National

This year’s Modern Church (formerly the Modern Churchpeople’s Union) Conference was all about economics. Top economists and theologians contributed to the debate and their contributions are available at you can hear their talks at http://www.modchurchunion.org/events/conference/index.htm
For anyone who’s not quite sure what a hedge fund is and why it’s a theological issue; or how the ideas of usery developed and impact on modern banking you’ll find these and other issues explored in detail.

General Synod will shortly be sending the draft legislation for women bishops to dioceses for discussion. One of the theological issues raised in debate was about sacramental assurance. Those unfamiliar with this might like to read a short article by Jonathan Clatworthy on the Modern Church website.
http://www.modchurchunion.org/resources/clatworthy/2010-4.htm

On 20th October Christian Aid will be taking the vision of a world without poverty to the politicians. Join them in London as we talk to ministers and MPs about the impact of climate change on developing countries.
Prior to the afternoon’s campaign action there will be a supporter event at Methodist Central Hall where Jesse Jackson will address supporters, while you will also hear from Christian Aid’s director, Loretta Minghella. And you will also hear about the day-to-day reality of the fight against poverty and injustice from partner staff and community members from India, Zambia and Haiti.

Download the flier for the event HERE October 20th Flyer

DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal
A DEC appeal has been launched to raise funds for the communities affected by the worst flooding in Pakistan’s history. We have sent £150,000 to help Act Alliance partners respond to the devastating floods that have killed 1,600 and affected at least 12 million people in Pakistan. ACT Alliance will provide food, shelter and medical assistance to in excess of 70,000 people in Balochistan and Khyber Paktunkwa provinces.

If you would like to order emergency appeal envelopes for a collection in your church please get in touch with us at the office on 01509 265013.

To donate visit www.dec.org.uk or telephone 0370 60 60 900

There’s also much more news here in our Newsletter – Christian Aid update August

Barnes Close Summer 2010

Jane Winter Secretary National Estate Churches Network tells us the story of her recent visit to Leicester with Fr Derek Brown and Riaz Ravat…

‘O would some power of the gifte gie us to see ourselves as others see us’

                                                                                                                           Robert Burns

If God’s love is infinite and intimate then there must be infinite ways in which that love is experienced and shared. A recent trip to Leicester helped me experience the reality of this truth.

 Leicester has been described as the UK’S most ethnically diverse city. Arriving at the station, the first thing that greeted me was welcome: the welcome of Fr. Derek my host, and ‘welcome’ written large into the restored station portico in a number of Indian and Arabic languages. Leicester is a city of great faith opportunities. Mosques and churches abound on street corners. There are Gurdwaras, Hindu temples and synagogues. They all tell a story of faith that has made a significant impression on city life for generations and as a result created a sense of space and place that is genuinely public. The impression shows that multifaith and multicultural growth hasn’t always been easy, with conflicts between and within different faith communities. These are inevitable, but unlike other cities conflicts haven’t escalated and diversity appears to be a strong community thread with a commitment to improve understanding and grow respect and tolerance. The work of the St Philip’s Centre is a prime example:  http://stphilipscentre.dioceseofleicester.com/

Two things struck me about my day in Leicester.

The first was the intimate way in which faith communities on the ground live side by side. Areas of the city are made distinctive by cultural communities. Alongside the cultural identity  marked by places of worship, shops, dress and language, I also got a sense of people sharing cultures and faith in a way that is relaxed and accepting, not forced. In these communities the presence of the church is clear through a range of denominational buildings and activities. The welcome I received at the Gurdwara and Mosque meant I could respect the prayer culture demonstrated in worship and a hospitality born of deep personal and community faith.  For some faith groups this intimacy has been risky living. For example in the 1950’s one church had the vision and confidence to welcome newly arriving Afro-Caribbean communities when everyone around them was being very unwelcoming. The church took the risk of being ostracised by those individuals and organisations who demonstrated unwelcoming behaviour. The story illustrates that in the end it is the way people choose to live together that creates peaceful or antagonistic communities.

The second thing that struck me was the infinity of opportunity in the work being done with many different agencies to increase understanding of different faiths. Faith leaders, lay people, and people working across the city and beyond are able to have genuine face to face conversations in safe places which builds trust and respect beyond just tolerance. It is a releasing experience.

My cameo visits caused me to reflect on what we as church can learn about the infinite love of God. If God’s love is infinite then it requires an infinity in which to flourish. The experience of engaging with three faiths simultaneously made me aware that God’s love for everyone includes everyone and is experienced in lots of different ways.

