THE WIDER CHURCH
Diocese
For the latest diocesan news ('Surge of the See') please click HERE (.pdf)
For the latest diocesan prayer diary please click HERE (.pdf)
Both publications - and much more - can be found at the diocesan web site.
A copy of a letter sent to all Diocesan Bishops
by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
18 February 2009
We are writing to inform you about the ‘Archbishops’ Appeal for Zimbabwe’, which was referred to in the Presidential Address at General Synod last week. As you may know, in light of the escalating humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe, the Primates of the Anglican Communion issued a statement, asking the whole Communion to participate in a Day of Fasting and Prayer for Zimbabwe on Ash Wednesday, which we attach.
In addition to prayer and fasting we have called upon all parishes throughout the Communion to assist with the practical needs of the people in Zimbabwe, by supporting the humanitarian work of Anglican dioceses in Zimbabwe. Accordingly we will be launching an appeal for Zimbabwe on Ash Wednesday in partnership with USPG, specifically to encourage Anglicans in the Church of England to give generously during Lent. We attach the leaflet for this appeal.
Although we appreciate that many of your dioceses will have existing Lenten appeals planned for Ash Wednesday, we ask that you might also publicise this appeal within your dioceses, due to the desperate situation now facing the people of Zimbabwe. Any funds raised by parishes can be sent directly to USPG, as indicated in the leaflet. USPG will also be sending electronic copies of the leaflet to all dioceses, to assist them in publicising this campaign. The USPG desk officer for Zimbabwe, Chad Gandiya, and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Acting Secretary for International Development, Helen Stawski, will meet with the five Zimbabwean bishops in Harare on March 4th to hear first hand updates on what the dioceses are currently doing. They will then work together to plan how money from this appeal can most effectively strengthen their existing outreach.
What is encouraging is that this appeal is part of a much wider Anglican Communion appeal for Zimbabwe, which is a testament to what has been said before: that for Churches that live in very vulnerable settings Communion is not a luxury, either materially or spiritually. That as Primates we were able to speak with a common voice around the atrocities in Zimbabwe, encourages not only our provinces, but the wider world that we are not solely occupied by our internal Communion struggles, but in the midst of this we continue to witness to God’s love for the World. We therefore ask for any support you can offer to this appeal.
Click HERE for a .pdf leaflet with more details.
DIOCESAN CHILD PROTECTION OFFICER
we are delighted to announce the appointment of Mrs Carol Clarke as our first full-time Diocesan Child Protection Officer.
Carol currently works for Coventry City Council as a team leader in their Social Services Department.
In addition to Child Protection, Carol will have responsibility for advising on procedures relating to the care and protection of vulnerable adults, victims of domestic violence, and of allegations of bullying in the workplace.
Carol will be starting on 1 April 2009 and will be based at the Diocesan Offices in Coventry.
In the meantime, any child protection concerns should continue to be referred as follows:
* General requests for advice and support should be directed to Christine Camfield at Bishop's House. Christine can be contacted on 024 7667 2244 or the Child Protection mobile number which is 07906 627052.
* All matters relating to CRB should be directed to Andrew Roberts on 024 7652 1200
* Urgent matters, which need action out of hours, should be directed to Social Services on 024 7683 2222 (Coventry) or 01827 711101 (Warwickshire) or to the police on 999.
READERS REPORT
A report about Reader Ministry in the Church of England, entitled 'Reader Upbeat', has been published and is available HERE. (.doc file of 786KB.)
OFFA HOUSE
For details of the Diocesan Retreat House and its programme, click HERE.
COVENTRY CURSILLO
The following Cursillo weekends have been planned:
Coventry Cursillo 36
Friday 1st May - Monday 4th May 2009 Closing date to apply 1st April 2009
Tim will be helping to lead this weekend.
Coventry Cursillo 37
Thursday 29th October - Sunday 1st November 2009 Closing Date 1st October 2009
Coventry Cursillo 38
Friday 30th April - Monday 3rd May 2010
Coventry Cursillo 39
Thursday 4th November - Sunday 7th November 2010
Cursillos are held at Offa House, the Coventry Diocesan Retreat centre, in Spring and Autumn each year. They commence at approximately 6.30pm on the Thursday or Friday and finish at approximately 5.00pm on the Sunday or Monday.
Please note: There is a closing Eucharist on the last day of each weekend in St Gregory's, Offchurch at 2.45pm; parishioners, relatives and friends are warmly invited to attend.
For an application form, please click HERE
COVENTRY CITY OF SANCTUARY LAUNCHED
On 25th September at the Coventry 'Council House' (Town Hall) Coventry's own movement to become an official City of Sanctuary was launched by the Mayor Andy Matchet.
