The charity which donates Bibles to hotel rooms and school pupils will have to change their name and the logo on the covers. 

The organisation started in America in 1899 but has a UK branch.

In 2018, the UK branch accepted women after the Charity Commission asked whether or not it was complying with the Equality Act 2010 and then suggested women should be allowed to join for them to remain compliant.

In July 2018, the International Cabinet at TGI refused to accept financial support from Gideons UK for worldwide ministry and removed its ‘National Association’ status because it was decided the UK association did not accept the ‘Core Values’.

The UK branch also changed its logo online to an open Bible in July. 

In a letter to Gideon members in September this year, president Andrew Knight said the UK branch decided it would be better to submit to this decision rather than to challenge the Charity Commission.

In a letter to members, President of Gideons UK Andrew Knight and Executive Director Iain Mair said: “We did not expect to receive the results of the Trademark Hearing until much nearer the end of this year; however, last week we were notified of the decision of the Hearing Officer, which is in favour of The Gideons International i.e. our application to register Gideons UK has been refused.”

They add that they take this as “God’s will” for the…

Figures released by Shelter on Tuesday revealed 183 children lose their homes every day in Britain and predicted at least 135,000 will be living in temporary accommodation such as emergency B-and-Bs and hostels on Christmas Day.

Housing Justice supports churches, agencies and individuals to engage with homelessness and housing issues.

Director Jacob Quagliozzi, told Premier inadequate housing is largely to blame: “Structural problems in the UK housing market and a lack of provision of truly affordable and social housing is a significant contributing factor to these figures.

A person who has experienced homelessness as a child is much more likely to become a rough sleeper in later life, according to Quagliozzi. He says government intervention is needed to prevent the problem from escalating.

“There is a proven identifiable link between a lack of social housing, and particularly the level of the number of families who find themselves homeless, and unless we dramatically increase the number of social homes available, we will continue to see numbers like this.”

Quagliozzi acknowledged that all political parties have made commitments to address homelessness and has encouraged Christians to consider the issue when going to the polls next week.

He said: “In a run up to an election, when our doors are being knocked and when we’re getting phone calls from candidates are we…

His statement comes after 14 people, mostly children and teenagers, were killed during a Sunday service.

Bishop Justin Kientega of Ouahigouya told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that Western powers should focus on security instead of weapons’ sales.

He said: “The Western powers should stop those who are committing these crimes, instead of selling them the weapons that they are using to kill the Christians.”

The bishop accused Islamists of being behind Sunday’s attack at a Protestant church in Fada N’Gourma, close to the border with Niger. Those killed were mostly aged 10-14.

Bishop Justin said: “No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack, just as no-one claimed responsibility for the previous ones. So we don’t know whether it is one group or several groups that are involved.

“What is certain, however, is that they are waging an Islamist campaign and trying to provoke a conflict between the religions in a country where Christians and Muslims have always lived peaceably side by side.”

ACN said bishops from Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Ivory Coast and Ghana met in the capital of Burkina Faso, and discussed alleged Western indifference to Islamist violence in the region last month.

Bishop Justin said: “We wondered how it could be possible that so many people know nothing of…

Christmas events will be held by a variety of Christian denominations throughout the city. Roman Catholic festivities will be held on 24^th December. Celebrations during the Christmas season are highly important for the city, acting as a boost for the local economy through tourism.

Bethlehem’s mayor Anton Salman said: “We will have the Christmas market for two days. After that, we have a Christmas village for the children. Then we have a lecture of the meanings of Christmas in the Palestinian community from an academic point of view and from the religious point of view. We have a choir and orchestra that is going to take place at the Church of the Nativity. Then we have the most amount of Santa Clauses we have ever had visiting the city.”

Salman says they are expecting many tourists this year, 220,000 flocked to the city in November. This year the city’s Christmas theme is joy, “Joy for the world, for all the people and all those who believe and are celebrating Christmas,” Salman said.

The Israel Defense Force’s Civil Administration, which works in coordination with the Palestinian Authority, organized the passage of the Custodian of the Holy Land from the Mar Elias Monastery to Bethlehem, accompanied and protected by the IDF, Israeli Police and…

Emotional tributes have been paid to a 12-year-old boy who was mowed down as he left school with his friends in what police believe was a deliberate hit-and-run crash.

The pupil, named locally as Harley Watson, suffered fatal injuries after a car hurtled into a crowd of youngsters outside Debden Park High School in Loughton, Essex, on Monday afternoon.

Two 15-year-old boys, a 13-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl, a 12-year-old boy and a 23-year-old woman were also injured, Essex Police said.

A 51-year-old man remains in police custody on suspicion of murder, six counts of attempted murder and one of causing death by dangerous driving.

He is also accused of six offences of causing serious injury by driving, failing to stop at the scene of a collision and driving without insurance

The arrest came after detectives appealed to find Loughton man Terry Glover over the incident.

According to the BBC, Rev Chris Davies spent the morning at the school where Harley was a pupil, a church spokesman confirmed.

“It is a very, very difficult event,” he said on Monday.

“It’s not something you expect to happen in a place like Loughton and the number of children who witnessed it were very upset.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families concerned and all at the school.”

Tearful parents and pupils have laid floral bouquets near the entrance to the school.

At St Nicholas Church, Bedhampton from 1st-24th December people are invited to ‘Shedvent’ where the inside of a shed is decorated and people sing or share a Christmas carol in various creative ways.

Organisers Gill and Roger Matthews have recruited church and community groups, including the local primary school, Cubs, Guides, mothers and toddlers group, WI and church groups are all having a go.

The theme is Christmas carols and every day the empty shed is filled with something different. People will be dressed up inside the shed to illustrate ‘Silent Night’, and there will be a recreation of Bethlehem in cardboard for ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’.

Each day at 5pm the shed doors are flung open to reveal that day’s surprise decoration and carol told or sung in various ways reflecting different parts of Christmas.

The rector of Bedhampton, Rev Max Cross told Premier: “We’re serving the community of Bedhampton by sharing God’s love and friendship, which means that we want to share the love of God and remind people as we walk up towards Christmas, we are walking towards the Christ child, we are walking towards Jesus who is our Saviour, who came not just generally for people, but specifically for you.

“We want to remind people that in a friendly and easy to understand…