the month december 2015

December 2015

--■ Wishing all our readers and advertisers a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year

Diocesan appeal to assist Syrian refugeessettle in the UKpasses £81,000 markPage 2

Helen breaks new ground as the diocese's pioneering interim ministerPages 6-7

N E E D T O K N O W I S T O R I E S I A R E A U P D AT E S I E V E N T S N E A R Y O U

Knockknock!Who's there?

Find out why the bishops opened the door by turning to Page 5

www.chelmsford.anglican.org

B i s h o p ’ s C h r i s t m a sM e s s a g e

By Rt Revd

Stephen Cottrell,

Bishop of

Chelmsford

LAST year I wrote a little book called Walking

Backwards to

Christmas. I had

needed some persuasion to write the book.

After all, isn’t this the one bible story that everyone knows? What else is there to say about it?

But when I came upon the idea of telling the story backwards, not only did this provide a new angle, I also discovered that it gave the story a new ending.

A story usually ends with the consequences of people’s decisions and actions.

The backwards Christmas story made the ending the decision itself and the motivation behind it.

It was about why people did the things they did, and not just what happened afterwards.

This, for me at any rate, shed light on all sorts of interesting bits of the Christmas story and put them centre stage: Joseph’s incredible decision to stick with Mary even though he only had the evidence of a dream that what she was saying was CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

christmasstarts.com

Bring the kids to light a candlefor Christ’s birthday

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Christingle

THE month — Volunteers trek 2,500 miles to deliver emergency supplies

2 THE MONTH December 2015

Epping team drive to Serbian borderBy REVD JONATHAN MACNEANEY

A VAN packed with supplies was driven from Epping to refugee crisis points on the Croatian/Serbian border.

Eszter Schmaler, Callum Brown and I undertook the 2,500 mile round trip between October 5th and 8th, carrying donations which had been collected by the local group Epping Supporters of the Women and Children of Calais.

The group began life with a specific focus on Calais, and continues it work there, but its focus widened as the full scale of the crisis unfolded.

Half of the supplies were dropped off in Bapska, with

volunteers at the border crossing point and the other half with the Red Cross at the refugee camp in Opatovac.

The volunteers in Bapska are working to keep up with a complex and rapidly changing situation.

They have very little time to offer refugees essential clothing, food and sanitation before they are taken by bus to processing camps.

They were very selective as they only wanted items they knew were going to get used.

The refugees whilst looking exhausted also expressed relief at having reached relative safety.

The camp in Opatovac holds up to 6000 refugees at any time and they are normally there for

between three hours and one day before moving on.

Approximately 60 per cent of the refugees are men, many of whom have left their families at home to undertake perilous journeys in the hope of finding a way to eventually rescue their entire families from the sufferings they are facing.

The remaining 40 perr cent are women and children including some children under the age of 16 who are making the journey alone.

The camp is organised by the military and no civilian personnel, including aid workers, are allowed inside.

Supplies are passed through the fence or given to refugees as they queue to enter the camp.

Special thanks to:l All those who donated supplies.l Jon at Loughton self-hire for providing a van and waiving the hire cost.l Those who supported the trip financially through the Just Giving page.l Chelmsford Diocese and Epping District Team Ministry.l Epping Supporters of the Women and Children of Calais for publicity and organisation.l Information about continued projects is available on the Epping Supporters of the Women and Children of Calais Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/738898982887632/

ON THE BORDER: Jonathan and Eszter unloading boxes at Bapska,left, and Refugees waiting for onward transport at Bapska.

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For distribution contact: [email protected]: 01245 294443.Your newspaper will normally be available from the third Sunday in the month. Any further changes will be advised to distributors.

Editor: Jon LongmanEditorial and photographs for The Month should be sent to:[email protected] Jon Longman, The Month, 1 Bouchiers Place, Messing, Colchester CO5 9TY. Tel: 01621 810530. Mobile: 07860 769906l Digital photographs for publication: Please take pictures at largest size,

resolution and compression. Hi-res JPGs or Tiffs should be re-sized to min 7x5in at 300dpi with no layers or sharpening. Captions, your name and contact details should be embedded in the 'File Info' section if possible. If e-mailing many shots, send only 72dpi initially at max size of 8x6in. When submitting photos please confirm that written consent has been obtained from parents / guardians of children under age 16 for publication of photos publicising church activities in The Month.l The inclusion of an advertisement should not be taken as implying endorsement of the objects of the advertiser by the diocese.

The Month, incorporating NB and East Window, is the free circulation newspaper of Church of England in Essex and East London (Diocese of Chelmsford). www.chelmsford. anglican.org/themonthl Find Chelmsford Diocese on Twitter @chelmsdiol Find Bishop Stephen on Twitter @cottrellstephenl Subscribe to our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/ChelmsfordDiocesel Like us on Facebook: www. facebook.com/chelmsdiol Like our Ask an Archdeacon Facebook www.facebook.com/ askanarchdeaconl View our photostream on Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/chelmsford-diocese

Faculty changesNEW national rules for simplifying the jurisdiction of Faculties (church planning permissions) will come into force on January 1, 2016.

A new ‘A List’ of works can be carried out on churches without a Faculty.

Works on a new ‘B List’ of works can be carried out once the written permission of the relevant Archdeacon has been obtained. All other works will require a Faculty.

Parishes will be notified of a new procedure by which their proposed works can go ahead or a Faculty application will be required.l For more information, visit the Diocesan Advisory Committee web page at www.chelmsford.anglican.org/parishes/dac/application-petition-forms or contact Sandra Turner, the DAC Secretary, at [email protected], 01245 294413 or 01245 294423.

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January's editionDUE to pressure on space, a number of stories and photographs have been held over to the January edition.

READERS of The Month have responded generously so that refugees fleeing persecution can be given a warm welcome as they arrive in East London and Essex in great need. The Chelmsford Diocese Refugee Appeal had raised an amazing £81,182 as The Month went to press.

Donations can continue to be made by cheque, by text or online on the website https://mydonate.bt.com/events/chelmsdiorefugeeappeal/ 246388.

The Chelmsford Christian Bookshop is donating half of the profits from sales of the Real Advent Calendar to the Appeal. The calendars can be purchased at 53 New Street, Chelmsford. Ring 01245 294405 or email bookshop@ chelmsford.anglican.org for details.