I was also shown the intimacy of God who loves and cares for those who often get left behind in our fast moving consumer society. The faithfulness of different church denominations remaining in areas that have become predominately communities of other faith traditions is one example particularly precious for indigenous and Afro-Caribbean Christians. Another is the care provided for older people by the Sikh Community.  This faithfulness demonstrates intimate love among those who for a number of reasons find themselves forgotten by main stream society.

In Leicester the intimate and the infinite came together showing me a richness and depth of God’s love which comes about through taking risks and being faithful.

With thanks to Fr. Derek Brown and Riaz Ravat for arranging the visit and being my guides.

Jane Winter Secretary National Estate Churches Network

Fr. Derek St Barnabas Church Leicester, Executive of National Estate Churches Network

Riaz Rivat St Philip’s Centre Leicester

To catch the latest news and updates from the Church Urban Fund click the link below

Xchange July news

Derek Markie, Executive Director of East Midlands Churches Forum writes…

‘We are delighted to be able to send you the first of what we hope will be quarterly Newsletters from the East Midlands Churches Forum keeping you up to date with our activities including Faith To Engage.’

EMCF Newsletter July 2010

Sarum College is now able to offer MA courses in the following subjects:

·         Christian Spirituality

·         Christian Liturgy

·         Theology, Imagination and Culture

·         Faith-based Leadership

Sarum College students learn collaboratively in small cohorts which meet for residential intensives throughout the year. This distributed and flexible mode of delivery combines class-based and home-based study and allows working students and students at a distance to benefit from close contact with tutors and lecturers, with minimal disruption to their domestic, ministerial, or professional lives.

For further details about these and many other courses, please contact Anne Jensen on 01722 424827 or email ajensen@sarum.ac.uk

or visit   www.sarum.ac.uk/ma-degree-programmes/

Over the past year 28,000 of the 90,000 couples getting married in churches have planned their wedding on www.yourchurchwedding.org

For details of this excellent resource, together with details of what the favorite hymns & readings were, and even a thought provoking article on the hymn Jerusalem, visit http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr6610.html

Micah Challenge has launched its 2010 campaign What’s Your Promise?
They want to give you the chance to be involved in something that could really change our world… And all through the power of a promise! 
They have launched their 2010 campaign What’s Your Promise?

For more details download the flyer HERE Micah Challenge

or go to their website at www.whatsyourpromise.org.uk

Meeting Thursday 8th July

Several of your GS reps will be available over lunch this Thursday 8th July in Church House from 12 to 1.30pm, to discuss the forthcoming agenda, especially the draft legislation on women bishops.  Do come and join us if you’d like to help us think through the issues before we go off to discuss and vote on them.  Bring your own food – drinks will be provided.

If you can’t be there but would like to let us know your views on the issues, do feel free to email any of your elected members. 

For clergy the details are: richard.atkinson@leccofe.org, pete.hobson@leccofe.org and jplant@leicester.anglican.org

For laity they are: stephen4747@live.co.uk, j.freeman5@btinternet.com and alanfletcher@freshpd.com

We would also like to take this chance to thank you for your interest in our work on your behalf on General Synod over the past five years.

Cheap Travel available for St Alban’s Festival Pilgrimage on 19th June 2010.
 
A full day of worship, events and spectacle in the beautiful surroundings of St Alban’s Cathedral. Including concelebrated Eucharist with preacher, Canon Lucy Winkett.
 
Watermead Mission Partnership will have some seats available for the bargain price of £7, on a coach leaving Rushey Mead or Beaumont Leys at 8 am.
 
More details of the pilgrimage at http://www.stalbanscathedral.org/visit/pilgrimage/pilgrimage-at-st-albans
 
More details of tickets and pick up arrangements from Rev’d Mandy Ford, mandyford@btinternet.com or phone 0116 235 2667

If any Churches are planning a special service or event for Fathers’ Day this year please could you let the Communications team know so we can feed this into a National Press release.

email: liz.hudson-oliff@leccofe.org

We’ve received suggestions for both Fathers’ Day services and events before or after the service, and a selection of these are available at http://www.cofe.anglican.org/fathersday. Also available is a new prayer written for use by children, and a suggested liturgy, readings and collects

Many thanks indeed to all those Churchwardens who have returned the Statistics for Mission part of the Archdeacons Articles of Enquiry.  As I’ve been inputting the information and reading the forms, the detail you have provided has proved very helpful in shaping the resources we offer in encouraging and resourcing mission.  If you haven’t yet returned the form, please can I encourage you to do so as soon as possible (the deadline was 21st April).  The form is a mandatory part of the Articles of Enquiry (which is a requirement upon Churchwardens to complete) but, far more importantly, the information on them plays a big part in shaping how the diocese centrally serves and resources parishes – and in sharing together our story of what God is doing amongst us.  Please can it, therefore, be completed and returned as soon as possible, but ideally within the next ten days. 

