Live the Mission September 2017

Baking and selling bread together in Uganda. See page 3.

elcome to Live the Mission for pressure can be greater still. The summer W September, a month when has seen churches setting up or joining Christians in many countries celebrate projects to give children a decent meal Creationtide, a time of looking at God’s (see pages 6-7). In the words of one creation and how we might take benefice it fits in with “living generously, greater care of it. See pages 4-5 to find transforming society and working with out more. We also have a new feature others locally to start to meet the real on Fairtrade—see page 2. needs of those facing poverty in the Why should we be generous and what community”. does that mean? In September the diocese will release a new film in which clergy and lay people consider Inside generosity. It will be available free of News and Fairtrade …...…. p 2-3 charge for churches to use. See page 2 for more details. Creationtide …...……..….…. p 4-5 Perhaps generosity is about sharing Let’s do lunch—providing free our food. Certainly there are many meals for families ...……… p 6-7 children whose families are so squeezed that they rely on the Mission in practice—churches kindness of others to donate, and at work …………………………… p 8 during the summer holidays the 1 News from across the Diocese Generosity starts here hy be generous? How does God W call us to be generous and how can we encourage churches to give? In September we are launching The Generosity Movie, a four-minute film featuring clergy and laity from across the diocese openly expressing what generosity means to them, what challenges them about generosity and why they give. The Generosity Movie is ideal to show to Robert Sanday, Vicar of Abbey congregations, home groups and PCCs and Chaplain to the deaf, uses sign and is offered free of charge. It will be language as he considers the available on the diocesan YouTube challenges of generosity. channel: https://www.youtube.com/ user/CofEWinchester Fairtrade: an agent of social transformation airtrade is one of the original Fairtrade is F ‘agents of social transformation’; profoundly biblical the premium paid to farmers and as it improves lives producers helps provide education, and gives a healthcare and sanitation, as well as financial lift to giving communities in the Developing farmers, producers World a chance to invest in new and their families infrastructures. in the Developing World. Over the coming months, David Hinks, If you would like more information, or chair of the Diocesan help with promoting Fairtrade in your Fairtrade group, will offer a thought church, you can contact David on on how your church can engage with 01420 83458 or email Fairtrade. www.fairtrade.org.uk. [email protected] Currently Winchester doesn't meet the criteria for being a 'Fairtrade Diocese' with less than 50 per cent of our churches being registered as ‘Fairtrade How fair is your Churches’. The concept of church coffee?

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Beans and bread o pray and worship with them been financed partly by the deanery and “T and to experience God’s love will be run by Mothers’ Union members amongst them is amazing and inspiring,” in Kinkiizi and spent a day baking with said Gill Tybjerg of her recent trip to the volunteers who between them made church in Kinkiizi, south-west Uganda. 128 loaves and 60 cakes which were Gill, from Christchurch Deanery, visited then sold after a service in St Peter’s at a time of acute drought which has , Nyakatare, resulting in a devastated crops and was able to take small profit. flour and beans donated by the Gill reflected: “Being there to stand deanery. alongside the Kinkiizi folk, many now She visited a new bakery which has very dear friends, through all the challenges of life in rural Africa and experience their strong faith which guides and upholds them is a privilege. They tell me they believe I make a sacrifice to go to Uganda. It is truly not, it is simply life- Gill and the community sharing in Uganda changing.”

Survey to strengthen good stewardship

arish Buying, the Church of It would like to consult those who P England’s buying service which already use the service to understand encourages good stewardship and what’s important, and how the scheme enables churches to save time and can be improved. It is therefore asking money on key areas of spending such as users to take part in a energy and office supplies, is keen to short survey. To help, strengthen its service over the next few click here. years. What’s in your basket? Visit www.parishbuying.org.uk/