A group chaired by Martin Mitchell will be using the funds raised by the Appeal wisely and will work in partnership with communities as the refugees are welcomed into our region.

Discussions about welcoming refugees have been held between the diocese and local and national government on the understanding that the government remains committed to accepting 1,000 refugees before Christmas.

Meanwhile, the government’s response to the refugee crisis will be debated at General Synod after the Prime Minister rejected a call in a letter from the Bishops of the Church of England to take more refugees.

The Prime Minister was urged by the bishops to make a more meaningful and substantial response to the crisis. The letter ‘calls all of us to play our parts’. An overwhelming majority of

bishops, including the Bishop of Chelmsford, signed the letter to the Prime Minister. They said: "Like you, your government and the people of our nation, we are deeply concerned for the refugee crisis that we have to face together. We are grateful to you and your ministers for the conversations they have already held with the Archbishop of Canterbury and others.

"We believe such is this country’s great tradition of sanctuary and generosity of spirit that we could feasibly resettle at least 10,000 people a year for the next two years, rising to a minimum of 50,000 in total over the five-year period you foresaw in your announcement.

"Such a number would bring us into line with comparable commitments made by other countries. It would be a meaningful and substantial response to the scale of human suffering we see daily.

"We believe that should a National Welcome and Resettlement Board be established in response to the crisis, drawing together civic, corporate and government leadership to coordinate efforts and mobilise the nation as in times past, such an effort would not be beyond the British people. A senior bishop would gladly serve on such a board on our behalf and at your pleasure."l Please send details of local initiatives to [email protected]. Fundraising events will be advertised in The Month and on the diocesan website calendar. A form is available at www.chelmsford.anglican.org/eventsform.

Appeal tops £81k

Prentices welcomedREVDS Calvert and Sharon Prentice have been welcomed to St John’s, Seven Kings. Calvert is Priest in Charge and Assistant Director of Ordinands. Sharon is a tutor at St Mellitus College and will be Assistant Priest in the parish.

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Big thank you from Mount Kenya East

THE MONTH December 2015 3

THE month — Dioceses raise £55,000 to support project

THIS year’s Lent Appeal has raised nearly £30,000 to help build and equip an extension to the hospital run by Anglican Development Services in Mount Kenya East.

This non-governmental organisation is a key part of Chelmsford diocese's wider companionship link with the Dioceses in this region.

ADS chief executive officer Catherine Mwangi says: “We really value our partnership with Chelmsford, and are deeply grateful to the Christians of Essex and East London for their generosity.

"Thanks to your kindness, we will no longer have to look after people in overcrowded wards and the increased capacity means we we will be able to bring more people the healing and wholeness that God desires for them.”

On a recent visit to Kenya, Revd Lee Batson was able to see firsthand the problems the hospital currently faces.

Lee said: “It was humbling to see how much is being done by the doctors and nurses in the current cramped conditions, as well as to hear the vision of Catherine to make things better for the people of Mount Kenya East.”

The money we collected through the appeal was linked to the £25,000 that was raised by the Christians from our link dioceses who descended on Kerugoya for a sponsored walk.

The inspiration for this fundraising idea came to Catherine when she was in Chelmsford last year, and joined many people as they walked together on the Bradwell Pilgrimage.

The hospital extension will be dedicated by the Bishop of Kirinyaga in December, and then attention will move to the next phase of expansion which will bring even higher quality medical provision to the people of Mount Kenya.

Lee added: "Please pray for our partners as they continue the work God has called them to do."

PROGRESS: ADS CEO Catherine Mwangi points to the hospital extension (above) and visits one of the existing women's wards (below)

TEAMS from Chelmsford Diocese stepped out in public on November 2 to pray with people in the street, in shopping centres and across communities.

Lion Walk in Colchester was visited by vicars Mark Wallace (left) and Paul Norrington who are pictured with the Archdeacon of Colchester, Annette Cooper.

Some 60 requests for prayer were collected and prayers were said at St Peter's church, Colchester.

"We had some amazing pastoral conversations," said Archdeacon Annette.

AS we give thanks for the success of this year’s Lent Appeal, so the attention turns to next year when the diocese will be combining with Christian Aid and the partner dioceses in Mount Kenya East to support subsistence farmers as they seek to make better lives for themselves in the face of the challenges of climate change. In a

new development, a Lent Study Resource is also being produced which will be available to download from the diocesan website. l Further details will be available in the next edition of The Month. If you require more information before then, please contact Revd Lee Batson on 01245 451087 or [email protected].

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THE month — Thousands expected to visit Christmas Tree festival

'A little piece of heavenly glory'BY CANON JOHN HOWDEN TO many people the idea of a Christmas Tree Festival in church may be old news. But when the idea was suggested to All Saints Writtle PCC in 2012 nobody had even heard of such a thing.

Four members of the PCC did some research and we took ourselves off to Brightlingsea where they have been holding a festival for many years.

They were fantastically helpful, with suggestions and copies of their entry forms and programmes. A planning group was set up.

From this start, we set out on a journey of faith and were amazed when we had more than 40 trees submitted.

We limited the entry to those living, working and running organisations within the parish of Writtle and we set no theme but allowed each tree to be designed and decorated according to the owner’s whims.

That year, 2012, we had everything from a tree made entirely of CDs by the Writtle Singers to a string of knitted sausages on a tree by our village butcher.

And of course there were lots of familiar looking trees with much sparkle and glitter. The church was transformed into a glittering

exhibition, with many of the trees depicting the Christmas story.

Shops, pubs, clubs, organisations and individuals all contributed. We ran a competition where each visitor was invited to vote for their favourite tree in two categories - adult and junior.

The junior's winning tree was made entirely of plastic bottles (left).

Since that first year the number of trees entered has risen steadily and last year we had just short of 60 trees. We hope to top that number this year. Plans for the 2015 Festival are well under way and at the time writing, we already have around 50 trees booked.

We have a website, www.gosaints.co.uk on which there are stills and a video link as well information about this year's event.

The 2015 All Saints Writtle Christmas Tree Festival is on Saturday December 5 (10am-5pm)

with a Christmas Craft Market in the Christian Centre from (10am-4pm) and on Sunday December 6 the Festival in church will be open (noon-5pm).

