Network - Autumn 2017

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE DIOCESE OF SHEFFIELD

AUTUMN 2017

Local churches take advantage of the Tour de Yorkshire

Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox the new Bishop of Sheffield

Exciting developments for Financial Giving

See page 5

See page 8

See page 14

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Welcome from

Bishop Pete The Service of Installation at our Cathedral Church on 23rd September was (from my personal point of view) a tremendous occasion. I am so grateful to Dean Peter and the team at the Cathedral for the arrangements they put in place and to all those who were able to come.

The sense of encouragement was very real to me and

http://www.sheffield.anglican.org/blog/guest-

I will continue to draw on that in the days to come. In

blog/bishop-pete-s-sermon-from-his-service-of-

my sermon at the service (taking 2 Corinthians 8.1-9,

installation

and especially verse 9, as a text), I spoke about Jesus, grace and generosity.

I was also able to say at the service how grateful Cathy and I are for the warmth of the welcome we

I set out my conviction that, as your new bishop, God

have received to the Diocese and the region since we

has called me here to foster a spirit of generosity as

moved into Bishopscroft in June. We are really glad

we respond in gratitude to the grace which God has

to be here in the Diocese and are very much looking

lavished upon us in and through Jesus our Lord. I

forward to getting to know you all and to working

suggested that, as a Diocese, we are called to be

alongside you in the mission to which God is calling

‘generous with Jesus’ in two senses.

us together, for the sake of the Gospel and of his

Generous Thoughts

coming kingdom.

First: as those who align with Jesus, and belong to

We are grateful not least for all the assurances we

him, we are bound to be generous as he was

have received of people’s prayers and we do urge

generous. As those who have received the

you please not to stop praying for us any time soon!

undeserved favour of God, we are called to show

So, I hope you enjoy reading the articles in this issue

undeserved favour to others; as those who have

of Network magazine. I look forward to meeting you

benefitted from the generosity of Christ Jesus, we are

all in the future.

called to think generous thoughts, to speak generous words and to act generously in every way — and not least as we relate to people with whom we profoundly disagree.

But we are called to be ‘generous with Jesus’ in a second, more missionary sense too: those who have received Jesus freely are called to give him away freely too. One of the things with which, as Christians, we will want to be generous is our Saviour himself: we will want to share Jesus generously with others. If you were not able to be at the service and think you might like to catch the flavour of it, you can listen to the whole sermon here:

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WELCOME

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE DIOCESE OF SHEFFIELD

Contents Issue 06 Page

TH DIOCESE D DI DIO DIOC DIOCE DIOCES THE

O SHEFFIELD OF S SH SHE SHEF SHEFF SHEFFI SHEFFIE SHEFFIEL

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10 Twenty-four adults were admitted or authorised to work as ‘Lay Ministers’ across the Diocese by the Bishop of Doncaster.

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A Messy Church experience seemed a good way to connect with the families visiting the Rotherham Show and Deanery.

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12 St Matthew’s church took part in Sheffield’s Heritage Open Days, the first time the church has participated in this heritage festival.

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From Sheffield to Germany - the 2017 Kirchentag! We find out more.

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15 The Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox was installed as the Eighth Bishop of Sheffield in a service at Sheffield Cathedral.

Emily Dawson reflects on a recent Diocesan group's experiences at the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage.

If you are interested in contributing an article in future editions of Network please email communications@sheffield.anglican.org or telephone the Communications Team on 01709 309100.

Network is copyright © of the Diocesan Board of Finance, a company limited by guarantee and registered in England (No. 196087). Registered charity No. 245861.

Registered address: Church House, 95-99 Effingham Street, Rotherham, S65 1BL.

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Celebration of Lay Ministries 24 adults were admitted or authorised to work as ‘Lay Ministers’ across the Diocese of Sheffield by the Bishop of Doncaster, Peter Burrows on Saturday 16 September in a special service held at Doncaster Minster.

