Annual Report 2013

OUTSIDE FRONT COVER
ANNUAL REPORT
2013
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ASTON
CENTRAL BIRMINGHAM
COLESHILL
EDGBASTON
HANDSWORTH
KINGS NORTON
MOSELEY
POLESWORTH
SHIRLEY
SOLIHULL
SUTTON COLDFIELD
WARLEY
YARDLEY & BORDESLEY
The Rt Revd David Urquhart
Bishop of Birmingham
During a year of continuing economic uncertainty the Church of England
Birmingham has kept faithful to its task with the generous deployment of
time, talents and money.
Playing our part in Jesus great commission, we have experienced
continuing transformation and seen the blessings of measured growth.
Te Annual Report for 2013 gives a glimpse of some of the activities that
sustain and develop a vigorous Christian witness in 21st century England.
Our intentional commitment to the mission of God throughout our
diverse communities will I believe atract further resources so that we
make more, and more confdent disciples of Jesus Christ.
As the Lord reminded St Paul My grace is sufcient for you, for power is
made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9.
4 BISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM
Refections on the year.
5 BISHOP OF ASTON
6 TRANSFORMING CHURCH
Mission initiative launched in 2009 to help grow churches at the heart of each community.
8 MISSION APPRENTICES
News from an exciting project that is making a diference in some of the poorest areas in the diocese.
9 MALAWI PARTNERSHIP
Since 1966 this partnership has benefted and enriched Christians in Malawi and Birmingham.
10 TRANSFORMING WORK
Churches and Industry Group Birmingham support the ministry of chaplains in places of work.
11 HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR CHURCHES AND CHAPLAINS
Churches and chaplains are right at the heart of mission in the diocese.
15 TRANSFORMING COMMUNICATION
Whatever your role, how you communicate the story of faith is really important.
16 BIRMINGHAM CATHEDRAL
Te Cathedral is a springboard for mission and a House of Prayer in the city.
18 CHURCH SCHOOLS
Head Teachers, senior staf and governors in 52 schools around the diocese are given support.
20 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Training and support is ofered to those working with children and families and provide safeguarding advise.
21 YOUNG PEOPLE
Training and support is ofered to many paid workers and volunteers working with young people.
22 TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES AND
CONNECTING WITH OTHER FAITHS
Work with many other faiths is carried out and signifcant efort is made to tackle issues of poverty and disadvantage.
24 CLERGY AND LAY DEVELOPMENT
Clergy and lay people are ofered ongoing support in study and space for spiritual renewal.
26 TRAINING FOR ORDINATION
Tere are many people exploring, or training for, ordinained ministry in the Church of England.
28 READERS ASSOCIATION
Readers play an important part in the ministry of churches all over the diocese.
30 CLERGY HOUSING
Maintenance of housing is an ongoing, but important, part of clergy support.
31 PASTORAL CARE OF THE CLERGY
Clergy well-being is essential to the life and work in parishes.
32 CARING FOR OUR CHURCH BUILDINGS
Support is ofered to parishes in balancing the historical value of buildings with their modern use.
34 CONTACTS
Te latest list of people and contacts that you might fnd useful.
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Front cover photograph by Jack Bosket.
The Rt Revd David Urquhart
Bishop of Birmingham
During a year of continuing economic uncertainty the Church of England
Birmingham has kept faithful to its task with the generous deployment of
time, talents and money.
Playing our part in Jesus great commission, we have experienced
continuing transformation and seen the blessings of measured growth.
Te Annual Report for 2013 gives a glimpse of some of the activities that
sustain and develop a vigorous Christian witness in 21st century England.
Our intentional commitment to the mission of God throughout our
diverse communities will I believe atract further resources so that we
make more, and more confdent disciples of Jesus Christ.
As the Lord reminded St Paul My grace is sufcient for you, for power is
made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9.
4 BISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM
5 BISHOP OF ASTON
6 TRANSFORMING CHURCH
Mission initiative launched in 2009 to help grow churches at the heart of each community.
8 MISSION APPRENTICES
News from an exciting project that is making a diference in some of the poorest areas in the diocese.
9 MALAWI PARTNERSHIP
Since 1966 this partnership has benefted and enriched Christians in Malawi and Birmingham.
10 TRANSFORMING WORK
Churches and Industry Group Birmingham support the ministry of chaplains in places of work.
11 HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR CHURCHES AND CHAPLAINS
Churches and chaplains are right at the heart of mission in the diocese.
15 TRANSFORMING COMMUNICATION
Whatever your role, how you communicate the story of faith is really important.
16 BIRMINGHAM CATHEDRAL
Te Cathedral is a springboard for mission and a House of Prayer in the city.
18 CHURCH SCHOOLS
Head Teachers, senior staf and governors in 52 schools around the diocese are given support.
20 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Training and support is ofered to those working with children and families and provide safeguarding advise.
21 YOUNG PEOPLE
Training and support is ofered to many paid workers and volunteers working with young people.
22 TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES AND
CONNECTING WITH OTHER FAITHS
Work with many other faiths is carried out and signifcant efort is made to tackle issues of poverty and disadvantage.
24 CLERGY AND LAY DEVELOPMENT
Clergy and lay people are ofered ongoing support in study and space for spiritual renewal.
26 TRAINING FOR ORDINATION
Tere are many people exploring, or training for, ordinained ministry in the Church of England.
28 READERS ASSOCIATION
Readers play an important part in the ministry of churches all over the diocese.
30 CLERGY HOUSING
Maintenance of housing is an ongoing, but important, part of clergy support.
31 PASTORAL CARE OF THE CLERGY
Clergy well-being is essential to the life and work in parishes.
32 CARING FOR OUR CHURCH BUILDINGS
Support is ofered to parishes in balancing the historical value of buildings with their modern use.
34 CONTACTS
Te latest list of people and contacts that you might fnd useful.
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4 ANNUAL REPORT 2013
Our triennial Clergy Conference with its theme
My Grace is Sufcient for You Celebrating
Gods Goodness in the Everyday, was refreshing
and strengthening. Tere was a wonderful
range of speakers who opened up the scriptures,
to relate grace to justice in international
development, in the care of dying children and to
passion in mission and evangelism. I am delighted
that some of those speakers will be addressing our
lay conference to be held in November 2014.
Over several months in 2013 around 24 clergy
also came together to re-imagine ministry and
prepare the Church for mission by looking ahead
at what the world might look like in 2033. By
taking time to be creative and by using a scenario-
building methodology we had the chance to
think how to shape our ministry to nurture
more confdent Christians across the region and
grow the movement of people excited by being
disciples of Jesus Christ.
Tis process confrmed to me that we have
wonderful Christian leaders, ordained and lay, in
the region who are prepared to be imaginative
and risk-taking in whatever future scenario we
may face. I believe frmly that if we remain faithful
to our calling and prepared to leave our comfort
zone we will be able to fashion a Church that is
not only well-resourced but also well-equipped
to bring the gospel to hundreds of thousands of
people who have never considered the claims of
Jesus Christ.
During 2013 we made beter progress towards
women joining the episcopate. In a number of
stafng changes I would mention especially Brian
Russell who moved to the Diocese of Europe in
Norway afer many years of distinguished
service as Archdeacon of Aston and Director
of Ministries.
In civic and national life, engaging with the efect
on the vulnerable of national budget cuts and
wrestling to reform the fnancial services industry
have been demanding.
In Birmingham I continued to chair the Social
Inclusion Process Giving Hope Changing Lives
through which we built on the work done by
the excellent inquiry phase to shape policy and
promote new initiatives. Tis is a hard slog,
not least with the reduction in Local Authority
capacity, but at the same time we are seeing some
exciting practical progress in youth employment
and the Places of Welcome movement in which
churches across the diocese are playing an
exciting and pioneering role.
Te University of Birmingham Policy Review
on Wealth Inequality that I chaired was well
received and made a contribution to the wider
debate on social and economic justice. Much
detailed legislative work on Banking was also
undertaken in the House of Lords where I have
the stimulation of tag-team partnership with
Archbishop Justin.
Central Birmingham gained a new landmark
building. It was wonderful to be at the opening
of new Library of Birmingham and meet Malala
Yousafzai who, having received superb medical
care at the Queen Elizabeth hospital, is studying
at a local school. Te themes of womens rights,
education for all and religious freedom will
continue to need our intense atention in the
months and years ahead.
In all these things we can be confdent, personally
and together in the love and power of God,
knowing his grace is sufcient for us.
BISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM
THE RT REVD DAVID URQUHART
BISHOP OF ASTON
THE RT REVD ANDREW WATSON
WE CAN BE CONFIDENT, PERSONALLY AND TOGETHER IN THE LOVE
AND POWER OF GOD, KNOWING HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR US.
Renewing the life of the Church and speaking truth to the life of
the City make rewarding companions in a bishops diary.
Gatherings of clergy and laity for learning and fellowship this
year have been inspiring.
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THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND BIRMINGHAM 5
BISHOP OF ASTON
THE RT REVD ANDREW WATSON
I never tire of the bread-and-buter nature of my
role especially of hearing the moving stories of
baptism and confrmation candidates in the hour
before the service begins; and Ive been delighted
too to license some gifed, godly and passionate
new clergy to parishes across the diocese.
