The Church of Scotland is planning substantial financial investment in new forms of church life. At its upcoming General Assembly, the Kirk's Ministries Council will outline plans to devote £1.5 million over five years to 'emerging ministries'.

The number of churches committed to socially responsible and sustainable investment has increased substantially over the last couple of years, says the Conference of European Churches and partners - citing Oikocredit as an example.

With the area conferences of the United Methodist Church preparing to meet in July, South Central Jurisdiction is expected to address the controversial 2007 decision to lease property for a George W. Bush institute.

Churches throughout the world are preparing to respond to six decades of conflict in Israel-Palestine with a week of actions for justice and peace, reports the World Council of Churches, which is helping to coordinate the event.

The Kochhar Humanist Education Center (KHEC), which was launched yesterday by the American Humanist Association, is to develop a curriculum for the humanist equivalent of Sunday schools. This will include programs in ethics geared to serve the children of atheists, agnostics and freethinkers.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has called on the government to support the new report from Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights which calls for children to be given the right to withdraw from worship in schools.