Anglican Chaplaincy Vision Setting
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Anglican Chaplaincy at the University of Sheffield. Vision Setting: August 2011 − July 2015 Consultation draft March-June 2011 This Vision paper is in draft form and comes after initial dialogue with university colleagues, students and student officers, ecumenical colleagues, Anglican Chaplaincy Trustees, Diocesan representatives, and potential funders for the work of the Chaplaincy. Its purpose is to express what work, additional to the collaborative work of the Christian Chaplaincy and Multifaith Chaplaincy teams, can be offered by the Anglican chaplain (funded by the Diocese of Sheffield and supported by the Anglican Chaplaincy Trust) as well as the two part-time Outreach Workers (funded by the Sheffield Church Burgesses Trust and the St George’s Vestry Trust and supported by the Anglican Chaplaincy Trust). This draft is to be circulated to those already consulted and more widely with current and potential funders, local churches, faith communities and interested parties at the University of Sheffield. Following three months further consultation a final vision and plan with budget will be brought to the Anglican Chaplaincy Trustees meeting in June 2011. 1. The Context The Anglican Chaplaincy’s contribution to Christian ministry at the University of Sheffield is shaped and informed by history, theology (see 1.D.i) and context. The history is of the Diocese of Sheffield providing an ordained chaplain to serve the university community. This work continues and does so first, in strong relation to Student Services at the university and second, within a wider Chaplaincy team that has a commitment to support, spirituality and community in a context of ecumenical collaboration and inter religious cooperation. In recent years an Anglican Chaplaincy Trust has been established: through this first one assistant and subsequently two outreach workers have been employed to work with the Anglican chaplain. A. The Diocese of Sheffield The Diocese of Sheffield is called to grow a sustainable network of Christ-like, lively and diverse Christian communities in every place which are effective in making disciples and in seeking to transform our society and God’s world. This mission statement has informed the support of the Anglican chaplaincy and also informs the development of this Anglican chaplaincy vision for the four forthcoming academic years. Because the university setting is transitory and not Church based, the phrases that are particularly relevant from the mission statement are in relation to the transformation of society and God’s world—including the whole Creation—and being connected into sustainable networks. 1 Anglican Chaplaincy at the University of Sheffield: Vision Setting B. Related University strategies Three University strategies are of direct relevance to the work of the Christian Chaplains and the Multifaith Chaplaincy and are discussed below. Further strategies relating to equalities for staff and students and the many policies that sit within a well being strategy for staff are also relevant. i) Student Support strategy This strategy relates to all work undertaken across all areas of the University to support students. The first four of these six points are particularly relevant. The purpose of student support within the University community is to: • Enhance the overall (physical, psychological and social) well-being of students • Enable every student to build sound relationships with other students, within academic departments and within the institution as a whole • Contribute to the creation of a sense of belonging in the University and to the building of self-regulating communities of students • Enable students to develop life skills as they progress through the University • Contribute positively to the quality of the student experience and to support recruitment, progression and retention • Enhance the reputation of the University in relation to its student services. ii) Student Services strategy This strategic vision is for the work of all activity that comes within the Department of Student Services at the University, in which the Multifaith Chaplaincy sits (and sits entirely within the University’s ‘Mission, Vision and Identity statement and the Corporate Plan). Supporting the student Promoting excellence Improving our systems journey • Recruitment success • Service improvement • Process review • Transitions support • Professional engagement • Enabling IT • Internationalisation • User expectations & feedback • Integrated systems • Employability • Equality, diversity & inclusion Working sustainably Strengthening partnerships Developing our teams • Business growth • Faculty interface • Management development • Service development • Professional services • Staff engagement collaboration • Estates & environment • Influence and representation • Health & wellbeing • External profiles This paper focuses on ‘Supporting the student journey’, ‘Promoting excellence’ and ‘Strengthening partnerships’. Special emphasis is given to, ‘Transitions support’, ‘Internationalisation’, ‘Equality, diversity & inclusion’ and ‘External profiles’. iii) Widening Participation strategy 2 Anglican Chaplaincy at the University of Sheffield: Vision Setting The current strategy has the following emphases: increasing the opportunities for students from under represented groups to benefit from study at Sheffield or at other HE institutions (Getting In); ensuring that students have access to resources and support that reflect their diversity of backgrounds and prior experience in order to enable them to fulfil their potential (Getting Through); providing our students with opportunities to enhance their preparedness for graduate employment and develop their capacity for further professional and academic study (Getting On). This paper pays particular attention to the ‘Getting In’ and ‘Getting Through’ aspects of this strategy. C. The Christian Chaplaincy & Multifaith Chaplaincy Three denominations employ full-time chaplains to serve at the University of Sheffield. The denominations are the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church and the Church of England. The employers are: the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hallam, the C of E Diocese of Sheffield and the Sheffield West Methodist Circuit (in the Sheffield District). Additionally St Andrew’s United Reformed Church employs their minister to work one day a week in the Chaplaincy. The three full-time chaplains rotate the role of co-ordinating chaplain for the Multifaith Chaplaincy. There is ecumenical collaboration in the planning of events, there are many shared acts of Christian worship and the Methodist and Anglican chaplains working especially closely together along with the URC chaplain at the Multifaith Chaplaincy base at 344 Glossop Road sharing in the leading of daily worship and taking turns to preach and preside at a Wednesday communion service. The RC Chaplain has oversight of the Catholic Chaplaincy at Padley House on Wellesley Road. Student Services provide a half-time Chaplaincy Administrator. There are also voluntary chaplains and voluntary advisors from the World religions and an advisor for Paganism. There is substantial cooperation between the whole team of employed and voluntary staff. Day to day collaborative working tends to be among employed staff but volunteers based at the university make an energetic contribution too. D. Challenges and analysis of context i) Theological underpinning The methodology and biases for a theological underpinning depend upon: - an ethical framework that considers both the actions and teachings of Jesus; - the significance of theologies of liberation for context of both poverty and wealth; - attentiveness to faith development in young people as they become full adults; - particular examples in the life of Jesus of mutual dialogue and hospitality; - salvation not just for humanity but the Creation too (e.g. Jn 3.16; Rom. 8.18-23); - an eschatological understanding that the kingdom is breaking in all over the place; 3 Anglican Chaplaincy at the University of Sheffield: Vision Setting - a way of prayer that seeks God’s kingdom in the here and now; - some of the hellishness of cities can by micro-change become more heavenly; - imago Dei can be found, mutually, in relational working across the university; - esteeming the least within the institution brings health to the whole community; - creating learning opportunities for all university members is a matter of justice; - learning, teaching and research about faith is appropriate for a secular university. ii) Political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental context Funding. As the implications of changes to HE funding become more apparent it will be easier to assess how the shifting context will be likely to continue to change into the future. Especially as the University finalizes its Proposition explaining what the total offer it wants to make to students arriving 2012 not just for learning but also in terms of their personal development, the support they will receive both as a student and for their future and the kind of community they will be coming to at Sheffield. Community engagement and poverty. Questions around the serious and endemic difficulties for the city and South Yorkshire—as a consequence of the region’s relative poverty—are pertinent for Chaplaincy since ministry can be developed to build a network of relationships not just within the university but also beyond it. The disconnection between University and both local minority ethnic groups but also poor white groups