More than 30 six-month work placements were made available by Lichfield Cathedral for 16 to 24-year-olds in the region. The roles available were in the Cathedral, churches, and organisations across the Diocese – providing valuable work experience for those impacted by the pandemic. For some young people, like Gabriella, this opportunity proved to be life changing. “In 2019, I began the year homeless” she explained. “All the stress caused me to end up in hospital, which meant I missed my exams.“Finding work was difficult to say the least.” But then Gabriella heard about the Kickstart Scheme through Universal Credit and was given a placement by Lichfield Cathedral, to work as a children’s and youth assistant at St Matthew's Church in Walsall. “Everyone welcomed me with open arms, it was the most fun that I had in a very long time”, Gabriella laughed. “The children were amazing, I got to be creative and make up new games, go on trips with the children and I even gained office-based skills, like with risk assessments and writing letters. “St Matthews Church looks like such a domineering building but the people who go there and work there are the kindest people you’ll ever meet.“Everyone is so nice that you feel like you are family as soon as you walk through the doors. “I also got to find out more about Christianity, even though I am not a Christian myself, it was a very enriching experience.”Today, Gabriella works as a Mental Health Support Worker. Reflecting on the scheme, she said: “Taking part gave me back my hope and ambition, that I thought I had lost.“Thank you, Lichfield Cathedral, for giving me the chance to become who I wanted to be.”
The Church Commissioners for England have committed €30 million to Pioneer Point Partners’ (“Pioneer”) maiden institutional fund, which is focused on sustainable infrastructure investments across western Europe.Pioneer Infrastructure Partners SCSp (“the fund”), which closed at €575 million, will run for 10 years and focus on infrastructure investments that support the energy transition and the circular economy. Other investors include Texas Municipal Retirement Systems and European Investment Fund.The Fund will target a diverse portfolio of up to 10 investments, and has already completed two acquisitions to date - a biogas developer and operator across the island of Ireland with Stream Bioenergy, and Altano Energy, a diversified renewables platform in Spain. The commitment to Pioneer’s fund marks the diversification of the Church Commissioners’ portfolio into European climate infrastructure, focusing on the green energy transition across the UK and continental Europe. The Commissioners’ commitment into Pioneer’s Fund follows recent investments in electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the UK and renewable energy developments in Northern Ireland.The Church Commissioners chose Pioneer due to its expertise in lower mid-market, value add sustainable infrastructure investments across western Europe, an area it had identified for additional investment. Climate-related infrastructure is one of the fastest growing infrastructure sectors and has proven a successful hedge against external crises, due to its low cost profile, long-term contracts and high consumer demand. The broad investment opportunities driven by net zero and sustainability targets provide plentiful opportunities for the Fund to increase sustainable energy security across western Europe.As a member of the United Nations-backed Asset Owner Alliance, the Church Commissioners are committed to transitioning their portfolio to net zero by 2050, and to reducing the portfolio’s carbon intensity by 25 percent by 2025. Investment into sustainable energy infrastructure is key to the Church Commissioners’ approach to environmental stewardship through responsible investment.Chris West, head of timberland, infrastructure and indirect property at the Church Commissioners for England, said:“This investment marks the Church Commissioners’ continued diversification into climate infrastructure projects across western Europe, and consolidates our commitment to environmental stewardship by providing a platform to support European net zero targets through investing in sustainable energy production.“We look forward to working with Pioneer’s experienced team, who have a proven track record of successful deal-by-deal transactions within the sustainable infrastructure space.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Reconciliation Ministry team have launched a “transformative” course for prisons that explores conflict, forgiveness and reconciliation. The course is based on Difference, a five-session course that explores following Jesus in a complex and divided world, navigating disagreement, practising forgiveness, and crossing divides through everyday encounters.The new course is being launched this week at a national training event for Anglican prison chaplains. The Difference team have worked closely with prison chaplains who have run the course and leaders in prison ministry, ensuring that both those who run it and those who participate are able to get the most out of it. The course has been piloted in a prisons context and has had a transformative impact on the lives of those who have taken part, enabling prison chaplaincy groups to consider new possibilities for forgiveness and reconciliation in relationships that had previously felt like a lost cause. One participant commented that the course felt like the closest thing to rehabilitation that he had experienced in prison. Each session includes films, scripture reading, prayer, discussion, and interactive exercises that guide participants on a journey towards better connections and healed relationships. The course is based on three habits – being curious, being present, and reimagining – which, if practised, help participants encounter others well and see society transformed. Training for running the Difference course in prisons is being offered to attendees at an Anglican prison chaplaincy training event this week, with over 100 chaplains in attendance. Prison chaplains of any denomination can also get trained online through the Difference website. Speaking about the new resource, Archbishop Justin Welby said: “I am delighted to have launched this new version of the Difference course for prisons. Prison chaplains play a crucial role in the life of our Church and the rehabilitation and discipleship of prisoners. It is a privilege to serve their ministry through the Difference course. The way we treat people in prisons is a key measure of our civilisation as a society. In providing the Difference course, we want to say wholeheartedly 'you matter '. It is our hope that the course equips prisoners with new habits that enable the reconciliation made available through Jesus Christ to flow out of them into their wider relationships. Having visited a prison whilst the course is being run, I have seen first-hand its potential for creating new possibilities of forgiveness, dialogue and reconciliation.” The Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester and Anglican Bishop for HM Prisons in England and Wales, has added her support for the Difference course: “Reconciliation is at the heart of God’s love, and followers of Jesus Christ are called to join in with God’s mission of reconciliation. The Difference course provides an opportunity to explore what it means to live reconciliation amid the struggles and joys of our everyday lives, and this contextualised course for prisons will enable people to explore new possibilities for transformation in relationships with other people, God and Self amid the messiness of life.”A prison chaplain who ran the Difference course said: “For us as hosts, it’s very exciting when you see things start to click with people as the course goes on. Recently a participant spoke about a person in his life who he fought with every time he saw him, often leading to violence. He wanted to do things differently but he just didn’t know how. “As the course went on he started to put into practice the habit of being curious, asking questions that would allow him to find out more about this other person’s life and why the situation was the way that it was. It was beautiful to see him think about this stuff and process it between the sessions, and we’re really hopeful that he’ll be able to have a different relationship with this person going forward.”
