Ministry Matters

Last Advent and Christmas over 5,000 people used Church Finder to find their local church. Help these people find you this Christmas by listing your services on the diocesan website.

Find out whether your parish has its services listed yet:

Send us information about your services and other public events in whatever way is most convenient:

• Email the text, attachment or a link to the appropriate page on your parish’s website to christmas (Email: christmas [at] london.anglican.org)
• Send your pew/news sheet, parish Christmas card or magazine to London Christmas, 36 Causton Street, London SW1P 4AU.

When the information has been entered, a parish’s page will display the London Christmas image to show visitors that information about Christmas activities is available – simply click the image to go forward.

Being an employer can seem a very daunting task. Whether you employ cleaners and organists or people in roles such as secretaries or administrators, the field of employment legislation can sometimes appear enormous.

This booklet is therefore intended to be a guide to the rules and regulations that you need to bear in mind as an employer. It is divided into four sections: Written Documentation, Money (Employers Obligations), People and lastly a general section on Frequently Asked Questions. If you have any questions that still remain unanswered there are web links or phone numbers for further information in the Useful Contacts section.

This booklet is intended for those PCCs who already employ people and are concerned about what they should be doing. This guide will not provide information on the pre-employment, recruitment and selection stage.

For those concerned with their volunteers, you may find information in the People and Frequently Asked Questions sections helpful.

The Bishop of London has announced the appointment of the Revd Dr Howard Worsley in succession to Tom Peryer as Director of the London Diocesan Board for Schools.

Read more »

All PCCs who had income of over £100,000 in 2007 should, by law, have been registered with the Charity Commission by the end of September this year.

If your PCC is in this category and has not yet registered, please ensure that the process is completed as soon as possible. There is an online guide available here (pdf).

If you are unable to access the online guide or need any other assistance with the process please contact your Area Finance Adviser,

If your PCC crossed the £100,000 income threshold in 2008 you now need to register with the Charity Commission and should do so now.

A round-up of items posted over the last month.

The Diocesan Cycle of Prayer

The Cycle of Prayer in A5 booklet and simple A4 formats: www.london.anglican.org/Prayer.

Information

Events

• Events from around the Diocese
  
• Continuing Ministerial Education courses and events

Dates for your diary

• Transformative study sessions, 29 Oct – 1 Dec
• Confirmation Service at St Paul’s, 7 November
• Inter Faith Week, 15-21 November
• Unemployment and the Future of Work roundtable, 17 November
• Constantinople Lecture, 26 November
• London Fairtrade Conference with John Bell, 16 January
• Festival of St Paul Weekend, 22-23 January

• Social Justice Calendar for 2009

Classified ads

• Job opportunities as advertised on the diocesan website

People

• Readers licensed and admitted

Ministry Matters

For information about Ministry Matters, who receives it and how to submit items for inclusion, visit the About Ministry Matters page.

Last year, hundreds of parishes used the diocesan website to advertise their Advent, Christmas and Epiphany services. Over 5,000 people visited the website’s Church Finder during that period.

We are now ready to start receiving details of services, concerts, plays and whatever else you are hosting. We are happy to be sent the information in whatever way is most convenient for parishes:

• Email the text, attachment or a link to the appropriate page on your website to christmas (Email: christmas [at] london.anglican.org)
• Send your pew/news sheet, parish Christmas card or magazine to London Christmas, 36 Causton Street, London SW1P 4AU.

When the information has been entered, a parish’s page will display the London Christmas image to show visitors that information about Christmas activities is available – simply click the image to go forward.

(If you are planning a Christingle service you may also wish to visit www.christingle.org for materials and advice, courtesy of the Children’s Society.)

If you are interested in Christianity in Russia and would enjoy visiting the beautiful northern city of St Petersburg, why not consider participating in the Diocese of London’s annual visit to the Church in St Petersburg next spring? During our visit we make a point of sharing in the liturgy of the Orthodox Church and visit parishes and Church pastoral care projects in and around St Petersburg. And there is always time to explore the former tsarist capital of Russia and sample the outstanding cultural life of the city.

Read more »

The 2010 Diocese of London Lent Appeal for ALMA will be supporting ‘ALMA’s Children’.

