UP TO 50 candidates in the General Synod elections are standing in some dioceses, presenting electors with a mountain of addresses to read, and sometimes — in a new departure for the new quinquennium — videos to watch.Voting closes on 8 October: hustings are scheduled during the next two weeks.Southwark tops the list: it has 24 clergy standing and 27 lay people. Chichester comes next, with 17 and 33 respectively, up from 15 and 16 last time. Oxford has 23 clergy and 24 lay; Chelmsford has 16 of each; Manchester has 17 and 13; York has figures of 11 and 21. By contrast, the two candidates standing in Sodor & Man have been elected unopposed, and the process is complete.This was the first time in the Synod’s 50-year history that the elections had been advertised nationally, with a 90-second film, a short explanatory animation, and a dedicated webpage. The secretary-general of the Archbishops’ Council and the General Synod, William Nye, said in July: “We are praying that the leadership of the Church of England, including bodies like General Synod, may become more representative of the people of England — and that means younger and more diverse.“This campaign has a very clear message which we hope will reach everyone in the wider Church: if you want to be part of making decisions affecting the whole Church of England and debating matters of national and international importance, this is your chance. Will you stand?”All the candidates’ addresses have been posted on their diocesan website, with no limit, in most cases, on the number of words. Some are, in effect, full CVs. Others paint a picture of clerical family life with children and dogs: ”I am blessed with a vicarage buzzing with our four teenagers, their school friends, church friends and girlfriends.”
We hope you can join us at St Mary and All Saints' Church, Dunsfold for tomorrow's joint parish Holy Communion service at 10am. Our celebrant is the area dean, Canon Roy Woodhams.If you can't be with us in person you can join us by clicking on the Zoom link below. Harvest Festival is traditionally a special time in the calendar for a rural parish like Dunsfold and having had a sneak preview yesterday I can tell you that our already beautiful church has been decorated exquisitely for the occasion. A special thank you to those involved in tastefully adorning the church with flowers and symbols of agricultural produce that emphasise our reliance on the land.Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/5253921788?pwd=MC9kNmpldmFrRSsrV1pkc1k5aU1vZz09Meeting ID: 525 392 1788Passcode: 379904
Many people whose disabilities and health conditions would have claimed their lives in childhood benefit from this longevity too, not just older people. But how well we live is as important as how long we live. More of us will need some kind of care and support to help us live the best lives we can. As a society, we’ve yet to think through how we meet these growing needs and how we pay for them.Every government over the last three decades has struggled to answer these questions, with innumerable reports, reviews and commissions. So, hopes were raised when the government finally announced its plans, with the centrepiece proposal for a cap or limit on how much individuals should have to pay towards the cost of their care (currently anyone with more than £23,250 has to pay the lot without any help from the state). Undoubtedly this will help some, especially those who stand to lose most of their modest savings. But as the dust settles after the government’s announcement, many questions remain. It is not clear how much new money will be available to social care, and when. The lion’s share is heading for the NHS. The new cap will not be introduced until 2023, and on its own will not sort out the bigger challenges facing our care services, including rising numbers of people with unmet needs, unsupported family carers and a fatigued, underpaid and poorly paid workforce with over 112,000 vacancies. None of these pressing needs is addressed in the Government’s proposals. Instead, it has promised a White Paper to look at these wider issues. In the meantime, Coronavirus and Brexit are placing further strains on our creaking system. There are fundamental questions about what is the nature and purpose of care in our complex, 21st-century society. What is the right balance of responsibilities between the state, individuals, families and communities – including faith communities?That is why the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have set up a new commission – Reimagining Care – to engage with these deeper issues where theology and faith can offer fresh and distinctive perspectives, especially on the enduring values and principles which should underpin care and caring. As Archbishop Justin has reminded us “reimagination of Britain as a country in which human beings flourish has to put high-quality social care, public and mental health at the heart of its objectives.” The Commission aims to inform the national debate and influence national policy by drawing on the work of churches in communities and by identifying practical ideas, informed by extensive listening, and gathering examples of good practice. My aspiration is that the Commission will inject a sense of hope and possibility that after years of neglect real change can be brought about in this vital public service on which most of us will draw at some point in our lives.
Dioceses are being encouraged to apply for a share of the £4.8 million Innovation Funding for projects lasting up to three years that could act as blueprints for future mission and growth across the country.Successful bids will support the Church of England’s Vision and Strategy, in particular, the priority of becoming a Church which is younger and more diverse.The projects could focus on younger people and children, people living in low income communities and urban areas and people from UK Minority Ethnic groups.An early Innovation Funding award has been made to the Diocese of Ely to fund sports ministry work over three years with children and young people at Christ the Redeemer church in Barnwell, Cambridge.The church is on an outer urban estate and nearly one in five people in the parish are aged between five and 18 years old. The project will test how effectively the recruitment of Sports Ministers - trained at Ridley Hall theological education institution - within an urban parish leads to greater engagement with young people.Decisions on applications for Innovation Funding, which has been provided by the Church Commissioners, will be made by the Strategic Investment Board on behalf of the Archbishops’ Council. John Spence, Chair of the Strategic Investment Board, said: “The challenges facing the Church today require new and innovative solutions, alongside tried and tested approaches, in order to advance mission among people across the whole of the country. “The Strategic Investment Board hopes that the launch of this funding will encourage and nurture further innovation that supports the mission and growth that is at the centre of the vision for the church in the 2020s as new ideas are tested and further answers are found.”
