Keen to combat the overall decline both in church weddings and its own cultural influence as an institution, the Church of England is re-emphasising its more relaxed wedding guidelines.

The ethical travel company - Co-operative Travel - are currently offering some fantastic deals via their website. For example, you could save up to 60% on a trip to the Algarve or Corfu, or up to 36% on a trip to Egypt.

Some hardline pressure groups within the church are sucking mar­riage into a narrow religious ghetto, associating it with suburban 1950s curtain-twitching, thus making it even less popular than it is now, says Giles Fraser.

Church leaders and members are among those giving enthusiastic support to the new Wall of Life initiative, an interactive campaign across the UK by the NHS Blood and Transplant service.

The Communities First Association (CFA), a fast-growing inter-church movement based in the United States, has been formally launched at the beginning of July 2009.

In his inaugural presidential address to the annual British Methodist Conference, the Rev David Gamble has spoken of the need for the Church to be a ‘safer space’ for all people.

A South Korean grouping of churches is urging its member churches and organizations to join a campaign to give North Korean children milk and bread "without any precondition".

The Church of England has called for greater investment in public health programmes aimed at teenagers, in a submission to UK advertising regulating bodies.

Seven men have been arrested over the alleged rape of 60 women or girls from Bolivia's Mennonite community. Up to 40,000 Mennonites live as farmers in Paraguay and Bolivia.

As the federal government in the USA considers comprehensive reform of the health care system, faith groups, civic organisations and labour unions are mobilising for change. They want to see an end to the massive health divisions.

The Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service, an unofficial body that works with churches across the denominations, has published new guidance and urged Christian communities to "raise the bar" in their protection work.

A new poll has found that 57% of the public think that "state funded schools that select students by their religion undermine community cohesion", and large majorities want top see a change of policy on admissions, employment and discrimination

Gay Catholics have welcomed the decisions of the Charity Commissioners and the Charities Tribunal to refuse three Catholic adoption agencies permission to change their charitable objects in order to be able to refuse gay couples.