3 Creationtide —a time of celebration s summer fades, the Church turns series on Caring for God’s Creation. We A to Creationtide, a celebration of are also hoping to hold a ‘green creation and a promotion of sustainable communion’ during this same period.” lifestyles which is increasingly seen as a The idea for ‘green communion’ has Christian responsibility. come from Eco Church, the scheme run This annual event, which is celebrated by the Christian charity A Rocha, to help between September 1 and October 4, churches to look at their care for the was established in 2007 by the European world and what impact they are having Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu, Romania, on the environment. There is a liturgy and has spread far and wide, including and other resources on the Eco Church to the British Isles where it is supported website (https:// by Churches Together in Britain and ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/introducing- Ireland (CTBI). green-communion/). Many churches pick one Sunday during The Eco Church scheme enables the season of Creationtide to focus on churches to achieve bronze, silver and environmental themes; some, such as gold awards based on their Christ Church, Chineham, are doing so environmental impact. Many churches on several Sundays. Christ Church’s in the diocese have joined and the Assistant Minister Gordon Randall, who diocese itself is one of only seven which is also Stewardship Adviser for the have signed up to become ‘Eco diocese, stresses the importance of: “a dioceses’. Five churches in the diocese desire to foster an ethos that challenges have already gained their bronze awards people to see caring for God’s creation and St John's, Rownhams, is the first as a normal and natural outworking of church in the diocese to have achieved their discipleship. silver. The congregation at St John’s will “We aim to follow Jesus in every way receive the award at a Creationtide which includes caring for planet Earth. service on September 17 when Andy To sharpen our focus and root this area Lester from A Rocha will visit. of mission in God’s word we are Claire Thompson, the church’s planning to embrace the period of environment champion, says: “We will Creationtide with a four-week sermon be encouraging people to walk/cycle to church if that is possible for them. The young people will be presenting a short drama which some of us first saw at a

Christ Church, Chineham, has received a bronze Eco Church award. Pictured left is Jean Wilde, the church’s ‘eco champion’, receiving the award from Bishop David on Easter Sunday.

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How responsible are our food choices?

Creation Care workshop at Old Alresford compassionate choices which are also Place on the theme of ‘we can all do our good for the planet and also impact on bit’.” human welfare”. You don’t have to stick to actual Any church which would like to hold a Creationtide to celebrate creation and service focussing on the environment can look at our care for the environment. At find plenty of resources to help. In St John’s, Hartley Wintney, for instance, addition to Eco Church a useful website ordinand Sam Chandler, who is also is: http://www.churchcare.co.uk/ secretary of the the Anglican Society for shrinking-the-footprint/worship- the Welfare of Animals, will be helping resources/creation-time. the church to consider the ethics of food If your church does hold a Creationtide in a talk on October 15. She says: “I am service or event, let us know when it is very much of the view that animal happening and send us a report and suffering, responsible farming, green pictures afterwards. Email issues and human welfare are all [email protected] intrinsically linked”. She will be And if you are the environmental encouraging the church to look at champion in your church or are shopping choices “particularly buying interested in becoming one, why not meat from animals which have had a come on an ‘Eco Champion’ course? decent life and not supporting cruel, Contact Gordon Randall, intensive farming systems but making [email protected]. "Celebrating Creationtide marks a shift in the Christian understanding of our rela- tionship to creation under God. The consequences of teaching over recent centuries that humanity has been given domination over creation are clear in the complex environmental crisis we now face It is important that Christians rediscover older traditions of a godly relationship of humanity to the wider created order.” Rt Rev’d Nicholas Holtam, Bishop of Salisbury and the Church of England's lead bishop on the environment.

5 Let’s do lunch

hings have got a lot harder in throughout August. They have seen a “T the last few years.” growing need but also a change in “I like the puddings that they make and themselves. “We have been the most fun thing is we can play pool, intentionally looking at what we do and table tennis, basket ball and Jenga.” what is going on in the community,” says Matt Grove, Youth and Children’s “Coming here means my mum doesn’t Worker at St Luke’s. “It’s made us an have to do all the hard work.” outward-looking church.” “We are supporting each other.” MakeLunch is a national scheme set up “We get to spend time with other in 2011 to provide free, healthy, cooked adults.” food for pupils who usually receive free “It’s fun, the food’s good.” school meals, and since then they have cooked more than 50,000 meals. St “Talking about problems shows you’re Luke’s joined in last summer while not alone.” another church, St Mary’s, , got These are some of the comments by involved in February this year parents and children at ‘MakeLunch’ in For St Mary’s the impetus was when , one of the many schemes they noticed that they had hungry around the country set up to help children coming to Messy Church. They families who are struggling financially joined MakeLunch and open up three over the long summer holidays, times a week during every school particularly those whose children (1.2 holidays, offering games, crafts and a million of them in the UK) would usually hot lunch. receive a free school meal. “If the children are hungry so are the At the start of the summer holidays, the parents, so we invite the whole family,” Trussell Trust, which runs more than says Su Brakewell, a Licensed Lay 420 food banks across the UK, warned Minister in Sholing. that many children were at risk of going hungry over the six-week break from It is a cooperative affair there. Su adds: school. Last year, the trust saw a “We work with two local primary marked increase in people asking for schools who are the initial contact with emergency food during July and August, the families, and City and almost half of the 67,506 three-day Catering— the school meals service— food parcels given out were for families sponsors us by paying one of their cooks with primary school children. to supervise the kitchen. The local Co- op gives us free plastic bags and St Luke’s in Hedge End has joined squash.” They also buy food boxes from forces with the Salvation Army to offer FareShare in Southampton, a charity activities and a hot meal to children and which redistributes good food which their carers every Monday and Thursday would otherwise be dumped, and give

