Among the highlights is a feature on Churches Together in England’s Kingdom over Nation, exploring how Christians can approach questions of nationhood, belonging and Christian nationalism while remaining grounded in the Gospel and learning to disagree well.
Also featured is CTBI’s Reaching out in Love toolkit, which considers how our experience of Christian unity can equip churches for meaningful dialogue and cooperation with people of other faiths. The magazine also reports on the National Churches Survey 2025, highlighting the extensive contribution churches continue to make within their local communities.
There is also an interesting report on the National Churches Survey 2025. With 3,628 churches participating, it gives a striking picture of the contribution churches make to their communities. Among respondents, 56% provided food distribution, 49% youth groups and 34% support for people experiencing isolation or mental-health difficulties. Perhaps most encouragingly, 85% wanted to do still more in their communities.
For local Churches Together groups, one of the most immediately useful sections comes towards the end. The magazine introduces the resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2027, 18–25 January, prepared from the experience of the churches in Ireland. Under the theme “Do not be afraid”, and drawing upon Luke 12, the material invites Christians to see unity not as a retreat into the safety of the Church but as a source of strength for engaging with the world. Worship, study, reflection and all-age resources will all be available.
Running through the whole edition is a conviction that ecumenism is not something separate from the challenges facing our communities. Christian unity equips the Churches for dialogue, reconciliation, peacebuilding and common witness. That makes this edition well worth exploring — and sharing locally.
Click here to read the Autumn 2026 CTBI Magazine
Article by Dr Ian Watson, County Ecumenical Officer – those interested in questions of nationhood and Christian Nationalism may also be interested in reading a new book: Loving What is Ours – Click HERE
Programme launched to help churches drive change in their communities
A national programme to help churches drive social change and seek justice has been launched.
Modern Slavery Conference: A Call to Christians Across East Anglia
Saturday 6 February 2027 | Newmarket and Online
Prayers of Hope
A Moment of Prayer and Reflection on Premier Christian Radio
Latest CTE Newsletter
The latest Churches Together Newsletter Highlights Christian Unity and Contemporary Challenges
Norfolk churches set to celebrate Christian unity
An annual celebration of Christian unity, hosted this year by Chapelfield Methodist church.
Norfolk book on patriotism, faith and love
Norfolk County Ecumenical Officer Dr Ian Watson has just published a book about Patriotism and the Desire for Human Flourishing, which grew out of his doctoral research in moral philosophy.
The Spirit of Assisi: Building peace through encounter
Dr Ian Watson reports on an ecumenical and inter-religious gathering in London
When Conviction Meets Conscience
An Ecumenical Reading of Romans 14 by the County Ecumenical Officer
New Convenor for Churches Together in Norfolk and Waveney
Rev Helen Hollands, Chair of the East Anglia Methodist District, has taken on the role of Convenor of NWCT – Dr Ian Watson, County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney, reports
CTE Conference Report by Rev Fiona Munn
Rev Fiona Munn, the Anglican Denominational Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney, reports on the Churches Together in England (CTE) All Ecumenical Officer Conference 2026
Conscience, Truth and Christian Unity
On St John Henry Newman’s feast day, Dr Ian Watson reflects on respecting the convictions of Christians with whom we disagree.
Ecumenism from the Bottom Up
Dr Ian Watson, County Ecumenical Officer, asks what might Pentecostal experience teach us about where Christian unity begins?
Bowthorpe Church celebrates 40 Years
Christians from across the traditions gathered in Norwich to celebrate forty years of a church built upon a shared commitment to worship, witness and service - Dr Ian Watson reports.
When Faith, Nation and Belonging Meet
The County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney, explains why CTE’s new Kingdom over Nation resource matters for our churches and common witness
Diverse in Culture, Nation, Race
The County Ecumenical Officer reflects on a hymn about human difference, reconciliation and belonging, and why its words speak so powerfully to the search for Christian unity
The Conversations That Keep Churches Talking
What the Malines Conversations can teach all Christians about encounter, recognition and the patient work of Christian unity
Christianity is a Faith of Companionship
The County Ecumenical Officer draws on a recent Christian Art reflection to consider what it might teach us about the ecumenical journey
Latest from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
The latest newsletter from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) brings together news, resources and events from across the ecumenical life of the churches in Britain and Ireland
Becoming Neighbour
A Shared Christian Vocation
When the Cross Is Wrapped in the Flag
Christian nationalism and the search for a better patriotism, by the County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney
Encouragement and Hope in Gorleston
The County Ecumenical Officer visits and discusses unity with Churches in the Community in the east of the county
When Another Christian Cannot See the Point
The County Ecumenical Officer on a conversation about church buildings, and what it asks of us when another tradition cannot see what we see
Can Mary Be a Causeway to Christian Unity?
