of Peterborough, said: “We are delighted that Museum of the Moon will join Tim Peake’s Spacecraft in the Cathedral during our 900th anniversary year.

“Just as the Cathedral has been lifting our eyes heavenward for centuries, so these contemporary works of art and science help us to do the same, prompting questions about our place in the universe, and the mystery and love of God that lie at the heart of it.”

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

History was made when a record number of the Christian group’s leaders from around the globe voted for Sheran Harper from Guyana to represent and lead the 142 year old movement’s four million members in 84 countries.

“I am delighted to accept the role of Worldwide President for the new triennium,” Harper said in a statement.

“I feel very excited and privileged and I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our members who voted to make this dream a reality.”

While Harper was born in the UK, she grew up in the Caribbean and later worked with the Ministry of Health in Guyana where she opened and managed new physiotherapy departments in hospitals throughout the country.

She joined Mother’s Union 17-years-ago and has since been responsible for the roll-out of their parenting programmes in 23 countries.

Further changes have been brought into place including the election of eleven trustees from within eleven zones worldwide – five from the provinces within Britain and Ireland and six from outside.

The current worldwide president, Lynne Tembey, oversaw the constitutional changes with the current board’s help.

She said: “I thank God for his abundant blessings and his unfailing loving guidance.

“I pray that the Lord will continue to guide members and leaders everywhere and especially Sheran and the new worldwide board as they take up leadership of the Worldwide Mothers’ Union for the…