April 2012Proclaiming the word & work of God

OCHESTER

VerseForgive us our Press PassesThe first of three archdeaconrytraining days dedicated tomedia training was held on 8March at St Andrew's church,PaddockWood.

Feedback from the day was veryencouraging with 100% ofrespondents to a follow-up surveydescribing themselves as either"inspired", "enthusiastic" or "I'd liketo do more of this". The day featuredguest speakers Emily Shepherd fromthe Diocese of Canterburypresenting on media interviews andRachel Harden from Church Housedescribing "what makes a story", aswell as Louise Whiffin presenting ondigital photography and LindyMackenzie on news release writing.Bishop James also gave a shortpresentation after lunch.There are two further media masterclasses planned for the Diocese.One on 28 May at St Peter and StPaul's church, Bromley and the other

on 14 June at St Barnabas, IsteadRise. Bookings are being taken bythe Archdeaconry in question. To bookyour place contactarchdeacon.bromley@rochester.anglican.org or

archdeacon.tonbridge@rochester.anglican.orgYou may attend either of the venues,even if it is outside of yourarchdeaconry. Delegates are askedto bring their own packed lunch.

Ecclesiastical launches 2013 Ministry BursarySpecialist church and heritageinsurer Ecclesiastical has onceagain opened its annual MinistryBursary Awards for entries.Now in their 25th year, the awards

are open to all clergy in AnglicanChristian faiths and aim to providefinancial support to members of theclergy for sabbatical breaks andprojects.The awards were established to

celebrate Ecclesiastical’s centenaryyear in 1987 and have, to date,supported nearly 800 members of theclergy and provided financial support

in excess of £800,000. The sabbaticalprojects that have received financialsupport have varied greatly over theyears and have ranged from traditionaland modern-day pilgrimages to studyvisits, spiritual retreats and pursuits oflifelong dreams and hobbies.

John Coates, Ecclesiastical’s churchinsurance director, said: “We don’toften appreciate how challenging andbusy modern-day ministry is for ourclergy with the changing nature of ourcongregations, financial pressures andthe increasing need for spiritualguidance in troubled times. We allneed to take time out and refresh

ourselves every now and then so wecan continue to give our best to thosewho need us. I’m therefore extremelypleased that Ecclesiastical can onceagain show its support to thosemembers of the clergy with sabbaticalplans for 2013.”

The awards for 2013 are open forapplications until 30 September 2012.Judging of the applications will takeplace in November and awards will bemade during December 2012. To findout more about the Ministry BursaryAwards, eligibility criteria and todownload an application form, pleasego to www.ecclesiastical.com/mba

EEmmiillyy SShheepphheerrdd

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Festival of FlowersAs Easter draws near, preparationsare underway for the LeprosyMission England and Wales(TLMEW) Festival of Flowers, whichwill transform Southwark Cathedralinto a living gallery, featuring the bestof contemporary floral design for theperiod between the Olympic andParalympic Games.

Over 80 floral designers are hardat work sketching out their ideas forthe Festival. Artistic Director MigKimpton says: ‘It is like a play thatwe’ve spent two years writing and isnow coming to life. It’s at anextremely exciting stage of theprocess.’

Southwark will certainly be‘coming to life’ – immersing visitors

in a sensory journey that willencompass a variety of themes andmoods. The talented team of designerswill create arrangements depictingaspects of the Olympics, bustling citylife in London and the tranquil, spiritualatmosphere of the Cathedral.

Designers showcasing their workwill include international award-winnerBaudouin Roelants, celebratedGerman florist Bjorn Kroner, making hisUK debut, and Brazilian-born Zita Elze,now based in Kew and described byFusion Flowers magazine as ‘thedoyenne of floral chic’.Running for four days from 23-26

August, the event has the theme of‘transformation’ and will focus on thelocal community, the Olympic Games,

the transformative work of TLMEW inthe lives of people affected byleprosy, and the power of art.

Mig Kimpton, a passionate floraldesigner and multi-award winnerincluding two Gold medals at theRoyal Horticultural Society ChelseaFlower Show, is heading up agroundbreaking team as they createinnovative floral installations in thisspiritual oasis in the midst of London– a must-see for tourists, art lovers,local residents and floristryenthusiasts alike.

Visitors will be able to attend mini-demonstrations hosted by Mig andother members of the design team,where they will be able to see how toproduce designs of their own.

Christian Aid WeekThousands of churches will standtogether this Christian Aid Week (13 - 19 May 2012) to speak out forchange. Some 100,000 committedvolunteers will go out and put theirfaith into action, raising funds to helpsome of the world’s poorest and mostvulnerable people.