Since 2001 the ‘ALMA’s Children’ fund has enabled our partner dioceses in Angola, Lebombo and Niassa (in Mozambique) to respond to one of the greatest challenges they face: ministry to young people – when over 50% of the population is under the age of 18. ‘ALMA’s children’ has supported work with Orphaned and Vulnerable children, the building of schools and nurseries, and funding health centres and health education.  London’s Lenten discipline in 2010 can play an important part in transforming the lives of even more children and also in contributing to the dynamic witness of our partners.

Practical details: The Lent Appeal Poster will be available to view in the next mailing and the Lent Appeal Card by December. There will be a Lent Appeal area on the Diocesan website linked to both the ALMA and the Transformative sites. Additional resources, worship suggestions and stories will be available online.

As normal all parishes will receive a set of materials including a gift aid envelope and a resources order form by post in early January. From 19^th January pre-ordered resources will be available for collection from Diocesan House.

Once again thank you for your support of the past two Lent Appeals. It is wonderful to share that the 2008 Lent Appeal school in Messumba, Niassa will be officially opened on 15^th November 2009, and that the building of the school in Nsossa Angola, is now well underway (photos on the ALMA website: www.almalink.org).

The 2009 Lent Appeal ‘Living Water’ has recently exceeded its target and has raised £63,500 before Gift Aid. This is very special given the economic circumstances here in London. Thank you.

More information:

ALMA Communications Officer: Sheenagh Burrell almacomms (Email: almacomms [at] london.anglican.org); t: 020 7932 1231 (Tuesdays)

For the latest vacancies being advertised, visit www.london.anglican.org/Jobs.

Currently online:

The listings for the Transformative study sessions have been updated with names of the Chairs and information about the venues.

Transformative begins with these study sessions this Autumn and continues through to Holy Week and Easter in 2010.

More information on Transformative:

• The Bishop of London’s Ad Clerum (1 September)
• Transformative Study Sessions
• Transformative website

Transformative timetable:

• Autumn 2009: Intensive study sessions
• 22-23 January 2010: The Festival of St Paul Weekend
• Lent 2010: Diocesan Lent course
• Holy Week and Easter 2010: Chrism Eucharist, Easter Vigil and Confirmation

Transformative Co-ordinating Committee

Canon Martin Warner (Chair), the Revd Andrew Hammond, the Revd Jennie Hogan, Dr Douglas Knight, the Revd Preb Nick Mercer, the Revd Ian Mobsby, the Revd Professor Ben Quash,The Revd Jason Rendell, The Revd Miles Toulmin.

Elections to the five Area Councils in the Diocese take place in 2009. Members of the churches in each Episcopal Area are invited to consider standing for election to their Area Council to take forward together our Christian life in each Area.

Read more »

Following the election of a new Diocesan Synod, members of Synod are required to elect representatives to the Diocesan Vacancy in See Committee. The Vacancy in See Committee meets when there is a vacancy in the See of London, i.e. should the post of Bishop of London become vacant. The Committee prepares a statement of the needs of the Diocese for consideration by the Crown Nominations Commission of the General Synod, and appoints a number of its members to represent the Diocese on the Commission.

Read more »

The London hearing/roundtable event will bring together 50-60 people of faith engaged at all levels within the churches and other faith communities, in responding to the economic crisis – and in particular to examine the following questions:

• What impact is the recession having on unemployment and future working patterns?
• What implications does this have for those directly affected?
• What implications does it have for Government welfare to work policy?
• What positive contribution can faith communities play in the crisis?

It takes place on 17 November, 11am-4pm, at Westminster Central Hall. To book a place, visit www.london.anglican.org/EventShow_12529.

After a hugely enjoyable season, All Saints Fulham are looking for opponents both old and new for the 2010 cricket season. The emphasis is very much on having a good time rather than a win at all costs mentality and we would love to play you at our beautiful ground next to the Thames.

A number of other parishes have also expressed an interest in taking part in a Diocesan 20/20 competition in 2010. So if you have a church cricket team (or fancy putting one together) and are interested in either a one-off match or taking part in a 20/20 Diocesan competition please contact Andrew Downes at All Saints Fulham on 07939 290265 or andrewvjd (Email: andrewvjd [at] googlemail.com).

The Annual Constantinople Lecture will be given by The Rt Revd Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry on 26 November. His topic will be The place of the Church of England in, and its contribution to the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

For more details and to download a booking form, visit www.london.anglican.org/EventShow_12515.