The U.K. Young Women’s Christian Association removed Christianity from its name recently, 156 years after the institution was founded, because of its faith connotation.

The YWCA, which has been the recipient of Christian funding for some 15 decades, is now Platform 51 which it feels more appropriately represents who it is, The Daily Mail said.

The organization, which was formed by two Englishwomen in 1855, chose its new name because it serves as a platform to help women speak out and move into the next stage in their lives, and because 51 percent of the population is female, the Telegraph said.

The change in name has reaped criticism from religious groups and caused a division between Platform 51 in England and Wales, and YWCA worldwide, The Daily Mail reported.

Sylvie Jacquat, spokesman for World YWCA, told The Daily Mail that none of the other 124 YWCA branches globally will do likewise noting, “The name has been there for more than 150 years and we are not even discussing a change. We see our name as an opportunity for promoting Christian values and principles.”

The Telegraph said Platform 51’s new name may cause issues with some of the donors of the charity, who donate because of the Christian character of the organization.

However, The Daily Mail noted that several charities in the U.K. have changed their Christian image so that they can get added funding from the government. The Telegraph cited, for example, Churches Action for the Homeless, which in 2009 changed its name because its religious quality was an obstacle in getting grants.

YWCA England and Wales said, “During the 156 years since we were founded, we’ve had to evolve to reflect changes in society and the needs and expectations of women. This is true not only of the work we do, but also of our name. Our original name no longer stood for who we are or what we do and people often confuse us with another charity,” The Daily Mail reported.

According to The Daily Mail, the ‘other charity’ could be the YMCA, which still is true to its original goal, which is to lend accommodation to youth. Platform 51 on the other hand seeks to “lobby for changes in the law and policies to help all women.”

The original founders of YWCA are Emma Roberts, who headed prayer groups, and Mrs. Arthur Kinnaird, who ran a hostel for nurses who were going to work for Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War, The Daily Mail said.

The organization is still listed under the Church of England, but all its trustees are no longer from the church. Its chairman is gay rights activist Helen Wollaston, and its chief executive, Penny Newman used to head the Jamie Oliver Foundation, according to The Daily Mail.

Mike Judge of the Christian Institute told The Daily Mail, “Many believe there is an anti-Christian bias among those who decide which charities get state funding. It was the Christian character of the YWCA that made it great. It is a shame that it is turning its back on those values.”

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Warsaw (ENI). Almost two-thirds of Europeans think Christian values are still relevant to contemporary life and are ready to acknowledge the Church’s efforts to promote them, a recent survey carried out for La Croix daily newspaper has found.

“Whether rooted in Christianity or not, Europeans recognise a privileged place for this religion in its Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox forms,” France’s Roman Catholic-linked newspaper commented on 1 April.

“Yet while two-thirds think Christianity’s message is still up-to-date, this isn’t the case for the other third. So, Christianity remains an element marking the religious culture of the Old Continent, but no longer claims exclusivity,” the newspaper noted.

In the survey, conducted during March by France’s Institut Francais d’Opinion Publique (IFOP) in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, 57 percent of respondents said they believe Christians are “sufficiently visible” in society. That was compared to 28 percent who thought they were “not visible enough” and 15 percent who considered them “too visible”.

Although 61 percent of Europeans said the “message and values” of Christianity remain topical, only Italians believe churches are doing a good job in communicating and reaching out to young people, compared to between 74 and 80 percent of British, French, German and Spanish respondents who thought the opposite.

Forty-eight percent of Europeans assigned a key role to Christian values in promoting “dialogue with different cultures and religions” and “solidarity with the poor,” compared to between three and 13 percent believing these values are important in bioethics and respect for life, in “moralising capitalism” or on issues such as immigration and environmental protection.

At the same time, slightly more than 80 percent of respondents said church priorities for the 21st century should include action for world peace and combating poverty at home, while a third believe churches should be “available at life’s key moments” and one in five think their priorities should include “making Christ’s message known”.

In its commentary, La Croix said the “Christian anchorage” of Europeans appears “too deep to be shifted by the waves stirred by current events”, and has been little affected by current abuse scandals in the churches. However, it also notes strong national differences in attitudes to Christianity, with French citizens voicing stronger criticisms than their Italian neighbours.

In Britain and Germany, where religious pluralism and coexistence are a “well anchored historical reality”, according to La Croix, more citizens regret the failure of traditional churches to hold their ground against new minority faiths.

“For the English above all, religion is a private affair. The Church should be there at life’s important moments, rather than to support world peace, whereas in Germany the churches have a recognised social role as a sort of State institution,” the newspaper noted.
“By contrast, if the majority of French are strongly detached from religion, French Catholics display a more marked religious outlook than Italian or Spanish Catholics. They are also proportionately more numerous in voicing an attachment to Christian values,” it stated.

The survey by IFOP, which was founded in the 1930s, follows other poll results suggesting interest in religion remains extensive in Europe, despite what many see as the continent’s outwardly secular character.

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Most people see McDonald’s as a stepping stone—a place to make extra cash before moving on.

One franchise in Michigan is bucking that stereotype.

The franchise, owned by Mark and Barb Dahlke, has seven employees who are approaching two decades with the company.

The Dahlkes credit faith and family values for their retention rates.

"We have had extremely low turnover rates," Mark Dahlke said to the Muskegon Chronicle.

"I credit that to running a Christian, family business."

Two employees with more than 40 years of combined service, Janet Chapman and Marlene Wickerink retired earlier this month.

Both Chapman and Wickerink praised the Dahlkes for the family-oriented work environment, which they say contributed to their longevity.

"I love working for McDonald’s … they are good people," Chapman said. "I was very shy before working here. This place ‘brought me out."

Though longtime employees, Chapman and Wickerink had nothing but good things to say about the Dahlkes, the praise goes both ways.

"These are exceptional people who have taken the job well beyond that, " Mark Dahlke told the Chronicle. “These two people have been great examples to other crew, showing such great commitments to the customers and having such great work ethics."

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