20 May 2013

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Church buildings? Who cares?

13 April 2012 By

The Care of Churches Team

I started last month as Maintenance Support Officer for the Diocese of London. In this short time I have already met a whole range of inspiring people working in church buildings. When you stop and think about it, it really is very impressive that all over London people are taking care of wonderful buildings purely so that others can enjoy them.

I will be blogging about some of the work that goes into caring for churches, how to make it easier, and opportunities for getting involved. With any luck, it may provide you with ideas and inspiration for your own church, or encourage you to team up with a local church and get involved working with some of the most important and impressive structures in the whole of England.

In part these posts will provide me with a chance to celebrate centuries of work done by the unsung heroes of London: the masons, glaziers, craftspeople, the dusters, gutter-cleaners, and polishers who have ensured the future of a stunning collection of church buildings. Before I get on to those noble individuals, I’ll tell you a little bit about the team working for the Diocese who help parishes with the ‘care of churches’. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Care of Churches, DCG, Featured articles

Church bells to ring as Olympic cyclists race past

10 April 2012 By


This week’s post comes from Peter Steadman, a parishioner in Guildford Diocese. He’s encouraging churches along the cycle route to ring their bells during races on 28 and 29 July. To check if you’re on the route, visit the London 2012 website. Peter writes:

When the cycle race came through Surrey last August one group of spectators felt there was something missing. The crowd on Leatherhead’s Dorking Road included clergy and congregation from several churches who had come out after their service at the Parish Church.

There was a lovely atmosphere. We had a mix of people who wouldn’t normally all come to the same service. Because of the road closures, some of our regulars couldn’t get to our church that morning, and there were others who came here because they couldn’t reach their usual churches either. After the service we joined the crowd on the street, all of us anticipating the excitement to come.

You often hear that a cycle race is over in a moment. That may be an exaggeration, but the action is certainly fast and intense.

The riders were doing 40mph, in a tight pack. Their heads were down reading the road markings. I wondered whether it made much difference to them whether they were riding through France or Belgium rather than the lovely Surrey landscape. I wasn’t sure they’d notice London’s great landmarks as they passed them either.

So I came up with the idea of adding that very English sound of church bells ringing as the cyclists passed through each town and village. Something that would stay in the minds of the riders long after the day. A sound that would remind spectators on the race days that churches can be a focus of activity too.

I wrote to the Bishops of Guildford, Southwark, and London – through whose dioceses the Olympic cycle route runs – to seek their support for the idea. All three Bishops are encouraging the project. They hope bell-ringers will take on the challenge, even though the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympic opening day have already added to ringers’ duties in 2012. Despite their heavy 2012 workload, bell-ringers across the three dioceses have been keen to adopt the project.

The Bishop of Guildford, the Right Revd Christopher Hill commented:

“I am very happy to commend to churches along the Olympic cycling route the idea of ringing during the events themselves. No doubt the ringers concerned will consult their incumbents as is proper but I am sure we all have goodwill towards this joyful celebration of a major international event.”

So when you hear the bells ringing during the Olympic cycling events on July 28th and 29th, remember it all grew out of an idea a group of parishioners had one sunny Sunday morning last August.

If you’re on the cycle route and would like to find out more about how to make the most of this opportunity, contact me (Email: elizabeth.harrison [at] london.anglican.org) to join the working group.

Filed Under: DCG, Featured articles, Featured events, Kensington, Olympics, Welcoming visitors

Capital Vision 2020 announced in Maundy Thursday sermon

5 April 2012 By

Diocesan clergy and parishioners gathered this morning in St Paul’s Cathedral for the annual Chrism Mass, at which clergy reaffirmed their ordination vows.

The Bishop of London took the opportunity to announce plans for ‘Capital Vision 2020’ which will seek to renew the collective vision of how Jesus Christ is served in the Diocese of London.

During his sermon, Bishop Richard outlined the achievements from the previous initiative, the London Challenge 2012,  which included:

  • The success of the church planting strategy;
  • The opening of academies and the provision of 2012 new places at secondary schools across the Diocese;
  • The recruitment of young ambassadors for Jesus Christ who will serve during the Olympic Games and contribute to the Olympic legacy;
  • The successful campaign to become a Fairtrade Diocese;
  • The outstanding work in energy conservation that has set standards for the Church throughout the country; and
  • The funds raised to support the link through ALMA.

