Shaped SUMMER 2018: ISSUE 25
NEWS | STORIES | RESOURCES FOR YOUR CHURCH
Dementia Action
HOW CAN YOUR CHURCH RESPOND?
Bishop’s Letter
In this issue This is the magazine of the Diocese of Leicester (the Church of England in Leicester and Leicestershire) and is published three times a year. It’s been six years since In-Shape magazine has been a part of our Diocesan life, and so we’ve decided to freshen things up a bit. Current issues not only have a slightly different look but the observant among you will have noticed a change of name, too. In-Shape has become Shaped, recognising that it’s we who need to be shaped by God if we’re to impact our county and see new disciples of Christ, disciples growing deeper in Christ and disciples who increasingly share the love of Jesus in acts of loving service. Shaped - it’s what we’re called to be. The themes of Shaped are centred around the ten marks of mission identified in the diocesan vision “Shaped by God”. The vision of Shaped by God is of flourishing mission in the four hundred established and new Anglican churches of the city and county, with each church growing in the number of followers of Jesus, in the depth of that discipleship, and in the effect that our faith has on the world around us.
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Grains of Hope
“Jesus founded the most revolutionary movement in human history, a movement built on the unconditional love of God for the world, and the mandate to those who follow is to live that love.” - Presiding Bishop Michael Curry The sermon at the recent royal wedding caused quite a stir. Everywhere I go, people ask me what I thought of it. And most people have a strong opinion of their own!
Bishop’s Letter 03
04 St Wistan’s Pilgramage 04 Grains of Hope 05 A Decade of Sharing Food 05 The Bishop’s Big Conversations 06 Growing your Fringe 07 Home for Good 08 The Community of The Tree Life 09 Thy Kingdom Come 10 Dementia Action 12 Rural Commission 14 Better Together: Simon Cole 16 Loving Service
The Bishop’s 3 Questions
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others to grow in the depth of their discipleship?
How are you enabling growth in the numbers of disciples of Jesus?
The Saturday of the wedding I was conducting one of my ‘Bishop’s Big Conversation’ weekends. So that evening, I was in a pub in Leicester being ‘grilled’ by the regulars as we supped on pints. To say that they loved Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon is an understatement. They were intrigued, provoked and challenged in equal measure. Now I am not about to advocate that all our clergy and Readers should preach like Michael Curry! He has his own style and ‘voice’ and everyone who preaches needs to have their own ‘voice’. But I think that we can learn something from his simple, enthusiastic and direct approach to speaking about Jesus, about the movement that Jesus founded and about the response called for in us.
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Growing Your Fringe
Thy Kingdom Come
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If my ‘Big Conversation’ weekends have taught me anything, it is that many people are hungry and thirsty – they may not know why, and they may struggle to put their feelings in to words – but when someone listens to them, shows interest in them and speaks honestly and openly about how their own hunger has been met, people respond. This magazine is full of stories of how churches and schools across the diocese are creatively inviting people to let their life be ‘shaped by God’. Part of this ‘shaping’ is learning to speak confidently of what God is doing in us. We may never be invited to speak to millions of people as Michael Curry was, but we can speak (in our own style and voice) to friends and neighbours and those who visit our churches. Martyn
How are you serving your community, and enabling others to love and serve those around them? B I S HO P O F L E I C E STE R
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Enquirer Courses Over recent years ‘enquirer’s courses’ aimed at engaging those who aren’t yet Christians with the Christian message have been a feature of church life. Here we give a brief overview of three of the most popular courses currently in use. All three of these have been used with success by some of our churches within the Diocese. ALPHA COURSE The one that everyone’s heard of! Typically run over 11 weeks (the course includes a weekend away, although many churches condense it into a day away), ALPHA has been translated into 112 languages, is endorsed by Bear Grylls and emerges from a conviction that “we believe that everyone should have the chance to explore the Christian faith, ask questions and share their point of view.” The three key elements of an ALPHA evening are food, a talk (sometimes given ‘live’, but often using the high production quality ALPHA videos) and the opportunity for conversation and discussion. Topics covered include the question of whether there’s ‘more to life’, who is Jesus, why did he die, how do I read the Bible and a number of subjects (how do I pray, telling others about faith, responding to the Holy Spirit and ‘how to make the best of the rest of my life’ which follow on from the more enquirer-driven opening sessions and begin exploring issues of discipleship. There are four different styles of video (Film series, Youth series, Alpha with Nicky Gumbel and Youth Film series.) CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED Devised and developed by Rico Tice, the evangelistic lead on the clergy team of All Souls Church, Langham Place in London, the format of Christianity Explored is broadly similar to that of ALPHA, advocating the same mixture of food, video and discussion. It departs from ALPHA in that it bases all of its content on Mark’s Gospel (although not overbearingly so), and is more focussed on how to become a Christian than on post conversion discipleship (the cross and our response to it effectively being the basis for four of the sessions: those on “sin”, “The cross”, “Resurrection” and “grace”). The videos are shorter than those of ALPHA, and like ALPHA have been remade and “freshened up” with improved production values over the years. Like ALPHA, Christianity Explored has spin-off youth versions in which similar material is presented in an age appropriate way. PILGRIM COURSE Developed by the Church of England, the Pilgrim Course approaches the enquirer into faith less through an emphasis on persuasion and more from one of participation. It divides into two stages, the “follow” stage which is more evangelistic and aimed at the person who doesn’t yet believe, and the “grow” stage, which aims to help people take first steps in discipleship. The “follow” stage takes as its starting point the words from the baptism liturgy “Do you turn to Christ?”, while the “grow” stage builds on the question “will you continue in the Apostle’s teaching and fellowship?” The program describes itself as “a course for the Christian journey” and is based around the use of discussion booklets accompanied by short videos. The course has a more contemplative feel than either ALPHA or Christianity Explored and employs the Benedictine inspired Lectio Divina method of engaging with Scripture. 3
Loving service goes worldwide Young people from Leicester Diocese are making a difference not only in and around the city and county but around the globe.
