THE new Chairman of Bude and District Christians Together will be inaugurated on Sunday, January 18 at the Methodist Central Church, Bude.

Rev Douglas Adams will also preach the sermon. The service, which coincides with the first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian unity when church groups throughout the world will be joining together in prayer, will be led by Rev Neal Street.

Geoff Newton, secretary of Bude and District Christians Together explained that it was an "organisation linking together various church denominations."

He added: "For this new year, 2009, we are planning a programme through which we hope, more efficiently, to unite us all in concerted action aiming at a more effective reaching out to meet unmet need."

Mr Newton continued: "This year, the Week of Prayer comes at a time when the world is facing an unusually disturbing and challenging crisis, which is by no means limited to the credit crunch. Beneath and beyond this economic crisis there looms the threat of global warming with its implications for us all, made all the more alarming by the ever increasing humanitarian crisis.

"Clearly, the world needs to unite together to face up to this situation, but instead is divided by differences which seem to be insurmountable, exacerbated by violence, poverty, prejudice, injustice, inequality and suffering. Because of all this, beneath the surface, anxiety broods among us and it can not be a bad thing, particularly at this time, to unite in prayer.

"Furthermore, the churches stand for a hope which can emerge out of hopelessness and despair and lead, as it must, to concerted action."