SYNOD REPORTS 2014 The Archbishop’s Mission Fund The Archbishop’s Mission Fund (the Fund) exists to fund new ideas and initiatives for mission in parishes and deaneries. During 2014 18 grants (set out below) were approved supporting some of the excellent and imaginative ways of spreading the Gospel which are being undertaken across the Diocese. In 2014 as well as continuing to support some familiar projects such as Messy Church in new locations in the diocese, the Fund also supported some innovative projects. The City Centre Churches in York have worked with the Centre for Christianity and Culture at York University to develop a mobile phone app which can be used to help visitors and congregation members better access information about the churches – transforming the way that users relate to the churches. The grant from the Fund allowed for specific plug ins to be developed for each church. Churches Together in Southern Ryedale have come together to respond to the needs of the local horse racing community. Inspired by the successful model of chaplaincy that is already in place in Newmarket, they hope to replicate this in North Yorkshire with work initially being based in Malton. The grant from the Fund facilitated training and publicity for the initiative as well as membership of Sports Chaplaincy UK. Continuing the trend seen in recent years, a low number of qualifying applications meant that not all available funding was allocated in 2014. There is £30,000 available for allocation in 2015. Applications are encouraged and can be made by completing the application form which is available on the diocese’s website at http://dioceseofyork.org.uk/supporting- parishes/money-and-giving/funding-from-the-diocese/ and sending it to your Suffragan Bishop. Applications from York Deanery should be sent directly to the Archbishop. Grant applications are considered electronically (if they are urgent) or at a meeting by a small advisory group with representation from each archdeaconry. Once the advisers have made a recommendation, the final decision on each grant remains with the Archbishop. Applicants are encouraged to ensure align their project to the five marks of growing which underpin Generous Churches Making and Nurturing Disciples: • Christ-likeness • Influence • Partnership • Commitment • Numbers Catherine Evans, Secretary to the Fund GRANT APPLICANT PURPOSE £ Love Norton 14 A year of mission in Norton 1,000 York City Centre Churches Mobile Phone App 2,000 Holy Trinity North Ormesby Families Drop In 1,650 Roos - All Saints and CofE Primary Bells Project – School/Church 618 School Partnership Middlesbrough St Oswald, St Chad Genesis Youth Project Family Break 1,630 and St Agnes Waggoners Community Singers To develop a community choir linking 1,500 villages, churches and community groups Christ Church Bridlington - 12 Step Programme 985 Lighthouse Church and 12 Steps Southern Ryedale Deanery Chaplaincy to Horse Racing 1,000 Community in Ryedale St Peter Redcar Luncheon Club 500 St John's Bransholme Little Fishes/Messy Church 1,000 Emmanuel, Saltburn by the Sea RE:CREATE and RE:NEW 250 St Mark's, West Hill Bridlington Riding Lights; Christmas Cracker 350 All Saints Cawood Messy church 415 Roger Simpson - Archbishop's Additional support for Roger’s work 2,500 Evangelist York City Centre Churches PA Equipment 750 St James' Scarborough Messy church 1,000 St Oswald's Sowerby * Rebuild Mexico 1,600 TOTAL GRANTS APPROVED 18,748 Note: * Grant approved in 2014 and paid in 2015 Children and Youth The purpose of our work as advisers is primarily to support, advise, enable, empower, engage and resource the diocese, bishops, clergy, parishes, leaders, children, young people and their families in a wide range of issues and activities pertaining to the Church’s mission and ministry among children and young people. To enable this, the team continues to work with and develop ‘Fully Alive in God' which, as a commitment to children and young people was adopted at Diocesan Synod in 2009. FAiG in not a programme of activity, it is a framework that provides a strategic means to review the ministry and cultural mind-set of the church toward young people. It provides a possible overview by which we (from parish to diocese) can measure what we do and how we do it. The framework challenges both church and diocese to take a holistic approach to our mission toward and with young people. Instead of focussing energy on providing activity with an emphasis on teaching, we aim to encourage a sense of accompanying, building relationship and fellowship. Fully Alive in God can help identify where and how young people are enabled to encounter God, how they can build on that encounter, commit to Christ and ultimately to grow as disciples in the service of God. Young people are disciples in training, not disciples in waiting! The 5 focus areas of