There is live music in the church, with Chelmsford Gospel Choir on Saturday and All Saints Handbell Ringers and Writtle Singers on the Sunday.

With 2,000 people visiting the church and village, the buzz has been amazing and we are aiming to welcome more this year. But the real benefit has been way the community and church have worked together to make this the special event it is.

Come and see, as Philip said to Nathanael about Jesus (John 1.46). One visitor last year came as dusk was falling and stood spellbound in the church lit just by the tree lights. "I never expected to have my breath taken away," he said. "It's stunning, a little bit of heavenly glory!"

Evangelists arecommissionedTHE Bishop of Barking, Peter Hill commissioned five Parish Evangelists at Emmanuel church in Forest Gate on November 2. The service was led by Revd Cornelius Henry.

The new Parish Evangelists

are: Aseh Kessy Ebbah (Forest Gate Emmanuel), Christine Meade (Forest Gate Emmanuel), Felix Okene (Beckton St Mark), Samuel Ozurumba (East Ham Holy Trinity) and Zita Sandy (West Ham All Saints).


THE month — St Cedd Centre for Pioneer Mission launched

Casting the visionBy CANON MARTIN WOODBishop Stephen launched the St Cedd Centre for Pioneer Mission at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Collier Row on November 1. Just before the implementation group was commissioned, Martin Wood, Mission and Ministry Adviser (Bradwell Area), on behalf of The Month, spoke to two key people in the project – Revd Vernon Ross, Mission and Ministry adviser for the Barking Area and chair of the group, and Debbie James, director of church and community mission for the Church Missionary Society (CMS).

MW: What is your vision for the St Cedd Centre in the life of Chelmsford Diocese?

Vernon: It all started when unknown to each other both David Hague and myself went separately to the Archdeacon of Barking with a vision for the training of lay pioneer ministers. David with a Church of the Good Shepherd focus, and me with a base it at Good Shepherd but for the whole Episcopal Area. So that's how it all started – the two of us with overlapping visons coming together, we both saw it as something God was behind!

MW: How does it all fit in?Vernon: Well Transforming

Presence talks about both evangelising effectively and reimagining ministry.

The training of lay pioneers is about both of these. Lay pioneers learn about evangelising in our current context, learning to tell our story of Jesus to a new generation. They engage with people who have not heard of the Jesus story and who find traditional church both scary and not for them. It is reimagined ministry because it is Lay led. We are saying that lay people can lead Fresh Expressions, can evangelise and can enable contextual mission if that is what God is calling them to do.

The Pioneer Hub also helps fulfil the wish of Diocesan Synod in its motion a couple of years ago, calling for a Fresh Expression of Church in every Mission and Ministry Unit, as lay pioneers will lead these Fresh Expressions.

MW: So how does this work? Do people go on a course, listen to lectures, write essays and get a qualification so that they can be lay pioneers?

Vernon: No, it is not like that.

This is not an academic university style course, but more akin to an apprenticeship, where the lay pioneers will learn together and reflect together on the projects they are engaged in.

MW: What can the Church Mission Society bring to this vision?

Debbie: CMS contributes important and shared values to the St Cedd Centre. We have four core values

The first is pioneering. Our founders, more than 200 years ago, exercised a remarkable imagination. CMS was formed in the crucible of the slave trade by the likes of William Wilberforce. Our founders were pioneering people who imagined a different kind of world – they fought to end slavery and to bring freedom in Christ, in all senses of what that means. Their pioneering spirit has continued over the centuries, with people crossing continents and cultures and, more recently, through the establishment of pioneering mission training for our own mission context in Britain too.

Second, we are evangelistic. We want to see the good news of Jesus made at home in all contexts, including here across the diocese of Chelmsford.

Our third value is in being relational – CMS is all about people, and coming alongside people – just as David Harrigan has shared in a video that he has created. David, a pioneer ordinand at the Church of the

Good Shepherd, made the video about two local projects he is currently engaged in.

And, finally, we try to be faithful. We seek to faithfully join in with God’s mission, sticking in there even when things are tough and learning from our mistakes.

CMS can help to realise the vision of the St Cedd Centre in several ways.

We can offer training. We are now in our sixth year of training pioneers – both lay and ordained; in fact, that training commences next spring with an introduction to pioneering mission as part of the Lent taster course. The vision is that this training is a partnership, with input from pioneer practitioners on the ground in Chelmsford Diocese, lending it a real rootedness to context.

We can also give practical advice in forming and supporting a learning community, and connecting with a wider network of pioneer practitioners; and one person in particular will be key to making this happen. Revd Johnny Sertin is an ordained pioneer who is the CMS Pioneering Mission Advisor and a member of the St Cedd Implementation Group.

MW: Can you say a bit more about the Lent taster course?

Debbie: This will be a one-off course on five Monday evenings through Lent. It will be held at the Good Shepherd and will begin on February 22. People will get an insight into pioneering mission, they will look at the Acts of

the Apostles and how to bring together prayer, reflection and action in pioneering mission. And they will consider whether God might be calling them to this ministry and what is involved if He is. At the end of the five weeks, people will have the option to apply for the full process which will begin in September 2016.

MW: Can you say a bit about why it was decided to base the St Cedd Centre in the Church of the Good Shepherd?

Vernon: We are at COGs, firstly because over many years it has a history of pioneering ministry. It is from here that Andy Poultney and the Deeper Project first took place. Deeper Network Church is based in what was a restaurant on Romford High Street. It focuses on other young adults in the pub and club culture of central Romford.

Also geographically the Church of the Good Shepherd is well placed (just off the A12) to be accessible to people living in both the Barking and Bradwell Episcopal Areas.l For more information about the St Cedd Centre for Pioneer Mission, contact Julie Clay by email [email protected] or 01708 745626.l Find out more at www. chelmsford.anglican.org/pioneersl Watch the video of David Harrigan at www.youtube.com/user/ChelmsfordDiocese

KNOCK, KNOCK! The team responsible for the St Cedd Centre walk through ‘the open door’ (1 Cor 16:9) at the launch service for this new initiative in mission. First through the door is Debbie James, CMS director of church and community mission, Revd Johnny Sertin, CMS Pioneeering Mission Advisor, Julie Clay, St Cedd Centre coordinator and integration leader for the Church of the Good Shepherd, Canon David Hague, vicar of the Church of the Good Shepherd and Area Dean of Havering, and David Harrigan, resident pioneer at the Church of the Good Shepherd and currently on the CMS Pioneer Mission Leadership Training course preparing for ordination.