This includes Britain’s largesthouse-to-house collection – anextraordinary act of witness,demonstrating to our communities thatwe care about poverty and justice. Thisyear Christian Aid Week tells the storyof remarkable change taking place in acommunity in rural Sierra Leone. Sierra

Leone is one of the hungriest countriesin the world. But, helped by ChristianAid partner the Methodist Church ofSierra Leone (MCSL), some peoplethere have found the tools to movebeyond hunger and speak out for thechanges they want to see. For great resources worship and

fundraising resources visit caweek.org

Ultreya GB 2012 – CursilloNational Ultreya2012 sees St Asaph Cathedral hostthe Cursillo National Ultreya on 8 September. A team of Cursillistashas been working for some time inpreparation. For those unfamiliar withthe National Ultreya it is a hugeannual gathering of people fromCursillos all over the UK who takepart in a full day of meetings andjoyous church services. Cursillo wasintroduced to the UK through BangorDiocese (and Gloucester) in 1981but this is the first time this event hasbeen held in Wales!

St Asaph Cathedral is quite small sopre-booking is essential for anyonewho wants to come. Full details canbe found on the St Asaph Diocesewebsite or atwww.anglicancursillo.co.ukYou can book by email by sending allyour details, with the names andnumber of people coming to:ultreyagb2012@btinternet.com or by post (enclosing an SAE) to:Ultreya GB 2012, The Vicarage,Ffordd Penrhwylfa, Meliden,Prestatyn, LL19 8HN

Cross BritainEvangelisticMission 2012 Starting on 26 August 2012, MarkRitchie, an associate of J John atthe Philo Trust, will spend 70 dayswalking 700 miles across GreatBritain; from Brighton to Edinburghand Wrexham to Hull, physicallydrawing a cross on the map.

Mark will be carrying a full sizecontemporary cross throughout theroute and will stop at a number ofvenues, mostly churches, to host anaccessible evangelistic event in theevening. In addition Mark will walkinto many towns and city centresalong the route, with the cross, andspeak to people in the streets aboutJesus.

Mark Ritchie leads anevangelistic organisation called73rd Trust, which seeks to engagethe unchurched through relevantcommunication of the gospel andequip the local church to be moreeffective in personal witness. The Cross Britain website includesdetails of the route Mark will betaking: www.crossbritain.co.uk

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SafeguardingPlease find enclosed a CD-ROMcontaining all the Policies, GuidanceNotes and Forms in connection withthe new safeguarding policies.Please feel free to copy this disk for asmany people in you team that need it.You should ensure that your ParishChildren’s Rep, Youth and Childrenworks leaders, Readers, PastoralAssistants and Evangelists are able toaccess a copy. A number of trainingsessions have been arranged for allthese people and the dates, times andlocations are:

Wednesday 30 May 2012 at 9.30amChrist Church, OrpingtonWednesday 30 May 2012 at 1.30pmChrist Church, OrpingtonFriday 15 June 2012 at 9.30am St John, Tunbridge WellsFriday 15 June 2012 at 1.30pm St John, Tunbridge Wells

Saturday 23 June 2012 at 10am St Justus, RochesterMonday 9 July 2012 at 7.30pm St Barnabas, Istead RiseThese documents are also available

from the diocesan Website. If youwould prefer a printed copy this isavailable to purchase fromwww.lulu.com (using the search‘diocese of rochester’ to find thebooklet).

JJaanniiccee KKeeeenn,, BBiisshhoopp’’ss AAddvviisseerr ffoorrSSaaffeegguuaarrddiinngg CChhiillddrreenn aanndd VVuullnneerraabblleeAAdduullttss

CTAFor the last twenty five years theCommunity Transport Association(CTA) has been giving help andadvice to organisations, includingchurches, who operate any type ofnot-for-profit transport. To helpchurch groups they have recentlyintroduced a special category ofCTA membership, Faith and CulturalGroup Transport. Starting from aslittle as £24.50 per year for groupswith no paid staff, Faith and CulturalGroup Transport gives transportoperators access to the most up todate legal and technical advicesurrounding their transportprovision, including driver licensingand permit legislation.

You can find out more about thework of the CTA on their websitewww.ctauk.org, or for any legal ortechnical help ring the advice lineon 0845 130 6195

Gift Aid 2012: What to do?

As a result of new guidance from HMRevenue & Customs (HMRC), allparishes will need to use newwording in all Gift Aid declarationsthat are signed after the end of thisyear (2012). However, parishes areencouraged to make the changes assoon as possible.

Key Points:

1. The key change is that Gift Aiddeclarations must stress that donorsmust pay enough tax to cover all oftheir charitable donations and notjust the donations made to aparticular charity at a particular time.2. This will mean having a newdeclaration for Gift Aid envelopes,other one-off declarations and alsoenduring declarations accompanyingregular giving. You may also need tochange anything that is held onwebsites.3. Enduring declarations already helddo not need to be changed, but therequirement that donors must paysufficient tax to cover all theircharitable donations still applies (and

has always been the case).4. As a reminder, any references tothe amount reclaimed should be 25pfor every £1 donated or 25%. Anyreferences to reclaiming 28p forevery £1 donated or 28% are out ofdate and must be changed.5. You should also check that anyreferences to back claims are for fouryears, not the previous six.