Capital Vision 2020 will begin with Area Deans exploring three questions which will eventually be put to the whole Diocese:

  1. What is the Spirit saying to us in the life of London?
  2. Where does the Church invest effort and resources at present?
  3. In what ways do we need to rethink and act differently?

The many conversations will be distilled into Capital Vision 2020, to be adopted by Diocesan Synod in the spring of next year, and launched at a great assembly in St Paul’s in June 2013.

The full text of Bishop Richard’s sermon is available here.

Filed Under: Capital Vision, DCG, Featured articles, London Challenge

Annual return 2012 information

23 March 2012 By

The Annual Return is the means of collecting from parishes/churches information required by the bishops, archdeacons, diocesan officers, and the committees of the Archbishops’ Council, to assist in their various responsibilities for planning and administering the affairs of the church at its different levels.

It is essential that the senior clergy and diocesan staff know the details of the appropriate contacts for any matter about which they may have dealings with your church, and accurate information on the life and finances of the parish/church is essential in reaching the right decisions to further the mission of the Church in your locality, and in the Diocese as a whole.

(The information is also statutorily required to comply with the provisions of the Churchwardens Measure 2001, the Synodical Government Measure 1969 and the Church Accounting Regulations 1997, as amended in 2001.)

Using the last 10 years’ returns to help you plan in your parish

The information provided through the annual return also helps churches plan for the future. A project has started to provide each parish, on request, with analysis of the last ten years’ annual return data. For more information, visit here.

Completing the annual return

People who hold a “principal minister position” (incumbent, priest in charge, minister in charge, team rector, team vicar, pioneer minister) or have an official parish role (churchwarden, PCC secretary, PCC treasurer, parish administrator) will be emailed separately by Area/archdeaconry offices with details of how to log in.

Other people can be given access to the online annual return. Instructions for doing that are on the annual return help page.

The online facility will be available straight after Easter – from Tuesday 10 April. Annual returns should be completed by 1 June.

Useful information and getting help

Help is available on the diocesan website, both for completing the annual return and for conducting APCMs:

Filed Under: DCG, Featured articles, PCCs, Synod

Churches hustings for London mayoral candidates: 6pm, 18 April

22 March 2012 By

Christians will quiz the main candidates running for Mayor of London at a special hustings debate on 18 April.

The event will provide a chance for Christians from churches all over London to challenge the candidates about the big controversies making the headlines, and help to set the agenda for the next four years of London’s politics.

The event will take place at St James’s Church, Piccadilly on 18 April from 6-8pm. Current Mayor Boris Johnson and his key challengers, Ken Livingstone, Brian Paddick and Jenny Jones will all attend.  The Revd George Pitcher, former religion correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, will chair the debate.

At each of the previous mayoral elections the London Church Leaders group and the Evangelical Alliance have run hustings for the mayoral candidates. This year’s event continues this long-running engagement with the candidates and will show the key role that Christians play in London .

The Rt Revd Peter Wheatley, Bishop of Edmonton said:

“This is a great opportunity for churches to engage with the mayoral candidates and hear them respond to our questions and concerns. It will help us make an informed and effective choice for mayor when we vote on 3 May.”

Dr Dave Landrum, director of advocacy for the Evangelical Alliance said:

“The Church in London is growing and it’s bringing huge benefits and hope to the capital’s communities. As London votes for a leader this is a chance to see the candidates engage with Christians and encourage them to carry on that relationship when the winner takes office.”

The Revd Lucy Winkett, Rector of St James’s Piccadilly said:

“We are delighted to be hosting this live debate on the issues of the day, affirming the vital contribution people of faith make to public life.”

For more information and to submit questions in advance, visit www.votelondon.org.uk.