Young people making a difference
The New Wine interns worked with sanctuary-seekers and displaced persons looking for refuge who had landed on Lesbos and in Ukraine they worked alongside churches on evangelism and mission projects. To find out more about the New Wine intern program contact Mike Kelly, Diocesan Youth Ministry Officer by e-mailing Mike.Kelly@LecCofE.org
St Wistan’s Pilgramage
Bread for Life
This year the Diocese is supporting parishes to explore what harvest means for us and our communities beyond the usual canned food collection.
Hot on the heels of the Diocesan New Wine interns who have recently made trips to Ukraine and the Greek island of Lesbos, six teenagers and two youth leaders from Rothley parish church are spending a fortnight in Tanzania with a Christian charity called Go Make a Difference. The charity enables volunteers to help with a range of community projects, such as building schools, water tanks and providing vital medical and social care. The team will be getting involved in a number of projects in the local community of Musoma in Tanzania, among them building a pit latrine and a goat shed, assisting with health screening and helping in schools and in a local orphanage.
Grains of Hope
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Harvest is a time of year when we celebrate God’s abundant generosity to us, and explore how we as disciples are called to respond. Bread is a powerful symbol of all that God has given to us. Jesus himself used that image when he took the name ‘the bread of life’ (John 6:35), and when he established the Eucharist by sharing bread with his friends. It is through exploring the theme of bread by sharing, eating and praying with those around us that we will go deeper into God’s generous love and provision for us. Resources are available to help you to participate in the following ways: • To set up bread themed prayer stations in your church, hall or community area. These are designed to be an interactive and sensory way to deepen the discipleship of your harvest activities • To work with your local school to run an adapted version of these prayer stations that will engage children in the theme of generosity • Organise a bread festival as a way of sharing the harvest message with your local community. Like a Christmas tree festival, a bread festival gathers the stories of your community, but by sharing stories of generosity through bread displays
If you watched the recent BBC series in which Revd Kate Botley and a small bunch of celebrities walked the famous Camino de Santiago, you’ll know the ancient practice of pilgrimage has made something of a renaissance in recent years. Leicestershire now has its own pilgrimage that commemorates the witness of Saint Wistan. Wistan, a Mercian priest, was martyred at Wistow (which was named after the event, and means “holy site of Wistan”) in 849AD. The walk is one that was originally used as a pilgrimage route in medieval times and marks the funeral procession of St Wistan from St Wistan’s Church in Wistow to 4
St Wistan’s Church in Wigston, where the body is thought to have been laid to rest. St Wistan’s day is June 1st, and so on Saturday June 2nd 33 pilgrims walked the route and were joined by others for a service in the church in Wistow, followed by a cream tea. Matthew Gough, a Pioneer Ordinand in the Diocese, reported that “there was a lovely community feel, with a mixture of regular churchgoers and others whose interest was primarily historical or local, and a strong sense of God’s natural world interrupting the busyness of modern life and materialism as we walked.” Plans are afoot to repeat the walk next year.
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These are not intended to be fundraising events, but are ways of deepening our Christian discipleship, and inviting others to see something of God’s generosity. All these resources could be used as standalone events or be run alongside your usual Harvest activities. There are comprehensive guides to each resource that can be downloaded from the Diocesan website: bit.ly/grainsofhope. To help churches or schools to run these events the Growth Fund will be making grants of up to £250. The application window for these grants will run from the 1st July 2018 to the 1st September 2018. Application forms will be available on the website
and also from Poppy Woods by emailing Poppy.Woods@leccofe.org If you are unable to run your own event but would like to experience the prayer stations or bread festival yourself then come and join in one of the following events: • 1st September, Leicester Cathedral, 7.30pm-9.30pm • 29th September, Holy Trinity Ashby, 7.30pm-9.30pm • 6th October, St Peter and St Paul Great Bowden, 7.30pm-9.30pm For more information about the resources or for assistance in planning your Harvest activities please be in contact with the Generous Giving Team by emailing GenerousGiving@LecCofE.org or calling 0116 261 5339.
A decade of sharing food A decade ago, the Church of England in Leicestershire was one of the driving forces behind the opening of a regional centre for FareShare, the UK’s largest charity fighting hunger and food waste. FareShare is the UK’s longest running food redistribution charity, and works by saving good quality, in-date surplus food and redistributing to charities across the UK. Recently announced figures show their work is being even more effective than ever. They saved an astonishing 16,992 tonnes of food from going to waste. The nutritious, good quality surplus food was enough for 36.7
million meals. It’s an amazing result, particularly given that one in eight people live in poverty in the UK.