Learner Stories

Alison Wragg has just completed the year one Foundations Course and was

Lay Ministers offer their time and skills to enable the Church to worship and

presented with her certificate at

serve throughout the regions of South Yorkshire and the East Riding. The

Doncaster Minster. She is training to

service marks an important step on the journey of vocation for the church that

be a Reader and so will go on to train

will continue with further learning.

for two more years, combining

During the service, 23 people were awarded a certificate for completion of the Foundations for Ministry and Mission course. This is a year-long course that

academic and practical elements.

Alison says it has been an incredible

helps people explore their call to ministry in the church. The Bishop also

year, full of ups and downs.

admitted 14 people to begin their ministry as Readers; authorised 1 Pastoral

Read her story in full on the St Peter’s

Worker, 2 Youth Ministers, 7 Children’s Ministers, and 1 Parish Evangelist.

College website.

The Celebration of Lay Ministries Service, which takes place once a year, sees

www.stpeterscollege.org.uk

friends, family, clergy and parishes proudly supporting their candidates.

Gail Ashton was authorised at the

Canon Dr Christine Gore, Principal of St Peter’s College at the Diocese of

service as a Parish Evangelist. Gail

Sheffield, commented:

feels privileged to have been called to

“This service of celebration is a very significant occasion for those being

this ministry both by her parish, St

awarded certificates and being licensed, and it marks an important part in their

Luke’s Lodge Moor, and by God.

journey in serving Christ and their local communities. This is also a moment for

Following the service, Gail was happy

them, their families and parishes to feel especially proud of their achievements,

to tell more about her story, and her

as all have completed an stretching course of training to get to this point. For

call to ministry. Watch her testimony

some this will have been the first time they have studied at this level and I’m

on the St Peter’s College website.

delighted that we have been able to celebrate their success in Doncaster

www.stpeterscollege.org.uk

Minister.”

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Tour de Yorkshire

A group of churches make the most of the latest bike race to come to the area As the Tour de Yorkshire passed through the Diocese of Sheffield, on the 28th to 30th April numerous churches along the route, joined in with a series of events to mark the occasion.

There was a concert at St Mary's Bolsterstone on the Saturday evening which brought together the Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir, Deepcar Brass Band and the choir from St John's Junior School. Mark and Debbie Dransfield (of Dransfield properties - aka Fox Valley!) joined in which gave a great start to the weekend.

The pub next door had an event with the Bus Pass Buskers (another local group – folk singers) and it was timed to follow on from the church concert to give the village a good pre-tour feel.

On Sunday, St John's Deepcar had a morning service with the church open for refreshments and fellowship.

Families wanted to do things along the route in the afternoon. As village groups, a variety of opportunities were created to showcase the KOM (King of the Mountains) after the climb up Cote de Deepcar.

The church had a normal service in the morning, and through the day bells were rung as well as refreshments in the village hall, outside in the square and in the pub. Cyclists stopped for water towards the end of the sportive. Encouragement was given to passing cyclists and people were milling around all day. It really felt like there was strong community engagement.

The new A Church Near You Earlier this year the national Digital Communications team at Church House in London produced a report on how to get the most from the new A Church Near You. They spoke to 1,800 people across the country to gather

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Users will not only be able to search for their nearest church

insights and thoughts on how to make the service much better

– and now Church of England school – but able filter the

for a site that receives over 13 million page views each year.

search to show them results that include the features and

The designs are now complete and signed off, and the work of

facilities they’re looking for, such as accessibility, car parking

building the site is well underway for a launch in late 2017. Key

or service type.

new features include: l

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Churches will be able to add extra information to events and

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In phase two, churches will be able to turn their simple page into a full church website – even having the option of using a

services, such as a location other than the church, times,

unique URL, or the URL of their current website. From the

accessibility and contact details. This will enable churches to

launch in November, profiles will already begin to look far

showcase their one-off services out in the community or

more like a website, with editors able to add pages, images

parish away days outside the church building.

and customise the tiles on their profile.

Space to include information about the facilities the church

Church House is keeping in regular contact with A Church

has, from a post office to foodbank or Alpha.

Near You editors as they prepare for launch and the site will sit

Churches will be able to see the number of page views their

at the heart of the national Christmas campaign under this

profile gets each week, month and year thanks to a new

year’s theme of #GodWithUs. If you have any questions about

analytics feature built into the logged in view.

the project, please email enquiry@churchofengland.org.