At a packed meeting (which someone described to me as the best attended they had ever been to in Coventry), participants were asked to share their ideas on how to build support for people seeking sanctuary throughout the city, including schools, employers, and local media.
The Mayor spoke passionately about the need for Coventry as a City of Sanctuary to offer basic standards of decency to people who are trapped by the contradictions of government asylum policy. He pledged that all of the departments of Coventry City Council would work together to respond with humanity to people seeking sanctuary in the city.
The event was also filmed by Central Vision, the new community internet TV station for Coventry.
Following the meeting, an initial task group has been formed to plan future events and activities.
If anyone is interested in supporting this movement please contact Rev Dr John Hall at john.hall@covcofe.org
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY TO LEAD
NATIONAL DAY OF PILGRIMAGE
The Archbishop of Canterbury is leading a national day of pilgrimage on forming fresh expressions of church in a catholic and sacramental tradition in Coventry Cathedral on Monday 8th December. To see brochure click on the following link: http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk//standard.asp?id=3790&cachefixer=
All are welcome but it will be particularly helpful for clergy and lay leaders in an anglocatholic tradition who are beginning to explore fresh expressions of church. The day is centred around the Eucharist. Numbers are limited so please book early.
WHAT AM I DOING HERE? - A Beginner’s Guide To Church
This is a witty, thought provoking guide to church by Hilary Brand. It can help answer the questions many people ask about why they go to church. For further information click the following link: http://www.chpublishing.co.uk/feature.asp?id=2394257
MARRIAGE MEASURE 2008
The occasional offices remain a royal road to evangelism and church growth in England for those who want to take this opportunity seriously. Certainly our latest research shows that couples coming to the church for a wedding want to take God seriously. October 1st sees new legislation that offers local churches ten ways to say yes to couples coming to them for marriage. See www.yourchurchwedding.org also http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr6608.html
CHANGING ROLES AND THE BISHOPS CERTIFICATE IN DISCIPLESHIP
Richard Cooke writes:
Some changes have taken place in my role recently, so that I have relinquished responsibility for Initial Ministerial Education (Phase 2) - what was once upon a time known as Post-Ordination Training. This means that I no longer have responsibility for supporting and supervising the overall training of curates and their training incumbents. A new half-time post has been created for IME2, though it has not yet been filled.
This frees me to give more time to Local Ministry and Lay Development, which have been my responsibility since last September, alongside Continuing Ministerial Education (which is now defined as supporting clergy and Readers once their initial training is completed).
Local Ministry, which has largely comprised the support and development of MLTs, has been reviewed and the review is available at:
http://www.coventrydiocese.org/upload/file/finalreport020308.pdf.
There will be more discussion about the way forward for MLTs through the Autumn.
The Lay Development programme is, at the moment, largely focused on developing the new Bishop's Certificate in Discipleship (BCD). The official launch will be in late September, when we hope to have a full year's programme fixed and available. Information will be available on the Training pages of the diocesan website at http://www.coventry.anglican.org/ministry/learning/trainingstudy/. The introductory leaflet, answers to frequently asked questions, and a booking form for the module on Jesus and the Gospels are already accessible there. If you wish to know more please email Sarah at cme@covcofe.org.
One of the effects of the introduction of BCD is a major change to the format of Reader training in the diocese. A new Reader training course will begin in September 2009, and will last approximately fourteen months instead of the current two years. Candidates will have to complete the BCD before embarking on Reader training as such. Therefore anyone who might be looking for selection to train as a Reader can begin by taking part in some BCD modules in preparation, though of course completing the BCD so does not automatically imply that someone will be selected for Reader ministry.
Elizabeth Dyke, who has been Director of Initial Training for Readers for the last six years, is stepping down from that post; this is a good opportunity to say thank you for the hard work, common sense and efficiency which have made Elizabeth such a valuable member of the team. She remains vicar of Dunchurch and Thurlaston, so we shall still see plenty of her! No successor to Elizabeth has yet been appointed, so queries about Reader training are best addressed for the time being to Chris Haines (email: chris@haines.uk.com), the Warden of Readers.
NEW BISHOP, NEW BOOK
Richard Morris, manager of Wesley Owen Coventry, writes:
Christopher Cocksworth is the new Bishop of Coventry. It's been a busy year for him as he's also just had his new book 'Holding Together' published by Canterbury Press. 'This long awaited and timely book explores the notion that biblical Gospel, catholic Church and powerful Spirit are the fundamental realities of Christian existence that all traditions need to experience together. Here, often sharply contrasting positions in evangelical and catholic theology face each other so that they can listen to each other in the Spirit and discover their fundamental complementarity.' (Quote from the rear cover). The book costs £16.99 and is now available at the Coventry store as well as other Christian bookshops.
