Tuning In

A virtual church service on Sunday mornings will be launched across local radio in England.

The service will be broadcast at 8am across all the local radio airways.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is to lead this national broadcast as the Church of England responds to the challenge of becoming a “different sort of church” in the face of the coronavirus crisis.

In his address the Archbishop will say that looking inwards at this difficult time will “only reveal the limit of our own resources, and lead to deeper fear and selfishness”.

“Acting in love found from God in Jesus Christ will do the exact reverse,” he will add.

“As we love the poor, go and give to a food bank, call on someone who is isolated, do their shopping, pray with and for them from a distance, we will find that we are deeply consoled by our own gift of consolation.”

Helen Thomas, director of BBC England, said:

“Just because people are self-isolating doesn’t mean they have to feel isolated.

“Local radio has a unique role as a community hub: disseminating information, airing views and being a constant companion to listeners, and this has never been more important than now.

“We hope this national wireless congregation will allow thousands, if not millions of people to worship during this difficult time.”

The service, including prayers, hymns and a short sermon will be broadcast online by the Church of England and across 39 local BBC radio stations this Sunday as congregations across the country find new ways of sharing worship together after public church services were put on hold.

And that's not all that you can listen to.

BBC Radio 3 broadcasts Choral Evensong on Sunday and Wednesday afternoon, while BBC Radio 4 always has Sunday Worship at 08.10am on a Sunday morning and this week Ruth Valerio, author of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book, 'Saying Yes to Life', reflects on the natural world.

If you enjoy hymn singing, then Songs of Praise is a must on BBC 1 on Sunday afternoon.

And don't forget our local BBC Radio Solent and BBC Wiltshire have great Sunday Morning shows that tackle issues from a faith perspective between 6am and 9am every Sunday.