A year in the life of the Diocese of Oxford PCC Secretaries Workshops | February 2021 Mark Humphriss | Diocesan Secretary COVID-19 • Senior staff immediately invoked emergency planning meeting structure • Church buildings closed in March; advice on risk assessments thereafter • Pandemic updates issued widely by our comms team whenever anything changed • Weekly Diocesan Church at Home service • 2020 APCM deadline extended to November • APCMs and PCC meetings able to be online or physical • Advice and support throughout to our 282 church schools • Church House and area office staff mainly remote working. contemplative | compassionate | courageous Finance • Recognise substantial impact of pandemic – collection plate, weddings income, fundraising events, lettings • Diocese made £800k savings in 2020 through furloughing staff, salary sacrifice, cutting back expenditure, not filling posts • All have needed to draw down reserves • So grateful for outcome of 94.4% parish share paid in 2020 • Regular interaction throughout year with treasurers • Giving materials significantly enhanced (see website) • Updated Parish Share leaflet • We know 2021 will be as difficult. contemplative | compassionate | courageous Mutual Support • Real hardship within Diocese but also beyond • 10% of investment gains/income to less well- resourced dioceses • Rest for Development Fund, our common vision and offsetting parish share • Gift to Anglican Communion for COVID-19 relief • Social investment • Decision to award £200k pa through the Development Fund for basic facilities in churches (following a Cowley deanery synod motion). Our common vision… is to become a more Christ-like Church for the sake of God’s world. Contemplative Compassionate Courageous Needed as never before in the context of COVID-19. • Diocesan Synod declared a climate emergency in March, including commitment to net zero by 2035 (see website) • Environmental Task Group, chaired by Bishop Olivia, harnessing substantial energy (and complexity) • Net zero scope agreed nationally (churches, housing, schools) 1. Environmental • More church energy audits enabled and >33% churches on action renewable tariffs • Environmental surveys of every vicarage commissioned • EcoHub and other resources and support available from March • Monthly Care for Creation newsletter launched in November. contemplative | compassionate | courageous • 400 Personal Discipleship mentors now trained • Contemplative Toolkit piloted and will be launched in March • Come and See: a model of formation for all churches. 2. Christian formation and discipleship contemplative | compassionate | courageous 3. Growing new congregations • National grant funding of £2m approved, matched by the diocese • Resource hubs being established in Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes (2), Reading, Slough and Witney • Deanery strategy groups to support new congregations from 2021 • Many online congregations emerged during 2020 • Responding to population growth and mission opportunities • New congregations can take many forms - rural and urban, large and small, any churchmanship. contemplative | compassionate | courageous 4. Children, young people and schools • New school chaplaincies established (6 secondary, 1 primary) • Contemplative Toolkit in use in schools • Resources to develop stronger church-school relationships • USPG Schools Link project with South India • Disciples Together ‘Five Shifts’ • Helping churches be intergenerational • Bishop’s autumn webinars attracted over 200 • Discipleship Enabler for each area (previously children’s/youth/schools advisers) contemplative | compassionate | courageous 5. Addressing poverty and inequality • Met for first time in October - includes CAP, CAB and Children’s Society • Community Organising work with Citizens UK (Milton Keynes, Reading, Oxford, rural pilot starting) • Research exercise underway • ‘For Richer, for Poorer’ updated • Aim to share good practice, encourage social action and identify priorities for further activity at diocesan level contemplative | compassionate | courageous 6. Celebrate and bless Milton Keynes • Pray MK project (‘The Call’) bringing a sense of unity • Office space at Christ the Cornerstone provides a valuable resource • Actively feeding into decisions and plans for two MK resource hubs contemplative | compassionate | courageous Development Fund Round 1 (Sep 2019): 61 applications (£1.6m), 36 awards (£293k) Round 2 (Jan 2020): 45 applications (£1.9m), 27 awards (£578k) Round 3 (Sep 2020): 31 applications (£1.2m), 19 awards (£647k) • Deadlines now end of January, April, July, October • From April 2021 round, applications for ‘basic facilities’ (Cowley motion) • Further details on website contemplative | compassionate | courageous New senior appointments The Ven Gavin Collins The Ven Jonathan Chaffey The Ven Stephen Pullin John Orridge Bishop-designate of Dorchester Archdeacon of Oxford Archdeacon of Berkshire Director of Finance Revd Canon David Tyler Revd Canon Chris Bull Revd Liz Jackson Associate Archdeacon of DorchestercontemplativeAssociate | compassionate Archdeacon of | courageousBucks Associate Archdeacon of Berkshire Diocesan Synod March – Climate; Mutual support June – Impacts of COVID-19; Launch of Disciples Together September – Finance (AGM); Work of ODBE November – Wellbeing; Launch of Flourishing Together Safeguarding • New DSA Richard Woodley • 2 independent lessons learned reviews (Stowe/Abingdon) published • Independent review into safeguarding in the CofE (IICSA) • Diocesan Safeguarding Panel re-launched • Refreshed training, includes domestic abuse, delivered on zoom • Past Cases Review exercise nearing completion • Quarterly newsletter for Parish Safeguarding Officers contemplative | compassionate | courageous Wellbeing and diversity issues • Wellbeing a major issue during pandemic • Flourishing Together • Dignity in Ministry and at Work policy • Support to disabled clergy (many shielding) by Disability Adviser • BAME group and BAME Development Enabler contemplative | compassionate | courageous National Church • Responding to COVID-19 with advice/interacting with government and all dioceses • General Synod met mainly virtually; elections to GS now 2021 • Transforming effectiveness • CofE Vision launched (simpler, humbler, bolder) • Living in Love and Faith contemplative | compassionate | courageous Looking ahead • Hope to reopen Church House from April • Learning from COVID-19 • Recognise there is much exhaustion • Our common vision strategic activity remains key to resourcing and enabling mission and ministry locally • Review of parish share; improved parish-facing websites; guidance on festival churches and joint councils; and more • Rural Advisory and Reference Panel We are available and pleased to help, support and enable parishes. contemplative | compassionate | courageous.