I hadnt realised quite how much bishops are asked
to preach! A normal week will involve perhaps four
major engagements, with consequent pressures
on time when it comes to the tricky business of
sermon preparation. Alongside the normal run of
services, Ive been delighted to lead several church
weekends, to provide the Bible input at the Partners
in World Mission and National Larger Churches
Conference, and to give two talks at a 3,000-strong
Swedish Lutheran renewal conference, which was a
bit like Spring Harvest but with a High Mass at the
end! Meanwhile Ive continued teaching on Jesus
and leadership for the Queens MA programme,
for our regional clergy leadership course and for a
conference of head teachers and deputy heads. Im
pleased that my book on Jesus and leadership is
shortly to be reissued in a new edition.
Speaking of books, Ive done very litle writing over
the course of the past year just four weeks of Bible
Reading notes for BRF and a section on the Great
Commandment for the new Pilgrim course. Good
ideas for further books are beginning to emerge,
but nothing concrete as yet.
One of the areas of my responsibility is as
sponsoring bishop, overseeing the recruitment of
new clergy with Faith Claringbull the DDO and
we have a particularly strong cohort of ordinands
on their way, including a growing number in their
20s. Many of them will continue to train at Queens
(where I remain a Governor), with others studying
at Durham, Notingham, Oxford and Cambridge.
2014 will see our frst ordinands training through
the mixed-mode course at St Mellitus in London.
Another area of responsibility is that of heading up
Transforming Church (TC) with Rhiannon Jones
and here I have been encouraged at how the
range of TC (and other) conferences and courses
have helped our churches develop their missionary
thinking. Te substantial growth in the number
of adults and (especially) children atending our
churches in the last couple of years, bears witness
to what can happen where we seek new ways to
reach out into our communities. Messy Church,
in particular, and the Growing Leaders course, are
having a serious impact across the diocese.
Of the back of this experience and that of our
Mission Apprentice scheme I and others have
been puting together a bid for a million pounds
of Church Commissioners money, to develop
new mission initiatives, especially reaching out to
younger people. Te results of that efort will be
known in the summer of 2014.
Meanwhile:
Ive been spearheading our Birmingham
response to the Archbishop of Canterburys
call to promote Credit Unions (working with
Citysave, in particular, in the installation of new
kiosks at St Martin in the Bullring and
St Johns Sparkhill);
Ive continued chairing the governors of
the Church Pastoral Aid Society, with real
opportunities for future growth in the years
to come;
Ive also chaired the Panel for World Mission
and the Anglican Communion, which has
spearheaded action (and a General Synod
debate) on the theme of Gender-Based Violence
(the photo above shows me with staf and
Mothers Union representatives at a visit to
Womens Aid as part of White Ribbon Day);
I, together with Bishop David and ten others,
have atended a Bishops Leadership course
over the past year, refecting on the challenges
of episcopal leadership in a rapidly
changing world;
... and fnally Ive much enjoyed being a vicars
husband and kept man, living in my wifes
vicarage and (occasionally) cooking soup for
her Lent courses!
SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH IN ATTENDANCE BEARS WITNESS TO WHAT HAPPENS
WHERE WE SEEK NEW WAYS TO REACH OUT INTO COMMUNITIES.
2013 has been an encouraging year from my perspective, with some good signs of growth across
the diocese, and local churches ofen punching way above their weight in terms of community
engagement and personal transformation.
Te great news this year is
that church atendance across
the Church of England,
Birmingham has been on the
up, and though were mostly
talking about small changes,
the graphs contain a lot of very
encouraging, upward-sloping
lines (the best sort!) and we
give thanks to God for that.
It is immensely inspiring, for example, to see a few
of our smaller churches almost double in size over
fve years and larger churches reaching out with
new initiatives such as Messy Church and seeing
many hundreds come through the door.
It is always difcult to work out exactly what
has caused growth but it is probably no
coincidence that parishes are becoming
increasingly intentional in their desire to grow
and, inspired by what they have seen others
doing and by the needs they see around them,
have been investing time, energy and creativity in
reaching out appropriately.
Increasing numbers of churches have been
asking for the help of a Transforming Church
Consultant this year and steadily we are
rediscovering the importance of churches having
a clear vision and a range of short term goals.
One story which has been particularly
inspirational this year is the growth seen at the
Junction in St Alphege in Solihull where they are
bulging at the seams and have far outgrown the
hall theyre in. Wouldnt it be exciting if we were
able to join with our Archbishop in believing that
the whole church could double in size in the next
15-20 years and that all our churches
could outgrow the buildings they currently
meet in?
It is possible, so lets save the champagne until
then! Teres a lot of hard work and prayer which
needs to be done frst.
A common theme amongst growing churches is
that they are the ones who are developing leaders
who then develop others, and one of our ten
Transforming Church goals concerns growing
leaders in mission. Tis last year alongside all the
great clergy and lay training courses run by Mark
Pryce and Liz Howlet and others, we have been
investing in this in four diferent ways:
Trough our successful Mission Apprentice
Scheme, now in its second year;
Trough promoting the CPAS Growing
Leaders course; we now have around 15
courses happening around the diocese
(do go to the CPAS website to learn more -
www.cpas.org.uk);
Trough promoting the Leading your Church
into Growth course, a popular annual four day
course for lay leaders and clergy at Swanwick;
Trough involvement in the Imagining
Ministries Scenario planning exercise, which
helped a group of 30 to think about the future
of the diocese.
Welcome training has continued to take place
across deaneries and parishes throughout the
year and its been good to see churches puting
into practice mechanisms to make their churches
more welcoming to those outside. Tis year,
through a special signage initiative, we have seen
dozens of shiny new sign boards replace roting
old ones, we have seen many churches improve
their websites but, perhaps most importantly,
churches who have been working on their
welcome to new people on Sundays and at
special occasions such as Messy Church services.
A good welcome can overcome a multitude
of sins(!) and is one of the key contributors to
growing a church so it is something no church
can aford to ignore.
TRANSFORMING CHURCH
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WE ALL CAME AWAY FEELING ENERGISED...
AND INSPIRED! PARTICIPANT AT A MAKING DISCIPLES CONFERENCE
We have also had a go at making more of the
fact that literally thousands of occasional visitors
come to our churches every year for baptisms,
weddings, funerals and for special celebrations
such as Christmas. Tis year we piloted in 15
churches around the diocese an initiative called
soul[food] which ofers occasional visitors whove
had a good experience of church an opportunity
to receive a short series of related daily texts or
emails following their visit. Its basically a simple
and non-threatening way of follow up. Te pilot
has gone well and in 2014/2015 will be piloted
more widely in ten dioceses.
On the conference front, we have thrown a
number of conferences and training courses and
highlights have included a very well atended
Growing Churches conference for smaller
churches (February), a much appreciated Being
Church in a Muslim Area conference (March)
and a large Making Disciples in Larger Churches
(November). Each was well atended and the
feedback has been very positive which
underlines how valuable it is to meet up with
others from within the diocese and join in
these things together.
One of the ideas which has taken root from
these conferences in many places, for example at
Immanuel Church in Highters Heath, has been
writing and using a collect/prayer each Sunday
specifcally asking God to help grow the church.
At each of these conferences we have let churches
who bring an adult under 30 come for free and
its been great to slowly see increasing numbers of
people in their 20s geting involved.
THE FUTURE
As we look over the horizon, many exciting
challenges lie ahead but perhaps two of the most
important ones concern how we can become
more confdent at sharing our faith with others
and how, as Europes youngest city, we can grow
younger as a church. Watch this space!
TRANSFORMING CHURCH
REVD RHIANNON JONES TRANSFORMING CHURCH CO-ORDINATOR
WHAT IS TRANSFORMING CHURCH?
Transforming Church is the name given to our diocesan mission initiative which aims to grow churches
at the heart of each community. Launched in 2009, it seeks to resource churches to be the best they can
be and to grow, both numerically and spiritually.
Using a combination of over 50 Transforming Church Consultants, a Fund churches can dip into and a
range of conferences and courses, our goal is to do whatever we can to transform the Church across this
diocese in order to give the greatest glory to God.
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Te turnaround of the church
is fundamentally in the hands
of God. God is faithful. He has
shown that in Jesus Christ, and
He shows that to us every day
in our lives and in the lives
of our churches together. But
He calls on us to be his feet, his
hands, his mouth, his eyes, his
ears, who listen to and serve and
love the people around us, who
above all witness to the reality of
the love of Jesus Christ.
Archbishop of Canterbury
Mission Apprentices.
soul[food] cards.
Te Mission Apprentice
Scheme is an innovative
project of the Church of
England - Birmingham,
investing in the development
of lay leaders in seven highly
urbanised areas of the diocese
and exploring/building upon
the experience of growing
churches in these contexts.
Te Scheme has matched seven Mission
Apprentices to seven parishes with either a track
record of growth or fresh leadership and vision,
with an emphasis on pioneering new initiatives to
develop the churchs capacity to engage with its
community and make new disciples.
Mission Apprentices were employed for 20 hours
per week (longer where additional funding was
secured) for two years, giving parishes increased
capacity to experiment and take risks in their
outward-facing activity.
Mission Apprentices received supervision from
within their parish and have also participated
in a bespoke, centrally-delivered learning
programme (192 hours in total) focusing on
formation, leadership and character; personal
skills; the theology and practice of urban mission
and ministry; discipling self and others; church
growth; learning to listen to context; and faith
in culture.
In termly refections and annual review meetings,
Mission Apprentices and their supervisors
reported progress in the personal development
areas they identifed at the beginning of the
Scheme particularly in personal confdence,
discipleship and leadership.
Te Scheme is supported by the Church
Commissioners (whose church growth
programme was a signifcant catalyst), the
Transfroming Church Fund, participating
parishes, St Peters Saltley Trust and the Mr
Willats Charity. Funding from these organisations
was signifcant in unlocking further funding to
increase hours/extend terms of employment.