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They reach 1,500 towns and cities through 21 Regional Centres, which can be found from Aberdeen to Brighton and the Leicester one which began 10 years ago. As well as having given the fledgling local FareShare operation a home in the early days, we continue to make an annual grant of £10,000 towards the running costs of FareShare and John Orridge, our Director of Finance, is one of their trustees. Peter Yates, still a member of our Social Responsibility Panel, was our Social Responsibility Officer at the time the local FareShare was set up. He is still a trustee – he and his wife Sheila continue to volunteer. In the early days, FareShare Leicester’s base was a part-time, shared desk in the diocesan offices before they outgrew it and acquired a warehouse in Narborough. Jonathan Kerry, Diocesan Secretary, said: “Whilst, sadly, the number of people struggling with food poverty continues to grow, it is a cause for celebration that FareShare East Midlands has grown to meet the challenge. At the same time, FareShare is tackling the problem of food waste by ensuring that some of the surplus created by the big producers and retailers is put to good use. The Diocese is rightly proud to have helped set this up and of its continuing support for a project that is a significant agent of loving service of the world.” You can read more about it here: fareshare.org.uk and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
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The Bishop’s Big Conversations
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Residents from Countesthorpe, Cosby, Blaby, Willoughby Waterleys and nearby communities joined in the events during the third Bishop’s Big Conversation weekend. A team of clergy and curates from the Four Saints Benefice - which includes St Andrew’s Church in Countesthorpe, St Mary’s Church in Willoughby Waterleys and All Saints Church in Peatling Magna - joined congregation members to share the message of God’s love among the people of the parishes. The Bishop’s Big Conversations have become the talk of the Leicester Diocese since their inception late last year, with Bishop Martyn getting to the core of Christian life in our communities.
Martyn even sat on a sofa in Hinckley Market and invited passers-by to chat and pray. This gave him a chance to talk about the challenges this community faces and what it is like to live in Hinckley.
The aim of these weekends is to encourage our churches; to listen to people, to get a sense of what God is already doing among the parishes and to bring others to faith in His love.
The second of Bishop Martyn’s Big Conversations was hosted and organised by St David’s Church, Broom Leys in Coalville, and featured a busy weekend of public events and activities.
New relationships have been built between church members and the wider community, with ‘conversations’ taking place everywhere from primary schools to pubs. This is something particularly important to Bishop Martyn and, with his missionary team of ordinands and curates, he’s been getting to know the diocese better while learning how we can share the Gospel of Jesus Christ within our diverse county. The first Bishop’s Big Conversation was hosted by St Mary’s Church in Hinckley, and followed on from the Archbishop’s Big Conversation events during Justin Welby’s three-day visit to the Leicester Diocese in November. During the weekend, Bishop Martyn was quizzed by pupils from St Mary’s Primary, and got into a lively discussion about who made God. Each child was given a book about the Christmas story. Other highlights included carols around the town’s Christmas tree, pub church in The New Plough Inn, a cake and debate event, music and faith, games, prayer and more. Bishop 6
A busy weekend of activities featured a games night and Q&A sessions in The Bull’s Head, Cosby and The General Elliott pub in Willoughby Waterleys, a Messy Church tea, a men’s breakfast, a visit to The Bridge Community Centre, The Cornerstone in Countesthorpe, and work with Leysland Community College. Two further Big Conversations were held during May and June.
A whole day was spent moving between Warren Hills Primary school, Broom Leys Primary and Castle Rock High School, in which assemblies and lessons gave plenty of opportunity to respond to questions of faith and life posed by pupils.
The May weekend, hosted by the Cathedral, offered a busy schedule of activities including a lunch gathering with Leicester City Council’s Christian Fellowship; time with welcomers, chaplains and guides of the cathedral discussing how church buildings speak of God, and an evening of food and faith with representatives of the worshipping community engaged in conversations about how we share our faith.
Breakfast and prayers at Wetherspoons in Coalville, a popular question and answer event for the Bishop in the Lady Jane pub and a family fun afternoon, attracted many from the town and surrounding communities; while a drop-in event at the Hermitage FM community hub and café gave dozens the opportunity to ask questions about faith and life. During a special praise service at St David’s Church on Sunday morning, Bishop Martyn spoke about the privilege of being able to join in with what the churches were already doing in the local community. This joyful service with uplifting music and teaching brought together the whole church family, including Children’s Church and the local Boys and Girls Brigades.
“Because the Bishop was coming, I was able to talk with people I hadn’t talked to before about my faith and they were quite open to hearing about it, so it has been encouraging.”
Liz Blacklock, St David’s Church
Saturday saw a Messy Cathedral and a gathering in a local pub in partnership with St Andrew’s Church in Jarrom Street, Leicester. The weekend in June saw Bishop Martyn and his team travelling around the geographically spread All Saints Mission Partnership, visiting a concert on the Friday evening in Narborough, a coffee morning in Scraptoft, Community Lunch at St Chad’s, Coleman Road and a cinema night in Fleckney. *Other Big Conversation weekends planned in the Diocese this year: Hexagon Benefice 21-23rd September 2018 and Rothley 30th November – 2nd December 2018
Growing your fringe How much attention do you pay to your fringe, and how might you grow it? Sound like a question you might hear at the hairdressers? If you’re follicly challenged, or not particularly interested in hairstyles, stay with us, because we’re actually thinking about your church’s fringe. Those people with whom you regularly come into contact, and who are friendly towards the church, but aren’t regular members of your worshipping community. Perhaps they come to services at Christmas and Easter, but not the rest of the year. Maybe it’s friendships created by the church’s work with children and parents in the local school, contacts made through baptisms, weddings and funerals, folk who come to church social events but not services, families of children who attend the annual Holiday Club or Light Party. How do we help these ‘people of peace’ to take the next step towards becoming followers of Jesus? Here are a few thoughts: PRAY: Why restrict praying for people to come to faith to just a handful of days between Ascension and Pentecost? Thy Kingdom Come has given birth to a great wave of prayer, particularly prayer for people to come to know Jesus personally. Why not pray throughout the year for ‘your 5’ or for those on the edge of your church’s life? BE INTENTIONAL: Develop a church strategy that provides opportunities for those ‘on the fringe’ to go deeper: social events that form a stepping stone to social events with a light touch Christian content, social events with a light touch Christian content that form a stepping stone to Alpha Courses and so on... HAVE FUN: Be a church family that takes the Good News of Jesus seriously, but doesn’t take itself very seriously at all! Be the kind of community that people find it hard not to want to be a part of.