Hustings e-flyer
Title : Hustings e-flyer
Size : 295 kB
Filed Under: DCG, Featured articles, Featured events, Notice board

Maundy Thursday Eucharist, 10.30am, 5th April with Renewal of Ordination Vows and the Blessing of Oils

20 March 2012 By

Who could have foreseen all that was to unfold in the world, the Diocese and the Cathedral over the last twelve months? It is a constant reminder that, as Thomas à Kempis rendered Proverbs 16.9, “Man proposes, but God disposes.”

This should humble us and encourage us to ‘pray at all times in the Spirit’ remembering we are utterly dependent on the grace of God and that for all of us, our times are in his hands.

So trusting in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is always with a degree of conditionality that we lay our plans for the future before him. We look forward:

  • to the commissioning of the2012 at a great celebration in the Cathedral on St Mellitus Day, 24th April. There is still time for your younger people to sign up and be involved. (www.the2012.org.uk)
  • to the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and thanksgiving
  • to all the opportunities for witness and service that the Olympics and the Paralympics will bring
  • to the clergy Study Summit (20th September), one of the last engagements of Rowan as Archbishop of Canterbury
  • to praying and listening to each other as we move on beyond the London Challenge 2012 and try to discern our priorities, direction and vision for the next few years.

It was inspiring to see over 350 clergy and Readers in the Cathedral last year. Maundy Thursday is a day when we can rejoice in the diversity that God has given us and as clergy, renew our ordination vows, pray for the people we serve and bless the oils used for baptism, confirmation and healing. My brother bishops and I hope you will join us, all are welcome, clergy and people together rejoicing in the love of God, revealed to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As Holy Week approaches we recall our Lord’s agony in the Garden and as we commit ourselves afresh to God, we plan for the future with hope, yet dare to pray with our Saviour, “not my will, but yours be done”.

Practical Arrangements for Clergy and Licensed Ministers

Time: all robing in the Chapel of St Faith in the Crypt by 10.15 am at the latest. Enter by northwest crypt door – congregation only through West doors.

Robing: cassock, surplice, and if it is your tradition, white stole for clergy, scarf for Readers.
Oil Distribution: collect vials from the Crypt after the Eucharist – please wash and return empty containers from last year and leave them in the receptacles in the Crypt.

Deputies: a parish or chaplaincy representative may collect oils on behalf of the priest. Oils are available from the Virgers throughout the year should you require further supplies.

Coffee will be served in the Nelson Chamber after divesting.

Filed Under: Ad clerum, DCG, Featured articles, Featured events

Children’s Charter annual report

7 February 2012 By

The Children’s Charter launched a year ago and has been steadily growing through the year. We now have 35 parishes that have joined, making a clear commitment to developing and improving the welcome their parish extends to children. This report aims to give you a flavour of what’s been happening and a look ahead to where we hope to develop the scheme in the future.

You can see a map of the parishes that have joined the scheme. You will notice that they represent a real spread of parishes, from lots of different types on community and many different traditions. Some of those who have joined have literally hundreds of children who are part of church activity others have very few but what they all have in common is a desire to improve and develop. There is nobody who has ‘made it’ they are all engaged in a process of improving. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Children's Ministry, DCG, Featured articles

What can you do with a children’s service?

3 February 2012 By

Something a little different this week. You’ll remember me mentioning going to Ealing Deanery Synod and being amazed by all the good news stories I heard; well here’s one of them in a bit more detail. It’s a story of an excellent children’s service that hopefully will inspire you to think about whether you could do something similar.

Angela Draper and Felicity Mather, Pastoral Assistants at St Barnabas Church take up the story. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Children's Ministry, DCG, Featured articles

Ten Rats of children’s ministry: part two

9 December 2011 By

This week we’re going to continue our look through the Ten Rats of Children’s Ministry as produced by ChildFaith. This time we’ll be looking at Rat three: Doing good things, and avoiding or hiding the bad, will make us more acceptable to God. I have to confess that this is my second go at this article. My first attempt ground to a halt after 500 words that were quite frankly drifting along without going anywhere! The initial argument seems reasonably straight forward, however it then gets messy.

