THE NEWSLETTER OF THE DIOCESE OF SHEFFIELD

AUTUMN 2017

06

Local churches takeadvantage of theTour de YorkshireSee page 5

Rt Revd Dr PeteWilcox the newBishop of SheffieldSee page 8

Excitingdevelopments forFinancial GivingSee page 14

2 NETWORK | WELCOME

Welcome from

Bishop Pete

The sense of encouragement was very real to me and

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

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

and especially verse 9, as a text), I spoke about

Jesus, grace and generosity.

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

has called me here to foster a spirit of generosity as

we respond in gratitude to the grace which God has

lavished upon us in and through Jesus our Lord. I

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

‘generous with Jesus’ in two senses.

Generous Thoughts

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

him, we are bound to be generous as he was

generous. As those who have received the

undeserved favour of God, we are called to show

undeserved favour to others; as those who have

benefitted from the generosity of Christ Jesus, we are

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:

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

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

installation

I was also able to say at the service how grateful

Cathy and I are for the warmth of the welcome we

have received to the Diocese and the region since we

moved into Bishopscroft in June. We are really glad

to be here in the Diocese and are very much looking

forward to getting to know you all and to working

alongside you in the mission to which God is calling

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

coming kingdom.

We are grateful not least for all the assurances we

have received of people’s prayers and we do urge

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

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

of Network magazine. I look forward to meeting you

all in the future.

The Service of Installation at our Cathedral Church on 23rdSeptember was (from my personal point of view) a tremendousoccasion. I am so grateful to Dean Peter and the team at theCathedral for the arrangements they put in place and to all thosewho were able to come.

3CONTENTS | NETWORK

Contents Issue 06 Page

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THE NEWSLETTER OF THE DIOCESE OF SHEFFIELD

Twenty-four adults were admitted or

authorised to work as ‘Lay Ministers’ across

the Diocese by the Bishop of Doncaster.

Page

06

St Matthew’s church took part in Sheffield’s

Heritage Open Days, the first time the church

has participated in this heritage festival.

Page

08

The Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox was installed as

the Eighth Bishop of Sheffield in a service at

Sheffield Cathedral.

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.

Page

10

A Messy Church experience seemed a good

way to connect with the families visiting the

Rotherham Show and Deanery.

Page

12

From Sheffield to Germany - the 2017

Kirchentag! We find out more.

Page

15

Emily Dawson reflects on a recent Diocesan

group's experiences at the Walsingham Youth

Pilgrimage.

NETWORK | NEWS4

24 adults were admitted or authorised to work as ‘LayMinisters’ across the Diocese of Sheffield by the Bishop ofDoncaster, Peter Burrows on Saturday 16 September in aspecial service held at Doncaster Minster.

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

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

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

will continue with further learning.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sheffield, commented:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Minister.”

Celebration of Lay MinistriesLearner StoriesAlison Wragg has just completed the

year one Foundations Course and was

presented with her certificate at

Doncaster Minster. She is training to

be a Reader and so will go on to train

for two more years, combining

academic and practical elements.

Alison says it has been an incredible

year, full of ups and downs.

Read her story in full on the St Peter’s

College website.

www.stpeterscollege.org.uk

Gail Ashton was authorised at the

service as a Parish Evangelist. Gail

feels privileged to have been called to

this ministry both by her parish, St

Luke’s Lodge Moor, and by God.

Following the service, Gail was happy

to tell more about her story, and her

call to ministry. Watch her testimony

on the St Peter’s College website.

www.stpeterscollege.org.uk

NEWS | NETWORK 5

As the Tour de Yorkshire passed through theDiocese of Sheffield, on the 28th to 30th Aprilnumerous churches along the route, joined inwith a series of events to mark the occasion.

Tour de YorkshireA group of churches make the most of the latest bike race to come to the area

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 YouEarlier this year the national Digital Communications team at Church House in London produced areport on how to get the most from the new A Church Near You.

They spoke to 1,800 people across the country to gather

insights and thoughts on how to make the service much better

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

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

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

new features include:

l Churches will be able to add extra information to events and

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

accessibility and contact details. This will enable churches to

showcase their one-off services out in the community or

parish away days outside the church building.

l Space to include information about the facilities the church

has, from a post office to foodbank or Alpha.