The County Ecumenical Officer reflects from Walsingham on the Solemnity of the Assumption
Learning the Grammar of Ecumenical Encounter
The County Ecumenical Officer reflects on Christian encounter, and what it means to know ourselves through others
Thetford: A Christian Response in a Time of Division
The County Ecumenical Officer signposts a timely reflection from local Christian blogger Steve Jefroy on events in Thetford and what an authentic Christian response might look like
“Do Not Be Afraid, Little Flock”
Looking Ahead to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2027
The God of All the Clans
The County Ecumenical Officer finds hope for Christian unity in the prophecy of Jeremiah
East of England Ecumenical Officers meet up
Eastern regional County Ecumenical Officers gather for fellowship and encouragement in Friends House London - Dr Ian Watson reports
The Courage of Small Beginnings
What Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed and Hannah Arendt’s philosophy of action can teach us about Christian unity, faithful perseverance, and trusting God with what we cannot yet see
Snapshot of ecumenical life in new CTE Newsletter
The latest Churches Together in England newsletter has been published
From Service to Communion
A Timely Vision for Christian Social Action
Around One Presence
Finding Christian unity by drawing closer to Christ by Dr Ian Watson
When Christians Come Together
The County Ecumenical Officer on what it means to come together rather than simply to be together
Journeying Together Towards 2033
Pope Leo XIV encourages a shared Christian witness to the Jubilee of Redemption
The Face of the Other
An exploration on presence, holiness, and the ecumenical encounter before words are spoken
Duty Before Dialogue?
Giuseppe Mazzini and Unitatis Redintegratio in the Moral Calling for Christian Unity
Towards a Larger Ecumenism?
The County Ecumenical Officer writes on the Unity of the Church and the Unity of Humankind
The Waveney Valley Ecumenical Partnership
Encouraged by a Living Witness to Christian Unity in the Waveney Valley - The County Ecumenical Officer reports
Whom Do We Trust?
Christian division as a crisis of testimony – a view by the County Ecumenical Officer
Alien and at Home: Notes on Being a Catholic in Ecumenical Space
A personal and philosophical reflection by Dr Ian Watson on belonging, strangeness, and the unexpected gifts of the ecumenical journey
Unity Before Agreement?
The County Ecumenical Officer reflects on why some of the most important advances in Christian unity began with Christians learning how to remain in relationship despite disagreement
The Most Holy Trinity and the Call to Christian Unity
On Trinity Sunday, the County Ecumenical Officer reminds us that the Church seeks unity because God himself is unity
Beyond Babel? An Ecumenical Reflection on Magnifica Humanitas
A provisional personal response from the County Ecumenical Officer to Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical from an ecumenical perspective
Pilgrimage, Fellowship and Christian Friendship in Walsingham
Reflections from the National Pilgrimage 2026 by Dr Ian Watson, County Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney
Unity in Action Close to Home
What Global Ecumenical Trends Can Teach Us About Christian Unity in Norfolk and Waveney
An Update on Unity in Action
Encouraging signs from the Ecumenical Movement –
an update for Spring and Early Summer 2026
Brothers and Sisters in Christ
An open letter of gratitude, hope and encouragement from Dr Ian Watson to Christians Across Norfolk and Waveney, marking nearly three years as County Ecumenical Officer
Kingdom Over Nation
A new ecumenical resource developed through Churches Together in England to aid churches in dealing with the issues associated with Christian nationalism
New Anglican DEO for Norfolk and Waveney
Rev Fiona Munn has been appointed as the new Anglican Denominational Ecumenical Officer for Norfolk and Waveney. Here, she gives a short introduction of her current role, background and ecumenical hopes
The Seamless Tunic and the Unity of the Church
Dr Ian Watson reinforces the notion of the Seamless Tunic as an Ancient Symbol with an Ecumenical Future