COVER STORY

Apprentices transformation targetTHE first local Centre for Pioneer Mission was launched by Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, the Bishop of Chelmsford, during a special commissioning service at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Romford on November 1.

The St Cedd Centre is a joint initiative between the Church Mission Society (CMS), one of the world’s oldest missionary organisations, and Chelmsford Diocese.

Combining CMS’s experience of pioneer mission training and Chelmsford’s commitment to hosting Fresh Expressions of mission, the two organisations are sharing a commitment to contextual mission in a local setting.

As well as launching the mission centre, the bishop commissioned Revd Vernon Ross, Canon David Hague, David Harrigan and Canon

Martin Wood, alongside Revd Johnny Sertin and Debbie James from CMS as leaders of the implementation process to birth this new initiative.

Based in Romford, the St Cedd Centre for Pioneer Mission, which takes its name from St Cedd, the 7th century missionary to the East Saxon people, will act as a focal point for locally-based mission pioneers and entrepreneurs seeking to reach out in their communities.

David Harrigan, himself a trainee pioneer ordinand within the diocese and also part of the implementation team at St Cedd’s, expressed his hopes for the new centre.

“My passion is to discover what church looks

like for those outside the walls of the church. I’m looking forward to what God will do,” said David.

The vision for the Centre is to provide an environment that identifies, equips and supports Christians across Chelmsford Diocese to serve as pioneer missionaries. They will be encouraged to operate beyond Sunday services and church buildings, in order to bring transformation in their communities.

Lay pioneers will learn as apprentices through reflective practice on practical pioneering initiatives based on their interests. In addition to Chelmsford’s own resources, CMS will provide training on mission spirituality, church in mission and context and entrepreneurship which will be applied to the various initiatives through a learning programme with a pioneer mentor.

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Helen breaks new ground as pioneering interim minister

THE month — Former arts journalist feels God's call to bring healing and help a parish move forward together

TM: What did this charity do?HGG: Creative Exchange grew to be an

international network of 200 individuals and organisations working in countries like the UK, Kenya, South Africa, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Jamaica and Burundi, tackling issues such as refugee integration, HIV Aids, conflict, human rights by enabling communities to have a say in their development creatively and from their own cultural background. We started small, in my home. Our partners included Comic Relief, Tearfund, Oxfam, Save the Children, UNICEF and the Department for International Development.

TM: You mentioned that interim ministry requires tools. Is listening to people one of those tools?

HGG: Yes, listening is vital to interim ministry. There are five tasks and listening to people is important throughout the process. Briefly the process involves coming to terms with history, discovering identity, developing leadership gifts, reconnecting with the denomination or diocese in our case, and committing to the future. The process has been well researched over the past 40 years, especially in the USA.

TM: Can you say anything about the

challenge of reconnecting with the diocese at Nazeing?

HGG: The different strands - the deanery, archdeaconry, bishop’s area and the diocese - have drawn closer together. There was anger about the past but we are working better together, we are more integrated now and we are all contributing to a process of growth. Our Area Dean, Martin Harris, Archdeacon Martin, Bishop Peter Hill and Bishop Stephen Cottrell have called us and contributed to reconciliation, healing and recovery.

TM: What is an interim minister like as a person?

HGG: Interim ministers are normally described as being resilient and grounded individuals - a ‘non-anxious presence’ in the process of change.

TM: How long does a period of interim ministry usually last?

HGG: Historically, interims have been appointed for 18 months to two years, however there needs to be flexibility: the job needs to take as long as it takes to ensure a satisfactory outcome. Normally the interim minister does not become the parish priest but my case is the exception that proves the rule. I am settling into the parish to bring stability for the next few years and provide a base for further networking.

In 2014 Chelmsford Diocese won an £850,000 mission grant from the Church Commissioners to develop a project, now under the leadership of the Bishop of Barking, to support churches most in need of healthy transformation. Part of the project is resourcing ‘interim ministry’.

The Month talked to Revd Helen Gheorghiu Gould from Nazeing, Chelmsford’s first paid interim minister.

TM: How did you become an interim minister?

HGG: Nazeing had been through a challenging time and needed time to reflect and recover. A tremendous team and a fantastic administrator had been keeping things going when the parish was in vacancy for three long years. I had spent four years as a curate in Epping. With great trepidation I asked Archdeacon Martin Webster about making a move to the parish on an interim basis to help them move forward. After six months in this post I saw a diocesan advert for interim ministry. I was already doing the job and felt an immediate sense of calling.

‘I regard going into interim ministry as

a God accident’TM: Is interim ministry a stop gap until

the next parish priest arrives or is it more than this?

HGG: Interim ministry is an intentional process. To start with I was working as an interim minister instinctively without all the tools but I was learning all the time. My previous background involved working in an inclusive and participatory way and this helped me in my role as an interim minister.

TM: What was your background before being called to ordination?

HGG: I worked in international development using the arts and culture to engage with social problems and help bring about change. In some ways interim ministry feels like nothing new to me because it is also inclusive, participatory and collaborative. I regard going into interim ministry as a ‘God accident’.

TM: How did you come to work in the arts and international development?

HGG: I started as an arts journalist. I saw potential for the arts and culture to help refugees coming out of the Balkans in 1992. I became active in the field of humanitarian aid, published some research, and worked for the British Council as a culture and development consultant. In 1997 I co-founded a charity called Creative Exchange.

TRANSFORMING PRESENCE – Revd Helen Gheorghiu Gould with Bishop Stephen on the tower of Nazeing parish church

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THE month — Former arts journalist feels God's call to bring healing and help a parish move forward together

development work was done by missionaries in Africa in the early 20th century for example; some of our participatory tools came out of community development by the American and Latin American church a few decades ago. We are now re-discovering the opportunity for transformation ourselves.

TM: Is God also present in other organisations as they change besides the Church?