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

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

analytics feature built into the logged in view.

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

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

search to show them results that include the features and

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

or service type.

l In phase two, churches will be able to turn their simple page

into a full church website – even having the option of using a

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

launch in November, profiles will already begin to look far

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

and customise the tiles on their profile.

Church House is keeping in regular contact with A Church

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

at the heart of the national Christmas campaign under this

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

the project, please email enquiry@churchofengland.org.

NETWORK | NEWS6

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.

Sheffield Cathedral appointsnew 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 ChurchHeritage Open Days

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

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

finding historic documents and old photographs stored away to

be displayed for people to see the history of this inspiring

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

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

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

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

People were drawn to the stunning reredos behind the High

Altar depicting the incarnation.

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

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

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

church. Everyone who visited St Matthew’s remarked how

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

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

organise its own open days throughout the year to provide

even more people with the opportunity to see for themselves

what splendour lies behind the church doors.

NEWS | NETWORK 7

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

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

After the famous SUBWAY lunch, the inflatables are back,

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

dressing up in our photobooth.

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

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

common humanity with everyone else. There will be six

workshops based around the theme – looking at how we are

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

different faith, politics and even different churchmanship.

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

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

more information and bookings, visit www.breathedeepday.info

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.

Access the St Peter’s College Resource Centre from anywhere!As part of the ongoinginvestment in the St Peter’sCollege Resource Centre, theCentre is delighted to announceits very own OPAC (online publicaccess catalogue) will belaunched 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

that is convenient to them.

The online catalogue will contain details

of every one of the circa 10,000 books,

puppets, DVDs, Godly Play and

Reminiscence boxes available to borrow

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

be able to log in as a member and

review their current loans, keep track of

what they have and when those

resources are due back.

The system will also enable self-check-

out from Church House, allowing

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

with a greater audience and open up

access to more people in the Diocese.

Visit stpeterscollege.slls.online/

NETWORK | BISHOP OF SHEFFIELD8

Installation of the Eighth B Sheffield at Sheffield CathOn 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 whosaw the service begin with a colourful procession of clergy and lay people.

Following this procession, and in an ancient tradition, Rt Revd Wilcox approachedthe West End of the Cathedral and knocked three times on the main door. He wasthen 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:

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. Hestarted out in Rawcliffe on the edge of the River Aire, which marks the very northernboundary of the Sheffield Diocese. He then finished at Sheffield Cathedral on theafternoon of Friday 22 September.

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

“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.“

BISHOP OF SHEFFIELD | NETWORK 9

Holy Oils: Portraits &Personalities of theBishops of Sheffield

Bishop of edral

At the beginning of September in Sheffield Cathedralthere will be a special exhibition of the portraits of theprevious seven Bishops. It is a long tradition that at theend of a Bishop’s time in office a portrait in oils iscommissioned and displayed in the Cathedral.

These portraits are not often seen by members of the public, asthey are not displayed in the public space of the Cathedral.Photographic replicas of these oil portraits will be on displaytogether with a short biography of each Bishop.

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

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

“Bishop Pete, may this staff be a sign to you of your carefor us in Christ. May you encourage the faithful, restorethe lost and build up the body of Christ, who is the goodshepherd of us all.”

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

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

ffield in a service at Sheffield Cathedral.

NETWORK | FEATURES10

It’s not every weekend that our churches make contact with 1,000children with their families, most having little or no previousexperience of church.

Messy Church@ Rotherham Show

The Rotherham Show was the setting and the 2015 CrossroadsMission provided the initial impetus. The Show is the largest freeevent of its kind in the north of England drawing many visitors from thetown and beyond back in 2015. The Crossroads Mission and theShow weekend happened to clash but it was soon clear that this wasan opportunity. A Messy Church experience seemed a good way toconnect with the families visiting the Show and Rotherham Deanery,with help from the Parish Support Team, took it on. The BoroughCouncil, who organise the Show, gave us a free pitch, we booked a40x40 foot marquee and then thought about how we’d fill it.

