The story of The Community of the Cross of Nails, born from the bombing of Coventry Cathedral in 1940. Today, it works in 40 countries to build peace, heal the wounds of history and enable people to grow together in hope. This illustrated guide tells its remarkable story from the beginning, reflecting on the meaning of reconciliation today.
In August 1964, Coventry Cathedral Choir played a key ambassadorial role in the Cathedral's burgeoning international ministry of reconciliation. Symbolic of this ministry is the Cross of Nails, fashioned from medieval nails which fell with the roof of the old Cathedral during the Blitz which destroyed much of the city on the night of 14 November 1940.The Choir accompanied Provost Bill Williams and Canon Joseph Poole on their mission to present a replica Cross of Nails to the monastery of Ottobeuren in Bavaria, passing en route through Nuremberg and Munich. The climax of the tour was a live broadcast of War Requiem with its composer, Benjamin Britten.One of the choristers on that memorable tour was Mike Smith, who tells the story of the Choir's tour through a commentary on the startlingly fresh photographs of Richard Sadler.
Samuel Dickey Gordon was a speaker, traveler, and missionary who promoted the ideas of Christianity in Europe and Asia. This book contains some of his most famous sermons and considerations of what is true service and how should a real believer act in everyday life.
"This work discusses the cross throughout history, from prehistoric times to modern day. Found within are chapters entitled: cross before the Christian Era and in prehistoric times; types of the cross; early form and use of the cross; legends of the cross; true cross and its traditionary history; title of the cross; doctrinal teaching of the crucifixion; cross and crucifix in early Christian art; various types of crosses; varieties of the cross; objects with the cross on them; sign of the cross; Puritan objections to the cross; and miscellaneous crosses."--B & N.
In 1940, when Hitlers bombers reduced Coventrys ancient cathedral to ruins, he coined a new word. He threatened to coventrate all of Britain. Coventry thus was given an iconic status as a symbol of the triumph of good over evil, of forgiveness over revenge, of reconciliation and peace over division and conflict. The ruins are still there today as a warning, but the new and magnificent new cathedral has become the powerhouse of a ministry both to the city and to international conflicts. The book is in three parts. Part 1 is a series of dramatic and moving stories of that outreach, from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Part 2 describes the history of how the cathedral came to be such a unique and active symbol of renewal and peace. Part 3 asks what lessons are to be learned from that story for a world in greater danger and with deeper divisions than ever. Finally, the author, from his long experience of international reconciliation, defines the steps that are essential if the old wounds of history are really to be healed.