SPAB’S MAINTENANCE HANDBOOK
SPAB’s (The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) new maintenance handbook is now available. The Good Maintenance Guide has been written by the Faith in Maintenance project team and contains a wealth of advice about the day to day care of historic places of worship but is also relevant to all types of old building.
The handbook is intended to be a practical and easy to use source of advice and includes chapters on understanding traditional materials, why buildings decay, maintenance tasks and working with professionals and others. It also contains a useful maintenance checklist and many references to related sources of help and guidance. The guide is particularly aimed at volunteers who care for historic places of worship, but is applicable to all historic structures.
To purchase the guide contact 0207 456 0913 or visit www.spab.org.uk
The Faith in Maintenance website has also been updated to include additional advice and guidance. Several new case studies have been added and a new online forum has been launched. To contribute to the forum and join in the debate and let us know what you think by registering at www.spabfim.org.uk/forum/index.php
COSTA COFFEE SUPPORT CAFÉ CHURCH
Costa Coffee are supporting and hosting various expressions of ‘café church’. Read more (and register) at
http://www.cafechurch.net/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=10
The following additional material has come from Southam Deanery:
FROM THE DEANERY MISSIONERSome bits and bobs which you may find useful…
The theme, ‘synagogue to marketplace’, links to the change from the mindset of the gathered church calling people in, to a community of dispersed missionaries going and starting something new: http://www.churcharmy.org.uk/ms/sc/sfc_researchbulletin.asp .
A painting featuring the nativity scene set in a bus shelter was launched this week as the poster campaign for this Christmas by The Churches Adverting Network CAN. Featuring the strapline "Be Part of the Action, Church 25-12", the poster is available for churches to download free from the CAN website From next week the poster will feature on over 1,000 bus shelters across the country. If there's one near you why not get some carol singing going around it. It is still not too late to book airtime on commercial radio to use the radio ads that CAN have provided see here for more information about how to do this. Also available on the website are free cartoons for local use.
A YouGov survey carried out for Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has found over 76% of UK residents worried about the cost of Christmas. The figures varied a little among various segments, but all within the range 67% to 85%. Middle-aged respondents (85%), women (82%), and Scottish residents (81%) were the most worried. Younger people and Londoners were the least concerned.
However, 30% said that they did not budget for Christmas; the Scots who were the most worried geographical group were also the most prudent planners. Matt Barlow, UK Chief Executive of CAP, said: ‘Christmas can be a difficult time for people to balance the books and it was no surprise that the current economic crisis is accentuating people’s nerves.’ CAP runs 82 debt counselling services and has helped 1,500 clients put money aside for this Christmas. Visit http://www.capuk.org/downloads/three_quarters_of_brits.pdf for the CAP Press Release.
Church of England statistics for mission
The Church of England provide statistics to help with their mission strategy. Recent figures can be seen reported at: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/thechurchofenglandtoday/
Video comics for children re Christmas
The Anglican Diocese of London have produced humourous videos for children on the Christmas theme at: http://www.londonchristmas.org.uk/children
Sing Christmas in the community
'Sing Christmas' is local initiative that could spread. Singing carols in pubs / community events, and networked through local radio, it is worth looking at: http://www.singchristmas.org.uk/
Year of the Child 2009
Church leaders are being encouraged to help make 2009 ‘a year to remember’ for young people and the Church with the launch of an interdenominational Year of the Child, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the United Nations’ International Year of the Child. A network of Children’s Advisers from across the Church of England’s dioceses, alongside representatives from other denominations and agencies, plan to promote 2009 as an opportunity for local churches to review the work they do with and for children and young people, and to do more to recognise and celebrate their contribution in the life of the church and society. More details at http://www.yearofthechild2009.co.uk/ and http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr8908.html
'Will you make a difference' with young people?
50,000 dvd's have been distributed by a coalition of Christian youth networks aiming to encourage the church in children's ministry, including outreach, for the Year of the Child. You can order one and get more info at http://www.wymad.org.uk/
Also, are there any parishes/churches who fancy doing a parish mission during autumn 2009?
I have some booklets produced by the Springboard initiative which take parishes through a step-by–step process to running a mission weekend in their parishes. You would probably need to be thinking something like 9 months ahead to get the planning right.
If anyone is interested in exploring this and running something next year, then contact Craig who can give further advice, on 612377.
This page last updated on 04/03/2009