The Ely Reader. Help with training costs! Ely Diocesan Board of Readers e-newsletter. Forthcoming Events. Training information. Number 6 March 2012

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1 Ely Diocesan Board of Readers e-newsletter The Ely Reader Number 6 March 2012 It is that time of the year when we need you returns,. so that we can share the valuable work that we all do for Licensed Lay Ministry in the Diocese of Ely. Also I would like you to consider the role of Area Representatives.At the Annual General Meeting in May we have 4 vacancies, one from each of the 4 Areas; Cambridge North, Cambridge South, Huntingdon and Wisbech. This is for a period of three years and if you are interested please speak to your Area Subwarden. Look out for our next mailing at the end of this month, which will include details of the AGM and Training day on the 12th May at Wicken Village Hall. I look forward to meeting you all then. Steve Mashford Chair of the Readers Board Forthcoming Events March 2012 Tuesday 27 th March ( pm) An Early Good Friday A day of theological reflection for Clergy and Lay Ministers ahead of Holy Week and the Triduum. Saturday 19 th May May 2012 ( pm) The Church s Ministry amongst Older People For who are interested in this ministry. Look at the panel on page 4 for more details. November 2012 Saturday 17 th November ( pm) Living Doctrine: Meeting God in Ordinary Life This session is part of the Doctrine Module for the initial training course. Look on page 2 for more details. Synod Report See page 3 for a report from Stephen Tooke! Training information Help with training costs! Any LLM who wants to attend a training event can apply for an in-service grant of up to 100 towards costs. If you are interested contact Les Oglesby les.oglesby@office.ely.anglican.org for further information. Maundy Thursday at Ely Cathedral Maundy Thursday, 5 th April 2012, starting at am. All LLMs are welcome and can robe for this event. 1

2 Inspiration Last week I visited my dear friend and colleague Lesley Pearce. She is an LLM, like me, in the Deanery of Fincham and Feltwell. Lesley was diagnosed with the debilitating motor neurone disease last February but unlike Stephen Hawking, whose illness progresses slowly, Lesley s is advancing at an alarming speed. When I first visited Lesley soon after her diagnosis, I must be honest and tell you, as I told her, that I was very unsure of what I was going to say. I need not have bothered! Lesley was so full of the Holy Spirit, upbeat and full of the joys of life that I left feeling uplifted. Last week, knowing that the illness was marching ahead, I popped in to see how she was. Lesley is now finding it very difficult to walk, relying on a walking frame to get about the house as best she can. Following her legs giving out earlier that week she was waiting for the delivery of a motorised buggy - and oh, how she was looking forward to taking her beloved dog out for a walk. Speech is no longer possible for Lesley but she uses an ipad equipped with a programme that turns her typing into speech American speech but speech none the less. Lesley s faith, joy and love of Christ are as strong, if not stronger than ever and once again I left her with a feeling of well-being and spiritual growth. As I turned to leave she picked up her stylus, fingers do not do as they are told any more, and told me that she had just finished a sermon which was to be read in church on March 4 th. Carol Nicholas-Letch Living Doctrine: Meeting God in Ordinary Life. Saturday 17 th November 9.45 am 1.00 pm Leader: Canon Dr Alan Hargrave. This session is part of the Doctrine Module for the initial training course. Alan will explore themes from his book An Almighty Passion, recently re-launched by SPCK. Alan writes of the book: As I grow older I believe more and more in less and less: Less and less in the secondary issues of faith (which are often divisive). More and more in the great doctrines of Trinity, Incarnation, Passion and Resurrection, which not only define our understanding of God but also make sense of my life and the lives of others. The session promises to be valuable and challenging for all involved in a ministry of preaching and teaching. The venue is to be confirmed and more details will appear in later editions of the Ely Reader. 2

