Network The magazine of the Diocese of Sheffield Issue 12 Autumn 2020 Synod Eco Christingle Resourceful Motion Online Leaders www.sheffield.anglican.org www.sheffield.anglican.org 1 New 4-week Advent Course Light in the Darkness This course aims to help us reflect, at the darkest time of the year, on our calling to be Lights for Christ. We’ll consider what that means and looks like; how that light may shine more brightly at the close of this year. ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not grasped it.’ John 1:5 www.lightsforchrist.uk/lightinthedarkness 2 Diocese of Sheffield Magazine From the editor Welcome to the Autumn issue of Network - the Inevitably in this edition, there is a strong magazine for the Diocese of Sheffield. online focus! We take a look at how some of our churches are reaching out to our communities It is a feature-led publication showing the in different ways. The magazine is aimed at Christian faith at work in our local communities. everyone – whether a fully committed Christian, This is the first time Network has been produced a member of another faith and those of no faith in purely digital format, and is actually the first at all. We want to distribute it across parishes, formal issue of the year! Indeed, what a year local schools, community centres and more to it has been. Like many diocese’ and parishes increase the awareness of what great things we around the country our print materials have are doing as the Church of been limited and on hold. So many of the stories England in South Yorkshire of the year have been told online through and East Riding. We are the website, social media, mailings and Zoom always looking out for great sessions. We hope here, to capture some of these stories! So, if anyone would in a more traditional format. It still unclear what like to include an article in the the future holds, but we know that print is still next issue then please email the preferred tool for many and this will be kept communications@sheffield. in mind for future issues. anglican.org LJ Buxton, Director of Strategic Communications Contents 4 Lights for Christ Featured 8 Our Churches Online Article 11 Celebrate Christingle! Synod Agrees Eco Motion 12 Centenary Project Page 14-15 14 Synod Agrees Eco Motion 17 Resourceful Leaders 20 A growing community of prayer www.sheffield.anglican.org 3 NEWS Lights for Christ As a Diocese we aim to liberate the whole people of God for the whole mission of God. As followers of Jesus we are all on this journey together. To support this aim, in October 2019, the diocese launched its Lights for Christ initiative. This is our local answer to the national ‘Setting God’s People Free’ agenda. s God’s people in the Diocese of adapting their operations to continue to A Sheffield, we re-affirm our calling to be nourish and develop people’s spiritual lives Christ-like, living as lights for Christ in our and to reach out to communities in need. everyday lives by: Platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and • Receiving the light of Christ as his Zoom have become the go-to place for friends; church communities to share in prayer, • Walking in the light of Christ as his worship, discipleship and social time. followers; These are playing out in a public sphere • Reflecting the light of Christ to those with parishes who may normally have 15- around us. 20 congregation members on a Sunday morning, noting up to 50 joining in with a Times have changed a little in the last 12 Facebook Live service. months, and the Lights for Christ team has been reflecting on implications for Lights In March, we witnessed the 2025 Prayer for Christ and the Covid 19 pandemic. Community grow by 52%. This is exciting. People are looking for answers and seeking While our churches have been closed, the prayer. People are reaching out to their message from the Church of England has communities. Is this just an immediate been clear: our buildings may be closed response or will it continue post Covid-19? but the church is not! Church communities across the diocese have been evolving and The challenge will be to keep it going. 4 Diocese of Sheffield Magazine NEWS It is not all online. With isolated and have been communities having needs working with local food like never before, the church donations to deliver food has stepped in to help. parcels to 30-50 households per week. Some churches, The Revd Andy Poultney, like All Saints Woodlands, Pioneer Priest at St Paul’s, have also set up a telephone Wordsworth Avenue, Parson service to listen to sermons Cross has combined with a for those that cannot access local shopkeeper to support other technology. vulnerable members of the community with free food There is still much reflection and deliveries. and learning to be done. The Lights for Christ This has been a common initiative has not quite theme with the Revd Alun followed the plan that we It still feels too early to tell Price at Balby adapting had for it! Some church the impact, but interest the Given Freely, Freely communities have been from non-Christians is Given scheme, to allow it forced to advance their encouraging and is creating to continue its vital service offering, but we need to a culture of invitation which through the days of social recognise that others could hasn’t been the normal distancing. be left behind as not all are culture of the church. at the same place. Similarly, Christine We must find a way to Batchford and the For now though, it seems bridge the community which Timebuilders team at the pandemic has pushed has emerged online and Rotherham Minster has been the church into the public connect this with the church collecting and distributing sphere and the lights are community. jigsaws to people that are shining brightly. “You are the light of the world” Charity Registration number 1002026 Matthew 5:14 www.sheffield.anglican.org 5 NEWS Lights in the Darkness Attercliffe and Darnall Centre of Mission usually hold a Lantern Festival for the community every 5th November. Due to restrictions, it wasn’t possible this year. At a local stakeholders meeting, Kinder and Gina Kalsi agreed to partner with other local groups to organise an alternative activity. he solution was to invite Several community agencies One lady in the community Tlocal people of all ages to worked together on this encouraged the local children decorate the windows of their project including Darnall to get involved and, so far, they homes and share their photos Wellbeing, Darnall Forum, have decorated three windows on social media. Participants Galeed House and a local cafe. on the main road in Darnell. were given the theme of Light The local council provided in the Darkness and there were funding towards the packs of The Light in the Darkness prizes on offer to encourage materials and prizes. project has generated a lot of people to join in. engagement online as people sharing the posts and pictures Knowing that many in the on social media. community would not have It has been access to the resources they “ exciting to walk They are hoping to encourage would need to decorate their around the people in the community to join windows, they distributed over area spotting in with a similar project around 80 packs of materials - which Christmas; building upon also included information the window the connections made with about the Centre of Mission decorations. their neighbours and other and other local groups. ” community groups. 6 Diocese of Sheffield Magazine NEWS The Rambling Rector When lockdown came along, and churches had to shut, the FAB Parish looked for an alternative way to bring people together. hey decided on a two- This was very well received, Tpronged approach - digitally and they became aware that and analogue. For those with the printed material was being access to the internet, a weekly shared around, both locally service was held over Zoom. and nationally, whilst the However, not everyone had digital version of it was going this access, so those without international! Enjoying Church at home received a weekly magazine- style publication though the Alongside the digital meetings, home could see and hear too. post: dubbed the ‘Rambling they offered a helpline to This combined service has Rector’. enable even the most fearful worked amazingly well, of technology to join in. The with the number of those The Rambling Rector included Zoom platform was chosen participating in this worship Sunday’s Bible reading, and a because it allows interaction, being above the usual Sunday reflection. This same reflection and so different people attendance. would be shared live on the took on the Bible readings digital platform. In addition, and intersessions, and the The next challenge will be the they collated good news stories preachers took turns as well. upcoming Zoom Christingle and photos from the local area, They also included a section for Service. Activity packs will be school, and parishioners, and sharing good news stories. made available for anyone who included those, along with wants to join in, and they will prayers points, some cartoons When the lockdown was eased, build the Christingles together and crosswords. they couldn’t fit everyone over Zoom! back in the building due to “People seemed to particularly the social distancing rules, so “We’d all prefer to gather enjoy ‘Rectory Secrets’ where they continued to use Zoom to physically, but using the each week I divulged a fictitious connect people in the building traditional paper publication secret - such as the passage with people at home.