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.

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.

Howard joins the Diocese of London from the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham where he has been Director of Education since 2004. He began his career as a secondary school teacher in Cairo and the UK, before being ordained and serving as a curate and vicar in Southwell and Nottingham.

It was during this time Howard first became involved with the local Diocesan Board for Education and also researched a doctorate investigating how children come to faith and what influence this has on their development across life. In 2000, Howard took up the position of Director of Studies at St John’s Theological College in Nottingham where he taught education, mission and ethics to people preparing for ministry in the Church of England.

Howard is married with three children. His wife, Ruth, is ordained and currently serving as priest-in-charge at St Christopher’s Church, Sneinton, Nottingham. She is also a Member of General Synod and was recently made a chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen.

In his message to the Diocese, the Bishop of London said, “Howard was originally brought up and educated in this Diocese so I hope you will all offer him a warm welcome on his return to London”.

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.

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.

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.)

When do we go?

We are hoping to be in Russia from 28 April till 5 May 2010.

Where will we stay?

Our group usually stays at the Orthodox Seminary in the territory of the St Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The location is wonderful, at the southern end of Nevsky Prospect and alongside the beautiful, historic cemetery where Dostoevsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky are buried.

Staying in the seminary is a very Russian and a very Orthodox experience. The rooms are good, though perhaps not of a smart western hotel standard. You should expect to share a room with another member of the group. The seminary provides all our meals too and you’ll sample delicious Russian food and probably some vodka to help digestion.

What will we see?

As well as seminary life, we will see some amazing social projects in St Petersburg run by Orthodox Christians. During the Communist years it was illegal for the Church to engage in organised pastoral work and it is wonderful to see the Church recovering her mission to care for the poor and needy. In a country where social service provision is extremely patchy there is much work to do. The kind of projects we will visit might include an Orthodox children’s hospital chaplaincy, a teenage young offenders’ rehab project or a medical care project for people who are old and ill and have no other carers. It is our hope that members of the Diocesan Group will develop ongoing relationships with some of these outstanding projects and assist them with their prayers and, hopefully, practical and financial help in the future.

We will also visit Orthodox Parish Churches to meet the clergy and faithful and to learn more about Orthodox spirituality.

Will there be time to explore St Petersburg?

The Diocesan visit is a great chance to get to know this beautiful city. First-time visitors will certainly want to see something of the Hermitage, the world class art collection housed in the Winter Palace on the banks of the Neva. We usually include an optional visit to the ballet or opera at the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre or one of the other great theatres in the city. The city is built on many rivers and canals and a boat trip is a great way to see St Petersburg, assuming that spring has come and the waters are not still frozen!

How much will it cost?

We reckon the trip will cost something in the region of £900. This will include flights and visa costs, accommodation and full board, as well as the use of the seminary mini-bus throughout the week. You will also need some pocket money for souvenirs and a night at the theatre is likely to cost approximately £30. Also, it is always good to buy little gifts from the UK to give to new friends in Russia. Clergy seeking financial assistance towards the cost of the visit should contact the Archdeacon of Hackney’s office about possible sources of help.

Who can come?

The trip is open to the laity, religious and clergy of the Diocese of London.

There is quite an amount of walking and some travelling by metro and public transport. You will need to be in reasonable physical health. Provision for those with disabilities is very poor in Russia. It is also worth saying that visiting Russia can often be a challenging experience as the customer service culture is not as highly developed as in the west and there is also much poverty. To cope with this, members of the group should be in good psychological health.

It is hoped that participants in the Diocesan Group will want to make friends in Russia and develop ongoing relationships between their parish or place of ministry and colleagues in St Petersburg. We ask that lay people who are interested in joining the group provide us with a letter of support from their parish priest.

The maximum number of participants in the group is 12. Preference will be given to people who have not been to St Petersburg before. We are particularly keen to involve younger members of the Diocese.