Does this mean that we exclude moral teaching from our children’s sessions and just focus on helping them understand God’s love? If we accept that we should be looking at how we should live as Christians then how do we best do that with Children? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Children's Ministry, DCG, Featured articles

Lent Appeal 2012: Giving Ministry Wheels

23 November 2011 By

This photo came from our ALMA partner in Niassa last week and shows a community’s delight in the commissioning of their new well. Bishop Mark Van Koevering can be seen near the Afrid pump that supplies the ‘Living Water’ of London’s 2009 Lent Appeal. Our 2008 Appeal Education for All has seen the completion of two schools in Messumba and Nsosso and the 2010 Appeal ALMA’s Children means that orphaned children are being supported by the Mothers’ Union and assisted with School uniform and books.

To date the 2011 Appeal Training God’s People has raised £47,000 and has already been used to provide additional lay and clerical training – to support the tremendous growth the Mozambican and Angolan churches are experiencing – and will also fund the purchase of 180 ‘Africa Bible Commentaries’ in Portuguese.

Yet if we talk with our partners the biggest impediment to ministry and growth is transport! Their dioceses are huge: Angola is five times the size of the entire UK and each Mozambican Diocese is 1.5 times the size of the UK. Public transport infrastructure is minimal and, although the bicycle is king in local contexts, for effective ministry to happen our partners need vehicles – sturdy and reliable ones that can cope with the dirt roads in the most remote places, and not just in the dry season. Each diocese has two or three vehicles but at the end of their useful lives, so our final Lent Appeal of London Challenge 2012 will be Giving Ministry Wheels. Our aim is to raise £60,000 to help fund a good quality second hand vehicle for Angola, Lebombo (Southern Mozambique) and Niassa (northern Mozambique).

Materials will include Lent Posters (A3 and A4), Lent Appeal Cards and Gift Aid Envelopes which will be available for preview from early December and for collection early January (a sample will be sent to each parish). Additional materials including power points showing some of the journeys our partners make, and problems encountered, will be available on the London Diocesan and ALMA websites along with stories and photos for downloading.

Thank you to every one who has contributed to the Lent Appeals in past years and for your support of the mission and ministry of our partners. Please will you journey with us once more in 2012?

For further information please contact Sheenagh Burrell (Email: almacoordinator [at] london.anglican.org), ALMA Co-ordinator.

Filed Under: ALMA, DCG, Featured articles, Lent Appeal

Biblical spin doctors

17 November 2011 By

Noah's ArkI had an interesting conversation with some children in a Sunday school last week. For the bulk of the session we had been talking about Zacchaeus and his tree but at the end of the session our conversation moved on to talking about what stories they would like to see in an all age service. The first suggestion was Jonah and the Whale.

We discussed how they could make the story interesting in the service and during this conversation I asked them if they knew how the story ended. They’re a very ‘Bible literate’ group and they all agreed that it ended when Jonah was spat out by the whale, went to Nineveh and the people then decided to repent. The keen bible scholars among you will know that there is more to this story and that it continues with Jonah under a tree furious with God for being gracious towards Nineveh.

I tried another story, how about Noah? Noah’s Ark is probably the story that has the most children’s books and resources devoted to it so surely they would know this one! So I asked what happened next, after the rainbow. Again nobody knew about the drunken nudity that is to follow (you’d think you’d remember that!!). [Read more...]

Filed Under: Children's Ministry, DCG, Featured articles

the2012

3 October 2011 By

the2012 Ambassadors with Bishop RichardI have been immensely heartened by the way that our churches responded to the disturbances this summer. Priests and people in the front line parishes were quick to open their doors and be seen as a calming influence on the streets. Many others were moved to pray, write letters of support and to send money. Over £45,000 has been donated so far to help a number of these churches to reach out with the love of Christ to young people who seem to have lost all hope.

So at a time when the national church is examining how to respond to the issue of the ‘missing generation’, we are thinking of various ways in which we can respond to recent events and of course it makes the work we already have in hand for ‘the2012’ even more significant and urgent.

Our original vision was to help inspire and equip the next generation so that they could follow the Apostle Peter’s advice to ‘be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within you with gentleness and respect’. We hope that with renewed confidence they will be encouraged to make the most of the mission and service opportunities of next summer and beyond.