In fact a welcome area, ten craft activity tables, a prayer space and acorner for musicians were more than enough to fill the tent once thepeople arrived. From the start, we were struck by the largely positivereception when passers-by discovered what it was about. And ourvisitors included a significant range of ethnic groups. We evidently hada place in the ‘public square’. The atmosphere in the tent feltwelcoming 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 theYorkshire’s Strongest Man competition!) The three Shows havetaken us on a steep learning curve and involved a massivecommitment of time and energy with almost 100 helpersregistered this year. But we have been especially encouraged bythe families who were looking out for us, having visited in previousyears. We were becoming known.

Each year we’ve had a theme for the crafts – Creation in the firstyear and the love of God in the second. This year we ventured intomore explicit territory with the ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus. With all thesewe have aimed to make meaningful connections with the visitingfamilies, recognising their very limited church or religious background.But more significant than what we were able to share explicitly is themore implicit sense from the experience, that church is actually OKand, perhaps, that God is too. We gave everyone details of all thelocal Messy Churches though it is too soon to say if we have boostedtheir numbers.

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

FEATURES | NETWORK 11

Interim Ministry – a new approachWhen I tell people I am an interimminister they usually respond by asking,‘You are a what?’ It is a difficult questionto answer succinctly, so I usually borrowan analogy that a member of one of thecongregations I served as an interimcame 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

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

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.

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.

Revd Harry Steele

Data Protection legislation to change!

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will apply from May 2018 and all those who process and hold personal datamust 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:

n 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.

n Model Privacy notices.

n Website Privacy statement – The Church of England

website (which is re-launching at the end of October) will

have an updated GDPR-compliant privacy notice which of

course can be borrowed, adapted, etc.

n Data Sharing Protocols – the national team is also

commissioning a template data sharing protocol by the end

of the year.

ICO are being very proactive, see www.ico.org.uk

The diocese will be issuing more information in due course.

NETWORK | FEATURES12

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 achild’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 ‘one-

stop shop’ for the 17 established Diocesan

training courses; in addition, to provide a

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

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.

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

This past year has seen 27 Diocesan schools and 1 community

primary take part with similar numbers expected in the

coming year.

Teachers from across the Diocese have taken part in a

rigorous and engaging training process and are now

delivering the resource to schools.

The approach is one that encourages children to questions

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

training session participants were surprised to find that, on

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

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

was no exercise in idolatry, but rather a springboard to

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

the Bible.

The initiative enters a second year with all schools

encouraged to take part.

FEATURES | NETWORK 13

From Sheffield to Germany - the 2017 Kirchentag!The Diocese of Sheffield has a longstanding link with the Hattingen-WittenChurch District of the the Evangelical Church in Germany (EvangelischeKirche 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.

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

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

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

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

The Sheffield WestRiding Charitable TrustThe trust warmly welcomesapplications 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

The Sheffield West Riding Charitable TrustDiocesan Church House, 95-99 Effingham Street,

Rotherham. S65 1BL

Tel: 01709 309100

I’ve been in post a few months now,and I’ve been astounded by thegenerosity that I’ve seen as I travelaround 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

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

NETWORK | FEATURES14

Exciting Developments for Financial Giving

David Stout, Parish GivingOfficer, writes

Have you considered how you can bless futuregenerations 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 itsministry 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

FEATURES | NETWORK 15

A DigitalWorld

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 “multi-

generational” 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

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 enrichingexperiences 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.

EAST RIDINGEAST R

SOUTHYORKSHIREY

The

Diocese of Sheffield

Diocese of Sheffield | Church House | 95-99 Effingham Street | Rotherham | S65 1BLTelephone: (01709) 309 100

Facsimile: (01709) 512 550

Email: reception@sheffield.anglican.org

@DioceseofSheff Find us on facebook.com/dioceseofsheffield

www.sheffield.anglican.org

The Diocese of Sheffield is called to grow a sustainable network

of Christ-like, lively and diverse Christian communities in

every place which are effective in making disciples and in

seeking to transform our society and God’s world.

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