According to Historic England, around 40 per cent of listed churches have been hit, the majority with metal thefts.

Police have said professional gangs use modern technology including drones, Google Earth and Sat NJav to find the churches and then plan an escape route.

In some cases entire roofs have been stolen from historic churches, which is extremely costly to replace.

Dioceses that have been impacted have realised the thefts have happened along arterial roads which allow criminals to target several churches in one area and get away quickly.

The Telegraph reported that the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln had eight churches in Lincolnshire victimized in ten years and some were targeted more than once this year.

Oxford Diocese said criminals have taken lead from the roofs of 20 churches since the middle of this year.

“We’ve been told that when vehicles used by thieves have been found, there have been lists of churches in them”, said Liz Kitch, Oxford’s senior church buildings officer.

Police have warned the pubic not to approach the criminals because “these are people who are involved in other crimes and they go armed with crowbars and hammers”.

MP Graham Jones, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Combating Metal Theft said due to the high metal prices, gangs are sending metal stolen from churches to Eastern Europe and Africa.

The…

All Saints Church in Braunston-in-Rutland was one of the first churches to receive money from a £3.8m Heritage Lottery Fund to reduce the impact of bats on the buildings across the country.

The scheme has allowed the church to fill gaps in the ceiling to prevent poo and urine getting through, without harming the animals.

Sue Willetts, church warden at All Saints Church, said: “Before, we had covers down on the floors to collect the droppings.

“We had to clean the pews every time, it took an hour before every single service. Now we use the church how it’s meant to be.”

The church has 500 bats living in its roof. They cannot be removed because they are a protected species.

All Saints Church in Braunston-in-Rutland

Rosemary Riddell, from the Bat in Churches project, said work at All Saints Church “has enabled us to sort of roll out solutions to other churches similar to Braunstone and it’s really helped us to learn from their experiences”.

“[The church] was one of our guinea pigs and we’re grateful for their engagement and involvement,” she said.

In 2014, local MP Sir Alan Duncan said the bat droppings problem at the church as “absolutely intolerable.”

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The vicar of Finedon, Northamptonshire was staying in a friend’s home in Edinburgh when he realised he the door handle was broken. He got so desperate the he peed in a jug in the bedroom.

I am trapped in my bedroom. The door handle just goes round and round and does not move the latch. I have had to pee in an ornament. My host is asleep in the room next door. Please advise.

— Richard Coles (@RevRichardColes) August 24, 2019

P.S. he’s not on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/TJYvcPx72F

— Richard Coles (@RevRichardColes) August 24, 2019

He didn’t want to wake his friend up to ask for help so he turned to Twitter for help instead.

There’s usually a wire coat hanger in a bedroom wardrobe. If gap between the door & frame is sufficient, insert hook so it curls round lock. Press the door shut (releases pressure). Pull coat hanger smartly towards you & pull door at same time. Time it right and door will open.

— Mike Booton (@mbooton) August 24, 2019

Some people jokingly sent him their thoughts and prayers. Others told him to use a wire hanger to get the door open or to climb out of the window.

The view from my window looks like this. I’m not climbing four floors. pic.twitter.com/ulL8YnO9Vf

— Richard Coles (@RevRichardColes) August 24, 2019

The former Stricly Come Dancing contestant even looked for solutions on YouTube but said it was useless.

YouTube has been less than helpful, requiring heavy duty paper clips and a PhD in engineering. And now there…

Children of school age living in camps around Cox’s Bazar have no access to local Bangladeshi schooling so are missing out on formal education as well as the support they need to overcome the trauma of leaving their homes.

‘I don’t like living here – we don’t have our own house, I can’t go to school, I have nothing to do,’ said 15-year-old Kobir Ahmed.

“I just roam around. I don’t feel good, I just feel bored. We don’t have freedom here,” he added.

Tearfund’s Rohingya response manager James Rana said: “Boredom is a real problem, especially for children and adolescents as it can lead them into trouble, so Tearfund’s local partners COAST [Coastal Association for Social Transformation Trust] and CCDB [Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh] have been setting up adolescent clubs which are safe spaces for teenagers to meet, read, play and help them overcome some of the trauma they have experienced, whilst raising awareness on issues such as health and hygiene.”

For younger children, COAST and CCDB are providing child-friendly spaces where children can play, draw, write poems, talk to a trained therapist, do informal maths and sing songs together.

Tearfund is also adapting existing materials to make an improved curriculum for young people focussing on life skills, including business and leadership training.

A total of 700-800…

The church in Redding, California has been sharing about a project called “CHANGED” which is described as a “safe space for Christians seeking an alternative to LGBTQ+ as they follow their faith according to their personal convictions”.

The church shared a series of Facebook and Instagram posts on the subject as part of its “Identity” series using the hashtag #oncegay. One asked if a person can leave homosexuality behind, another was a testimony of a man who is no longer homosexual.

Bethel’s recent post said “God loves all people, LGBTQ+ and straight. The message of CHANGED has never been “All Must Change”.

“God doesn’t force people to change, and people – including Christians – shouldn’t force others to change, either. We stand against any and all forms of shame, manipulation, force, humiliation, or physical harm in so-called “ministry” or therapy.”

It sparked more than 2,300 comments and 550 shares, with many people accusing the church of not displaying a strong enough stance on the topic.

One commented said: “Really? Your message has always been that “All must change.” Are you now actually listening to us when we describe our passionate relationship with God? Or are you trying to downplay your true beliefs in public so as to reduce the amount of pressure and criticism you’re receiving?”

Another said: “Wow, not good…