NATIONAL ARCHDEACONS’ FORUM serving the Church of England and the Church in Wales Archdeacons’ News Bulletin no. 28 October 2017 from Norman Boakes Archdeacons’ National Executive Officer For those who have enjoyed the Lindchester Chronicles with their clear reflection in fiction of so much truth about the Church of England, the publication of Catherine Fox’s third and final volume in the series will be much welcomed. Realms of Glory introduces us to a second archdeacon to fill the long vacancy alongside Matt - though he is about to move on to other things. Cathy plays again with the stereotype of the archdeacon in her character of the Ven Bea Whitchurch, and because Bea knits she tries to compare her to Madame Defarge at the guillotine. But “No. It’s no good. Even as I wrote that, I could hear Bea hooting with laughter. Bea doesn’t really have a wrong side. Obviously, she’s capable of being firm when required, and now and then of getting pretty cross. But it’s becoming clear to me that once again I have failed to present you with an archidiaconal monster.” As in her previous novels, Cathy explores the realities of humanity, our frailties, our hopes, our fears, the burdens we carry from the past and need to work with, and how people of faith seek to live and grow with all this reality. She does it with a gentle touch, and shows how so often it is love which transforms things, a love which engages, challenges, sometimes suffers, and perseveres. It may be fiction, but like all good fiction it reflects human life and gives us insight into faith. If you do not know her work, I commend them to you. With best wishes and prayers, Norman [email protected] 023 8076 7735 * * * * * 1 Archdeacons’ Training Events If you wish to come to either of the events below, please book as soon as possible. Church Law: Carrot or Stick A Day Conference for all those engaged in leading training sessions about Church Law for curates, clergy and churchwardens. A day event, organised by the Ecclesiastical Law Society Education sub-committee, on Monday 30th October 2017 at Leeds Diocesan Office, Leeds, starting with refreshments from 10.30 am and finishing by 3.30 pm. Lunch provided. Cost £20 per person. The contributors will be Simon Baker (Archdeacon of Lichfield), Stephen Borton (Ecclesiastical Manager at Lee Bolton Monier-Williams), Sue de Candole (Diocesan Registrar of Salisbury and Winchester), Catherine Pickford (CMD Officer Diocese of Newcastle) and Norman Boakes (Archdeacons’ National Executive Officer). This event will be similar to the one held last November at 1 The Sanctuary Westminster To book, please contact Andrew Male at [email protected] Transforming Church Conflict - a refresher for archdeacons In response to requests from a number of archdeacons we have arranged a refresher on Transforming Church Conflict with Bridge Builders. This will build on and remind participants of work done in the Transforming Conflict course for senior church leaders. The event will be at the Queens’ Foundation Birmingham from Monday 19th to Tuesday 20th February 2018, starting on the Monday at 11.00 am and finishing with lunch on the Tuesday. It will be led by Colin Moulds, Executive Director of Bridge Builders, and Jackie Searle, Archdeacon of Gloucester. The cost will be £185 per person. To book, please contact Jackie Freestone and she will send you a booking form. * * * * * Church Buildings From Becky Clarke, Director of Cathedrals and Church Buildings Division LPOW The Church Buildings Council is pleased to announce that it has received written confirmation from the Heritage Minister, John Glen MP, that following the General Election the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme will continue at its current levels until March 2020. The Second Church Estates Commissioner, Dame Caroline Spelman MP, who led discussions with government ministers on the importance of LPOW, said, “I am delighted to be able to confirm the government’s continuing commitment to this vital grant scheme until 2020. All involved recognise the part these grants have to play in maintaining our nation’s largest group of historic and community buildings.” There are no changes planned to the eligibility criteria or application process. Information on applying can be found on the dedicated website: http://www.lpwscheme.org.uk/. GPOW We have continued our discussions with the HLF on the closure of GPOW. As you know, the Church Buildings Council has made it clear that it considers the abrupt closure of GPOW, particularly without 2 consultation or the carrying out of an Impact Assessment, was a mistake. I want to thank all of you who have been in touch with me following the announcement, feeding back on the proposals and our response. If I have not yet written back to you personally then I hope to have done so soon. We are now in a more positive position. HLF has reassured us in writing that the amount of their funds spent on places of worship as a percentage of their total budget will remain at levels equivalent to 2016. This assurance has been provided by the Chairman and Board of Trustees and runs until March 2019, when their new strategic framework period begins. This concrete assurance offers a clear demonstration that HLF does not intend to stop contributing to the care and development of our churches, and is the result of robust and effective negotiations between the HLF and the Church Buildings Council. Officers of the Church Buildings Council are working with staff at the HLF to put in place evaluation of the impact of the changes on places of worship. We anticipate this will include measuring the number of projects funded, to see how results equate to GPOW, and calculating the percentage of grant funds spent on capital building works, which remains one of our primary concerns. The HLF has produced new guidance for churches considering applications, available on their website. The Church Buildings Council will be producing practical notes on the ChurchCare website to give churches applying to the Heritage Grants and Our Heritage schemes clear ideas of how to demonstrate that their repairs-based project will meet HLF outcomes. The HLF will begin consultation this Autumn on its next strategic framework. This is an opportunity for all churches, cathedrals and dioceses to contribute their ideas on how the HLF should disperse Lottery players’ money from 2019 onwards. We believe this is a crucial chance to reflect on the successes of HLF funding for places of worship, and to make the case for continued high levels of investment. We intend to make our submission public so that churches, cathedrals and dioceses can understand our position, and our hopes for the next strategic period in HLF’s management. The Church Buildings Council is actively working with partners from other faiths and denominations on demonstrating the particular needs of places of worship, and the opportunities they offer to the nation. This work ties in to the ongoing independent review of cathedral and church building sustainability commissioned by Treasury and DCMS in 2016; we are in a strong position to work with these Government departments when the review presents its report later this year. Both of the statements above are on the ChurchCare website. Please feel free to forward this message to colleagues. From a recent CBC circular You are invited to the launch of the revised and expanded version of the Crossing the Threshold toolkit on Friday 3rd November at St Martin in the Bullring, Birmingham. Thanks to a grant from Allchurches Trust to Historic Religious Buildings Alliance (HRBA), the much valued 2013 edition has been further updated and expanded. The new publication, 'Crossing the Threshold: a step by step guide to developing your place of worship for wider community use and managing successful building projects', offers step-by-step guidance for parishes beginning to consider making changes to their buildings and who have a vision of opening up their church buildings for wider community use. The toolkit sets out a process to ensure that the historic and liturgical requirements of a place of worship are balanced with community use. The new edition takes into account the changing funding, community, local government and voluntary sector landscapes as well as providing guidance on new governance models that have been developed over the last four years. 3 The event is aimed at everyone who wants to find out about the latest resources that can help support and enable the opening up of places of worship for the service and use of their local communities. The day will showcase this resource as well as offering presentations from funders and the community development sector. Three case studies from the West Midlands will be included in the day to provide 'real-life' examples of what can be achieved as well as the challenges and lessons learnt. Please book using Eventbrite * * * * * Comings and Goings The following appointments and retirements have recently been announced: The Revd Canon Darren Miller, Rector of Cheam and Area Dean of Sutton, is to be the next Archdeacon of Ashford. He will be moving towards the end of the year and taking up the post in January 2018. He succeeds the Ven Philip Down, who is retiring this month. Philip has served fifteen years as an archdeacon, of Maidstone from 2002 - 2011, and of Ashford since then. Please pray for Darren as he tries to draw his current ministry to a close and prepare for moving and his new role, and for Philip as he gets ready for retirement, whatever that may mean and whatever possibilities may arise.