A trip to Russia always includes the possibility that plans and details might change and we hope members of the group will set out with the appropriate spirit of adventure!

Who leads the group?

The trip is planned and led by a small organising group comprising The Ven Dr Lyle Dennen, Archdeacon of Hackney; Father Tim Pike, Bishop of London’s Chaplain for Russian Orthodox Relations; and Ms Jenny Harding, all of whom are experienced visitors to Russia.

I’d like to come. How do I book?

We hope you will be interested in joining our trip in spring 2010. For a booking form, please email Jenny Harding at jenny.harding (Email: jenny.harding [at] london.anglican.org) or telephone her on 020 7353 3544.

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)

Currently online:

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.

The nomination periods are as follows:

The role of the Area Councils include providing support and advice to the Area Bishop on the mission, ministry and administration of the church in the Area; being responsible for carrying out certain duties relating to the Pastoral Measure, and taking financial responsibility for monies allocated to the Area.

For details on candidacy, electors and for other information, please contact Monica Bolley, Synodical Secretary, Tel: 020 7932 1228, email: monica.bolley (Email: monica.bolley [at] london.anglican.org)

Timetable for the Elections

Who can be elected?

One clerical member and three lay members from each Episcopal Area will be elected by the respective Area memberships of the separate Houses of the Diocesan Synod. Any cleric beneficed or licensed in, or licensed under Seal and connected to, each Area is eligible to stand for election.

Any lay person who is an actual communicant as defined in Church Representation Rule 54(1) whose name is entered on the roll of any parish in a deanery in each Area is eligible to stand for election.

For further information and nomination forms contact:

monica.bolley (Email: monica.bolley [at] london.anglican.org) or telephone 020 7932 1228.

• 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.

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).

For more information, please contact the Revd Stephen Coles by e: cardinal.jeoffrey (Email: cardinal.jeoffrey [at] btconnect.com).

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

As you may know, Ecclesiastical run an annual Church Competition and this year is no different.  As part of our long-standing commitment to the Church, we’re once again requesting entries for our 2009 competition – The Christmas Factor.

What are we doing?

A survey we recently commissioned revealed that doorstep carol singing has declined significantly in recent years. Of those questioned, only 2% said they will be singing carols door-to-door this Christmas. In addition, almost three-quarters of Britons (73%) said that carollers are less welcome on the doorstep today than they were in the past. The survey also reveals that 19% of Britons said they won’t answer the door if carol singers knock and 3% said they would ask carol singers to leave.

At Ecclesiastical, we want to ensure that the tradition of carols and carolling remains vibrant and relevant to our lives today. This in turn may help increase participation levels and community involvement.  We believe that carol singing helps spread the Christian word and also encourages a sense of community, not to mention putting a smile on many peoples’ faces.

That’s why we’ve teamed up with the ChurchAds.Net and their “Christmas starts with Christ” campaign to bring you the ‘The Christmas Factor’ competition – challenging you to come up with your very own Christmas carol.

What do you need to do?

All you need to do is compose the lyrics and melody of a new carol, no longer than three verses in total, based around the theme of the Nativity. All entries will be individually judged by a panel and the winner will win the following fantastic prizes:

• £1,000 prize money for your church or local church group
• A professionally produced version of the carol
• A performance of your carol on your own doorstep
• Promotion and downloadable version of the carol from ChurchAds.Net

Plus, we’ll aim to get your name in lights with a little publicity for you and your church.

We see the competition as a fantastic way to raise the Church’s message, support the valuable work already taking place in the community and reinforce the core spiritual values of Christmas.

So if you agree with us that carolling should remain a vital part of the Christmas celebration, get inspired…and get composing.

How to enter

Please visit www.ecclesiastical.com/christmasfactor for full details of how to enter and to view full Terms & Conditions.  The closing date for entries is 5pm on 27 November 2009.

It is interesting to share family customs with people for whom it is all quite new; or, if you are going to be alone, one or two guests from China or India (for example) might even supply a reason for ‘doing Christmas properly’. HOST has been linking students with hospitable volunteers for 22 years, at Christmas and also weekends throughout the year.

