Minutes for Deanery Synod Meeting – 22nd April 2023 at 7.00pm
Present
Jonathan Sedwick – Archdeacon of Southwark
Akin Akinwunmi – Lay Chair
Beth Llewelyn – Treasurer
Anastassia Obeng – Secretary
Christian Aid Visitors
Joseph Vambe – Christian Aid, Church Engagement and Fundraising Officer
Pete Murray – Christian Aid, Outreach and Fundraising Officer
Parish Representatives
Fr Lee Chantles, Phillip Batten – Christchurch Southwark –
Fr Robert Wright – St Agnes Kennington
Michael Lawson – Southwark Cathedral
St George The Martyr – Fiona Andrews
Mtr Deserine Swaby – St Michael All Angels
Beth Llewelyn, Olubiyi Odusanya – St Christophers
Matilda Taylor-Young – St John’s Walworth
Akin Akinwunmi, Anastasia Obeng – St Paul’s Lorrimore Square
Dr Borna Douglas – St Mary’s Newington
Siriol Davies, Stuart Murrell – St Peter’s Walworth
Apologies
Fr Jonathan Roberts – Area Dean
Mtr Ellen Eames – St Christophers
Patricia Balogun – St John’s Walworth
Agenda
- Archdeacon Presentation – Christ Centered Outward Focused
See – “Southwark Vision MASTER.pdf
Some questions responding to the presentation were:-
Q: “Is the list of grants (to help with mission) easy to apply for?”
A: Two main grants: One is the Woolwich Mission Grant at £5000 and the Fresh Expressions Grant, specially for new forms of worship. Recommended apply to the local council also to assist with community events, Cleaner Greener funds. Will Cookson, Southwark Dean of Fresh Expressions who has responsibility for mission grants.
Q: Can individual church members apply for training and development?
A:Aurora Course and Youth and Apprenticeship and SPA training available.AEfforts to make it more accessible. Help for people for whom English is not their first language (to help the large spanish speaking community). Points to example of Hugo in Christchurch Brixton whos Spanish Massis attracting up to 100 people in 5 weeks.
Q: What’s the age range of the youth apprenticeship team?
A: Training is available for 18 – 25 for church youth workers. Looking to bring it into line with government apprenticeship funding. Will find out more details.
Q: Mission Action Planning offers Consultancy attached with support. Questions regarding what this would look like?
A: Vision days with follow up support for Church MAPS are available. Discussions raised at Area Deans and Lay Chair meetings. It was recognised as a useful tool to stick with.
Q: Help with funding for youth groups trips? Like trips to Iona and the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage?
A: Apply and it would be available.
Q: Getting feedback from those who were formerly “unchurched” and how they experienced engaging with the church for the first time from outside with a view to making the experience easier for newcomers?
A: Church designs can be intimidating, with cliques and groups where everyone seems to know each other. Being comfortable in a place makes it more difficult to see church from an outsider.
Suggest ways to improve our welcome.
Q: Questions around interfaith and how we see ourselves integrating with other organizations as Southwark has considerable number of interfaith communities in the borough. How does the CofE manifest and how would we work with other faiths?
A: We are there to support the whole of our communities in collaborating with issues of common concern i.e. poverty, homelessness and health. We are not trying to “make Muslins Christians” although that can happen. Issues of interfaith are handled sensitively. Good example of the work in the Old Kent Road mosque.
And in examples abroad the Anglican church is recognised as being in a unique position to attempt to bring people together in the aftermath of Gaza.
- Christian Aid Presentation
Pete Murray, and Joseph Vambe Heads of Church Engagement and Community Fundraising for Christian Aid.
On a tour visiting synods and chapters in Southwark over the last few months. Looking to deepen their engagement with respect to healing after the pandemic, exploring ways they can help restore congregations and restore connections.
They responded to Jonathan’s Southwark Vision with the focus on healing with respect to social and racial justice in our communities and the wider world.
Example: our Sunday intercessions pray for Sudan, Haiti, Palestine, Israel, climate crises and others areas of conflict, natural disasters and injustice.
He reminded us that the Church is already responding to those situations.
Christian Aid was founded at the end of WW2. Churches came together and established a means to respond to civilian population deprivation caused by war and famine. 80 years later they still represent the front line response in humanitarian disasters. Dealing with immediate problems and advocating for long term changes to prevent it. Working with local partners in those countries is a source of knowledge. In Ukraine £30 million was raised by churches in the UK. Local Christian Aid partners Patterns have used the money to provide shelters, incubators and medical supplies to deal with the suffering.
Work in the West Bank includes providing shelters, mobile bathrooms and fresh food distribution from local farmers to help the displaced population avoid air strikes.
Joseph suggested ways in which partnerships can work with our churches.