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Sheffield Cathedral appoints new Director of Music Sheffield Cathedral has an active and well-respected music department.

In 2017, it has been delighted to add to the team a new Director of Music.

Thomas Corns started in the summer of 2017 where he leads the music department and conducts the Cathedral Choir.

An established career as a director and organist has seen Thomas perform in the USA and in international festivals across Europe. A prize-winning graduate of the Royal Academy of Music who was educated as a chorister at Wells Cathedral, Thomas has held positions at Jesus College, Cambridge, Truro Cathedral and St Paul’s Cathedral, London.

He has performed on BBC 1 Television, BBC Radio 2, live on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and given world premieres of works by many leading composers. A Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, Thomas moved to Sheffield in June 2017 having previously held the post of Director of Music at the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick.

St Matthew’s Church Heritage Open Days

This year St Matthew’s church, Carver Street, took part in Sheffield’s Heritage Open Days. This was the first time the church has participated in this heritage festival.

There was a lot of hurried activity running up to the event

Volunteers were able to tell the story of Fr Ommanney, one

finding historic documents and old photographs stored away to

of the famous “slum priests” the longest serving vicar of

be displayed for people to see the history of this inspiring

St Matthew’s, who brought the Anglo-Catholic tradition to the

church and how it has developed in to the church it is today.

church. Everyone who visited St Matthew’s remarked how

Signs were erected and the church shop was replenished with its branded merchandise.

From Thursday to Saturday St Matthew’s was available for an extended period, opening its doors to all those interested in exploring this beautiful church. Here visitors found sanctuary in

beautiful and tranquil it is, and commented on the warm welcome they received.

Based on this years’ experience of being involved in the festival St Matthew’s will definitely consider repeating it next

the heart of the city, where they admired the beauty of the

year. This has also made the church think about how it might

copper panelling in the style of the Arts and Crafts movement.

organise its own open days throughout the year to provide

People were drawn to the stunning reredos behind the High

even more people with the opportunity to see for themselves

Altar depicting the incarnation.

what splendour lies behind the church doors.

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Breathe Deep is coming!...

ON SATURDAY 27 JANUARY 2018 IN SHEFFIELD, WE’RE OPENING THE DOORS TO THE FIFTH BREATHE DEEP DAY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 11-18.

The morning will be full of worship, workshops and a chance to

common humanity with everyone else. There will be six

hear from Bishop Pete Wilcox, the new Bishop of Sheffield.

workshops based around the theme – looking at how we are

After the famous SUBWAY lunch, the inflatables are back,

different, how we are the same, how do we live with people of

alongside a load of games, crafts, space to chill, sports and

different faith, politics and even different churchmanship.

dressing up in our photobooth.

So, get your group ready, take a look at the outline of the day, the

The theme this year is DIFFERENTLY, THE SAME. Bishop Pete will

activities in the afternoon and get ready to Breathe Deep! For

be sharing what it means to him to live differently, and yet share a

more information and bookings, visit www.breathedeepday.info

Access the St Peter’s College Resource Centre from anywhere!

As part of the ongoing investment in the St Peter’s College Resource Centre, the Centre is delighted to announce its very own OPAC (online public access catalogue) will be launched in the coming weeks.

The online catalogue will allow members across the Diocese to browse the entire collection from home, or work, at a time

of every one of the circa 10,000 books,

resources are due back.

puppets, DVDs, Godly Play and

The system will also enable self-check-

Reminiscence boxes available to borrow

out from Church House, allowing

from Church House in Rotherham, making it possible for people to search the catalogue and ensure their required resource is available before visiting the centre.

Over the coming months, as the system continues to develop, online visitors will

members to utilise the centre outside of the normal staffed hours of 10-1; but don’t worry - help will always be on hand from reception staff.

By moving the catalogue online it is hoped that the resources can be shared

be able to log in as a member and

with a greater audience and open up

that is convenient to them.

review their current loans, keep track of

access to more people in the Diocese.