Mission Apprentices rated the Schemes learning
programme useful and relevant to their work in
parish, and particularly valued growing together
as a learning community, underlying the value of
embedding missional pioneers within a supportive
peer group.
Each participating church can report new avenues
of community engagement, and new contacts
within the parish, as a direct result of their Mission
Apprentices work. Each parish can also report
growth in the gifs, skills and confdence of existing
church members to engage in mission, as a direct
result of the Mission Apprentices work.
In several parishes, there was growth in
discipleship and church participation which
could be directly or indirectly linked to the
work of their Mission Apprentice, though this
was more common where explicitly prioritised.
Frequently, this kind of growth took place beyond
or on the fringes of the regular congregation, and
thus outside the traditional indicators of church
participation (at least within the initial two years
of the Scheme). Despite the variety of context and
focus amongst the participating parishes, some
common threads of experience can be discerned;
in particular the importance of understanding and
working with local cultures, being available rather
than cramming time with busy programmes, of
being commited for the long haul, of patient work
in building relationships of trust, and of working
with the grain of their congregations existing story
of missional engagement.
Te experience of the Scheme suggests that
highly urbanised parishes are more fruitful than
their urban, deprived tag might lead some to
assumeboth in terms of gifed and passionate
lay Christians and in terms of opportunities
to invite exploration of the Christian faith and
partner others in contributing to the
common good.
Ongoing evaluation suggests that the Mission
Apprentice Scheme ofers a potentially valuable
model for growing churches and lay missional
leaders in regenerating/deprived urban areas,
given atention to the learning points identifed
within this report. Maintaining a dual focus
on growing both new leaders and missional
engagement within the same scheme has required
constant efort, but ultimately the tension between
the two aims has been overwhelmingly creative.
MISSION APPRENTICES MALAWI PARTNERSHIP
DR IAN JONES ST PETERS SALTLEY TRUST
Te Partnership acts as a
channel of love, prayer, news
and practical
and fnancial
support
between
Birmingham
and Malawi.
ACTIVITIES
A Skills Share group went to Malawi in August,
the fourth to go from Birmingham. It included
eight serving teachers and a handyman and was
co-ordinated by retired teachers Liz and Jim Carr.
Te group gave two four-day training workshops
in Maths, English, Science, RE, Music, Art,
Drama, Games and Leadership. Te response
from the two groups, each consisting of 35
Malawian primary teachers, was enthusiastic.
One of the group, Mary Harris, writes:
I was privileged to be part of the Malawi Skills
Share 2013. It was a life-changing visit which
enabled me and the rest of the team to share
our knowledge and experience of teaching skills
with fellow primary teachers in Malawi. Every
day we were rewarded with great satisfaction
from the colleagues enthusiasm and gratitude
for our workshops. Morning prayers and songs
brightened each day and we were able to share
our prayers and hymns with them too. Tis was
a humbling experience which I was grateful to be
part of and I would like to thank the Church of
England for giving me this opportunity.
We gave a grant for a two day training course
for teachers on Guidance and Counselling,
equipping them to guide learners into
making informed decisions. Amongst the
goals was keeping girls in school to complete
their education a major factor in womens
empowerment and in reducing the high rate of
pregnancies among young teens.
With the help of a parish donation and money
raised by the Church Crawl for Malawi in April,
we have completely rebuilt a teachers house, and
hope to embark soon on another.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Parishes and individual well-wishers in the
diocese have given through the Partnership ever
since it began 48 years ago. Support through
the Malawi Fund sent to the four dioceses and
the Anglican Council amounted to 53,000
and additional designated support for parishes
and projects amounted to 13,000. Tese funds
were sent to Malawi during 2013 having been
collected here during 2012. Parish and non-
parish general donations received during 2013
were less than in 2012 at 49,000.
We owe a big thank you to Paul Wilson. 2013
was the last full year in which Paul served as
Financial Ofcer (he is due to step down in April
2014). Paul has looked afer Malawi fnance
for 23 years, working tirelessly at managing the
Malawi Fund, encouraging Birmingham to give
for Malawi, helping Malawian dioceses resource
themselves, keeping them up to standard with
their accounts and audit, and looking afer
successive diocesan vehicles.
PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
As we look towards the 50th anniversary of the
Partnership in 2016, it seemed right to review it:
to celebrate what has been achieved in the last 50
years; to consider its current characteristics and
activities; and to make recommendations as to
the Partnerships future purpose and shape. An
independent reviewer, Canon Janice Price, began
work on the review in 2013; this is continuing in
2014 and her fndings will be made public.
Te Task Group met fve times in 2013.
REVD RICHARD TUCKER MALAWI PARTNERSHIP OFFICER
MALAWI PARTNERSHIP
For up-to-date information and contact
details please visit our website.
www.malawipartnership.co.uk
Chair Te Revd Richard Tucker
Finance Ofcer Canon Paul Wilson
Secretary Mrs Hilary Miller
Members
Te Rt Revd Andrew Watson
(Bishop of Aston)
Te Revd Paul Bracher fom October 2013
Fr Henry Burgess
Mrs Liz Carr
Mr Mike Down
Mr Stephen Drew to April 2013
Mrs Margaret Fulford
Mrs Judith Grubb
Mrs Claire Laland
Te Revd Emma Sykes fom December 2013
MALAWI TASK GROUP
THE MALAWI FUND HELPS MALAWIAN
DIOCESES RESOURCE THEMSELVES.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SOME OF OUR
CHURCHES AND CHAPLAINS TRANSFORMING WORK
For all the latest
information, training
opportunities, stories and
dates for your diary, visit www.cigb.org.uk
In October Mark Greene,
from the London Institute of
Contemporary Christianity,
asked 80 local church leaders:
When the worship leader
says Go in peace to love and
serve the Lord!, is this an
ending or a beginning?
Is the time of close atention
to God now over or to carry
on into our weekday living?
Are our churches equipping
us for this?
Mark Greene came to us in October to challenge
us with these questions. Christians in working
life need to be people of courage. People who
can challenge the narrow vision of too many
organisations: now more so than ever. Too many
workplaces teach us that Signifcance only
follows from Success; the Gospel reminds us
that our Success follows from our Signifcance,
through the eyes of God. Greg Dengate,
a member of Knowle Parish Church, and
team member at the local Tesco, spoke of his
chaplaincy at the check-out.
Churches & Industry Group Birmingham
(CIGB) has been working with the churches
in Gods Heart for Longbridge to give faith a
role in the regeneration plans for that part of
Birmingham. Local church leaders regularly meet
with the developers and key partners. Stephen
Plant, the Chaplain to the Construction site, talks
about the Carpenter who is the good designer.
Gillian Finch, Telma Mitchell, Lynda Stanton
and Rosemary Aveyard, new chaplains at
Bournville College, have been commended by
Shelley Phelan, Equalities Manager, for the
good impact they are having on the colleges
daily existence.
At the Chaplaincy with Birmingham City
Council, chaplains David Harrison and Peter
Sellick have been training staf members to
run Mindfulness Meditation sessions. Tese
moments of Breathing Space, using ancient
techniques of meditation combined with some
modern research, help council ofcers get back
in touch with their core hopes and beliefs; and
refresh them to meet the daily stress of change.
Te sessions regularly have a dozen participants
from a cohort of 40 or 50 people.
CIGB chaplaincies are a part of our strategy to
re-introduce atention to character, courage and
ethics into business life. Carole Parkes, on our
Management Council, teaches at Aston University
Business School, and is leading the introduction
into the UK of the United Nations Principles of
Responsible Management Education (UNPRME)
into MBA Business courses.
Future business leaders need to be trained to
take a view on an inclusive and sustainable global
economy. Linda Granner and Colin Corke,
in their chaplaincies at Jaguar LandRover, are
assisting there with advice for a sustainably
diverse workforce. Te chaplaincy teams of
Duncan Ballard, at Birmingham Airport, and
Linda Isiorho, with the Fire Service, are similarly
witnessing to character and ethics at work. A full
report of the ecumenical chaplaincies can be
found here: www.cigb.org.uk/about-us/reports
We also brought together some important
infuences on national policy issues. Debating
the issue of precarious part-time working and
zero-hour contracts Rob Johnston, TUC
Midlands Regional Secretary, and Tim Wats,
CEO of Pertemps Employment agency, led a
lively exchange of views at our AGM. Both agreed
that the Living Wage should be an aspiration for
all workers, but disagreed about how to balance
the issue of Government over-indebtedness with
individuals (especially young people) need for
reliable full-time work.
Later in the year, CIGB also worked with
churches to grow Credit Unions within
Birmingham and Solihull, and to encourage their
infuence in their local economies. Tis included
a new Ministry in Birmingham Training Day
for new Church Leaders to put their ministries
within the wider community and economic
context; and to give the 20 clergy an open-top
bus tour introduction to the city too!
At a training day, Readers shared how they
combined their working lives and working skills
with their church ministry and how this is
sometimes overlooked by their churches. Tey
were sent away with a challenge of how they can
use Harvest worship as a time to bless and pray
for the actual work that church and community
members are engaged in.
Fourteen lay volunteers came forward to be
trained for Chaplaincy roles. Some of the
volunteers have joined the Solihull Town Centre
Team, organised by Beryl Moppet, Reader in
the Solihull Team Ministry. A new Chaplaincy
was also started with National Express Bus
staf; as one of the chaplains says, Bus driving
is undeniably hard work. One driver typically
told me that that day he started work at 6am
and would fnish at 8pm... But its been a great
privilege to listen as people share their lives.
