May 2015
in review
The National Church Institutions working for you
www.churchofengland.org
Lichfield Cathedral, who received £800k in grant funding Credit: Barnyz via Flickr
Government announces additional £40 million for church building repairs New round of grants for urgent Cathedral repairs also awarded - page two WELCOME to the latest edition of InReview, featuring news from the National Church Institutions.
Church Commissioners, the Pensions Board and other bodies who serve the Church at national level.
Our aim is to keep people in touch with the activities of the Archbishops’ Council,
Do check out In Focus, our sister publication designed to be a centrespread for A5 parish magazines.
Two new study guides ahead of the General Election - page three
Washday15 - a picture feature page four
Page two | The National Church Institutions working for you
Cathedrals and Churches get urgent repair funding both to worshippers and the wider communiNearly 400 Church of England parishes are ties. This new funding will mean that many to receive grants for urgent repairs to their more parishes will be able to complete essential church roofs in the first round of awards from repairs to their churches to continue to serve the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund. their communities well into the future. ChurchCare, the Cathedral and Church Lichfield Cathedral, containing treasures Buildings division of the Church of England, such as the St Chad’s Gospel and the Saxon welcomed the grants announced for 372 parish ‘Lichfield Angel’ sculpture, receives the largest churches and said that this would make an “immeasurable” difference to local communities. grant, of £800,000, for work to replace wiring and lighting systems in the medieval building. All of the churches benefiting in the The cathedral was facing announcement will receive Credit: Mick_Gallagher_1959 via Flickr the possibility of closure grants of between £10,000 without funds for the essential and £100,000 towards the work. The Dean of Lichfield, urgent repair of roofs, gutthe Very Revd Adrian Dorber, ters and drains. welcomed the “timely and In a separate announcegenerous” grant. ment, £6.9 million of grants “The possibility of closure for urgent repairs were was heart-breaking. Cathedral announced for 24 Church buildings offer so much to so of England and seven Cathmany – at Lichfield we are runolic cathedrals in the final ning a Citizen’s Parliament to phase of the First World discuss the upcoming election, War Centenary Cathedral opening up new parts of the Repairs Fund. church to visitors via our tower The cathedrals are and rooftop tours, and celbeing provided with ebrating our fine musical tradigrants of between £12,000 tion. Without this timely and generous grant all and £800,000 for essential and urgent repairs of this would have been under threat.” ranging from repairs to roofs and stonework Other cathedrals to receive grants include through to complete re-wiring. Durham (pictured), which has been allocated The Bishop of Worcester, Rt Revd Dr John £568,000 for repair and conservation work on its Inge, lead bishop for cathedrals and church central tower; and Birmingham, where £500,000 buildings said: “We are enormously grateful to the Chancel- has been awarded to replace failed wiring and lighting with a new scheme to showcase its lor for the generous promise of more funding Baroque architecture and Edward Burne-Jones following the heavily oversubscribed Listed stained glass windows. Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund and First World War Centenary Cathedral Repair Fund. Full details of both grant awards are available at The nation’s churches and cathedrals are irreplaceable historic buildings which are important www.churchcare.co.uk
98% vote for climate change resolution at BP AGM Shareholders at BP have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution on climate change put forward by the Aiming for A coalition which includes all three of the Church of England National Investing Bodies. It called for the company to have a greater commitment to moving to a low carbon economy. Edward Mason, Head of Responsible Investment at the Church Commissioners says BP’s commitment to being more open about its climate change strategy is a significant development in the relationship between shareholders like the Commissioners and the oil and gas industry on sustainability. “The ‘Aiming for A’ coalition’s engagement with BP has prompted an unprecedented response by an oil and gas major and its institutional investors. BP’s commitment to increased
Archbishop of York commissions Sports Ambassador
A Bishop who once played hockey for England Schoolboys has been commissioned by the Archbishop of York to take on a new national sporting role in the Church of England. Bishop Tony Porter, from the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, has become the Archbishops’ Sport Ambassador, working to strengthen links between the Church and sport at all levels. “My main work will be to encourage parish churches to be involved in the world of sport and for the world of sport to receive Christian ministry in a culture and language they understand,” said Bishop Tony, who won an Oxford Blue as well as playing for England Schoolboys. “I want the Church to be available pastorally and to take appropriate opportunities to share the good news of Jesus.” The Archbishop, Dr John
Sentamu, said: ‘We are all fearfully and wonderfully made. Through hard work, practice and the support of teammates we also discover that we are capable of more than we ever thought possible. “It is no accident that St Paul uses the metaphor of running a race to describe the Christian life, where discipline and the support of others help us to see God doing more than we ever thought possible. I am delighted that Bishop Tony will be working to highlight that link between faith and sport some 2000 years after St Paul!” Bishop Tony was the club chaplain at Manchester City in the late 1990s and into the next decade - while based at a church in Moss Side, working with managers Joe Royle, Kevin Keegan and Stuart Pearce (pictured above, with Bishop Tony and Archbishop Sentamu).