Christian Charity Support –
Christian Aid mission to educate, fundraise and resource under the banner Give Act and Pray. With this aim he hopes to make Christian Aid resources easier to use for our parishes by
- Providing equipment to fundraise
- Helping with publicity
- Generating campaign excitement by working with what suits a parish best – ie park fetes, door to door, boot sales etc.
He appeals to our PCC’s to appointment a Christian Aid representative as a point of contact to make their resources available to us and help shape our events for maximum reach and publicity.
Looking to create excitement for Christian Aid week coming up from 18th may – fundraising challenge with a myriad of activities.
They encourage us to invite them to talk at our Sunday sermons and attach a request form to advise them when and where.
See “Christian Aid Speaker Request Form.pdf
They also encourage us to forge closer ties to our political representatives to tackle the resurgence of international third world debt to private companies. Encouraging churches to build relations with local MPs to legislate for governments to write off the debt.
Diocesan Synod Elections
Discussion of the procedure for the Diocesan Synod election instructions
Parish Updates
Christchurch Southwark – Fr Lee Chantles, Phillip Batten
New Vicar, Stuart is settling in and becoming acquainted with the area and its new community.
- They are on the planning committee for the big project of renovating their church yard
- Big response to Holy Week
- They have a new monastic community
St Agnes Kennington – Fr Robert Wright
Fr Robert is coming up to his first anniversary
- He has been consolidating some things and restarting others. Rekindling the social activities after the pandemic. Summer fete brought in £700. Christmas Fete made £800
- Leafleting the parish with Christmas cards, yielded quite some interest.
- Baptised a young lad whose mother used to attend the church: restored family attendance
- Has spent time learning “the rhythm of the year” and discovering the parish.
- Has found big contrasts between the affluent in the Parish with their big houses and the very poor sleeping in the park, to which members of the congregation bring food.
- Consolidation and moderate growth in the church with numbers 50+. Asking God to give them the right questions if not the answers.
Southwark Cathedral – Michael Lawson
- Inviting people to bible study, explore interpretations of the scriptures.
- Focus on “sustainability” looking not to spend so much on the building’s fabric.
- New outreach through the Southbank community, and multi faith with the mosques.
St George The Martyr – Fiona Andrews
Father Ben joined the parish in September. Consolidating and building up community. People have responded very well to his energy.
- Amazing food cooperatives in the crypt.
- Their music academy has lots of potential. Baptisms lined up.
- Exploring their unique historical side. Their patronal festival was glorious.
St Michael All Angels – Mtr Deserine Swaby
They anticipate change as Father Jonathan Roberts is retiring soon. Archdeacon visited to discuss their future plans and its effect on them.
- They are focusing on growing their young people as the numbers there are a bit low.
- Looking to see how they can also engage some of the older people in the parish.
- Exploring opportunities for outreach with weekends away.
St Christophers – Beth Llewelyn, Olubiyi Odusanya
Rebuilding numbers slowly. Has a comparatively good Christmas and Easter compared to the pandemic – 2018/19.
Started a monthly teenage bible study group led by two members who have grown from small children and have been inspired to lead a group. The young generation are getting engaged.
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St John’s Walworth – Matilda Taylor-Young
Currently in interregnum since Father John retired last October. They have maintained their daily mass led by their 3 person SPA. Their curate is providing continuity to those who have been with them for 18 years. Archdeacon Jonathan has been very helpful . Their bible study is thriving . She has started their parish profile and sent a draft to the archdeacon. They have decided to explore the bishop appointed route.
Children’s ministry Engaging youth of all ages
St Paul’s Lorrimore Square – , Akin Akinwunmi, Anastasia Obeng
St Paul’s Nursery is moving on from the big community space on the first floor. Looking for new opportunities to fill the space.
BIble study after lent is invigorating and thriving. Problems with our roofs, means to address the leaks.
The choir has been thriving now the choirmaster has engaged them. They enjoy it and are learning. Up to 21 kids in the choir so the youth ministry is happening.
Bingo in the hall was very well received with plenty of mostly elderly attendants. Gives us a pool into the community for upcoming events.
St Mary’s Newington – Dr Borna Douglas
They lost their hall that brought in good revenue. They are arranging with the developers to get flats for residents. Engagement with the local schools made the Chridtmas events very successful. They are looking to employ a musical leader to liaise with the schools. Looking to worship with more Anglican influences away from perceived pentecostal . They are looking to return to the pulpit, sing canticles and psalms to return to traditional Anglican practice.
St Peter’s Walworth – Siriol Davies, Stuart Murrell
10 people are being prepared for communion. Providing training for lay ministry. They have invited bakers into their crypt to make pastries. They are looking to repurpose their crypt.
Meeting concluded with a prayer and the Grace
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