§ Mr. CummingsTo ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what plans the Church Commissioners have for celebrating the millennium. [93653]
§ Mr. Stuart BellThe Church of England is working in close partnership with the other Christian Churches, with the overall goal of encouraging a wide range of activities and projects which seek to celebrate and explain the Christian faith. Hundreds of local congregations are also making plans for activities and events under the three themes of a New Start with God, a New Start at Home, and a New Start for the World's Poor. The Faith zone of the Millennium Dome will also celebrate the nation's Christian heritage. The Archbishop of Canterbury will lead the nation in prayer during the opening ceremony at the Dome on New Year's Eve and the Churches' Millennium Resolution, set to music by John Taverner, will be sung. Later in the year, the main focus of the Churches' celebrations will be Pentecost Sunday, June 11, when a large range of events have been planned.