Media protection of the row over the Youngsters's Society's refusal to simply accept Justin Welby's Christmas reward missed an important truth: the Archbishop of Canterbury is the charity's president.
Letter to Church Instances January 3 Dr. Andrew Purkis OBE, trustee and former chairman of ActionAid and former board member of the Charity Fee, factors to this and the truth that the complete title of the charity is the Church of England Youngsters's Society.
The charity's announcement on 20 December that it had refused to simply accept a Christmas reward from Welby was broadly reported within the nationwide media.
Welby is stepping down as Archbishop of Canterbury on January 6 after being criticized within the Church of England's Makin Evaluate for his dealing with of the John Smyth abuse scandal.
Youngsters's Society chief govt Mark Russell defined the charity's choice to reject the donation, however didn’t point out the truth that the Archbishop of Canterbury is its president.
“After cautious consideration, we’ve respectfully determined to not settle for the donation supplied by the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury,” he stated.
“The Youngsters's Society is deeply dedicated to supporting victims of abuse, our groups assist victims of kid sexual abuse, and which means that accepting this donation could be inconsistent with the rules and values on which our work is predicated.”
Russell continued: “We had been deeply shocked by the findings of Makin's report and our ideas are with all survivors of abuse. We imagine that there’s an pressing want for the Church of England to alter its method to safeguarding and proceed to create a safer church and safer areas for younger individuals protected by actual duty and a tradition of care.”
Andrew Purkis responded in his Church Instances letter that this was “no quiet choice delivered in non-public, however a loud public declaration of solidarity with youngster abuse victims (no matter any struggling brought about to its president or the broader church)”.
“It makes you consider what sort of charity the Youngsters's Society is now,” he wrote.
“The latest annual report and accounts include no point out of Christianity, Jesus Christ or the Church in its charitable goals, in its imaginative and prescient and values, within the motion the charity seeks to construct for the long run, or in any description of its companions or volunteers.”
Whatever the omissions within the annual report and accounts, the Youngsters's Society has a key position in selling Christingle companies, which many church buildings maintain from late November to January (from Creation to Candlemas within the conventional Christian calendar). Christmas Eve is a well-liked time for native church buildings to carry Christingle occasions, which result in substantial donations for the Youngsters's Society.
In response to its web site: “Christingle is a joyous celebration that brings households and communities collectively to share the sunshine of Jesus and unfold a message of hope.
“Christingle celebrations are named after the Christingles which might be lit through the ceremony. Christingles are oranges wrapped in pink ribbon, adorned with dried fruit or sweets, with a candle on high.”
The web site reveals that “greater than 2,000 Christingle celebrations will gentle up the nation in 2023, elevating greater than £700,000”.
Mark Russell is the previous chief govt of the Church of England's mission company, the Church Military. On this position, in 2016 he wrote the foreword to a ebook of essays arguing that the church ought to shed its conventional sexual ethics. The ultimate chapter Superb Love: A Theology for Understanding Discipleship, Sexuality, and Missionedited by Canon Andrew Davison, Starbridge Lecturer in Theology and Pure Sciences on the College of Cambridge, acknowledged: “Until there’s a actually good cause for opposition to same-sex relationships – and we don't imagine there’s – we’re taking pictures ourselves within the foot within the worst attainable means.”
Nevertheless, the row over Welby may see the charity Russell now runs lose assist. One other correspondent to Church InstancesMrs Sheila Spherical, acknowledged: “So the Youngsters's Society has given their verdict: what a noble place they’ve! Forgiveness and love clearly don’t exist on this 'Christian' charity. Absolutely their subsequent step have to be to drop the 'Church of England' from their official title.
“Whereas I pray for Archbishop Welby's well-being, after greater than 50 years of fundraising and assist, I’ve to resign my membership of the Youngsters's Society and transfer to a different charity that cares for younger individuals in want.”
If extra volunteers and donors comply with Ms Spherical out the door, the axing of Justin Welby may show to be a pricey choice for the Church of England Youngsters's Society.
Julian Mann is a former Church of England vicar, now an evangelical journalist primarily based in Lancashire.