The online catalogue will contain details

what they have and when those

Visit stpeterscollege.slls.online/

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Installation of the Eighth B Sheffield at Sheffield Cath

On 23 September 2017, the Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox was installed as the Eighth Bishop of Sheffi The Cathedral was full with representatives from the city and wider diocese who saw the service begin with a colourful procession of clergy and lay people.

Following this procession, and in an ancient tradition, Rt Revd Wilcox approached the West End of the Cathedral and knocked three times on the main door. He was then welcomed inside by young people from the city and the Dean of Sheffield, the Very Revd Peter Bradley.

Bishop Pete gave his first sermon during the service. He said:

“ Let me begin, if I may, with some thanks. Cathy and I are hugely grateful for the warmth of the welcome we’ve received since we moved into Bishopscroft in June. We have very quickly been made to feel at home and among friends, here at the Cathedral and across the Diocese, here in this city and across the region. I’ve been particularly grateful for the warmth of welcome I’ve experienced this past week, as I’ve walked from one extremity of the Diocese (almost the farthest point from this Cathedral Church) to this place.

“

The service comes at the end of a busy week for Bishop Pete. On Monday 18 September, the bishop embarked on a 50 mile walking prayer pilgrimage across the Diocese. He started out in Rawcliffe on the edge of the River Aire, which marks the very northern boundary of the Sheffield Diocese. He then finished at Sheffield Cathedral on the afternoon of Friday 22 September.

The installation marks the start of his full ministry as bishop for the city of Sheffield and the wider diocese.

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BISHOP OF SHEFFIELD

Bishop of edral

ffield in a service at Sheffield Cathedral.

Holy Oils: Portraits & Personalities of the Bishops of Sheffield At the beginning of September in Sheffield Cathedral there will be a special exhibition of the portraits of the previous seven Bishops. It is a long tradition that at the end of a Bishop’s time in office a portrait in oils is commissioned and displayed in the Cathedral.

These portraits are not often seen by members of the public, as

they are not displayed in the public space of the Cathedral.

Photographic replicas of these oil portraits will be on display together with a short biography of each Bishop.

Another treasure to be displayed, which is rarely seen up close, is the Diocesan Crozier, also called a Pastoral Staff. The Crozier is quite an elaborate confection of gilded metal with some very fine details in enamel. This is the original Crozier made for the Bishop when the Diocese of Sheffield was instigated in 1914.

A Bishop’s Crozier is symbolic of their role as chief shepherd and pastor of the people. As part of the installation ceremony the Crozier will be presented to the Bishop with the words.

“Bishop Pete, may this staff be a sign to you of your care for us in Christ. May you encourage the faithful, restore the lost and build up the body of Christ, who is the good shepherd of us all.”

Traditionally the Diocesan Crozier never leaves the Cathedral and the exhibition will be an opportunity to view this historic piece of Sheffield’s history at close quarters.

Many people will remember these Bishops and perhaps were baptised, married or confirmed by them. We would love to hear from people who may remember them. Is there anyone out there who can remember the very first Bishop, Leonard Hedley Burrows?

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Messy Church @ Rotherham Show It’s not every weekend that our churches make contact with 1,000 children with their families, most having little or no previous experience of church.

The Rotherham Show was the setting and the 2015 Crossroads Mission provided the initial impetus. The Show is the largest free event of its kind in the north of England drawing many visitors from the town and beyond back in 2015. The Crossroads Mission and the Show weekend happened to clash but it was soon clear that this was an opportunity. A Messy Church experience seemed a good way to connect with the families visiting the Show and Rotherham Deanery, with help from the Parish Support Team, took it on. The Borough Council, who organise the Show, gave us a free pitch, we booked a 40x40 foot marquee and then thought about how we’d fill it.

In fact a welcome area, ten craft activity tables, a prayer space and a corner for musicians were more than enough to fill the tent once the people arrived. From the start, we were struck by the largely positive reception when passers-by discovered what it was about. And our visitors included a significant range of ethnic groups. We evidently had a place in the ‘public square’. The atmosphere in the tent felt welcoming and there were lots of positive comments about the crafts.