HGG: Yes, God can be found at work in other organisations and there is a place in interim ministry for Christians with a passion for it who have worked as change managers or consultants in industry, the voluntary sector, community development, the NHS and so on.

TM: What is distinctively Christian about the process of interim ministry: is it change management applied to the context of the Church?

HGG: In other walks of life Christians often feel they have to operate behind closed doors because they may need to be sensitive about disclosing their motivations for the sake of their livelihoods – in my previous work, for example, it was important for our work that I was seen to be culturally neutral, however much God was at the centre of things personally. In the Church we acknowledge God as the driving force behind our processes. We acknowledge God’s vision, hand and signature, and are explicit about putting God front and centre and making God the focus for what we do. And we recognise that everybody in the Church is experiencing God, that all can contribute what they are receiving from God into the process of change.

TM: Is interim ministry mostly a response to the demographic change overwhelming the church with so many clergy from the baby boomer generation retiring, as some say about the diocesan Transforming Presence initiative as a whole?

HGG: Demographic change is a driver behind Transforming Presence but it is not the only driver, or the main one. Real change comes out of neediness, poverty and hunger. When we in the Church recognise that we are poor in some ways, we have to work together to find a way forward. Maybe at times when the Church is wealthy in resource terms we do not feel we have to work so hard at it. But then we miss out on the joys and blessings that Transforming Presence can bring.

TM: Is change difficult to achieve?HGG: Yes, people generally fear change. It

can be a seed of conflict. The real implication of Transforming Presence is being prepared to be changed. It is easy to sign up in theory but in reality we all struggle.

TM: Do you like change in your own life?HGG: Not really! I am faced with moving

home at the moment and I do not like the uncertainty of that. As a Christian and a trained facilitator I am called to a vocation of holding my own opinions and creating space for others to discuss change, sometimes confidentially on a one to one basis and sometimes openly in parish meetings. It is perhaps because I dislike change so much in my own life, that I am called to help others work through it. In these situations we really need Christ’s Transforming Presence.

TM: How far is the interim ministry network spreading?

HGG: Locally I am exploring interim ministry with St Mary’s Great Parndon and St James’ Staple Tye. Other interim ministers will be coming along in the diocese and they will be part of the network. Other dioceses are starting to network with me too. The Church Commissioners’ grant to Chelmsford Diocese has created an opportunity nationally.

TM: What does interim ministry feel like to a parishioner?

HGG: It is God’s process and it can feel a bit unsettling. Although there are clear tasks, no one knows exactly what will come out of the process. Participants experience God acting through the process to produce transformation. People who were sceptical about the process have become friends.

TM: Were there any particular turning points in your interim ministry?

HGG: One big turning point was autumn 2014 when Bishop Stephen came to the parish on a missionary journey. Another was Good Friday when an amazing reconciliation occurred and bridges with individuals in the parish and with our diocese were re-built. I am certain both events were the work of God.

‘Parishes can lose their way and not

know where to turn’TM: If God is in the transformation, is he

also responsible for the breakdown in relationships which necessitated the reconciliation in the first place?

HGG: No, breakdowns happen. A breakdown can happen for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes church communities experience conflict or become overstrained by building projects, for example. Parishes can lose their way and not know where to turn next. But I don’t sense that breakdown is the hand of God. As it says in 1 Corinthians 14, our God is a God not of disorder but of peace. God is at work in process of ordering. This is where transformation can take place.

TM: Would it be better to embed good working practices in the Church from the outset than put relationships back together after they have gone badly wrong?

HGG: Of course, and I am heartened to find affirmation of collaborative leadership on the diocesan Clergy Leadership Programme. We do not need interim ministers everywhere. We can already find the skills of interim ministry at work in the Church.

TM: What would you say to those who see interim ministry as the Church catching up with change management in the secular world?

HGG: Secular organisations have learned much change management from the church over the years – some of the first arts and

TIME TO TALK – Revd Helen Gheorghiu Gould chats to Bishop Stephen on one of his missionary journeys which visited Nazeing last year

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I enclose a one-off gift of £Please make cheques payble to Gilead Foundations

I would like to become a PartnerPlease fill in this form

Any gift you give will be used for the work of Gilead Foundations. If you wish to restrict this for the building fund, please tick this box

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Instruction to your bank: Please deduct £from my account on (dd/mm/yy) / / Then monthly until further notice. Pay this sum to Gilead Foundations Account No: 05651441 Sort Code: 54-21-14Nat West Bank, 40 Fore Street, Okehampton, EX20 1EY

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Registered in England No: 2608644 Limited by Guarantee Registered Charity No: 1002909

PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING GILEADA gift towards our building costs helps us ‘set the lonely in a family’ where they can receive help as they restructure their lives for freedom. Grace Lodge could not have been built without the financial help of donors just like you.If you would prefer to become a regular financial Partner, we welcome donations of any amount but would suggest £20 per month.If you have any questions about our work, please contact Lois Samuel on 01837 851240. If you have questions about making a larger donation or interest free loan to the ministry, please contact Chris Cole (Trustee) on 07957 433973.You can also visit www.gilead.org.uk to find out more about us and donate online.

I am a UK taxpayer and I agree to Gilead Foundations Charity (GFC) claiming tax on all past, present and future donations I make to the charity. Please treat my donations as Gift Aid donations. I confirm that I am paying or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax to cover the amount GFC and any other charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) will reclaim for the tax year (6 April one year to 5 April the next year). Council Tax and VAT do not qualify towards Gift Aid. GFC will reclaim 25 pence of tax for every £1 that has been given.

Signed DatePlease add my details to the Gilead mailing list

Please return this form to Gilead Foundations, Risdon Farm, Jacobstowe, Okehampton, EX20 3AJ

Since 1991, we have developed a clear mission at Gilead: To unlock people from addiction, fear and pain, and release them into their true potential, by teaching them to understand why they do things they don’t want to do and how to do only what will bring real success and ful� lment, so that relapse is a thing of the past.

85% of people who complete the programme at Gilead remain drug free, in employment and with a healthy support network when reviewed 1 and 2 years a� er they leave. We are extending our facilities to make that a reality for more people, and we have built the � rst of three purpose-designed bungalows.