If you have any questions please let me know.  Also, in this first year of collating all the data needed by several sources into a single form, if you have any suggestions for improvements for next year I’m always keen to hear them.  Once the information is all received and input I will send a link for further information for those interested.  I look forward to hearing from you.  All the very best, in Christ, Barry (barry.hill@leccofe.org)

The Church of England has today published the 142-page report of the Revision Committee that has been considering in detail the draft legislation to enable women to become bishops in the Church of England.  Also published is an amended version of the draft, eleven clause Measure and associated draft Amending Canon.

The Committee has met on 16 occasions over the past 12 months and considered 114 submissions from members of the General Synod and a further 183 submissions from others.  After much discussion the Committee rejected proposals aimed at fundamentally changing the approach of the legislation, whether by converting it into the simplest possible draft Measure or by creating more developed arrangements – whether through additional dioceses, a statutorily recognised society or some transfer of jurisdiction – for those unable to receive the ministry of female bishops. 

As indicated to the General Synod in February*, the draft legislation continues to provide special arrangements for those with conscientious difficulties by way of delegation from the diocesan bishop under a statutory Code of Practice. The legislation has been amended in a number of detailed respects.  Provision for statutory declarations by bishops unable to take part in the consecration of women as bishops or their ordination as priests has been removed as has an obligation on the Archbishops to nominate particular suffragan sees to be occupied by those who do not consecrate or ordain women. 

Added to the Measure are new provisions requiring each diocesan bishop to draw up a scheme in his or her diocese that takes account of the national Code of Practice and provides local arrangements for the performance of certain episcopal functions in relation to parishes with conscientious difficulties.  A further new provision allows such parishes to request, when there is a vacancy, that only a male incumbent or priest-in-charge be appointed.

It is expected that much of the July group of sessions of the General Synod in York (9-13 July) will be devoted to debating the Revision Committee’s report and conducting the Revision Stage of the legislation.  This is the moment (equivalent to a parliamentary Report Stage) when all 470 members of the Synod have the opportunity to consider the draft legislation clause by clause and to vote on proposed amendments.  Proposals rejected by the Revision Committee can be debated afresh at the Revision Stage.

Once the Revision Stage has been completed – and provided the Synod does not decide that further work is necessary in Revision Committee – the draft legislation will have to be referred to diocesan synods and cannot come back to the General Synod for final approval unless a majority of diocesan synods approve it. 

The earliest that the legislation could achieve final approval in Synod (when two-thirds majorities in each of the Houses of Bishops, Clergy and Laity will be required) is 2012, following which parliamentary approval and the Royal Assent would be needed.  2014 remains the earliest realistic date when the first women might be consecrated as bishops.

 
The three documents, the Report of the Revision Committee, the draft Measure and the draft Amending Canon can be read via http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr4210.html .

The Church of England and the Methodist Church are pleased to announce that Elizabeth Hall has been appointed to succeed  the  Reverend  Pearl Luxon as Safeguarding Adviser for our two churches.  

To ensure a smooth and efficient handover in this highly complex area of work Elizabeth will be joining us at the beginning of May and will work closely with Pearl until the end of August, when Pearl moves to her new role as an independent consultant. (We will be saying more about Pearl in due course). 

Elizabeth will be joining us from Cafcass (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) where she is currently Head of Safeguarding.  Elizabeth has over twenty years of experience with family courts in various regions across England, both in Family Court Welfare and the Guardian ad litem service before becoming the Durham GALRO Panel manager.  When Cafcass was started in 2001, she was promoted to become the north east regional director. On moving to London in 2006 she transferred to her current role.  

We are delighted to welcome Elizabeth and  look forward to working with her in this critical area of work for both  our Churches.

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The Church and Media Conference takes place between the 7th and 9th of June. For details of this challenging and stimulating conference which is open to all click the link below.

Church and Media Conference Flyer