Conversations range from someones life
philosophy to reminiscences. Chrissy McAteer,
from St Mary & St Annes Moseley, continues:
God is On Te Buses. Please remember those
who work on the buses in your prayers.
A new chaplain exercising his bus driving skills.
CHURCHES AND CHAPLAINS
Birmingham is the UKs second city with the youngest urban population in one of
the most lively and diverse regions. Te Birmingham diocese, founded in 1905,
is one of 44 dioceses in the Church of England. Covering an area of nearly
300 square miles, the diocese includes parishes in the West Midlands
including Birmingham and parts of Solihull, Sandwell, Warwickshire
and Worcestershire.
Right at the heart of what we do there are 188 Church of England churches and
worship centres with an average Sunday atendance of 14,000 from a population
of 1.3 million. In these churches are clergy and church-goers representing a
wide scope of Church tradition and breadth of ethnicity.
Around 165 paid priests, together with additional self-supporting
ministers, ofer spiritual and pastoral care in the parishes,
together with retired clergy, readers, local ministry
teamsand other non-ordained ministers.
Te ninth Bishop of Birmingham,
Te Rt Revd David Urquhart,
was welcomed to Birmingham
in November 2006. He leads
the Church of England across the
diocese and has formed a team of
senior staf.
Te Bishop shares his Episcopal
oversight with the Sufragan Bishop of
Aston, Te Rt Revd Andrew Watson.
In the heart of the city,Birmingham
Cathedral, dedicated to St Philip,
is led by the Dean, Te Very Revd
Catherine Ogle. It has been a place
of Christian worship since 1715 and
was designed by the English Baroque
architect,Tomas Archer.
Te diocese is divided into two pastoral
administrative areas led by the Archdeacon of Aston and the Archdeacon of
Birmingham (Te Ven Hayward Osborne). Each of these areas contains a number of Deaneries, or
groups of parishes. Te following pages contain are some great stories from the hard-working clergy,
lay people and chaplains in our diocese.
ASTON
ARCHDEACONRY
BIRMINGHAM
ARCHDEACONRY
Dancing, music,
humour, Bible
stories, and much
else flled church
from 7am to 7pm
on Friday 14
March 2013. Five local schools and several
neighbouring churches shared their gifs
as we opened our doors to welcome our
communitys unique Black Country heritage
and talent, helped along with delicious food.
A glorious day, and sponsorship totalling
nearly 1,000 brought a smile to our treasurer!
ST GILES, ROWLEY REGIS
Messy Church
at Immanuel has
thrived over the
last two years.
We started with a
Christmas session
with 20 or so children, with our Noahs Ark
session welcoming over 80 children and their
families! It has been fantastic to see local
families returning and recognising the church
as a place they are always welcome at the heart
of their community.
IMMANUEL, HIGHTERS HEATH
On Saturday 20
July 2013 there
was a Nechells
Clear Up event
organised by
Churches Together
in Nechells, working with volunteers from
the local community, statutory and voluntary
organisations. Te afernoon involved liter-
picking and a community BBQ. St Mathews
Church and Te POD were bases. 130 bags
of liter were collected and bulky items were
removed. About 150 people came to the
BBQ to enjoy food, warm sunshine and good
conversations. It was great to see people geting
together to make a diference in the area.
ASTON & NECHELLS
Te Chaplains in
General Practice
have expanded
to a team of fve
working under
Sandwell Mental
Health and Wellbeing. We are expanding again
to cover three CCGs - most of Birmingham
and all Sandwell. We have set up the
Association of Chaplains in General Practice
and there is a Conference on 2 April 2014
where we are promoting Chaplaincy.
CHAPLAINS FOR WELLBEING,
SANDWELL
New to the role of
Chaplaincy and
prison service.
A truly multi
cultural/faith
environment.
A world on its own
in many ways very similar to parish ministry
but at the same time having some major and
striking diferences. Te major diference being
you have to think twice about the decisions
you make. Highlight so far a baptism/
confrmation ofciated by Bishop David.
CHAPLAINCY,
HMP WINSON GREEN
Monday
Fellowship is a
group for retired
people with
typically around
70 at its monthly
meetings. We run outings to local places of
interest, and are ofering a four day holiday
this autumn. We recently started an Alpha
Course with twelve participants. Tere is a
lovely welcoming atmosphere, which has
helped people grow in faith and come back
to church.
COFTON HACKETT
& BARNT GREEN
We have been
struggling with
eforts to rebuild
our parish
church which
was demolished
afer a fre in 2001. We have been greatly
encouraged by the promise of a six-fgure
donation from a totally unexpected source.
We remain uncertain as to the right decision
about a building but are greatly encouraged by
knowing that God is with us.
ST BARTHOLOMEW,
ALLENS CROSS
Our new memorial
garden has
enriched the life
of our church and
local community.
Our belief is that
all will fnd it a calm and relaxing place to sit
and refect, either alone or with friends and
our hope is that those who are bereaved will
ultimately fnd their pain eased and their
memories a comfort.
ST MARY & ST MARGARET,
CASTLE BROMWICH
Working as
Chaplain to the
development
is rewarding
and interesting.
Opportunities
for questions and discussion frequently
arise, sometimes unexpectedly; such as the
time when a group of surveyors looked up
from their plans, saw my hi-vis and remarked
Chaplains: are they the designers?
My response was, Yes, my boss designs
everything! A good humoured and lively
debate followed.
CHAPLAIN,
LONGBRIDGE DEVELOPMENT
2013
On 8 January, our
new youth club
opened in Dickens
Heath. Tis was the
result of a number
of partnerships
that we entered in to. Dickens Heath Parish
Council supplied the funding, enabling us to
purchase some youth worker hours from
St Marys Wythall and Dickens Heath Church
work on the ground with us in providing some
extra volunteers.
SALTER STREET & SHIRLEY
We join our
Muslim friends
twice a year for
Families Together
days. Every March
and November
families from our communities join for a day of
friendship, craf, fun, conversations, food and
refection on a theme. In 2013 it was Mothers
and Journeys of Life. In March 2014 it will
be Tea in Kabul supporting Afghan women
through Christian Aid.
ST PETER, HALL GREEN
People in Garrets
Green and
surrounding
areas enjoy a
great day out at
Sheldon Countryside Festival; a free family
day with a footfall of around 18,000 people.
Te whole community comes together and
it is an opportunity for local charities to raise
funds. St Tomas church works in partnership
with Birmingham City Council to plan and
organise the whole event.
GARRETTS GREEN
Two Deanery
part-time (Clergy)
posts actively
engaged in
Childrens and
Family work
and Lay Education. Childrens Co-ordinator
has helped develop three Messy Church
Groups in parishes and helped provide
training for Open Te Book in local schools.
Lay Education Coordinator is providing a
Resource Library and facilitates Readers and
Pastoral Team meetings on a regular basis.
Funded by Diocese and Deanery.
POLESWORTH
We celebrated
140 years of St
Cyprians church,
in Hay Mills, by
holding a Victorian
Day. We opened
the church and our hall, were we gave
rolling talks on the history of our area and
served refreshments. We also dressed in
Victorian clothing and even had a visit
from Queen Victoria!
ST CYPRIAN, HAY MILLS
Tis year has been
full of excitement
and anticipation
as we watched our
new church being
built. 27 years afer
our old church
closed, Easter
Sunday 2014 will
see a diferent kind
of resurrection as
the new St Marys will open its doors for the
frst time. We pray our community will love it
and use it, and fnd Jesus among us.
ST MARY, WYTHALL
During the
interregnum last
year, we saw a need
for a service at St
James the Great
for families and
children. Te result was the Four Oclock
Log-in, a monthly service on Sunday
afernoons for families from the local area. We
have all sorts of activities, a simple communion
service and a delicious tea together!
ST JAMES THE GREAT,
SALTER STREET AND SHIRLEY
SPLAT (Sing, Play,
Laugh And Tink)
has been meeting
on a Wednesday
since September
2013, a joint
venture between Water Orton Primary School
and the Parish Church. Its main aim is to tell
the children about Jesus Christ. Numbers
grow, particularly amongst younger children.
Shown are Sheila Record from Water Orton
Parish Church and teacher James Wilkes with
some of the children.
ST PETER & ST PAUL,
WATER ORTON
At St Germains
we have over 100
adults and pre-
school children
atending our Stay
& Play session each
week. We wanted to do something that would
enable us to engage older children. Messy
Church has been a brilliant way of doing this.
Building a boat and acting out the feeding of
the 5,000 with a picnic was great fun.
ST GERMAIN, EDGBASTON
CHRIST CHURCH, SUMMERFIELD
TRANSFORMING COMMUNICATION
We have Womens
guild carrying out
programs both
during church
services and also
on their own.
Church choir has been very active singing in
pubs, Golf clubs and in other public spaces
during Christmas and other special occasions.
Te church has a listening group for elderly,
youth and children clubs. Church historically
known, atracts a lot of weddings, funerals
and baptisms.
ST NICHOLAS, CURDWORTH
Really encouraged
by eight courses in
the last 12 months:
Christianity
Explored,
Alpha, Lent/
Discipleship course, Marriage Preparation,
Marriage Investment, Parenting Children,
Parenting Teenagers, and running with
Dorridge Growing Leaders. Great to see faith
shared, people coming to commited faith in
Jesus Christ and people growing in faith and
discipleship. We have been encouraged that
half of the people on the relationship courses
have been from outside the churchs members.
KNOWLE PARISH CHURCH
Elmdon frsts in
2013: An Easter
Kidz event which
atracted 200
children and 300
adults; a full-
immersion baptism; a community service
atended by Solihulls mayor, councillors,
local police and headteachers; a weekly lunch
club for older people; working with a local
foodbank; developing links with schools; a
Christmas crib service preceded by crafs. As
for 2014: watch this space!
