THE NEWSLETTER OF THE DIOCESE OF SHEFFIELD 06 AUTUMN 2017 Local churches take Rt Revd Dr Pete Exciting advantage of the Wilcox the new developments for Tour de Yorkshire Bishop of Sheffield Financial Giving See page 5 See page 8 See page 14 Welcome from Bishop Pete The Service of Installation at our Cathedral Church on 23rd September was (from my personal point of view) a tremendous occasion. I am so grateful to Dean Peter and the team at the Cathedral for the arrangements they put in place and to all those who were able to come. The sense of encouragement was very real to me and http://www.sheffield.AnglicAn.org/blog/guest- I will continue to draw on that in the days to come. In blog/bishop-pete-s-sermon-from-his-service-of- my sermon at the service (taking 2 Corinthians 8.1-9, instAllAtion and especially verse 9, as a text), I spoke about I was also able to say at the service how grateful Jesus, grace and generosity. Cathy and I are for the warmth of the welcome we I set out my conviction that, as your new bishop, God have received to the Diocese and the region since we has called me here to foster a spirit of generosity as moved into Bishopscroft in June. We are really glad we respond in gratitude to the grace which God has to be here in the Diocese and are very much looking lavished upon us in and through Jesus our Lord. I forward to getting to know you all and to working suggested that, as a Diocese, we are called to be alongside you in the mission to which God is calling ‘generous with Jesus’ in two senses. us together, for the sake of the Gospel and of his Generous Thoughts coming kingdom. First: as those who align with Jesus, and belong to We are grateful not least for all the assurances we him, we are bound to be generous as he was have received of people’s prayers and we do urge generous. As those who have received the you please not to stop praying for us any time soon! undeserved favour of God, we are called to show So, I hope you enjoy reading the articles in this issue undeserved favour to others; as those who have of Network magazine. I look forward to meeting you benefitted from the generosity of Christ Jesus, we are all in the future. called to think generous thoughts, to speak generous words and to act generously in every way — and not least as we relate to people with whom we profoundly disagree. But we are called to be ‘generous with Jesus’ in a second, more missionary sense too: those who have received Jesus freely are called to give him away freely too. One of the things with which, as Christians, we will want to be generous is our Saviour himself: we will want to share Jesus generously with others. If you were not able to be at the service and think you might like to catch the flavour of it, you can listen to the whole sermon here: 2 NETWORK | WELCOME THE NEWSLETTER OF THE DIOCESE OF SHEFFIELD TTHTHEHE DIOCESEDDIDIODIOCDIOCEDIOCES Contents Issue 06 OFO SHEFFIELDSSHSHESHEFSHEFFSHEFFISHEFFIESHEFFIEL Page Page 04 10 Twenty-four adults were admitted or A Messy Church experience seemed a good authorised to work as ‘Lay Ministers’ across way to connect with the families visiting the the Diocese by the Bishop of Doncaster. Rotherham Show and Deanery. Page Page 06 12 St Matthew’s church took part in Sheffield’s From Sheffield to Germany - the 2017 Heritage Open Days, the first time the church Kirchentag! We find out more. has participated in this heritage festival. Page Page 08 15 The Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox was installed as Emily Dawson reflects on a recent Diocesan the Eighth Bishop of Sheffield in a service at group's experiences at the Walsingham Youth Sheffield Cathedral. Pilgrimage. If you Are interested in contributing An Article in future editions of Network pleAse emAil communications@sheffield.anglican.org or telephone the CommunicAtions TeAm on 01709 309100 . Network is copyright © of the DiocesAn BoArd of FinAnce, A compAny limited by guArAntee And registered in EnglAnd (No. 196087). Registered chArity No. 245861. Registered Address: Church House, 95-99 EffinghAm Street, RotherhAm, S65 1BL. CONTENTS | NETWORK 3 Celebration of Lay Ministries 24 adults were admitted or authorised to work as ‘Lay Ministers’ across the Diocese of Sheffield by the Bishop of Learner Stories Doncaster, Peter Burrows on Saturday 16 September in a Alison Wragg has just completed the special service held at Doncaster Minster. year one Foundations Course and was Lay Ministers offer their time and skills to enable the Church to worship and presented with her certificate at serve throughout the regions of South Yorkshire and the East Riding. The Doncaster Minster. She is training to service marks an important step on the journey of vocation for the church that be a Reader and so will go on to train will continue with further learning. for two more years, combining academic and practical elements. During the service, 23 people were awarded a certificate for completion of the Alison says it has been an incredible Foundations for Ministry and Mission course. This is a year-long course that helps people explore their call to ministry in the church. The Bishop also year, full of ups and downs. admitted 14 people to begin their ministry as Readers; authorised 1 Pastoral Read her story in full on the St Peter’s Worker, 2 Youth Ministers, 7 Children’s Ministers, and 1 Parish Evangelist. College website. The Celebration of Lay Ministries Service, which takes place once a year, sees www.stpeterscollege.org.uk friends, family, clergy and parishes proudly supporting their candidates. Gail Ashton was authorised at the Canon Dr Christine Gore, Principal of St Peter’s College at the Diocese of service as a Parish Evangelist. Gail Sheffield, commented: feels privileged to have been called to “This service of celebration is a very significant occasion for those being this ministry both by her parish, St awarded certificates and being licensed, and it marks an important part in their Luke’s Lodge Moor, and by God. journey in serving Christ and their local communities. This is also a moment for Following the service, Gail was happy them, their families and parishes to feel especially proud of their achievements, to tell more about her story, and her as all have completed an stretching course of training to get to this point. For call to ministry. Watch her testimony some this will have been the first time they have studied at this level and I’m on the St Peter’s College website. delighted that we have been able to celebrate their success in Doncaster www.stpeterscollege.org.uk Minister.” 4 NETWORK | NEWS Tour de Yorkshire A group of churches make the most of the latest bike race to come to the area As the Tour de Yorkshire passed through the Diocese of Sheffield, on the 28th to 30th April numerous churches along the route, joined in with a series of events to mark the occasion. There was a concert at St Mary's Bolsterstone on the Saturday evening which brought together the Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir, Deepcar Brass Band and the choir from St John's Junior School. Mark and Debbie Dransfield (of Dransfield properties - aka Fox Valley!) joined in which gave a great start to the weekend. The pub next door had an event with the Bus Pass Buskers (another local group – folk singers) and it was timed to follow on from the church concert to give the village a good pre-tour feel. On Sunday, St John's Deepcar had a morning service with the church open for refreshments and fellowship. Families wanted to do things along the route in the afternoon. As village groups, a variety of opportunities were created to showcase the KOM (King of the Mountains) after the climb up Cote de Deepcar. The church had a normal service in the morning, and through the day bells were rung as well as refreshments in the village hall, outside in the square and in the pub. Cyclists stopped for water towards the end of the sportive. Encouragement was given to passing cyclists and people were milling around all day. It really felt like there was strong community engagement. The new A Church Near You Earlier this year the national Digital Communications team at Church House in London produced a report on how to get the most from the new A Church Near You. They spoke to 1,800 people across the country to gather l Users will not only be able to search for their nearest church insights and thoughts on how to make the service much better – and now Church of England school – but able filter the for a site that receives over 13 million page views each year. search to show them results that include the features and The designs are now complete and signed off, and the work of facilities they’re looking for, such as accessibility, car parking building the site is well underway for a launch in late 2017. Key or service type. new features include: l In phase two, churches will be able to turn their simple page l Churches will be able to add extra information to events and into a full church website – even having the option of using a services, such as a location other than the church, times, unique URL, or the URL of their current website.