Knitting St Luke’s, Thurnby
A monthly get-together of just over 20 knitters, comprised of a mixture of churchgoers and those who don’t attend. The group meet to enjoy friendship, homemade cake and to knit in a community space run by the local Parish Council. Members of the group either bring along their own knitting or sometimes collaborate on projects for charity (these have included items for a local neo-natal unit and knitted dolls for a school in the Masai Mara in Kenya). “It’s a lovely chance to get together over cake and enjoy each other’s company and appreciate each other’s creativity. Some people have started coming to church through the group, but there’s no pressure and we just enjoy being together” said church member Liz Smith who is a regular.
MAFIA & Big Breakfast St Andrews, Countesthorpe
Breakfast is a big deal at St Andrew’s, Countesthorpe. The church has recently launched a men’s breakfast, a project that grew from their men’s ministry (MAFIA) that draws together Christian men and those from outside the church, or on its fringes, where as well as enjoying a proper ‘full English’ there are speakers or discussion to introduce people to thinking about faith and life. Crystal McAllister, Pioneer Ordinand at St Andrews, is currently exploring how to extend the breakfast ministry and potentially build a new family orientated worshipping community around breakfast in addition to the men’s breakfast program.
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Home 4 Good Lora Starkings is a foster carer and looks after siblings, aged between four and nine, for anything from a few days to a couple of years. Here she talks about her journey to fostering and how her faith underpins the life she now leads… “I was brought up in a Christian family, studied RE at A-Level and went to a church youth group in Shepshed between the ages of 14-17 years; but it wasn’t until I was 22 and experienced my first year at Spring Harvest that my faith reignited. There came the lightbulb moment of realising ‘there’s got to be more to this – my life needs definition.’ I’d completed a degree in education at university and found joy in working with nursery aged children. Even then, I knew I was going to be a mum to lots of children, but I was caught up in the conventions of finding a man, getting married and starting our family. Year after year at Spring Harvest I would attend seminars by the Christian charity Home 4 Good. I loved talking to people about their experiences of fostering and adoption. My life and career were devoted to children and God was at the heart of that. I worked in
Currently, this isn’t always possible. In the UK there is an urgent need for more than 7,000 foster families and there are not enough people coming forward to adopt children who wait the longest for adoption - children over the age of four, with additional needs, from black and minority ethnic communities and who are part of a sibling group. Debbie Hill, is a foster carer and chair of the committee representing Home For Good, Leicester. 8
A Companions Community has been set up to support and pray for our new monastic community which will give young adults a chance to spend a year in prayer, Bible study and service, living together in Leicester adjacent to the site of the Greyfriars monastery of Richard III’s time.
I moved into nannying and actually went to live with a family in Cambridge. I learnt a lot about life within that year. It was also the year I met Tony – the love of my life, my soulmate. Tony and I were just starting our lives together, when tragedy struck. I went to work on Friday, March 19, 2010, and returned hours later to find he had died in our bed. When I saw him lying there, it was obvious what had happened. I walked over to him and he felt cold. Somehow, I knew what to say and do. I felt an amazing presence with me, calming me, helping me through the motions and emotions. Over the next days, I was overwhelmed by the people who came and prayed and the immense love and support I received from so many. Each day I prayed and read the bible. A passage from Jeremiah 29, vs11 remains a comfort to me: ‘I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt
She and her team were recently at Bishop Martyn’s garden party, talking to people about the charity’s vision for Leicester, and raising £500 for their work. Home for Good’s vision is a stable, loving home for every child who needs one. They know that for children in care, it’s crucial to find the right placement at the right time - whether that’s a short-term foster placement in an emergency, a long-term foster placement or a new adoptive family.
The Community of The Tree Life
a nursery, I was heavily involved with Sunday School at Emmanuel Church in Loughborough and I helped to run the crèche at Spring Harvest each year. But there was a drive in me to do bigger and better.
“We would love to see all churches across the country wrap around families who need support - for us, as a society, to care for the most vulnerable children and offer spiritual and practical support to their carers,” she explains. Debbie and her husband, Jason, have been foster carers since 2012 and attend Knighton Free Church.
you. I will give you hope and a good future.’ And you can’t argue with that! My church family helped me to see how much God loves me. I needed to live and love on – in honour of my Tony. Tony and I had talked about having children, but there was always a question mark over my fertility. After seven years nannying for a family in Rothley, the job came to an end and I felt unsettled for my future. I was in a relationship that had come to a crossroads and I needed medical treatment before I was 40, if we were to have a family. I remember a vision from God – a seed he had planted long ago in my heart – that this relationship was all wrong and my calling was to foster children. As soon as I realised that was why I had been created, I felt an amazing release. I knew there were children out there, in need of love - in need of a home. And I knew I had to do something about it. When I told people my decision, the only response I got was ‘about time’. But God knew. I had to come to it in my own time. My experiences have given me the qualities to be able to counsel these vulnerable children, to offer them compassion, guidance, strength and love. It was very scary – particularly being single. There were a lot of prayers, and as preparation to become a foster carer intensified, I felt God saying, ‘well done, you finally listened,’ I’ve received so much support from social services, my family and friends, and my church. I put my trust in Him and he provided.