ELMDON,
THE CHURCH N THE PARK
We were awarded
a Transforming
Church Fund
grant to help
equip a weekly
Community Caf
at the Church. Oasis Community Caf has
now been running for a year and a half, and has
already begun to have an impact in the lives of
customers and volunteers alike. Tree-quarters
of our customers have had litle or no previous
contact with the church in their lives. But now
they have a sense of belonging. A volunteer
said: People realise weve got a social side and
not just church; that were down here with
them. A few of our customers have found their
way into Sunday services. But what is most
wonderful is to see is a transformation taking
place in what was previously a space used
almost only for Sunday worship is now, every
Friday, a hive of conversation, laughter, and
bunch of people of faith and no faith fnding
fellowship in the house of God.
ST CLEMENT,
CASTLE BROMWICH
In 2013 St
Tomass held
many fundraising
events, most of
which involved
food, drink and
cake. We had a quiz with fsh and chip supper,
beer and skitles night, cofee mornings, an
afernoon tea and even pig racing!
ST THOMAS NUTHURST,
HOCKLEY HEATH
April 2013 saw
the beginnings
of a Churches
Together initiative
to do informal
pastoral care on the
streets of Suton
Coldfeld during the late evening on Saturdays
called Suton Pastors. Te idea is to provide
tea, cofee and sweets for those using the pubs
and clubs of Suton, and to provide a friendly
ear for those who want to chat. Were nearly at
our one year anniversary and its going from
strength to strength.
SUTTON COLDFIELD
Christianity is fundamentally
based around communication.
God revealing himself to
humanity. As churches in
the Birmingham diocese,
we are one of Gods chosen
methods of communication.
How we are with one another
communicates more to those
around us than any clever web
campaign, snazzy billboard or
slick magazine.
On 24 May 1844, Samuel Morse sent the frst
ever electronic communication with the famous,
and perhaps prophetic, message What hath
God wrought? In that moment, communication
accelerated from train-speed to light-speed and
an age of snippets of information in seemingly
unrelated headlines was ushered in.
Today, through technological developments
like the internet, we hear billions of snippets
of information each of which is given similar
importance. When trying to communicate the
message of Jesus we have to remember that
peoples understanding of prioritising information
is prety skewed. We have never in the history of
humanity had to process as much simultaneous
information. We are, to coin a phrase, infobese.
We havent worked out what information is good
for us and what is making us fat on useless trivia.
Our communication has to somehow stand
out in this culture and I have felt challenged by
Sister Catherine Wybourne (Te Digital Nun)
when she asks the question: Are we creating an
environment which is for more than simply the
dissemination of information? Were really keen
to get our information out there. To tell people
what were doing and try and entice them to
come along. Very rarely is our communication
about opening up a conversation.
Whilst acknowledging that nothing beats the
power of face-to-face communicationwith
all the nuances of body language and tone of
voiceI think that efective communication in
todays world means embracing new technology.
We have a story to tell (and its a good one!)
and 2013 has been about creating beter
infrastructures for sharing that story.
Te development of the new cofebirmingham.
com has been priority number one for the
Communications Department and were really
pleased with the results. What we have is a fully
fexible website that enables us to create and edit
pages very quickly with an excellent facility for
sharing news and events as well as giving good
access to documents, contacts, vacancies and
relevant information for people with particular
roles. It has been developed in a way that enables
it to grow with us. Every page is sharable via email
and social media and makes it possible for a story
to be shared widely in a mater of minutes. One
of the challenges will be to continually produce
content that is interesting and valuable, utilising
image, text and video to tell our story.
Tere are lots of parishes that have litle or
no web-presence and so we have been busy
developing new technology that enable parishes
to easily set up their own websites.
soul[food] is a project that seeks to make the
most of occasional services like weddings and
baptisms through sending short pithy messages
via email and text message. Te technology
developed here is being repurposed into a
facility that enables parishes to communicate
with people via text message. Tis is something
that has huge potential for local and regional
communication and, in our information-
saturated world, might be our best chance at a
guaranteed read (98% of text are read).
Te quarterly production Praying Together
has a new look and continues to be a good way
of sharing prayer needs and stories across the
Birmingham diocese.
We have had stories feature in local, regional and
national press, radio and television. We continue
to grapple with the radical changes the internet,
and in particular social media, have made on how
we communicate our story. We acknowledge the
usefulness of our Press and Media friends but also
enjoy our own ability to spread stories wider than
ever before.
I would love for us to be people who embrace
technology with critical eyes and communicate
Gods message in creative ways and as widely
as possible not just being clever for the sake
of being clever, but doing so with excellence,
through innovation and with real depth.
STEVE SQUIRES DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
TRANSFORMING COMMUNICATION
Birmingham Cathedral is a
house of prayer, an icon of
Gods loving presence with
his people, in the heart of our
vibrant and diverse city.
One of the smallest of the English cathedrals,
we are a growing place of faith, hope and love
for the diocese of Birmingham. Cathedrals are
seen as sacred places that reach out to the public,
welcoming to those of all faiths and none. Since
the millennium Birmingham Cathedral, like other
English cathedrals has been growing.
Built as a parish church in 1715, our beautiful
Baroque building will be 300 years old in 2015.
During 2013 we have been planning how we aim to
share this celebration with our wider communities.
We do hope that you will want to take part!
PRAYER AND WORSHIP
Worship is at the heart of cathedral life. We are
open every day and during 2013 we held over 900
acts of worship.
Te rhythm of prayer morning, noon and night
shapes our identity, sustains all that we do and
provides an environment into which people can
come for a moment of quiet refection during
the day. Our excellent choir nurtures over 30
children and young people in the life of faith.
We are also well served by the work of two adult
voluntary choirs.
A growing team of Visitors Chaplains means that a
warm welcome, a wise guide or a listening ear are
available every day to support our many visitors.
OVER THE YEAR WE
Hosted the National Liturgy Conference with a
focus on how worship transforms communities;
Celebrated the Christian seasons in parish,
diocese, city and nation and ofered pastoral care
to congregations and visitors;
Welcomed church congregations from all over
the diocese;
Served our parish in providing all the
pastoral services including weddings,
baptisms and funerals;
Welcomed thousands of Christmas
worshippers, enabling the city to celebrate
and fund-raise.
TRANSFORMING PRESENCE
Over the next three years Chapter plans to preserve
the heritage of the cathedral and improve its
facilities for the future through extensive interior
and exterior works.
In 2013, minor improvements with major impact
on appearance and safety included:
Painstaking cleaning of the chancel foor;
Repairing the 1905 cathedral cross;
New Bishops and Deans boards;
Exterior foor lights and foodlights.
Te fne team of Cathedral bell-ringers enhanced
our mission by ringing for a record number of
services and events in 2013. Tey continue to win
awards and ensure that the greatest noise to the
glory of God rings out across our city.
MOTHER CHURCH
It is our joy to host diocesan services and events,
ofen presided over by Bishop David or Bishop
Andrew. Tese include ordinations, Readers
licensing services, school leavers services and the
Mothers Union Festival Service.
Te cathedral goes out to parishes when our clergy
preach and lead worship and serve as Transforming
Church or MDR consultants. Te Cathedral choir
also goes out to sing and lead worship.
Our hope is that our birthday celebration in 2015
will strengthen the ties of mutual afection.
TRANSFORMING ENGAGEMENT:
CATHEDRAL IN COMMUNITY
At the heart of the business community and at
a busy crossing place we seek to ofer generous
hospitality and collaborate widely to promote the
common good.
During 2013 we held services and events
working with partners including Birmingham
Literary Festival, ChaplaincyPlus, Birmingham
Metropolitan College, Te Lunar Society,
Birmingham City Council, Christian Aid and Te
Laughing Sole.
Cathedral Square is a signifcant place of mission
and partnership. We manage a busy programme
of activities including charitable fund-raising,
education, arts, markets and music events. We ofen
partner with the Colmore Business District and
seek to create a sense of beauty, safety and welcome
in the only large green space in the city centre.
BIRMINGHAM CATHEDRAL
THE BIRMINGHAM CATHEDRAL CHOIR TOUR
TO FRANCE WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.
MUSIC AND THE ARTS
Te Birmingham Cathedral Choir tour to France,
singing in Notre Dame, Paris, and Chartres
Cathedral was a huge success.
Te cathedral enriches the musical life of the city
with the concerts and recitals of its own choir and
by enabling other musicians to perform. A highlight
was an orchestral performance of Faures Requiem
with the Birmingham Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
We hosted Breathing Space by Jake Lever, an art
exhibition during Lent, and Sustaining the Person
within through the summer encouraging refection
on the creative potential of elderly people. For the
frst time ever we created a major light-based public
art work on the outside of the building, for three
days in December. In the Marvellous Moment,
funded by the Arts Council.
TRANSFORMING DISCIPLESHIP
We are continuing with plans to strengthen all areas
of our mission and life together through:
A quiet day during Lent;
A Community Day refecting on how to
welcome our stream of visitors;
A weekly young adults group.
Members of the cathedral congregations continue
to volunteer and respond generously to need. We
have recruited a dozen volunteers and donated
1,000 for the Winter Night Shelter at St Martin in
the Bullring. We supported Sifa Fireside, Christian
Aid, the Childrens Society and fundraising by
numerous good causes.
SPREAD THE WORD
Communication is key to raising our profle and
reaching more people with our welcome. Our
service of choral evensong was broadcast on BBC
Radio 3 and the Dean and clergy continued to
broadcast regularly on BBC WM.
