Bishop of Chester becomes patron of SPUC Evangelicals London, 29 September - Rt Rev Dr Peter Forster, Bishop of Chester, has become a patron of the Evangelical division of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC).

Mrs Jan Bell, chairman of SPUC Evangelicals, said: "We are very pleased that Bishop Forster agreed so readily to become one of our patrons. While SPUC is a human rights organisation, the involvement of religious bodies and individual believers is one of our most valuable sources of practical and prayerful support. While one may be pro-life on human rights grounds alone, faith in God brings special insight on the sanctity of human life." Bishop Forster has been Bishop of Chester since 1997. He was senior tutor at St John's College, Durham, when he was elected to the Church of England's General Synod. SPUC Evangelicals is a member organisation of the Evangelical Alliance. It promotes the biblical understanding of the sanctity of human life. It works with churches, societies and other bodies having an Evangelical presence so that they may fulfil their task of defending unborn children. It also assists individual Christians in taking a pro-life stand. SPUC Evangelicals' other patrons are Mr David Andrew, editor of The Sword magazine, Dr Steve Brady, principal of Moorland College and renowned conference speaker, Mr John Glass, general superintendent of the Elim Pentecostal Church, Mr Peter Maiden, chairman of the Keswick Convention, and international director of Operation Mobilisation, Mr Tim Montgomery of the Conservative Christian Fellowship, Mr David J. Murray, deputy chairman of Transparency International, and Mr Wilfred Wong, LLB, LLM, BA, of the Jubilee Campaign. Jan Bell added: "We are grateful to all these men - well known and high profile Evangelical leaders who support us in this area of Christian service."