“We committed our house to God and our lives to fostering,” says Debbie. “We depend on God for our strength.
Home For Good, Leicester, has been a guide. As a Christian charity, their message is the foundation of my belief - to lift up children and eventually find homes for everyone. My job now is to give vulnerable children a safe environment. You feel their pain - their disappointment, the brokenness, the aggression and tears. Even though the world may seem black, there is colour here in my home.
“He said, ‘be a light in the darkness.’ Home for Good is at the heart of Leicester, and our vision is a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden, bathed in light.”
God has given me gifts. It’s taken me a long time to appreciate that. I feel proud of who I am – that I am living a God-given life. I go to bed each night knowing I am changing the world for two little people, one step at a time.”
The team will be supporting the novices who will begin the fledgling Community of the Tree of Life in Leicestershire in the new year. They will come from all Christian denominations and will be young men and women between 20 and 35-years-old. You can read more about the Tree of Life and how to apply to join the community on: https:// leicestertreeoflife.org
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to-day life of the novices. Alan brings his skills from IT and Finance management along with his more recent experience as parish priest at Leicester Forest East. Lesley brings her organisational and pastoral experience from many years of teaching and being a Head of Department. Louise Davis worships at the Cathedral. She has a background in youth ministry and currently works as the Project and Communications Officer for Germinate: the Arthur Rank Centre, helping rural churches and communities flourish.
Over recent months, the Companions Community has formed bringing together a mix of people with a range experiences and gifts to share. As Prior, Rachel has been working in the diocese for a year now developing the foundations for the Community. Her background is in teaching; she brings a love of contemplative prayer and her experience as a parish priest. Alan and Lesley Humphrey will be serving as the Warden and House Manager, living in the Community House and supporting the day-
Lusa Ngoy is our diocesan BAME Mission and Ministry Enabler. He brings his experience as an educator and parish priest with insights for creating a culturally diverse community. Mirjam and Lusa’s children, Maisha and Milao Ngoy add energy, affection, giggles and abundant life to the community gatherings. Everyone is pictured here at Hothorpe Hall on a recent retreat. The Companions are meeting fortnightly over a meal to pray and explore the Rule of Life that the Community will adopt.
Revd Rachel Bennetts is Prior of the fledgling new monastic community which will become a house of prayer for the whole Diocese, working in partnership with churches across Leicestershire as well as the Cathedral. She is eagerly looking forward to the completion of the works on the Community House in Peacock Lane and its opening later in the year, but a Community is much more than a building and the Community of the Tree of Life is already beginning to take shape. Rachel writes: “From the beginning I had a vision of a small group of people who would pray the Community into being and play an active and supportive role in the life of the novices giving us a sense of family and continuity from one year to the next.”
Mirjam Ngoy currently works as Learning and Development Manager for Salmon Youth Centre in Bermondsey. She is training to be a Spiritual Director and will be supporting the development of spiritual accompaniment for the novices.
“We love the intergenerational mix in our gatherings,” says Rachel, “the children enliven our times together, there’s a lot of fun as we pray, plan and eat together. We’re full of expectation for the next stage of the Community’s life as we prepare to welcome the novices.’’ The staff team will be completed in the Autumn with a Novice Guardian whose role will focus on teaching and formation. An announcement will follow soon on this appointment.
Rosie Woodall is Bishop’s Chaplain and Chaplain to the Community. She will be alongside the novices offering pastoral support and brings her experience as a liturgist and parish priest.
The residential community will begin in January 2019. Applications are open now and you can read more on the website: https:// leicestertreeoflife.org/application-process/
Andrew Nutter is the Project Manager for the development of the Community House. His previous roles include Quantity Surveying and being bursar for a large boarding school – very useful experience, but life in the Community House won’t be quite like boarding school! His wife Trisha brings her creative gifts and is an experienced Occupational Therapist who specialises in work with children who have suffered brain injuries. 9
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Thy Kingdom Come
Churches from around the Diocese For the third year in succession, the period between Ascension and Pentecost was designated “Thy Kingdom Come” season, and churches from different Christian denominations and traditions from around the globe were encouraged to pray, with a particular focus on praying that those who are not yet active followers of Jesus to become Christians. Churches from around the Diocese employed a number of creative ways to get people praying, ranging from prayer stations to prayer on the streets, 24/7 prayer, activities in schools and public spaces and resources to help individual church members pray for their not yet Christian friends. Here are a few highlights from around the Diocese.
The churches in the benefice of Avon Swift linked up with their local schools for Thy Kingdom Come 2018… Revd Alison Iliffe, curate in the benefice, wrote; “We created four simple, portable prayer stations based on The Lord’s Prayer which we have taken for a day to each of our four churches with schools. Beginning with Swinford on Thurs 10th May, then on to North Kilworth on Tues 15th May, South Kilworth on Wed 16th May and Gilmorton on Fri 18th May. We invited the schools to come in groups to engage with the prayer stations and think about what the words of The Lord’s Prayer, which they say so regularly in school and church, might mean to them and what God might be saying to us through them.
PRAYER FOR OUR DAILY NEEDS
PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
Station 1: Praise and Thanksgiving – “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” The children wrote prayers of praise and thanksgiving for all sorts of things on strips of paper and created prayer chains. Station 2: Praying for God’s Work in the World – “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The children passed round a globe and prayed for joy, hope, peace, love and justice in places across the world.