Clearly this had to be more than a flash- in-the-pan event.

Massive Commitment The Rotherham Deanery has now just run the third Messy Church @ Rotherham Show. (This year we were sited next to the Yorkshire’s Strongest Man competition!) The three Shows have taken us on a steep learning curve and involved a massive commitment of time and energy with almost 100 helpers registered this year. But we have been especially encouraged by the families who were looking out for us, having visited in previous years. We were becoming known.

Each year we’ve had a theme for the crafts – Creation in the first year and the love of God in the second. This year we ventured into more explicit territory with the ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus. With all these we have aimed to make meaningful connections with the visiting families, recognising their very limited church or religious background.

But more significant than what we were able to share explicitly is the more implicit sense from the experience, that church is actually OK and, perhaps, that God is too. We gave everyone details of all the local Messy Churches though it is too soon to say if we have boosted their numbers.

We’ll soon be starting to prepare for 2018. If you’d like to be involved or just want to find out more contact Peter Rainford at pmrainford@gmail.com.

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Interim Ministry – a new approach exciting because there is a sense that something is happening: it is challenging because change is often not easy. But it is exciting and daunting for another reason: it is also risky.

When I tell people I am an interim minister they usually respond by asking, ‘You are a what?’ It is a difficult question to answer succinctly, so I usually borrow an analogy that a member of one of the congregations I served as an interim came up with: ‘An interim minister is a bit like John the Baptist but with less locusts and more shaving…’ I then go on to explain that I am a lot less holy than John the Baptist too: there is a danger in taking that analogy too far, but it is a good biblical picture.

Interim ministry is a new pattern of ministry in the Church of England, although it has been around for a while in the Episcopalian church in the USA, and also in the Church of Scotland; as well as other parts and denominations of the church. An interim minister is someone who serves a church for a short, fixed period of time, usually no more than three years, sometimes a lot less (in my last role I served two churches for 12 months before moving on). The interim arrives at a church or churches where the future may be uncertain. The churches are usually in an interregnum (although some interims have been deployed to work alongside and support an incumbent), and usually are facing some sort of task. Perhaps they are struggling to attract an incumbent, maybe there is some restructuring to be

Revd Harry Steele done around Mission Partnerships, or maybe the parish wants a longer period of time to renew and refresh their vision for mission and ministry and how they can best serve their community. The interim arrives and listens to the needs of the parish, tries to learn what they can about what has happened in the past, get an understanding of where the church currently is, and then, if all goes well, helps the church to be shaped by God’s future for them.

Interim ministry is both exciting and daunting - for the minister and for the congregation she or he works with. It is

Some people are thrill seekers who love risks and the results that can happen, some less so. In a church environment when risks are taken, it is always done in the context of God’s grace, and our faith.

The interim minister and the congregation can often feel something like Peter may have felt as he clutched hold of the side of that boat and lifted his leg to climb out onto the water: this is either going to be spectacularly brilliant, or someone is going to get very wet very soon!

As an interim minister I often find myself telling those I am serving: ‘if we are going to fail, let’s fail fast: that way we quickly learn what won’t work and get one step closer to what might.’ So upon arriving at a new church, we very quickly try to start something new.

That process of change is not easy, I often find myself upsetting people, or letting them down, and so we talk about that, then speak of God’s future for us, and next how wonderful Jesus’ love is for us and those who don’t yet come to church. Then we dust ourselves down and try again.

There are growing pains, but healthy things grow, and growing things change.

! e g n a ch to n o ti la is g le n io ct Data Prote

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will apply from May 2018 and all those who process and hold personal data must take steps now to prepare. Many parishes may be aware of this, and have questions about how it affects them.

The national Church of England team is working on:

have an updated GDPR-compliant privacy notice which of

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course can be borrowed, adapted, etc.

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GDPR for Parishes – a plain English guide with possible training attached. National colleagues are also looking at what might be provided to support parishes to accompany the parish GDPR guide.

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Data Sharing Protocols – the national team is also commissioning a template data sharing protocol by the end of the year.

Model Privacy notices.