Te cathedral continues to feature in the national
and local press. Cathedral news and Stewardship
news have improved communications within the
cathedral communities and the Cathedral app and
regular tweets engage a wider community.
2013 has seen the development of short flms
exploring the Burne-Jones windows and
Christianity as a living faith.
TERCENTENARY
2015 gives us an important mission opportunity as
we celebrate the 300th anniversary of our building.
We will start the year with a major ecumenical Day
of Prayer during Prayer for Unity week.
Troughout the year we will welcome parishes and
deaneries as they make a pilgrimage to the cathedral
with our Bishops.
Trough smaller and larger scale events we will
enable people to explore heritage
with a range of activities both
inside and outside, refecting on:
Te church that
became a cathedral.
Te town that became a city.
FINANCES
Finances continue to show a slow but steady
gaining of health to support our ministry and
mission. From deep defcit in 2010, we have
achieved a modestly growing surplus in 2013.
A stewardship campaign within the congregations
has had very positive results and increased giving
above target. We are now planning for the medium
and long as well as short term and infrastructure
accounting is in progress.
Chapter appointed Anna Pit to the new post of
Director of Fundraising at the end of 2013. Tis
appointment represents our increasing confdence
and the determination to grow our capacity for
mission and ministry.
It costs 750,000 a year to maintain our remarkable
daily ministry. If you would like more information
about how to support us please email:
enquiries@birminghamcathedral.com.
THANKS FROM THE DEAN
None of this marvellous work would be possible
without the generous support of our congregation
and the selfess service of our volunteers, ofce staf,
musicians, vergers and clergy team.
I have enormous confdence as we look ahead to
2014 and beyond to our tercentenary. Tank you to
everyone who contributes to our common life and
enables this marvellous ministry.
Catherine Ogle, Dean of Birmingham
VERY REVD CATHERINE OGLE DEAN OF BIRMINGHAM
CHURCH SCHOOLS
Making our schools and academies among the fnest in the
region has been the prime objective for the Diocesan Board
of Education throughout 2013.
Our aim has been to ensure the highest possible standards of teaching and learning in all our 51 schools
and academies, with each embracing a culture expressing the distinctive joy and ethos of the Gospel of
Christ. By the end of the year Ofsted rated 22 of our schools as Good and 14 as Outstanding. We shall
continue this upward direction.
SPONSORED ACADEMIES
To achieve this, frst we have given close atention to our sponsored academies schools obliged by
the Department for Education (Df E) to change to this status in order to achieve rapid improvement
in raising standards. Our umbrella trust responsible for these academies, the Diocese of Birmingham
Educational Trust (DBET), has operated a rigorous programme monitoring academic outcomes
and fnancial robustness through its School Improvement Commitee and its Finance and Scrutiny
Commitee. Sponsored academies have been coupled with high-performing church schools (which
themselves converted to academy status) whose excellent leadership combined with diocesan advice
and challenge has achieved notable results.
SUPPORT AND CHALLENGE
Secondly, we have applied the same rigour to all our other schools, introducing a system for RG
rating so that resources can be allocated where there is greatest need. Te most vulnerable schools are
rated as red; schools with some concerns rated as amber, and those in line with national requirements
rated as green. Tis has been a simple and efective way for us to check the performance of all schools
across the diocese and take supportive action where needed.
Criteria for these ratings include the schools latest Ofsted judgement, its performance trend as indicated
by Raise on Line data, and additional information gained from school visits, meetings with individual
head teachers and scrutiny of governors minutes.
CONFERENCES AND TRAINING
And thirdly we have provided a comprehensive programme of training and development for staf and
school governors alike. 2013 saw a yet greater range of training and development opportunities for
Church Schools across the diocese. Our Senior Leaders conference in March at the Birmingham City
Football Ground welcomed Baroness Morris of Yardley, Bishop Andrew Watson and Dr Rosemary
DIOCESAN BOARD OF
EDUCATION (JAN-DEC 2013)
BISHOPS APPOINTMENTS
Chair
Te Archdeacon of Birmingham
Mr John Richardson
ELECTED BY DIOCESAN SYNOD
Vice-Chair
Mrs Pat Saunders
Mr Terry Adams
Te Revd Jeremy Dussek
Te Revd Kevin Ellis
Mr J. Barrie Hall
Mr Ron Herd
Mr Guy Hordern
Te Revd Gregg Mensingh (to Jan)
Te Revd Nick Parker
Ms Madeleine Ruehl
Dr Carol Starkie
Mrs Ava Sturridge-Packer
Te Revd Richard Tebbs
Te Revd Richard Tucker
Mr Michael Whitewood (to Jan)
Te Revd Prof Dr Ian Williams
CO-OPTED
Mr Brian Aldridge (to Jan)
Ms Fiona Deakin ( fom Feb)
Te Revd Linda Isiorho ( fom Feb)
Mrs Paulete Osborne ( fom Feb)
Mrs Jill Saunders
Mr Chris Ward ( fom Feb)
DBE OFFICERS
Director of Education
Te Revd Jackie Hughes
Assistant Director of Education
Te Revd Peter French
RE Adviser
Mrs Jill Stolberg
Treasurer
Mrs Melanie Crooks
Secretary to DBE
Miss Susan Crosthwaite
Admin Assistant
Mrs Melanie McKernan
Executive Commitee
Buildings & Finance Commitee
Governors Commitee
Curriculum & RE Commitee
Campbell-Stevens as keynote speakers, with a
much valued period of worship that enabled all
delegates to refect on their mission and calling as
leaders working in Church schools. Conference
evaluations were outstanding and the event
atended by 95% of schools across the diocese.
Other training sessions have focussed on
developing system leadership skills, efective
school governance and managing the
Ofsted process.
Our Governors Conference in May was held
at Bentley Heath school, led by colleagues from
Newport Education Ltd, followed up with
various workshops around diferent aspects of
governance. 50 governors atended, and gave
extremely positive feedback.
Also in May we held an afernoon event for RE
Co-ordinators. Jane Butcher of Barnabas led
a session on global Christianity; Jill Stolberg
promoted diocesan links with Malawi, and
advised on the raised profle of RE in the new
SIAMS schedule (Statutory Inspection for
Anglican and Methodist Schools).
PUPILS AT OUR CATHEDRAL
44 out of a possible 45 of our schools brought
their Year 6 classes to the leavers services in the
Cathedral in July. Taking the verse, Wisdom
is a tree of life to those who embrace her
(Proverbs 3:18), the theme of the service was
Wise words? exploring wisdom and where
it is to be found. Pupils brought with them
leaves of wisdom which were pinned to the
Wisdom tree, which was made by pupils at St
Georges Church of England Primary School in
Edgbaston. Led by BiG Ministries, the songs we
sang were lively and refective and there was a
great spirit of celebration, yet reverence, during
the proceedings. Bishop Andrew spoke in an
inspiring way about the wisdom of God which
contrasts with the wisdom that surrounds us.
Six schools brought Year 2 pupils to the
Cathedral to say Tank you God for our
wonderful world!. Nearly 300 seven year olds
sat in a square facing the centre and sang songs
of praise and led each other in prayer. Children
from each school came to the centre to help
lead aspects of this memorable service. Dean
Catherine Ogle spoke engagingly to the children
about their place in Creation. Te pupils went out
with joy and are keen to return to the Cathedral
in the future. Parents were also very pleased to be
there: many of whom had never previously been
inside the building.
CAPITAL FUNDING FOR
CHURCH SCHOOLS
Te new Bishop Wilson school in Solihull
opened in September and is a beautiful building
of which we can all be proud. 2013 has seen a
more stable approach around the amount of
capital funding for building projects in voluntary
aided schools. Successful bids for LCVAP
funds continue to be awarded to those schools
submiting bids for essential condition works.
Some of our Local Authorities are under pressure
to provide sufcient school places. In particular
with Birmingham LA we have discussed possible
church school expansion projects and/or Free
School applications to ease the pressure that is an
issue in some parts of the city.
NEW OPENINGS FOR THE FUTURE
An exciting opportunity to develop partnership
working across the dioceses has arisen between
Birmingham and Lichfeld dioceses. Working
with the University of Wolverhampton a
joint trust is being established, the Church of
England Central Education Trust (CECET), in
order to sponsor schools across the Lichfeld
diocese with support from the Church of
England Birmingham. Tis joint venture ofers
opportunity to share best practice amongst
schools and to build our reputation as providers
of quality schooling across the West Midlands.
DBET has also been invited by the Df E to
become the sponsor of Harper Bell primary
school, currently in Special Measures. Harper
Bell, a Seventh Day Adventist foundation, has
agreed that the Church of England Birmingham
is an acceptable sponsor to them. Te foundation
is looking forward to the partnership progressing,
which we hope will be in place by autumn 2014.
GOING FORWARD
Te Diocesan Board of Education, a statutory
body for the promotion of school-age education
in this diocese, met on four occasions in 2013
to oversee and steer this transformational work.
Te Board is full of admiration for the work of
the highly skilled staf team, led so ably by Jackie
Hughes. Jackie will be standing down as Director,
to be succeeded in September 2014 by Dr
Charlote Carter-Wall.
CHURCH SCHOOLS
VENERABLE HAYWARD OSBORNE CHAIR, DIOCESAN BOARD OF EDUCATION
OUR AIM HAS BEEN TO ENSURE THE
HIGHEST POSSIBLE STANDARDS...
IN ALL OUR 51 SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIES.