Please do all you can to enlist your teenagers and invite your young adults to join ‘the2012’. The website at www.the2012.org.uk has all the details and you can download a choice of one-minute publicity videos to show at services or meetings. You can request publicity postcards and ask any questions of the Revd Ruth Bushyager (Email: ruth.bushyager [at] london.anglican.org), ‘the2012’ co-ordinator.

We have in the Diocese so many varied opportunities for these young ambassadors to engage with training and I am greatly looking forward to the commissioning service in our Cathedral on St Mellitus Day, 24th April 2012 at 7.00pm.

Join me in praying that in years to come there will be many hundreds of mature Christians, who will be able to look back on their journey of discipleship and name this as one of the ways the church invested in their growth as a lifelong Ambassador for Christ.

Filed Under: Ad clerum, DCG, Featured articles, London Challenge, Mission, the2012

Dream goods and designer clothes feature in church Christmas advert

15 September 2011 By


Churchads.net is asking UK churches to support its 2011 Christmas poster which re-casts the nativity scene with trendy twenty somethings, designer fashions and luxury gifts.

In the poster the shepherds are represented by a cycle courier and plasterer. The Wise men are shown as three successful entrepreneurs and their gifts are iconic ‘treasures’ of modern culture: a Swarovski crystal perfume bottle, a Faberge egg and a replica Damian Hirst skull. All are ‘sharply dressed’. But the traditional nativity arrangement is unchanged, with Jesus as its clear focus. And the message is ‘However you dress it up…. Christmas Starts with Christ’.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Christmas, DCG, Featured articles

Welcoming children and birdwatching

15 September 2011 By


I had an odd experience over the summer which gave me a little window into what it must be like to arrive at church with your children for the first time.

We stayed in the New Forest with another family and we took the children to a bird sanctuary which was effectively a walk in the woods punctuated by visits to hides to look at birds.

Efforts had been made to make the place more child friendly, there were lots of colourful pictures to look at in hides, we had a worksheet with lots of pictures of things to tick off when we had seen them and they had even left sheets of corrugated iron on the floor to look under for minibeasts! However all of this was undone the moment we actually stepped into the hide.

It was a lovely, clean, decorated space full of people who wished we’d go away! Of course no one said it, but they didn’t need to as the silence, the tutting, the slightly pained expressions every time one of our children made a noise that might scare off a bird (which was often) said more than enough for us to know that we weren’t supposed to be here. It reminded me of a simple fact, the most important welcome a new family to your church will receive is not from your facilities but from you and your congregation.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Children's Ministry, DCG, Featured articles

Real Easter Egg company reveals Christmas tree campaign

14 September 2011 By

A campaign to make the UK’s 20 million Christmas trees a bit more meaningful this December has been launched. The campaign is in response to news that 46% of people say Jesus is irrelevant to their celebration of Christmas. To help parents, grandparents and godparents communicate the Christmas story to the next generation, The Meaningful Chocolate Company has produced the UK’s first ever interactive set of chocolate Fairtrade tree decorations, based on the characters of the Nativity story.

Each box of Meaningful Chocolate Tree Decorations contains a limited edition Christmas card, a sticker set and six hand wrapped, high quality, Fairtrade chocolate decorations. The Christmas story, which can be found on the card, enables adults or children to read the story while placing character stickers on the decorations. Once completed, the decorations can be hung on the tree as a reminder of the real meaning of Christmas.

David Marshall, from The Meaningful Chocolate Company, said:

“We estimate that most of the UK’s 20 million Christmas trees don’t have anything religious hung on them. The Meaningful Chocolate Tree Decorations are an opportunity to buy an interactive gift that allows the telling of the Christmas story at home. The card also includes and invitation for people to go to church to hear the Christmas story there. So, not only is it educational, it’s also a piece of evangelism.”

The Meaningful Christmas Tree Decorations cost £3.95. Church orders can be made through www.MeaningfulChristmas.co.uk or exclusively from Traidcraft. Orders should be made by 14 November 2011 as supplies are limited.

Filed Under: Christmas, DCG, Fairtrade, Notice board