Website Privacy statement – The Church of England website (which is re-launching at the end of October) will

ICO are being very proactive, see www.ico.org.uk The diocese will be issuing more information in due course.

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Guest writer for this issue:

Canon Dr Christine Gore, Principal of St Peter’s College The 3 October 2017 marked a special day for the diocese as it marks the 1st birthday of St Peter’s College. Just like in a child’s first year, we have seen a lot of change and development over the past 12 months.

The original concept for an online college acting as a central gateway for all learning for mission and ministry was proposed more than three years ago.

Since then, myself and the St Peter’s Team have taken that concept and brought it into a reality that we believe will transform learning in the Diocese. Something indeed to celebrate and be thankful for!

Our vison for St Peter’s has always been that it will be the learning community for all those involved in ministry (formal or informal), as well as those exploring their calling or wishing to grow in their personal faith. So our aim has been to encourage and resource everyone within the Diocese, whether lay or ordained, to take personal responsibility for growing in their faith, and as a consequence, develop their contribution to the ministry and mission of the local church and the Diocese.

We set out to do this by: providing a members’ website that would be a ‘onestop shop’ for the 17 established Diocesan training courses; in addition, to provide a

awareness in the Diocese of what we are here to do, we are now very well positioned to develop more online learning courses and build learning communities to help the church to grow and strengthen in ministry skills and in personal faith. We also want to develop a network of ‘champions’ from all over the Diocese, experts in their area of interest, who will help to direct members to relevant, first-rate and up-to-date resources, as well as help shape content for digital learning. portal to learning events in the region and resources such as videos, downloads, electronic documents, links to other useful websites; and finally by developing a digital platform for learning, featuring online learning courses and resources.

We have delivered on all of these objectives over the last year and have recently developed a business plan that clearly sets out our vision for the future of St Peter’s.

With all the tools to hand and a greater

In addition, we have had interest in what we are doing from other Diocese and we are helping them to create similar structures in their region, giving us the opportunity to collaborate and share resources nationally in the future.

We have had a great first year but very much feel this is just the beginning and that we are on the edge of something very significant, which we trust that God will use to build and strengthen His Church in our diocese and beyond.

Understanding Christianity Over the past year the Diocese has been providing a new course to all schools. ‘Understanding Christianity’ is a resource designed to improve teaching about Christianity in our schools.

This past year has seen 27 Diocesan schools and 1 community

training session participants were surprised to find that, on

primary take part with similar numbers expected in the

arrival, they were encouraged to build a god. They had to give

coming year.

their god powers and a back story, and an Achilles heel. This

Teachers from across the Diocese have taken part in a

was no exercise in idolatry, but rather a springboard to

rigorous and engaging training process and are now

reading texts from Isaiah and 1 John and looking at the God of

delivering the resource to schools.

the Bible.

The approach is one that encourages children to questions

The initiative enters a second year with all schools

and think rather than just listen. It’s not preachy! At a recent

encouraged to take part.

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From Sheffield to Germany the 2017 Kirchentag!

The Diocese of Sheffield has a longstanding link with the Hattingen-Witten Church District of the the Evangelical Church in Germany (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland - EKD).

This year the EKD has just held its 2017 Kirchentag - a five day event of worship, celebration, workshops, concerts, street art, bicycle rides, and conversation. The EKD Kirchentag is held every other year, and this year the city of Berlin hosted the event. Over 100,000 people from across Germany, and from across the world, participated in the event.

From Sheffield, the Revd Canon Geoffrey Harbord, the Revd Hilda Isaacson, and the Revd Alan Isaacson attended as guests of the Hattingen-Witten churches. The theme of the whole event this year was, “You see me” - words of Hagar in Genesis 16 - and particularly following the theme and implications of our understanding that God sees each human being, one by one. No one is invisible to God, but his heart and love are for all.

The 2017 Kirchentag began just days after the Manchester bombing, and Revd Alan Isaacson commented, “It was most moving to see the German Reichstag parliament building with flags at half mast, and the Brandenberg Gate illuminated with the Union Jack, in honour of the victims of the attack.”

Archbishop Justin Welby was one of the international speakers opening the event.