Since 2013, ‘Grace Lodge’, as we’ve named it, has become a safe home for male Clients, house parents and key support workers, who live in an extended family environment. Already, 18 men have stayed at

Grace Lodge during their rehabilitation, so it’s having a massive impact on people’s lives and families. Gary (whose story is on this page) o� en spends valuable time with our Clients at Grace Lodge when he comes to volunteer on the farm.

Plans are underway to complete the next bungalow, ‘Faith Lodge’, to provide purpose-built accommodation for up to 8 female Clients at a time, plus support workers and house parents.

If we had all the money right now, we could build it in 7 months; but we realise it will take a little longer as we have to fundraise £500,000. We are approaching grant funders, who are more willing to help now that we can show them the results from Grace Lodge. We know from experience that we will also need the support of the many generous people who read stories like Gary’s, and want to use their � nances to make a signi� cant di� erence.

At Gilead, we do as much as we can to be self-supporting (including using ground-source heating and solar energy in the new bungalows, opening up a bore hole for our own water supply, and using farm-generated pro� ts to help pay for rehab services). But we cannot complete this next bungalow without � nancial help. Would you please consider supporting us as we build Faith Lodge, to expand the work and enhance the quality of rehab for our female Clients?

Please use the donation coupon on this page, or donate online at www.gilead.org.uk. If you would like to o� er an interest free loan, or discuss making a donation, please call our Trustee Chris Cole on 07957 433973. With your help, we can provide skilled support in a secure environment with family values, enabling people to rebuild shattered lives and families, like Gary has. Thank you.

Gary Spedding spent his adult life between prison, rehabs and the streets. Now he is married, with two lovely daughters, and holding down a steady job. Something happened … Gary tells us what …

“At the age of three, I went into care with my sisters and brother, due to family violence. Then at the age of 7, my sisters and me were fostered. It was the start of a much worse time for us all, especially the girls.

“I was encouraged by my foster parents to steal; things like milk and bread from outside shops on delivery mornings; coal from neighbours; gas bottles from beach huts. My foster Dad was a criminal with a reputation. I idolised him and tried to live up to that, as he gave us ‘jobs’ to do.

“I started smoking and taking drugs from the age of 11, as an escape. My emotions were numb, apart from anger. I didn’t like myself at all, and never felt like I belonged. At 15 I fell out with my foster dad when he punched me in my face, and le� home. By 17 I was in jail for the � rst time. When I came out, I met a girl, she introduced me to heroin. To begin with, it seemed to be everything I was looking for.

“We had a child, but the drugs multiplied my insecurities, and I treated my girlfriend and son really badly. I had a job away from home, laying cables. It was good money, but I spent most of it on drugs. We split up. In the end I lost the job because I kept letting people down.

“Then I spent years living on the streets; going to prison; going to rehabs. I noticed that Christians always seemed di� erent, either in night shelters or rehab. They were happy, you had to be blind not to notice. “I want some of that,” I thought.

“I got a directory of rehabs and found Gilead. In 2009 I was accepted and really liked the farm work and the people. I didn’t put up a wall to Christianity, but the rehab was, for me, a break from addiction. In that time I noticed the kindness and grace and love of Ian and Bron and the sta� . I’d never seen it like that before. It was honest, no faking it. I could easily spot a fake.

“Then I met Kate at Gilead, and in 2010 we made a decision to leave before were really ready. That ended badly, with Kate very depressed and both of us using heroin again. A year later, we both decided to commit fully to Gilead.

“This time I did it with my heart, not just my head. The Genesis 10 step process

was tough, but I worked through it over 16 months. The � nal step was to forgive and ask forgiveness. I never thought I’d be able to do that. I’d � lled the void inside my hardness with drugs and alcohol – forgiveness broke down the walls and released the hate. It was like I’d been carrying around a dead horse on my shoulders and it was li� ed. Something happened that day.

“Me and Kate stayed on sta� , and I learned from watching Ian and Bron how to give God control of my life. I tell the students my story, I � nd that’s really rewarding. Saying ‘your way isn’t the right way’ – people don’t like that, but it’s right.”

Gary and Kate are now establishing their family home, with their daughters. They volunteer to work at Gilead for weekends when the farm manager needs a break. Until recently, Gary had a supervisory job in a quarry, with 12 men working for him, which he has just le� (with great references!) to start a new role supervising over 80 part time workers, some of whom may have stories like his.

“I tell people my story. If you put your heart into it at Gilead, you can become a functioning part of society again. But we have free will to choose it.”

01837 851240 www.gilead.org.uk

DIO1215

Forgiveness was the Key for Gary

Unlocking people, Releasing Potential

Sta� and Community members outside Grace Lodge

Gary at work on the farm


THE month — 'We have hit a response rate of 99 per cent'

Chair of diocesan

budget sub-

committee

CANON DON

CARDY writes his

final 'Did You

Know?' column

Statistics will not go away

IT was in late 2007 that the diocesan Director of Communications asked whether I would be interested in writing a regular 'Did You Know?' column for The Month.

I’d not done anything quite like that before but it was a way I could serve the diocese and in faith I said “yes” and got started.

The first article appeared in the February 2008 edition entitled “How deprived is the Chelmsford Diocese?”

It’s now one month short of eight years as I pen my final article for the December 2015 edition and I still can’t believe that I’ve kept the column going quite that long!

But after completing ten years as Chairman of the Budget Committee and having managed to hand over the task of processing the Statistics for Mission returns from the parishes I’m planning to put my pen down and retire yet again!

Every year we’ve been able to report on parish finances after processing the summary returns from our PCC treasurers. This year we’ve done exceptionally well; instead of the usual 85% or so of completed returns we have achieved a response rate of 99%. No need to do estimates for many parishes this year!

The returns for 2014 show an improvement yet again on the previous year. The regular income of PCCs rose from £28,926,000 to £29,866,000 (3.2%) with one-off income adding a further £12,413,000 mostly destined for building projects.

Of the regular giving, unrestricted tax-efficient giving amounted to £13.5m with collections and donations increasing this to £17.5m (59% of all regular income).

As ever we give heartfelt thanks for the generosity of church

members. In the seven years since 2007 our unrestricted giving has increased by 4.2% and our regular income by 9.6%, a commentary on how well we have responded since the 2008 recession.