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Lunch in Hedge End each family a generous bag of food to getting involved with a lunch scheme, take away. run by Ringwood Town Council, which “The families tell us that they look serves meals three times a week in the forward to the fun and food,” says Su. town’s new youth club. While the “Schools tell us what a difference it council has been responsible for makes to the children's learning.” providing the food and chef, Churches Together in Ringwood and District has It is often schools who pick up that been providing volunteers to help with children are going hungry. In the Avon preparation and clearing up in what Valley benefice, for instance, the head Deputy Churchwarden Kevin Jones of a local school came to the church describes as “very much a team effort”. worried about some of the families, especially over the summer when the Churches Together in this area is a children would not receive a free school vibrant group which has run several meal. Churches Together in high-profile events over the past year, Fordingbridge and District responded including three fun days this year, instantly and at short notice, offering attended by 6,000 people, conducting a such families a Wednesday lunch each ‘What Hurts?’ survey, helping clean the week of the summer holidays at St town, and giving every household in Mary's Church Hall and within moments Ringwood a commemorative New of a letter of invitation going out, 13 Testament. Kevin Jones sums up the families booked in. It is something which reason for getting involved in this latest fits in with the Avon Valley aim of “living initiative: “This is much more low key generously, transforming society and but nevertheless provides an working with others locally to start to opportunity for us to continue serving meet the real needs of those facing and making a difference to the people of poverty in the community”. Ringwood.” And food is fundamental in making a difference. The Parish of Ringwood has also been

7 Mission in practice – Churches at work Tea and tissues Church mice welcome tarting school can be daunting for (and other animals) S both children and their parents and it helps to be made welcome, to meet ets are a vital part others in the same boat, as well as to P of many families meet some old hands. and often break down barriers between Every year, Highfield Church, people. So welcoming a Southampton, holds ‘Tea and Tissues’ pet into church is a good for families new to Highfield School. The way of making those pet church hosts and the Highfield School owners feel welcome too, quite apart Association provides the cakes. from the joy of celebrating animals this Sammy Jordan, Families and Schools Creationtide (see pages 4-5). Ministry Leader at the church, explains: Holy Trinity and St Andrew's, Ashe, “It’s a space for families to have a drink, (near Overton) will be celebrating pets eat some cake, chat and commiserate or and other animals in a service on celebrate together (we get both!) Sunday, September 17, at 3pm and “We get about 50 people there each welcomes all pets (ideally well- year as many of the new families pop in. behaved). If the weather is fine the We also get Highfield parents whose service will be in the churchyard; if not, children are already in the school. They inside the church and there will be a come for the cake, but also to answer collection in aid of an animal charity. questions and encourage new families. Contact us: “The headteacher and deputy come and Please let us know your news, both so it’s an opportunity for everyone to events that have happened and ones say ‘Hello’ at the start of term. I yet to come, and send us introduce myself and this is always my photographs. Email: opportunity to say that I’m ‘there for [email protected] them’, whether they come to the church .org or call 01962 737325. or not.” www.winchester.anglican.org @CofEWinchester www.facebook.com/CofEWinchester

Pictures: Many thanks to the following for allowing use of their photos via Unsplash (https:// unsplash.com/): Pages 2 and 8 (bottom): NordWood Themes; Page 5: Zoltan Tasi; page 8 (top) Andrew Branch.

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