He said: “Five months ago, in this very city, as people went about preparing for Christmas, a terrorist killed 12 people and injured many more. On Monday night in Manchester terror was once again directed at people – many of them young children – who were simply going about their daily lives, enjoying the excitement of a concert and preparing to return home.

The terrorist aims to cause division and disintegration, to separate us from our fellow human beings with fear and horror. As Easter Christians who follow the Lord Jesus Christ, conqueror of all death and evil, we reply ‘A Mighty Fortress Is Our God’…. let us declare our unity in the love of Christ, in prayer, in celebration of joy, in mourning with the poor and the broken and the terrorised….”

Over the next four days, our representatives engaged in just some of the many events, seminars and workshops.

The Revd Hilda Isaacson commented, “It was emotional to visit the Berlin Wall Memorial Church, having visited the ‘Topography of Terror’ exhibition, describing Germany’s history from 1914 to 1993. Sitting with a large crowd of fellow Kirchentag visitors, we experienced a greater understanding of the need to see beyond the things that divide people.”

At this final service, the speaker was Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of South Africa.

The Sheffield West Riding Charitable Trust The trust warmly welcomes applications for hardship funding.

It provides a modest grants ‘in relieving need among the clergy, deaconesses and licensed lay workers who are resident on or have served in the Diocese of Sheffield and amoung persons who are dependent relatives of or who have acted as housekeepers to any member of the clergy who is or was qualified as aforesaid’ in parishes in the Diocese of Sheffield.

The Trust meets twice a year in March and September. Applications accepted to: westriding@sheffield.anglican.org

He said, “The histories of both of our countries – that of Germany in the Nazi era, and of South Africa in the apartheid era – are records of unspeakable cruelty. But

The Sheffield West Riding Charitable Trust

they are also histories of God's unfailing faithfulness. They both speak of the

Diocesan Church House, 95-99 Effingham Street, Rotherham. S65 1BL

challenge to find the Holy One who is, as the hymn says, “standing somewhere in

Tel: 01709 309100

the shadows ... and you’ll know Him by the nail prints in His hands.”

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Exciting Developments for Financial Giving I’ve been in post a few months now, and I’ve been astounded by the generosity that I’ve seen as I travel around the Diocese.

Every parish I have visited has shown a deep desire to follow our calling to be a generous people, and to share the love of God through the outpouring of our time, effort, and finances. It brings me great joy to hear the stories of generosity that are positively affecting communities right across our Diocese, and in the coming months we’re wanting to share these stories more widely so we can all be encouraged by these messages of hope.

As Bishop Pete shared with us in his Installation sermon, we are called to be “a church marked out by generosity; a church full of gratitude; a church which, day in and day out, is shaped by its experience of God’s grace; a church in which, day after day, the grace of God generates in us an overflowing generosity.”

Giving generously to our churches is part of the discipleship journey to which we are called; it is an expression of love and faith shown through the sharing of our finances, our time, and our talents. It is vital that we model the generosity that is so perfectly shown in the life and work of Jesus Christ, hearing His call to a lifestyle of generosity that is so profound and exuberant that

David Stout, Parish Giving Officer, writes

people are compelled to explore our motivation.

Our churches rely on the regular, personal donations of churchgoers. Without these, our churches would shut down and with it the loss of this invaluable Christian presence in every community nationwide.

We want to make generous giving as easy as possible for churches, and this is why the Diocese of Sheffield has been investing for the future in a new resource called the ‘Parish Giving Scheme’ soon to be launched in March 2018.

The Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) is a free resource to help you plan your regular giving, and where possible, do so tax

efficiently. Whether you currently give by Standing Order, envelope, or open plate, you will easily be able to make the switch to this secure and efficient Direct Debit system that will help your church continue for years to come. Not only will this help you with your regular giving, but you’ll also be making your church Treasurer and Gift Aid secretary very happy as using the Parish Giving Scheme will save them lots of time. This is because PGS not only manage your regular donation, and allow for givers to automatically increase their annual giving inline with national inflation if they wish, but PGS will also claim back any gift aid on your behalf. All of this is completely free of charge to you and your church, as all costs have been covered by funding from the national church.