The Church of England’s weekly podcast is available now on Soundcloud and on the iTunes podcasts - featuring interviews and features from around the Church. All of the audio on Soundcloud is available at: www.soundcloud.com/the-church-of-england disclosure on its climate change strategy will set a new standard and is a significant development in the relationship between institutional shareholders and the oil and gas industry on sustainability.” The Church of England’s National Investing Bodies are part of the £170bn ‘Aiming for A’ investor coalition, led by charity fund manager CCLA. The coalition was launched in
2012 as a new investor initiative to engage on climate risk wit the ten largest extractives and utilities companies in the FTSE 100. The Aiming for A coalition will continue to attend AGMs this year to ask questions of the further companies they are engaging with on climate risk. More details about the announcement can be found at: bit.ly/bp2015agm
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InReview | Page three
New blog on the importance of Chaplaincy in further education In a blog for the Church of England, Further Education adviser Revd Garry Neave has written about the importance of Chaplaincy to further education,
for pupils and staff, following a report on Chaplaincy in the UK. An extract from the blog is below and can be read at: bit.ly/FEchaplaincy
A report released this month on Chaplaincy in the UK points out that chaplaincy has long been associated with Christianity, covering a small range of traditional sectors: education, health, the military and prisons. Nowadays that is no longer the case. Chaplains are everywhere, from all faiths and none, operating in every conceivable sector. So where does this leave school and college chaplaincy rooted in the Christian faith? Is it outdated, or in demand in 21st Century multi-cultural Britain - for both staff and pupils alike? Our report last year on chaplaincy in schools met the expected criticism (from certain quarters) that this was simply the Church of England’s latest plan to evangelise children
and young people. Ask one of the many staff and pupils, of all faiths and none, who have benefited from chaplaincy in church schools and FE colleges and I think you would find a very different answer. In fact it is worth considering that in the past 10 years why we have gone from around 200 to more than 400 chaplains in schools alone, as well as those in FE colleges, with the numbers still growing. Why is it that some of our new schools or academies often have a chaplain on their senior staff team, and invest in chaplains as a full time role? It is certainly as much for the staff as for the pupils.
Two study guides released ahead of General Election
Two study guides have been released to promote discussion and reflection on a range of topics including the General Election. An online study guide has been designed to promote discussion on Who is My Neighbour?, the House of Bishops’ Pastoral Letter for the General Election. The document is aimed at individual and group study, includes a short summary of each section of the Pastoral Letter and offers
Revd Garry Neave FE adviser for Church of England (and lead on Chaplaincy)
questions for consideration and conversation. The guide also suggest passages from the Bible for study included in the Letter and prayers for the General Election. Who is My Neighbour? was issued at the start of Lent and is addressed to the People and Parishes of the Church of England. A study guide has also been released to accompany On Rock or Sand?, edited by John Sentamu, Archbishop of York.
