THE Bishop of Worcester is to attend a conference on Israel and Palestine being held in Malvern.

The event, organised by Churches Together in Malvern, is one of the highlights of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the town.

The Rt Rev Dr Peter Selby will be one of the speakers at the conference on Thursday, Janu-ary 22, at the Lyttelton Rooms, Church Street, at 7.30pm.

It will look at the work of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, an initiative by the World Council of Churches to support Palestinians and Israelis engaged in non-violent efforts to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Teams of volunteers have been working with communities on both sides and one of them, young Quaker Matt Robson, will talk at the Malvern event.

Churches Together in Malvern has also organised a united service at the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, on Sunday, January 25.

The preacher will be Rev John Johansen Berg, from Worcester, a United Reformed Church minister who has recently retired from running the Community for Reconciliation in Bromsgrove. The service at is St Mary's, Sherrards Green, at 6.30pm.

Other events during the week include an exchange of pulpits between preachers in various churches on Sunday and a service of prayer and praise at St James's Church, West Malvern, on Monday at 7.45pm.

The Link group of churches has also organised a united games evening on Wednesday at Somers Park Avenue Methodist Church.

The Ladies' Group based at the Methodist church will also be holding an open meeting on Tuesday evening at 7.45pm when the speaker will be Ian Green, of Malvern Baptist Church.

The preacher at the shoppers service at the United Reformed Church, Malvern Link, at 10.30am on Friday, January 23, will be former Malvern Priory vicar Julian Charley. It will be followed by a prayer vigil at 11am and hunger lunch, with donations to Christian Aid, at noon.