Both St Peter’s and Christ Church Mountsorrel were open from 9am till 9pm for people to drop in and pray throughout Thy Kingdom Come. Each day started with Morning Prayer at 9:00am in Christ Church and finish with a service of Compline (night prayer) from 8:30pm at St Peters. There were prayer stations in both churches set up to help focus prayers. 10
The stand in the Loughborough Student Union building The stand in the library (featuring Deacon Jan Sutton, Methodist Co-ordinating Chaplain) of Loughborough University
Station 3: Praying for our daily needs – “Give us this day our daily bread.” The children used their senses with bread to work out what “give us this day our daily bread” might mean to them.
PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS
PRAYER FOR THE WORLD
Station 4: Praying for Forgiveness – “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” The children thought about trespasses and forgiveness, sticking broken hearts back together as a reminder that God wants us and our relationships to be whole. We then came back together, finishing by saying “For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen” The prayer stations were also available at various times to the local communities to use.”
At St Andrew, Countesthorpe we built ’The Home of Hope’ out of prayers of solidarity for those without a safe home of their own during our service. From 3.30pm on Saturday through to Sunday 3.30pm we held 24 hours of prayer. 214 people’s names on this tree plus families that are included without names along with the entire residents and staff at Cherrytree. 11
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Dementia Action
Share and Care in Lutterworth God is at work among the people of Lutterworth, bringing together the community with its Dementia Share and Care Group. The evolving group offers around-thecalendar support, spiritual nourishment and social activities for people living with early onset dementia up to moderate dementia, and their carers.
Previously known as Dementia Awareness Week, Dementia Action Week took place this year between the 21st and the 27th of May. The goal of the week is to encourage people to take action to improve the lives of those affected by dementia, working to create a dementia-friendly UK where those with dementia do not feel excluded. There are 850,000 people in the UK who are affected by dementia, and it does not just affect the elderly. Around 40,000 people in the UK under the age of 65 suffer from early onset dementia. It is believed that by 2051 the number of people who have dementia in the UK will have risen to 2 million. Churches around the diocese are joining with action in many different ways. Here are three stories illustrating just a few of the ways in which churches and individuals have got involved supporting those affected by dementia.
◀ Free ‘dementia friends training’ provided at St Martins House by the Alzheimers Society for people wishing to learn how to engage positively with people living with dementia, and therefore to become Dementia Friends or Champions within their local community
‘we’ve lost her’ or ‘it’s not really him anymore’, we need to remember that just because someone can’t remember or vocalise a memory that they’re not less of a person. In the eyes of God they’re beloved and as Christians, this is the message we should be giving.
◀ ‘Singing for the Brain’ session. Brains are good at recalling music and song, even when other memory functions are difficult. Singing for the Brain is a structured approach enabling people living with dementia not only to enjoy themselves and socialise but, quite literally, to find their voice. This event was open to anyone but a particular welcome was extended to musicians and others seeking opportunities for development within their communities
“It isn’t difficult to adapt some of your worship to make it accessible and we do want to encourage churches to get in touch if they want advice on things they can do. We want to help everyone learn positive ways of interacting with people with dementia,” added Alison.
Dementia Action Week activities at Leicester Cathedral and St Martins House
◀ Dean’s Discussion exploring our understandings of dementia, personhood and how to respond
Facing such a major social issue head-on, a Diocesan Dementia Action Group (DDAG) was convened by Canon Alison Adams, Chair of our Social Responsibility Panel, last year.
Alison would love to see a Dementia Champion in every parish and has said that the DDAG is happy to facilitate free dementia-friends training for deaneries or groups of churches.
The Group marked this year’s national Dementia Action Week in May with a series of proactive events which aim to show what can be done and what help is on offer to churches and communities, including a:
Alison said: “There is a lot of cracking good stuff happening around our diocese already but if there were a dementiafriendly service in every deanery, affirming people with dementia and supporting their carers, it would be a way of saying we are praying with you, you are valued.
◀ Dementia-friendly service in the Cathedral called ‘Held Together – Loved by God’ which featured familiar music and prayers and was followed by tea and cakes. It was open to everyone including people living with dementia, carers and families 12
It’s an initiative that’s been enriching lives in Lutterworth and beyond for more than three years, emerging in its embryonic state from both the Methodist Church and St Mary’s Church.