The guide includes summaries of each chapter, key Bible passages and questions for personal reflection or group discussion. The aim of the resource is to further engage the reader in their reading and understanding of the arguments raised in the book.
The guides can be found at: bit.ly/whoismyneighbourstudy bit.ly/onrockorsandstudy
@OurCofE extended for second year
Church Urban Fund promotes “frugal lunches” for Poverty Sunday The Church Urban Fund (CUF) is encouraging parishes to take part in activities for Poverty Sunday. Local churches are being invited to hold a Poverty Sunday Service followed by a “frugal lunch” on June 21, or on another date that suits, to raise funds for CUF. Church Urban Fund, a charity within the Church of England, helps churches respond to poverty and supports local initiatives to transform deprived communities. Poverty Sunday is being marked after a report published earlier this year showed the overwhelming commitment of Church of England parishes to social action. The vast majority of churches, more than 90%, address at least one social issue in their community, either through organised activities, or informal support, according to the online study by CUF and the Church of England.
Credit: Alpha via Flickr
On average churches are addressing seven social issues in their area and a third are tackling nine or more, the study found. The proportion of churches involved in running food banks has doubled over the last three years from 33% to 66% the report showed. Paul Hackwood, CUF Executive Chair, said: “We believe this is an important time for churches to get involved. Great work is already being done but the need
is immense. The more we can raise money, the more lives are going to be transformed.” The Rt Revd David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, and a trustee of CUF, urged churches to take part in Poverty Sunday. “Poverty Sunday is an opportunity for you and me to support church-backed responses in places like my former parishes. Please join in.” Find out more at: www.povertysunday.org.uk
The Church of England’s social media project, @OurCofE has been extended for a further year. The project sees members of the church taking over the @OurCofE twitter account to give an insight into all the work that goes on into the day to day running of a church community from schools to chaplaincies to cathedrals The extension of the account will give further opportunities for volunteers to spend a week tweeting about their lives in the Church of England, following
Past participants include Arts Chaplain Jim Craig, Amy Powis and Jules Middleton (pictured left to right)
participants including Nun Elizabeth Pio (below left), from The Society of the Sisters of Bethany in Portsmouth. She said: “@OurCofE reminds us that we’re part of a huge, diverse family in the Church of England - we need to know that. From one source we can discover who people are, learn what they do and how they do it - it’s been so informative, encouraging and inspiring.” Her comments feature in a Church of England communications blog which reflects on the success of the first year. The blog is available at: bit.ly/ourcofesecondyear For further information including how to apply to volunteer: bit.ly/ourcofe
Page four | The National Church Institutions working for you | InReview
Washday 2015
This Easter, the Church of England backed the campaign Wash Day, encouraging people to wash something to make a difference in their communities during Lent. Above are some of the pictures from the campaign. Sarah Meyrick, Director of Communications for Oxford Diocese who co-ordinated the project said: “We’re really pleased with how it went, especially as #washday15 was new this year. The photos show all sorts of people of getting involved, lay and ordained, from schoolchildren to bishops. People used their imaginations and got stuck in to make a difference in their local community.”
To find out more visit: www.washday.org
Dying Awareness week May 18th-24th
The Church of England and other members of the Dying Matters coalition are marking the annual Dying Awareness Week in May to get parishes and people talking about dying, death and bereavement. The Revd Canon Dr Sandra Millar, Head of Projects and Development for the Archbishops’ Council said: “The Church of England is the biggest single provider of funerals in England, with around 3,300 funerals held each week in churches, crematoria, cemeteries and green burial sites all being led by Church of England minis-
ters – clergy and readers. “We have been helping people to think about the big questions of life and death for generations. Our local clergy and lay people are a valuable source of support and help at every stage. Whether it is thinking about what hymns and readings you might want in your funeral service, or finding someone to listen during the painful journey of grief, a local church can play a big part in getting people talking about death and dying.” Further information is available at: www.dyingmatters.org