See www.hostuk.org or call HOST’s volunteer regional organiser Paul Allen on 0207 193 6506. HOST is a registered charity backed by the Foreign Office and many universities.

Reader Admitted and Licensed by the Director of Training and Development for Willesden on 22 February 2009 at St Margaret Uxbridge

Jackie Woodruff (St Margaret, Uxbridge Team Ministry)

Reader Admitted and Licensed by the Area Bishop of Willesden on 19 July 2009 at St Augustine Wembley Park

Anthony Holloway (St Augustine Wembley Park)

Readers Admitted and Licensed by the Area Bishop of Edmonton on 19 September 2009 at Christ Church and St Mary Magdalene Munster Square

Andrew Penny (St John Hampstead)
Simon Walsh (St Mary Magdalene Munster Square)

Readers Admitted and Licensed by the Area Bishop of Stepney on 22 September 2009 at St James Clapton

Matthew Bull (St Mary Magdalene Holloway)
Agnes Mbono (St James Clapton)
Annietta Stapleton  (St Barnabas with St Paul West Hackney)

Readers Admitted and Licensed by the Area Bishop of Willesden on 7 October 2009 at St Matthew Yiewsley

Bruce Innis (St Matthew Yiewsley)
John Moore (St Mary Hanwell)

The Diocesan Cycle of Prayer

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

Information

• Transformative launched
• Guidance for the prevention of illegal working – important advice for parishes
• Clergy Discipline Measure: report from David Houlding
• PCC Registration with the Charity Commission
• Day of Prayer on Climate Change
• Church website survey
• Parochial Fees for 2010
• CRB Section X Checker training sessions
• Children’s and Youth Worker conference on 7 November is postponed
• Confirmation at St Paul’s: please notify the Cathedral of your candidates by 16 October
• Five Impossible Things to Believe Before Christmas: new book by Kevin Scully
• Operation Noah lecture by the Archbishop of Canterbury

Events

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

Dates for your diary

• Personal Finances for Clergy seminar, 6 October
• Confirmation Service at St Paul’s, 7 November
• Inter Faith Week, 15-21 November
• London Fairtrade Conference with John Bell, 16 January

• Social Justice Calendar for 2009

Classified ads

• Job opportunities as advertised on the diocesan website

People

• Clergy moves: in, out and around the Diocese
• New General Secretary appointed

Ministry Matters

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

For more information, and to reserve a place, visit: www.london.anglican.org/EventShow_12334.

An invitation will be sent to PCC Secretaries and Chaplains on 22 October. It will also be available to download from London’s Fairtrade website.

The Order is now before Parliament for its consent. The provisional table of fees can be downloaded below. The current Parochial Fees can always be found at www.cofe.anglican.org/lifeevents/fees.

You may have to consider carefully whether people such as organists, vergers and youth workers are employees or contractors. As a broad rule of thumb if the PCC is responsible for PAYE then it is likely that the person is an employee.

Using the information received from the UK Border Agency (UKBA), this guide has been compiled to provide you with a basic summary of the above change in rules and how they are linked to your recruitment processes.

The guide can be downloaded below. If you have any comments or suggestions on the guidance, please send them to catherine.ward (Email: catherine.ward [at] london.anglican.org).

All resources are now freely available for these times of prayer on the CTBI and Operation Noah websites where you can find tips on running the event, poster and sample newsletter article to use for local publicity, a welcome sheet for participants, a selection of reflections to either read out or play as audio tracks, and response forms for people to sign as they leave.

The audio tracks also provide a useful resource for personal meditation and prayer. Please consider if you can make arrangements to hold a time of prayer in your own town or city. For more information or to register an event please email dayofprayer (Email: dayofprayer [at] operationnoah.org).

The Climate Change Day of Prayer is an initiative of the Environmental Issues Network of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).