‘We give heartfelt thanks for the generosity of

church members’The same returns indicate

that regular expenditure was £29,148,000 split almost equally between share payments of £14,113,000 and running expenses of £13,534,000 with charitable giv-ing of £1,501,000 making up the

total. Capital expenditure was £10,417,000.

It is worth underlining points made several times over the past eight years.

On average parishes spend about the same amount on their running expenses as on their share pay-ments although we’ve noted that there can be big differences between parishes depending on their supporting activities.

Also capital expenditure on building projects and maintenance can at the time seem daunting to the parishes directly concerned, but taken as a whole it is somewhat less than share payments or running expenses and often supported by heritage or similar funding. Over the past eight years we’ve looked at many statistics and also shown

parishes how to find statistics about themselves.

The appointment this year of Chris Copus as Church Growth Analyst (Diocesan Office tel 01245 294494) has ensured we can continue to provide parishes with the latest information.

Often we have featured trends in church attendance and PCC finances across the diocese as a whole, but more recently we’ve looked at variations between parishes with challenging results. Statistics will not go away now; we can be confident that they’ll continue to paint the picture of how we are and prompt questions.

Can I thank those readers who have taken a particular interest in the 'Did You Know?' column and who have given encouragement or written personally? I look forward to developments over the next few years – these are exciting times – and I’m thankful that I’ve been around to make a contribution. l Please email your views and questions to statistics@ chelmsford.anglican.org.l The recently published ’Talking Jesus’ report notes that the highest proportion of English practising Christians, at 19%, work in Education. The next largest group are retired/unemployed people at 18%. More information at www.talkingjesus.org.

BISHOP'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

FROM FRONT PAGE

true; Herod’s terrible decision to wipe out everyone under two in order to destroy the Christ; the wise men’s decision to follow a star and abandon their charts; Mary’s decision to say yes to an angel.

In life we all have to live with the consequences of our decisions, and from time to time all of us will look back with regret at the times we acted selfishly or hatefully or just failed to hear the message that was on offer or take the risk of backing a dream.

The Christmas story gives us a chance to reflect on these things. It is a painfully beautiful human story; and the story of God inhabiting human life and shaping a vision of what it is to be human that can then help us in all the decisions that lie ahead.

So a good question for Christmas is simply this: despite what may or may not have gone wrong inyour life and all the pressures and challenges

you face, will you listen to a dream, follow a star, and obey an angel?

Deep down most of us know what is right, and know what decisions we need to make.

Christmas can be a time to put down our excuses and with Mary and Joseph and shepherds and wise men and women everywhere, say yes to God and yes to God’s vision for the world.

Stephen CottrellBishop of Chelmsford

l Walking Backwards To Christmas,ISBN 978 0 281 07147 0, was published in October 2014 by SPCK at £7.99.

Walking Backwards is available at £7.00 plus p&p from the Chelmsford Christian Bookshop, tel 01245 294405, e-mail [email protected] And if you want another way of encouraging simple discussion about the Christmas story and what it means try downloading the Table Talk for Christmas app. It is a fun game for family and friends at Christmas and is free from:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/table-talk-for-christmas/id903641900?mt=8or https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.theuglyducklingcompany.tabletalkforchristmas&hl=enl A range of Table Talk game packs (including cards and how to play instructions) are also avail-able from the bookshop at £24.99.

Will you obey angels?

Betjemen deadline

THE charity Caring for God’s Acre has created a new resource for teachers and youth leaders to help children learn about churchyards and burial grounds.

This pack offers five topics - Precious Places, What’s the Story, Marvellous Monuments, Wildlife Safari and Art and Architecture. Each topic has several activities and ideas relevant to learning in Key Stages 1 and 2 and Early Years Foundation Stage. l The resource is available via the website www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk.

THE Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) invites applications for the John Betjeman Award 2016.

The Award is given to celebrate and recognise high standards in the repair and conservation of the fabric, fittings or furnishings of historic churches and chapels still used for worship. The closing date for applications is February 23, 2016. l For more information visit SPAB's website www.spab.org.uk/spab-events-awards/ john-betjeman-award/.

Churchyard packsfor youth leaders

THIS month we welcome Simon Norton to our Property team as our Buildings Surveyor Project Manager. We will bid farewell to Richard Smith, Senior Property Manager, on his retirement at the end of the year and to Trevor Martin, Senior Buildings Officer, who will be retiring at the end of January.

Hello and goodbyes!

Emily's nightshot delivers poppy appealSTANFORD-LE-HOPE photographer Emily Peck captured the essence of the Remembrance Sunday activities in the town with this poignant picture of poppies tumbling down the tower of St Margarets.

Revd Jokey Poyntz, Curate at St Margaret's, said: "The brains behind the poppy display tumbling down the church tower was our parish administrator and generally amazingly creative person, Janice Wilkins. She was inspired by the Tower of London displays last year.

"We have a very active Facebook Community page in Stanford-le-Hope and a lovely group called Stanford Blooming Marvels make the town look beautiful and Shane Ralph did the fantastic light display.

"With encouragement from Janice and Lin and Lydia from Stanford Blooming Marvels, hundreds of people of all ages made poppies for the church's display – some knitted, some crocheted, some made from the bases of plastic bottles and painted, and some from every material you can imagine.

"Even at our 'Remembering' service for the bereaved on Sunday afternoon people wrote their loved one's names on red plastic plates which are being added to the display.

"All these smaller poppies have been attached to chicken wire and netting by Janice and her team and suspended from the tower. Larger ones have been put on green sticks in the ground and huge ones on the windowsills. This has been a real attraction as word has got around."

THE following candidates have been elected to represent Chelmsford Diocese on the next General Synod for 2015 -2020:Laity: Mrs Isabel Adcock, Mrs Elizabeth Colton, Mrs Mary Durlacher, Mr Robert Edwards, Mr Robert Hammond, Mrs Kathleen Playle, Miss Michelle Tackie.Proctors: Revd Canon David Banting, Revd John Dunnett, Revd Stuart Halstead, Revd Sally Lodge, Revd Jonathan MacNeaney, Ven Dr John Perumbalath, Revd Canon Jenny Tomlinson.l Full details of the election can be found at:www.chelmsford.anglican.org/news/article/general-synod-results-2015#.VkJn2Sje95hl You can view the Diocesan Synod election results at www.chelmsford.anglican.org/ diocesan-synod-and-committee-members

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Unwrap precious gifts

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Make time today

to lay aside your

expectations, for your

day, for Christmas.