HMRC’s revised wording sets outthat:

• the donor must have paid enoughUK Income or Capital Gains Tax tocover all of their charitable donationsto charities and Community AmateurSports Clubs and• that other taxes such as Council Taxand VAT do not qualify.For full advice on Gift Aiddeclarations, please see either the C of E specific guidance atwww.parishresources.org.uk/giftaid/GAB4DecsandEnvs.pdf or HMRC’sguidance atwww.hmrc.gov.uk/charities/gift_aid/declarations.htm

Butler & Butler is a family businessled by the Rev Simon Butler.All our garments carry the

Fairtrade Foundation Trademarkwhich guarantees that small scalecotton farmers from developingcountries receive a fair and stableprice for their goods and labours.

We ensure that a percentageof our profits are channelled intorelief work and social ventures in thedeveloping world. Also each year weallocate a percentage of our stockto clergy in the developing world.

For more information please visitwww.fairtradeclergyshirts.co.uk

Clerical Shirts

New mediaPremier Christian Radio has launcheda new website New Media Centre ofExcellence, aiming to equip the churchto reach out in the digital age.

The regional training days are free toattend and are taking place from 28 April to 30 June. More information can be found atwww.nmce.org.uk.

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ElectionsYou will find enclosed 6 copies of aleaflet and one copy of a poster thathas been prepared to encouragepeople to stand for election toDiocesan Synod.We would be grateful if you could

distribute these among your PCC.If you would like further copiesthese can be downloaded from thewebsite www.rochester.anglican.org

Degree course for Churchmusicians now bookingAfter one year of successfuloperation, booking has now openedfor students to enrol on a FoundationDegree for church musicians startingin September this year. The course isdesigned for all church musicians,including organists, singers, choirdirectors, or members of a musicgroup. It is run jointly by the RoyalSchool of Church Music (RSCM)and Canterbury Christ ChurchUniversity (CCCU).

The Foundation Degree in ChurchMusic (FDCM) can be achieved intwo years by those studying full-time,while part-time students can take upto four years. The distinctive featureabout it is that students study fromhome. Three four-day ResidentialStudy Schools held at Canterbury (at the CCCU campus which is astone’s throw away from the city’sCathedral) set the agenda for studywhich, for the rest of the time, is

pursued at home using the learningmaterials provided by the Universityand supported by online tutorialcontact and visits from the RSCM-appointed Mentor. The modules cover a wide range

of topics including Music and Liturgy,Ministry and Worship, Church MusicManagement, and Practical ChurchMusicianship, and students areinvited to further develop theirspecialist interests through work ontwo projects. The practical elementsof the course are linked to thestudent’s own church, so that boththe student and their musicalenvironment are the beneficiaries ofthis high-level training. Those interested can find out

more from either the RSCM orCCCU websites:www.rscm.com/fdcm andhttp://www.canterbury.ac.uk/studyhere/church-music From Practice

to PolicyFrom Practice to Policy: TheologicalReflection on being a Chaplain. A oneday practitioners’ workshop for peopleinvolved in chaplaincy on Saturday 21 April 10am-4pm at Ripon CollegeCuddesdon, Oxford OX44 9EXSpeakers include: the Rev Dr MalcolmBrown, Director of Mission and PublicAffairs for the Archbishops’ Council ofthe Church of England, the RevVictoria Slater, Research andDevelopment Officer, OxCEPT and theRev Dr Margaret Whipp, Chair ofBIAPT and Lecturer in PastoralTheology at Ripon CollegeCuddesdon.Chaplaincy roles and the interest of thechurches in chaplaincy have beengrowing over the past twenty years.This day offers space for chaplains ofall kinds to come together to reflect onthe practice of chaplaincy bothpractically and theologically and toconsider its significance as part of thechurch’s ministry today.The cost is £25 (waged), £10(unwaged) to include lunch andrefreshments. To book contact KeithGlenny 01865 877417 orkeith.glenny@ripon-cuddesdon.ac.uk

Pray one for meHere are a couple of statistics whichought to pull us churchgoers upshort: A recent internet search forthe word “Spirituality” returned 29million UK web pages. Researchconducted by Tearfund in 2007suggests that 20 million adults in thecountry pray – that’s 42% of thepopulation. Pray One for Me and its

accompanying Facebook pagefound at www.facebook.com/prayoneforme offers people theopportunity to post prayer requestsonline. The earlier projects showedthat many of the prayer requests willbe for family and friends, for healingand worldwide problems andthanking God.

And that’s where you can be partof the prayer life of thousands. Canyour parish or benefice consider arota of visiting the site and prayingthe prayers? Could the team includesome who might visit the Facebookpage and post stories of how theprayers were prayed, such as wherethey were prayed and by whom? Or

how about regularly using the site andits prayer themes as part of yourintercession prayers yourself or inchurch? You’ll be praying alongside those

across the worldwide Church. Manyof the closed prayer communities arecontributing their time to this newproject. Through the year, the site will

occasionally encourage themedprayers to focus prayer on some ofthe life’s big events such as ChristianAid week, the Queen’s Jubilee, theOlympics, and Education Sunday, andto respond to events in the news.

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