“Dementia needs to be seen as a more mainstream issue, like disability is now. We need to change the way we think about people with dementia. Instead of saying
HOW CAN YOU AND YOUR CHURCH RESPOND? Hospitality lies at the heart of the Christian faith. How can we, as communities, best respond, both in terms of continuing to welcome and involve people with dementia, and also in supporting them and those around them? We can offer localised training to enable groups to grow in dementia awareness but also to move to the next stage where individuals become Dementia Champions and Churches seek Dementia Friendly Church status. For further information please contact the Diocesan Dementia Action Group by emailing Alison.adams@leccofe.org There is more general information on www.alzheimers.org.uk and www.dementiafriends.org.uk
This has evolved into an integrated community-based group run by trustees, and maintains close links with members of both church congregations and volunteers from the community, with one session held regularly at the local GP Wycliffe Medical Practice. A bunch of around 40 people come together four times a week in various locations across the town to enjoy activities such as crafts, cooking, gardening, keep-fit, singing, memory walks and that all-important serving of coffee and cake. Mollie Toye, Lay Reader Minister at St Mary’s, is a volunteer and has a great deal of training and experience in dementia. Along with Professor of applied mental health, Jacky Parkes, they were asked to join the Diocesan Dementia Action Group and recognised a need for support among their own community in Lutterworth. “It is so important for our churches to be involved,” explains Mollie. “Jesus Christ calls us all to look after the sick and the less able. Jesus calls us all to ‘love our neighbours as ourselves’.” Share and Care flourishes on its personcentred approach to supporting people in everyday life, and the benefits are clear. Those with dementia often gain higher self-esteem, reduced symptoms of depression, enhanced mood and behaviour, and a delay in admission to residential care. At the same time, carers feel less isolated and more supported in a relaxed environment. To find out more about Lutterworth Share and Care and the work that Mollie and her team are involved with visit leicester.anglican.org/
Loughborough fundraiser You’d expect to see Phillippa Taylor serving at All Saints with Holy Trinity in Loughborough on any given Sunday, but one weekend recently she swapped her robes for running shoes and completed a marathon in aid of a national dementia charity. It’s been several years, a handful of local half marathons, and miles the length and breadth of Leicestershire in the making. “When I started running, in 2011, I couldn’t make it to the end of the road without needing to catch my breath,” she says. “Since then I have completed eight half marathons and developed a love of running that has, quite frankly, surprised myself and my family. This year, “in a moment of madness”, Phillippa decided to increase the challenge and sign up for the Liverpool Rock n Roll Marathon – the whole 26.2 miles. She has used this opportunity to raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Society – a cause close to her own heart. “My father-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s around six years ago, and his decline has been rather quick,” she explains. “It started with him becoming a little forgetful, sometimes confused. “It was a shock. He was a trained doctor, a GP and medical examiner – an intelligent man, with a demanding job. We’ve seen him transform from that man into someone who, on a bad day, can barely put a sentence together; who will feed fish food to a tortoise and put a soup bowl straight onto the hob to warm. “It’s been hard to see the impact this has on my motherin-law, who he relies on from day-to-day.”
Calendar of Prayer Remember you can sign up to have a printed copy of the Calendar of Prayer posted to you every few months, or you can download a pdf version of it from the website here: https://www.leicester.anglican.org/ exploring-faith/calendar-of-prayer If you already receive the calendar by post and have not yet returned the form confirming that you wish to continue receiving it, please contact Rosie Woodall on Chaplain.Leicester@leccofe.org or 0116 270 3390 as soon as possible.
One thing Phillippa is happy to admit is that she feels closer to God than ever. “He became an inspiration when training,” she explains. “There’s a real opportunity when you’re out there on long runs to clear your mind to pray and think about what’s going on around you. That’s something I hadn’t expected.” To read more of Phillipa’s story visit leicester.anglican.org/ There’s still time to sponsor Phillippa at: justgiving.com/fundraising /Phillippa-Taylor1 13
Rural Commission
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DeepWells & Green Pastures A report commissioned by the Bishop of Leicester is calling for the Church in Leicestershire to transform its approach towards our rural churches. After a six-month consultation period listening to people involved with countryside churches, the report has been published and will lead to an action plan being put in place. Led by the Dean of Leicester, David Monteith, the Rural Commission analysed the results of consultations and information gathering to produce the report called ‘Deep Wells and Green Pastures’ for the Bishop and leadership team of the Diocese. We have one of Britain’s most diverse cities at our geographical centre but more than twice as many of our 324 churches are situated in the countryside than in towns. More Church of England weddings happen in Leicestershire’s countryside churches than in urban ones, and almost 80 per cent of our schools are rural. One key recommendation of the report is that the Church of England in Leicestershire should shift from seeing itself as an urban diocese with a rural edge to a rural diocese with urban heartlands which all work in partnership. Noting among its key findings that the whole church needs the gifts of the rural church, the report makes recommendations in seven key areas, all of which can be seen by visiting the diocesan website Bishop Martyn has welcomed the report saying: “I am enormously deeply grateful to the members of the Rural Commission for this excellent report and am particularly grateful for all the listening they have done, travelling around the diocese to church and community groups and hearing people’s joys and concerns.
“The Diocese of Leicester Statistics for Mission show that 68% of parishes in the diocese are classified as rural, and we are primarily in the business of growing churches rather than closing them but we have to face a range of challenges. “Our rural churches are often more embedded in their local communities than is the case in urban places but they often feel neglected and face huge changes in society over the last century. With lower numbers of regular churchgoers, they have fewer volunteers to share the significant administration duties of our traditional structures and the upkeep of our historic buildings. “We want to take onboard what this report has highlighted so that we can better support Christians in our countryside, and so that our town and village churches feel united and equally valued. “The Commission has carried out an extensive and valuable piece of work. Our leadership team will be looking to act on its recommendations to improve our central structures and processes so that we empower and treasure our countryside churches. We want to foster partnership between rural and urban churches in this fantastically diverse Diocese.” The first step to improving understanding of the good work being done by rural churches was a celebration day for the whole community, city and country, to enjoy together. ‘Discovering Rural Gems’ will be a day of fun for all ages and will be held in the grounds of Brooksby College near Melton Mowbray on 9th June free of charge to anyone involved in the Church of England in the Diocese of Leicester. We want to bring town and country church people together to foster a sense of unity and to share learning from some of the successful community work and worship happening across the county.
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“We have made a series of recommendations which focus on defining success across a wide range of issues from schools and young people to finance and governance. The report sets out a series of WAGOLLS – descriptions of ‘What A Good One Looks Like’ – which explain our vision and ambition for flourishing rural churches. “As the report says, we want to celebrate our rural churches but also to enable them to lament the changes and struggles that have happened in order to move confidently towards the future. We want to recognise the success that many rural churches have had despite the challenges they face and to better support them in serving their communities in our changing society.”