What might God be

trying to say to you?

Unwanted gifts

Being given the gift of a mosquito net

doesn’t make sense to many people in

Nigeria, who have never been told what

it is or why they need it. This leads to

widespread misuse of nets – instead of

being hung over beds as they’re meant

to be, they are stapled to windows,

used as fi shing nets or hung over crops.

Dasu Yakubu, who works for a Christian

Aid partner in Nigeria, said that he has

even seen someone wearing a net as a

wedding gown!

If nets are not enough, what else might

be needed to stop this killer disease?

Pho

to: C

hris

tian

Aid

/Am

y S

hepp

ey

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to lay aside your

expectations, for your

day, for Christmas.

What might God be

trying to say to you?

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J5092-Christmas Aid match ads - The Rochester 340hx261w V1.indd 1 29/10/2015 13:01

THE month — Green ribbons are reminder of climate change summit


Deaf Church supportsGreen Collar initiative

Hymn successCHELMSFORD Cathedral's Canon Precentor Edward Carter received an award at St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne's 125th Anniversary Hymn Competition

As part of the 125th anniversary celebrations at the Australian cathedral, the competition was held to find new celebratory Pauline hymns. Almost 50 entries were received from across Australia and worldwide.

Canon Edward (right) received an honourable mention for his hymn ‘Gospel Truth proclaimed by Paul’ based on words from 2 Timonthy 1.11: ‘For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher’.

These hymns will be first sung in the Australian cathedral as part of the 125th Anniversary Dedication Festival on Sunday, January 24, 2016, and throughout the anniversary year.

COLCHESTER Deaf Church celebrated Environment Sunday at their service on October 25.

With appropriate prayers, readings and pictures, they praised God for his beautiful creation and thought about how we have all damaged and polluted it.

They focused on the problem of plastic

packaging and the issue of climate change. They heard about the Paris Summit on climate change from November 30 to December 11 when the world leaders will meet to set binding targets and action on the effects of climate change.

As part of the Diocesan Green Collar Campaign, they pinned on green ribbons to

show they love God’s creation, will pray for the Paris Summit and will do what they can themselves to protect our planet.

“I do what I can,” said Nick Stovell, a member of the Deaf Church congregation. “I am committed to recycling, composting, picking up litter; but it is going to take all of us to do our part.”

THERE are not many who turn up for their Baptism on Dial-a-Ride. But this is how 82-year-old James Thorburn (fourth from the left) arrived at St Mary’s church, Plaistow, on November 1 when he celebrated this very important event in his life.

Jim’s parents were both deaf, and as a result he felt their spiritual needs may not have been catered for. Jim quite possibly missed out as well. He cannot remember going to church as a child, and when he was six was evacuated to Wiltshire. He returned to London several years after World War Two.

Jim joined the congregation earlier this year when he accompanied some friends living in the same housing complex. From that day Jim never looked back. Unlike most Anglicans, he occupies the very front seat at every Service, and the day of his baptism was no exception.

Revd Christopher Oladuji officiated and many church members turned out to make this a day Jim would not forget. “My baptism and St Mary’s people mean a lot to me,” he said. “This is certainly a day to remember.”

Jim dials a ride to be baptised

SIGNING OF THE TIMES: Colchester Deaf Church celebrated Environment Sunday, sending a sign language message that we need to look after “God’s beautiful creation”, and wearing green ribbons as part of the Green Collar Campaign to remind them to pray for the Paris Summit for Climate Change in December.

Pilgrimage to Parishighlights concerns

by ARCHDEACON MARTIN WEBSTER, Chair of the Diocesan Environment GroupTHE Diocese of Chelmsford led by its Bishops, Archdeacons and Diocesan Synod intends to raise Climate Change issues right across all its parishes in East London and Essex.

Using the simple idea of getting the clergy to wear a green collar and laity a green cross starting on Advent Sunday and the days that follow we hope to encourage conversations with the communities we serve that the Christian faith is intimately concerned with the world in which we are set.

The use and abuse of the resources of this world are threatening the quality and length of everyone’s life, not least those who live in low lying areas of the world as the seas rise

because of Global Warming.

The United Nations has called a Climate Change Conference for all the nations and major industrial players to get a legal agreement to restrict our carbon emissions to such an extent that the sea only rises by a further two metres in the rest of this century, a rise many think will

avoid a major catastrophe. We believe that God asks us, do we love enough? Enough to change our habits and dependency on creating products that so pollute our living environment that future generations are at risk.

Our Green Collar campaign has been adopted by other dioceses as part of their response. A group from our diocese will be joining in the Pilgrimage to Paris that started from London on November 13. We hope to wear our green collars with hope that things can change and that change starts with us.l Read more about the Pilgrimage to Paris and the Green Collar campaign http:// pilgrimage2paris.org.uk/ and www.chelmsford.anglican.org/faith/green-collar-campaign

COMMENT

Marathon effortJO Gilks, Chelmsford Diocese's early years and childcare manager, sucessfully completed the Capital Marathon Challenge 2015, walking the 26.2 miles from London to Hertford.

Jo (right) said: "I tackled the 26.2 miles for Anthony Nolan because it was a challenge and the Anthony Nolan charity saves lives.

"I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who donated to my marathon effort.

"Together we have raised £675 for Anthony Nolan which is fantastic.

"Anthony Nolan is doing such important work matching leukaemia and other blood cancer patients with potential bone marrow and stem cell donors, saving countless lives."

Christmas at Chelmsford cathedral

Sunday 29 November 6.00pm Advent Procession

Friday 18 December 12.30pm Christmas Carol Service

Wednesday 23 December 6.30pm Nine Lessons and Carols

Christmas Eve 2.00pm 4.00pm Nine Lessons and Carols 11.30pm Midnight Mass

Christmas Day 8.00am Holy Communion 9.00am Family Eucharist 10.30am Christmas Day Eucharist

more information at

www.chelmsfordcathedral.org.uk

Regular Sunday Service8.00am Holy Communion9.30am Parish Eucharist11.15am Choral Eucharist3.30pm Choral Evensong

the month december 2015

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