PGS has been tried and tested by more than 24,000 people in over 17 Dioceses and offers a wide range of benefits over current methods of giving, and we’ll be explaining more about these in the run up to the launch in March 2018. We’re also on the lookout for parishes to trial PGS over the next few months, and if you think your parish would be suitable, then please let me know. For now, if you’d like more information visit the stewardship pages on the Diocesan website, pick up a leaflet at any Diocesan events, or get in touch with me at Church House or by my email – david.stout@sheffield.anglican.org

Have you considered how you can bless future generations through a legacy?

A gift in your Will to your local church is one of the most valuable and lasting ways you can continue to support its ministry within your community.

Many of our churches are offered ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunities to provide ground-breaking mission thanks to the generosity of previous generations, and with a generous expression of your gratitude and thanksgiving towards God, you can help to ensure your local church’s ministry continues and flourishes for years to come. If you’d like to find out more, visit the new Church of England website www.churchlegacy.co.uk for a wide range of advice and information for individuals and churches, or get in touch with David Stout, our Stewardship and Generous Giving Adviser, on david.stout@sheffield.anglican.org

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Emily Dawson, a young person from the parish of St John the Baptist, Edlington, reflects on a recent Diocesan group's experiences at the

Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage.

The Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage (under canvas) was not only wet... cold... and exhausting... but most importantly it was one of the most enriching experiences I have had.

With the recurring theme of 'Who do you think you are?' Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage allowed me to grow in faith, hope and charity in order to become more Christ-like. Through impassioned Bible studies, we were all ignited with Christ's love through his words. We were challenged to discover what scripture meant for us in everyday life. We learnt that Pilgrimage is life long, it was truly just beginning, therefore it is our duty to take all we had learnt at Walsingham and employ it in daily life- to be more holy and spread the Gospel with the tender love of Christ to all those whom we meet. On the procession, the love of God was magnified as we witnessed hundreds of young pilgrims publicly professing their own faith, followed by benediction where there was stillness, an intimate time to be with God. Through worship, praise, and studies (remarkably even the occasional disco...), young Christians from all over the country (and a contingent from Sweden) grew in faith and were able to develop a closer relationship with God. It was a wonderfully poignant experience to be apart of.

It was inspiring to hear Bishop Philip North preach everyday, with each word spoken with fervour and devotion. I have been richly blessed and will continue to grow in faith on my own Christian journey. I cannot express my gratitude to those who made the pilgrimage possible, I am incredibly thankful.

Friendships were formed within the diocese, and between the hundreds of other young pilgrims who also attended, which only added to the merriment and joy. It was such a pleasure to meet such wonderful people (who I hope to see again), have inspiring conversations, taking time in prayer and spending time with God.

A Digital World This year, All Saints Ecclesall has gone through a re-brand project. As part of that, it has developed and launched a new website.

The team had a feeling that communications needed refreshing, so did some research to confirm that; finding there were clearly new and simpler mechanisms to share the wonderful missional work that the church family was delivering.

Not knowing quite where to start, it was a long journey, where the team had a steep learning curve. Knowing many other churches face similar paths, here the All Saints team shares its learning.

Ten Steps to Success Understand who you are (your brand, identity and vision) – don’t try to be something you aren’t Know Your Brand Do some research on branding and how organisations engage with people – it led the team to a thing called “brand essence”.

This gives you a simple mirror to hold up against yourself. For example Volvo has an essence of “safe” and Disney is “magical”.

Determining that the essence is “multigenerational” the team were then able to design the website around that core theme.

Go Window Shopping Take the time to look at other churches websites and logos, and at unrelated organisations.

Set Your Bar – Will DIY do?

Whether or not you do it yourself, it is well worth looking at the options.

To conclude here’s a couple of things you can get on with right now: Decluttering your existing site – see what’s there, thin it out and polish the important bits Ensuring “communication” is part of the day job – website, social media etc must be alive “Digital” is an essential part of mission now.

We have much to share, much to celebrate and people eager to engage. Let’s get out there. For more information contact: communications@sheffield.anglican.org

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Diocese of Sheffield The

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