FAiG challenge us all through questions (of diocese, church, leaders and the young people) to consider and reflect on where and how we specifically enable children and young people to: • Experience God • Develop a relationship with God • Help further God’s Kingdom • Care for God’s Creation • Value and be valued by the Church The FAiG leaflet and other materials are available on the diocesan website. The ‘Generous Churches Making and Nurturing Disciples’ challenges the church to be strategic in using the 5 marks of growing, namely • growing in Christ-likeness • growing in influence • growing in partnership • growing in numbers • growing in commitment The Children and Youth Work team has put together some training material that parallels the 5 Marks of Growing Study Course. This is also available on the diocesan web site. How are the two ‘frameworks’ working together? By offering children and young people opportunities set out in FAIG (left column) we can cross reference with the 5 marks of growing (top blue row) to see what outcomes () might develop. It could be argued 1 | that both FAiG and Marks of Growing impact each other in every area, indeed there is considerable overlap. However, as a generalised view it is possible to see that in developing work that for instance offers opportunities to Experience God, then we may also be helping young people to grow in Commitment and we might also expect there to be some growth in Numbers. then the parish is more likely to see growth among CYP in the following If a parish is giving mark: CYP the opportunity to: Christlikeness Commitment Partnership Influence Numbers Experience God Develop a Relationship with God Help Further God’s Kingdom Care for God’s creation Be Valued by and Value the Church Similarly, if a parish wants to see a particular ‘Mark’ emerging, then it should consider what opportunities are being offered that potentially develop that mark. So if a parish wants to help young people to be ‘Growing in Christlikeness’ it may be that strategically the parish should invest time and effort in the areas of Developing a Relationship with God, Helping to further God’s Kingdom, and to engage them in Caring for God’s Creation. If a church wants to see Commitment develop then there is work to be considered in all areas of FAiG, although it may also serve them in recognising weaknesses in what they are providing. E.g. they may want to develop how they value young people. CandY Team and Generous Churches. (A brief synopsis) Growing in Christ-likeness: Fully Alive in God endeavours to ask questions of ourselves and our ministry in order to consider how we and young people are able to meet with and be transformed by Christ in order to become Christ-like. It asks questions such as how young people are encouraged to worship in ways appropriate to their age and experience, how they are being empowered to live Christ-like lives in the community, and how they are engaged in developing the church today. To this end we offer a wide range of support for clergy and leaders as well as for young people through: • Quality events such as – BNO, XL & XLS, The Big Feast, SPREE etc • Training events and programmes – □ Treasure □ Recognised Parish Assistants □ Faith in Young People training days, □ Resource days etc. • Retreats – □ Youth Worker retreat Days □ Ngage weekend • Disseminate masses of information on materials, programmes, curriculums, training events, camps and house-parties, annual national events and retreats. 2 | • Diocesan residential weekends for young people. Growing in Commitment: Our commitment is to take children and young people seriously remembering that we are all called to be followers of Christ and together we are the Church. We want parishes to welcome, value and appreciate young people, provide safe space for them and have appropriate provision to grow in faith as well as to become committed Disciples of Christ for themselves and be active members of a church community. Therefore we offer support and encouragement to help churches consider all that they are doing whether in church or as part of other activities in their community such schools work. We endeavour to help resource clergy, PCC’s, and leaders to • engage with current youth culture, good practice and legislation • develop nurture groups, Baptism and Confirmation policies and courses • consider and be informed on many issues from Communion before Confirmation, to Risk Assessments, safeguarding policy and safe spaces • resource residential events and inform about a wide range of local and national activities • engage with deanery and diocesan events as well as other activities While not directly involved in regular youth work ourselves, much of what we do and many of the events we offer are geared to inspire and facilitate leaders to provide space and activities that encourage commitment.