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David Monteith said: “All of us on the Rural Commission Group have been on an amazing journey and found it a great blessing to discover more about some of the work our rural churches are doing. If adopted and acted upon, the report’s findings could lead to real change.
The Commission was undertaken by a panel comprising priests and churchgoers from across the Diocese of Leicester as well as Canon Dr Jill Hopkinson, Rural Officer for the national Church of England. More details can be read in the full report which can be found by visiting the diocesan website.
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“The onerous responsibilities of operating a working church are falling on fewer and often older people”
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Better Together Simon Cole
With our ‘loving service of the world’ hat on, we caught up with Simon Cole, Chief Constable of Leicestershire, to hear his perspective on how churches can be involved in their local communities, and how we can make a positive contribution to, and play a full part in, the life of our City and County.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your background and how you choose to spend any spare time you have? I’m Simon Cole and I have been Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police since 2010. I joined the police in 1988 after doing a degree in English Literature at St Cuthbert’s Society, University of Durham. Leicestershire wouldn’t have me as a recruit as I am red/green colourblind! I worked for 15 years in the West Midlands, mostly in the inner city, and then spent seven years in Hampshire policing communities as varied as Portsmouth, Southampton, the New Forest and the Isle of Wight. When I’m not at work, which is quite a trick in the world of ubiquitous mobile phones, I spend time with my family, ride my bike, play a bit of cricket, enjoy concerts and the theatre, and coach a Colts rugby team (some of whom I have coached since they were nine years old, and who are now bigger than me!). Would you describe yourself as a ‘person of faith’? I have great faith in human nature, although that is challenged daily by what we deal with as a force. I do see every day amazing acts of compassion and generosity. I was very much brought up in the Church of England. My maternal grandfather was a lay reader, and my paternal grandparents very active at St Johns church in Clarendon Park. As a child I attended St. Peter’s Churches in both Market Bosworth and Oadby. My mother remains involved in her local church
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in Colchester, whilst my late father was awarded the medal of St Cedd for his lay services to the Diocese of Chelmsford. I guess that this means that I have an understanding of faith, but am not sure that I count as a person of faith! What do you particularly enjoy and value about Leicester and Leicestershire? I love the variety. In the last few weeks I have seen great bands play during a night out ‘up tahn’, watched buzzards and red kites ride the breeze over the hills of the county and watched premiership rugby and football. It is a great place to live and a properly challenging place to police. I have days where I can be briefed about risks to do with terrorism, cyber crime, domestic abuse, rural crime and everything in between. That diversity brings strength, tolerance and innovation. It may sound slightly daft, but I do feel a connection to the place. It is the ancestral homeland of both sides of my family. How significant a role do you think churches, and other faith groups, play in the life of Leicestershire in 2018? They play a huge role. They set the rhythms of so many lives through Diwali, Ramadan, Christmas, Navratri, Hanukah and other significant celebrations. The level of volunteering throughout the year is important, especially as it offers young people opportunities, and the vulnerable support. Where have you experienced churches and faith groups having a positive effect in the County? I see lots of positives coming from faith groups. We shouldn’t forget the core provided by simple things; the cubs and scouts (up the 88th!) that I attended at St. Peter’s many moons ago still meet in the same church hall. That gives generations a chance to develop skills for life. The Street Pastors amaze me, and do splendid cake! They seem to me to epitomise generosity of spirit and help. The tradition of generosity manifests itself in Muslim groups distributing ‘tiffin’ to the needy, the Sikh tradition of the free meal to visitors (langar), and in a shared sense of celebration about festivals. The Council of Faiths, and the Bishops Faith Leaders group, are important to us as a force; we take heed of what they say, and find ourselves dealing with often tricky issues together. That we do that ‘together’ is crucial. What level of contact do you have with church and other faith leaders? Lots! In fact I think that the Dean, David Monteith, may be stalking me! We see each other at lots of events. The faith community is seen as
being part of the wider world of the city and county; the fact that the Dean is at the Leicester City Football Club end of season dinner tells you all that you need to know. I see faith leaders at lots of events, as well as more formal meetings. The force also hosts representatives of local communities annually at HQ. We share what we are doing, let them speak to frontline officers and staff, and try to be open about what we are seeking to achieve. As Chief Constable I have been honoured to have a formal role in many faith events in churches, the cathedral, Gurdwaras, Mosques, Temples. The list is endless. It really is a privilege. What do you perceive to be some of the greatest challenges facing policing at the moment? One of the challenges is maintaining our hard earned reputation as being the most democratic and fairest police force in the world. We try very hard to do things ‘with’ communities, and to police with consent. We are probably the biggest users of the Human Right Act of anyone; every decision is framed against those rights, and within our code of ethics. That leaves us with a ‘to do’ list which features a growing population coinciding with a reducing budget (in 2010 I had 2300 officers, now I have 1772), the omnipresence of cyber offending, taking the chances presented by using digital technology to keep people safer, terrorists who have no rules about what they are prepared to do, the vulnerabilities caused by all sorts of abuses. One of our stated aims as a Diocese is that we’re committed to ‘loving service of the world’; where do you, in your role, see opportunities for churches and Christian communities to be exercising care and compassion in society? Reach out! Cross pollinate! Work with the other faiths. Make a REAL difference. If you’ve never been to a food bank, go and see what they do; if you can help at the drink/drugs centre then do so; let the children at the local school read to you. Do something that really helps someone. Lots of research on adverse childhood experiences shows that the biggest thing that can help some children is the presence in their life of a trusted adult figure. If today is a typical day across the force then we will refer more children that we fear are at risk than we will make arrests. That stat always brings me up short.
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