3 General Synod Feb 2012 A busy group of sessions, where a great deal of time was spent on the Measure for the ordination of women bishops. In addition to the work of Synod we were invited to Westminster Abbey on Tuesday evening for a service Of Reconciliation and Mutual Commitment for the Church of England and the United Reformed Church. On Wednesday evening some Synod members including those from Ely were invited to a reception given by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Mrs Williams at Lambeth Palace. A most enjoyable evening and it was a privilege to represent our Diocese. Among items discussed at Synod was the Parochial Fees Order which, to the relief of Synod was passed this year and new fees come into operation on 1 st Jan Broadly the schedule rationalises fees across the country for the standard services. It does not include heating, verger s expenses, services of blessing after civil marriage and memorial services for all of which local arrangements need to be made. A presentation on The Code of Practice and Women Bishops explained and gave direction on how the Measure is to be interpreted and implemented in dioceses and gave a time scale. A Diocesan Motion from Chichester sought to amend canon C22.1 so that a Deacon could be appointed as an Archdeacon. After strong arguments and powerful speeches suggesting that the church is missing out on a group of potentially gifted people; examining the appropriateness of an Archdeacon as as a priest for a priest and the ability to preside at the Eucharist, supporting churches, especially during an interregnum, the motion was lost in all three houses. Draft Ordination of Women Bishops GS 1847 reported on Diocesan Synod debates on this issue. The draft legislation was passed in all three houses in 42 of 44 Dioceses (failing in London & Chichester) and this compares to the position in 1995, for women priests, where the result was 38/44. The report was accepted. This debate about the Draft Ordination of Women Bishops Measure GS 1854/ A-B-C involved amendments from debates in Diocesan Synods. The Manchester amendment asked the house of Bishops to look again at the proposal from the two Archbishops which was narrowly lost at the revision stage. Amendments from Southwark were debated. The final, amended motion (requesting that the house of Bishops should look at the ArchbIshops proposal but return the Measure substantially unamended ) was voted on and passed in the three houses. It needs to be noted that substantial changes might delay the progress of the Measure which is currently on schedule to come to a Final approval at the July Synod this year. Two Additional Eucharistic Prayers have been prepared for use when children are present at the Eucharist. After discussion about phrases that might be added, the revision committee s argument that not all points of theology need be in every prayer and amending prayers in this way affected their flow was accepted and the report was sent to the House of Bishops. Stephen Tooke 3

4 Singing's a metaphor for preaching; and the Lord's song book is the Bible. We're called to preach in a strange land. It's not a foreign or a hostile land, because it's God's world; it's holy. But it's strange because it seems biblically illiterate, and secularized and it's going through a communications revolution! The College of Preachers National Conference Sing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land June 18th to 20th 2012 at The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford I'm coming to the Conference for the same reason that led me to accept the invitation to be Chair of the College - my conviction that there is an urgent need for the church to rediscover and reaffirm its ministry of preaching. The title of the conference and the lineup of speakers tell me that this is going to be a great opportunity for preachers and teachers of preaching to get together to reflect on and celebrate our shared ministry. I hope you'll join me in June. Dr Katie Edwards, Dept of Biblical Studies, Sheffield University 'I want to question some of our current thinking about the problem of biblical illiteracy. I've been researching the way biblical characters and themes appear in popular culture. I suggest that, in this strange land, there's a latent interest in the Bible to be channelled rather than an ignorance to be dispelled, and I'm looking forward to discussing this with you. Other speakers include Revd Dr Rosalind Brown Canon of Durham Cathedral Revd Dr Stephen Wright Director of Postgraduate Research at Spurgeon`s College. Professor J.W. Robertson Professor Emeritus of biblical studies at Sheffield University Revd Dr Neil Richardson Past-President of the Methodist Conference and formerly Principal of Wesley's College, Bristol On top of all that, there`ll be worship, with sermons to listen to and discuss, and Bible study breaks an opportunity to sample new College of Preachers e-learning material the AGM (led by +Stephen) where you can have your say in shaping the future of the College. The conference is residential. It will run from Monday 18th to Wednesday 20 th of June, lunchtime to lunchtime. The cost per person is inclusive, with an en suite room. A deposit of 40 secures a place, with the balance to be paid by 18th May. To book, either post us a cheque made out to The College of Preachers or online at this link 4

5 Would you? Could you? They did!! Thanks to Carol Nicholas-Letch and Stephen Tooke for their contributions to this edition of the Ely Reader. Could you do something for the next edition? You might review or recommend a book pass on a tip about ministry review or recommend a resource write an article for the e-letter send an intriguing photograph Please send any contributions to Elaine ideally by everything is welcome!! mailto:elaine@hartford.eclipse.co.uk HM The Queen - Diamond Jubilee In gratitude for the Queen's outstanding dedication to duty and tireless service of church and nation over the past 60 years, Bishop Stephen, along with other diocesan bishops, have signed a BIG THANK YOU LETTER. (Click on the link for details.) This will be available for anyone else to sign during March and April at the Cathedral and other churches around the diocese. It will be compiled and sent to Buckingham Palace in time for the June weekend Jubilee celebrations. Sign the letter in your church as soon as you can!! Valuing Age: The Church s Ministry Amongst Older People Saturday 19 th May 2012 ( pm) Dr James Woodward will lead will lead a day on the pastoral, spiritual and religious needs of older people.. This session will be open to all involved or interested in developing this ministry. Application forms can be downloaded from the Ministry section on the Diocesan website. James Woodward is Canon at Windsor and author of a number of books on the subject of ageing. Further details about James and his work can be found by clicking this link: Last minute booking? Less than 10 places left!! Produced for the Ely Diocesan Board of Readers by Oberon Projects. March