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Each week thousands of
children go to church
some on a Sunday with their
families, many visit churches
with their schools, others
enjoy going to church for
afer-school clubs or midweek
services, younger children may
go to a pre-school service or
toddler group.
Behind all these activities is an army of volunteers
and a small but growing number of paid
specialists. Tese people, working alongside
their clergy, are fnding new and exciting ways to
nurture childrens faith, bring the Bible to life and
enable children to discover and worship God in
their own way.
TRAINING AND SUPPORT
During 2013 Claire Wesley, Bishops Adviser
for Childrens Ministry, worked with volunteers
and workers in parishes from all 13 deaneries
to ofer training, advice, support, resources and
events on all aspects of ministry with children
and continued to be a part of networks with
colleagues from other dioceses and
national organisations.
Training continues to be well atended with 129
delegates participating in the annual Growing
With God conference on 2 March and 27 new
students beginning the Bishops Certifcate in
Childrens Ministry in the autumn. Parishes are
continuing to explore new ways of connecting
with children and their families outside of Sunday
services, and training, advice and resources
have been provided to support the growing
number of Messy Church services and Open
the Book teams and the increasing number of
Godly Play practitioners borrowing stories. In
February the Good Childhood Conversation
was piloted to help a parish understand the issues
facing children and young people in their local
community and strengthen relationships.
Support has been provided to the increasing
number of parishes wanting to employ a paid
childrens worker to increase their capacity for
work with children and developing new and
existing volunteers. Tree new workers were
appointed during the year, partly funded by the
Transforming Church Fund.
SAFEGUARDING
Te development of safeguarding training
and overseeing the move from paper to online
Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks
was a particular area of growth during 2013.
Foundation level safeguarding courses continued
to be delivered in parishes. Two new courses for
those involved in leadership and safe recruitment
were developed and an intensive programme of
training for ordained ministers and licensed roles
commenced in the autumn.
CONTACT
Claire Wesley is available to support you in your
work with children aged 11 and under. Contact
Claire if youd like any advice or support or to tell
her about the exciting things that are happening
with your discipleship of children.
YOUNG PEOPLE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
CLAIRE WESLEY BISHOPS ADVISER FOR CHILDRENS MINISTRY
THE WHOLE CHURCH IS TAKING OUR LEADERSHIP MORE
SERIOUSLY KNOWING WE ARE TRAINED. OLWYN PLANT, ST GILES, ROWLEY REGIS
Atending the Bishops
Certifcate in Childrens
Ministry course has made
me more confdent. It has
empowered me.
Rosina Hawkins, St Boniface, Quinton
A Praise Party in Coleshill.
Geting messy in Nechells.
Te Church of England,
Birmingham values the place
and voice of young people in
its churches and communities
and seeks to encourage them
to reach their full potential in
Christ by being transformed
people who know their worth
in the eyes of God and seek to
let others know the same.
Helen Tomblin is the Bishops Adviser for Youth
Ministry and is involved in resourcing and
shaping youth ministry. 2013 has seen signifcant
changes in her department with a move away
from more event-based ministry to a focus on
resourcing young people. Tis change has seen
events like Catalyst, as well as the post of Digital
Youth Adviser, come to an end.
BISHOPS YOUTH COUNCIL
BYC has taken on more responsibility and
meetings have moved away from just talking to
exploring how to be a proactive group of young
people that model and encourage transformative
mission in their communities.
Key activities have been:
An away day with Bishop Michael Whinney
using Myers Briggs to beter understand
personalities and gifs.
Discussion of issues including Women
Bishops, Mental Health and gay marriage.
St Basils Sleep Out, now a regular tradition
for BYC, braving the cold and supporting this
fantastic charity.
MISSION ACADEMY
BYC have also become the key players in
initiating, planning and preparing for Te Church
of England Birmingham Mission Academy, a
learning community made up of young people
using their ideas and faith to pursue mission
activities (as part of HOPE 2014). Signifcant
time was given to this during the annual
residential in October as well as learning to beter
understand the super-diversity of Faith found
in Birmingham diocese (with Andrew Smith,
Director of Interfaith Relations). It is hoped that
the Mission Academy will develop leadership
skills in young people alongside a range of
mission partners.
URBAN DISCIPLES
Working in partnership with Revd Joycelyn
Lewis-Gregory (Bishops Adviser for Minority
Ethnic Anglicans), Urban Disciples is a project
designed to encourage leadership and disciple
more young people from urban contexts. Four
sessions and two residential weekends have
taken place with teaching built around the
needs of those atending and some of the young
people were given leadership roles in the second
residential. Delegates have since got involved in St
Basils Sleep Out, Call Waiting (young vocations
project) and are planning to work with Te
Feast (a charity seeking to promote Community
Cohesion between Christian and Muslim young
people). Tis project was a joint pilot between St
Georges, Newtown and Holy Trinity, Birchfeld
and we hope to run more in 2014.
TAIZ
For the second year running our Pilgrimage to
Taiz has been transformative in the discipleship
of young people. Tis is a collaboration of the
Youth Department with Revd Faith Claringbull
(Director of Ordinands) and parishes. Next
year Revd Catherine Shelley from Birmingham
University Chaplaincy joins the partnership.
TRAINING
In 2013 we saw 75 people atend of training
evenings on Confrmation, Schoolswork, Self-
harm, Working with Uniformed Organisations
and First Aid. Planning also began this year
for our frst Transforming Youth Ministry
Conference for voluntary and employed
youthworkers or those just beginning to
formulate their youth work strategy.
PARISH SUPPORT
Having high quality youthwork provision all
over the diocese is really important. Whether
parishes are starting from scratch or already
building strong work with young people through
an employed worker, the Bishops Adviser is there
to help encourage and advise on current good
practice through phone calls, emails and visits.
Meeting one-on-one, and in monthly support
meetings for employed Anglican youth workers,
is an important part of the role and helps in
sharing resources, giving mutual support and
discussing challenging situations.
YOUNG PEOPLE
Young people with Bishop David at St Basils Big Sleep Out: Raising awareness, raising money & growing in compassion
HELEN TOMBLIN BISHOPS ADVISER FOR YOUTH MINISTRY
Another eventful year in the
ever changing world of the
Community Regeneration
team which now benefts from
collaboration with Trive
Together Birmingham.
Trive Together Birmingham is an independent
charity developed as a Joint Venture between
the Church of England Birmingham and the
Church Urban Fund who provide funding to
employ a development worker and support some
activity. Te team now consists of Fred Ratley,
Jo Bagby, Sarah Turner and Debbie Browning. A
new partnership with Housing Justice has also
resulted in a part-time Homeless Development
Worker, Emma Neill, working alongside us as
well. Te team are now based at the Faithful
Neighbourhoods Centre in Sparkhill.
Our aim as a team is to focus on working with
churches to generate a movement of Christian
volunteers involved in activities in their local
neighbourhoods and across the diocese
who are challenging the impact of poverty
and disadvantage on individuals and wider
communities. Te church has an excellent
history of running projects to fulfl this role but
many of these are under threat from the trying
economic climate and as a church we are seeing
volunteers responding to the needs around them
as an expression of their discipleship. We believe
that as we do this we will encounter people who
are ofen less fortunate than ourselves and as we
give time to them and hear their stories we will
begin to see the world from diferent perspectives
which will shape us and the churches to which
we belong. We are discovering a real heart for
this approach and are hugely encouraged by the
numbers of Christians who are now commiting
their time and expertise to geting involved in the
new activities that the Community Regeneration
team and colleagues from partner organisations
are innovating so that Christian churches are seen
to make a visible diference in the world around
them and connect to more people outside
their membership.
SOME EXAMPLES OF HOW
CHURCHES AND CHRISTIANS ARE
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Moving Together in Body, Mind
and Spirit Partnership
Meeting the needs of vulnerable older people is
becoming a major issue in Birmingham especially
as resources to meet needs are reducing.
Churches have a good history of responding
through running day centres and lunch clubs
ofen funded by local authority grants. Our new
ecumenical partnership of churches has been
commissioned to deliver activities to enable
vulnerable older people to live independently
and relieve their isolation. Tis year over 650
people have benefted through participating.
Funding is conditional on developing new
thinking and approaches to extend longstanding
provision that has been faithfully ofered by
churches and if possible to expand the number
of churches involved and people who beneft.
Te Community Regeneration team are liaising
with Birmingham City Council, bringing the
partner churches together, managing the contract
and a training programme in partnership with
organisations who ofer capacity and expertise
that we lack.
Places of Welcome
Te idea for Places of Welcome emerged through
Birminghams Social Inclusion InquiryGiving
Hope Changing Lives which was chaired
by Bishop David. In response to the issue of
isolation and loneliness the team has initiated
and promoted the idea of a network of Places
of Welcome across the city. Although any
organisation is invited to apply to become a Place
of Welcome we believe churches are ofen ideally
placed to participate by opening for a couple of
hours each week to provide simple hospitality
and free refreshment to anyone who wishes to
drop in. 15 active Places of Welcome now exist
and another 12 are pending. Members of our
team are currently visiting possible Places of
Welcome, liaising with active Places of Welcome
to help to develop their activity, and developing
universal signage which we hope will become
easily recognisable for people in the city
and beyond.
Winter Night Shelters
Building on the 2012 pilot, this year six churches
ofered hospitality and overnight accommodation
to ten homeless men for six nights each week over
six very cold weeks in January and February.
Te project was a collaboration of many
churches, projects and individuals. Over the
period 300 volunteers provided food and
hospitality to 31 regular guest who were referred
and transported to the shelter through support
from SIFA Fireside, Reach Out Network and
Grace Bible Fellowship. Wonderfully, during their
time with the shelters, some guests were assisted
to fnd work and accommodation.
TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES
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Trive Together.
Te Birmingham diocese is
very diverse with people of all
the worlds faiths living here.
Whilst there are large populations of Muslims,
Sikhs and Hindus there are also may Jews,
Buddhists, Jains, Zoroastrians and many more
besides. For lots of us these people are our
neighbours, colleagues or friends. Many Christians
are grappling with the question of how they live out
their faith in a multi-faith context. Although people
are coming up with creative answers there are many
who still struggle to know what to do.
Andrew Smith is Director of Interfaith Relations:
My role is full of encounters with people from
churches across the diocese and with people of
diferent faiths. Its a privilege to work with so
many Christians seeking to discover Gods call
for how they live out their faith. Its also great to
be able to encourage others of diferent faiths to
meet with Christians to build understanding, grow
friendships and fnd ways to work together for the
good of their communities.
A question Ive helped churches grapple with
during 2013 is: What does church life look like in
a diocese of so many diferent faiths? Its been great
to meet Christians in all corners of the diocese
asking this question whether through preaching,
training eventsincluding the Being Church
in a Muslim Area conference in Marchtaking
Christians to other places of worship or individual
consultations. As a result of this some churches are
now meeting members of local mosques, others are
exploring new models of mission whilst still others
are supporting members of their congregations as
they befriend neighbours of diferent faiths.
Te Faithful Neighbourhoods Centre in
Sparkhill continues to be the base from which this
work is done. Being located in an area where many
Muslims live and with a Sikh Gudwara opposite its
the perfect place to bring people to and to be able
to go out from taking lessons learnt in context to
diferent places. As the FNC is also the location of
the Community Regeneration Department, Trive
Together Birmingham, Near Neighbours and Te
Feast, it continues to be a space where we are able
to work collaboratively.
One of the most exciting projects Ive been
involved in has been the Catalyst young leaders
programme. Shabz is a Muslim young man who
was part of the Catalyst leadership course that we
ran throughout 2013. By bringing together a group
of Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist
young leaders the course encouraged them to
understand the faith of others, express and question
their own beliefs and to work together for the good
of others. From a group who had never met they
have become friends who are able to support one
another, celebrate together and inspire each other
and those around them with new ideas. Being able
to discuss evangelism, gay marriage, salvation and
reincarnation amongst other things with such a
passionate and thoughtful group was a privilege
and to share meals together and celebrate weddings
together strengthened and highlighted our new
found friendships.
NEAR NEIGHBOURS
Tis year was the fnal year in the three-year
Near Neighbours programme which aims
to bring people of diferent faiths together
to transform their neighbourhood together.
Around 50 new projects were funded
before the small grants programme closed
in November which included work with
children and young people, older people,
women, community clean-ups, arts
programmes and sports.
Our exhibition which was launched in
November 2012 and depicts images of
friendship between people of diferent
faiths visited more than 20 venues during
the year and we were thrilled that it was
shown in the outpatients of the new QE
hospital, in several chaplaincies, churches,
places of worship and schools and colleges.
It was fantastic this year to see the network
of people involved in the programme
strengthening and growing and new
partnerships and friendships fourishing
across the city.
CONNECTING WITH OTHER FAITHS TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES
THE CATALYST LEADERSHIP COURSE GAVE ME THE COURAGE TO TAKE
OWNERSHIP FOR MY COMMUNITY AND GROW AS A LEADER. SHABZ
CURATES DOWN ON THE FARM
In the frst phase of ordained ministry Curates
meet each month as a group, and also participate
in regular retreats and study programmes to
complement the learning they undertake with
their Training Incumbents in parishes. Diocesan
sessions give Curates the opportunity to consider
aspects of ministry that they may not encounter
in their local context. One example in the 2013-
14 Curates sessions was a rural ministry study
day in Polesworth Deanery led by Te Revd
Stephen Banks, Vicar of All Souls Parish North
Warwickshire, who is also Bishops Adviser for
Rural Ministry .
BISHOPS RESIDENTIAL
CONFERENCE FOR CLERGY
Every three years Bishop David invites clergy to
join him in four days of study, prayer, worship
and fellowship at High Leigh Conference Centre,
Swanwick. Te 2013 conference My Grace is
Sufcient for You celebrated Gods goodness in
the ordinary things of life. Over 200 participants
joined with Bishop David in Bible Study led by
David Runcorn, and stimulating speakers such
as Director of Christian Aid Loreta Minghella,
Bishop of Chelmsford Stephen Coterell, and
Sr Frances Dominica, founder of Helen House
Hospice for children. Tere were also workshops,
cell groups and prayer through the conference.
WHAT IF? REIMAGINING
MINISTRY 2030
Another highlight was the Reimagining Ministry
workshops when thirty clergy and lay leaders
joined Bishops David and Andrew, Archdeacon
Hayward, the Diocesan Secretary and others in
an intensive future-scenario planning process to
speculate on what the Birmingham city-region
could be like in 2030 and how the church might
respond in mission, witness and service. Tis was
an exhilarating and exciting exercise in thinking
through new ways in which the Church of
England Birmingham can proclaim afresh the
Gospel in each generation, generating vision and
energy for the future. As one clergy participant
commented: I have never felt so confdent in the
Church of Englands capacity to change
and grow.
MARK PRYCE BISHOPS ADVISER FOR CLERGY CONTINUING MINISTERIAL EDUCATION
I HAVE NEVER FELT SO CONFIDENT IN THE CHURCH
OF ENGLANDS CAPACITY TO CHANGE AND GROW.
All licensed clergy in the diocese participate in regular study as
part of their continuing ministerial education and professional
development, to strengthen their part in Gods mission. Here are
a few examples of what went on:
CLERGY AND LAY DEVELOPMENT
Te Church of England -
Birmingham places a high
value on all ministry, ordained
or lay. As such, there are lots
of training opportunities for
lay people to explore:
3D (Diocesan Course for Developing Disciples) is a
tutor-led one year group course. It is locally based
and draws on the Christian story of salvation,
looking at its power to motivate participants in
terms of their Christian service and discipleship.
173 people received certifcates on completing the
3D course in June 2013 and a further 163 entered
the course in September 2013.
Growing Gifs held three successful workshops
in 2013: during Spring, 60 participants atended
Study Days led by Dr Cathy Ross entitled,
Everyone has a Piece of the Wisdom: Fresh
approaches to Bible Study using Lukes Gospel;
during Summer, 61 participants took part in
Exploring Prayer days entitled Te Art of Prayerful
Discernment, facilitated by Fr Paul Nicholson
SJ and fnally during Autumn, there were 76
participants at a day of Practical Workshops, which
included Listening Skills led by Sue Clegg; An
Introduction to the Myers Briggs Personality Type
Indicator facilitated by Ruth Pickles and Charles
Worth; and Leading Others in Prayer with
Doug Chaplin.
Reader Training: numbers have continued to be
high, with 16 ready for licensing in January 2014
and a further 14 entered training in the Autumn
of 2013. In response to a questionnaire sent out
to Readers licensed within the past fve years, a
number of Readers expressed their appreciation of
the initial training.
Te Diocesan Scheme for Pastoral Care and
Community Skills has continued to develop in the
diocese with teams from parishes undertaking
specifc training and then being commissioned
on behalf of the Bishop. Tere is an annual Away
Day for those teams which are or are about to
be commissioned. Teams are commissioned for
fve years at a time and some are now entering
their second or third term, whilst some are
commissioned for the frst time. At the end of
2013, there were 144 commissioned Lay Pastoral
Ministers from 33 diferent parishes, with a further
60 people in training or about to be commissioned,
from a further ten parishes.
Te Learning for Discipleship programme is an
opportunity to study theology at the equivalent
of university level. Some take their course when
considering a formal ministry, or to support
their development when undertaking specifc
lay involvement or ministry, or more simply to
support their Christian discipleship in daily life
and work. We ofered 15 courses in the Learning
for Discipleship programme this year. 81 people in
total have taken courses and of these, 25 had not
taken a Learning for Discipleship course before.
Te course is a partnership between the Church of
England, Birmingham and two Methodist Districts.
Basic Adult Safeguarding Training was provided
during the year to continue to introduce and
implement the Parish Pack on Adult Safeguarding.
70 people atended training during 2013. In
addition, a training session on Responding Well to
those who have been sexually abused, was trialed in
the diocese in 2013.
REVD LIZ HOWLETT BISHOPS ADVISOR FOR ADULT LAY EDUCATION & TRAINING
THE 3D COURSE GAVE AMPLE
OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE MY FAITH.
I feel more confdent in
sharing my faith.
I have thoroughly enjoyed
the course and learned, and
grown a great deal.
Participants at a recent 3D course.
Growing Gifs Study Day.
VOCATIONS TEAM
Roy Anets Paul Bracher
Rich Burley Rebecca Clarke
Stuart Dimes Jonathan Dowman
Lydia Gaston Paul Hinton
Joycelyn Lewis-Gregory
Adrian Leahy Simon Marshall
Daniel Ramble Emma Sykes
EXAMINING CHAPLAINS
Jenny Arnold Paul Cudby
Steve Doel Nigel Hand
Duncan Hill-Brown Alison Joyce
Charles Lawrence
Andrew Lenox-Conyngham
Edmund Newey Pamela Ogilvie
Rowena Pailing Nick Parker
Smitha Prasadam Mark Pryce
Paul Ratigan Brian Russell
Louise Shaw Patrick Taylor
Larry Wright
At the National Consultation of Directors of
Ordinands in the autumn the Bishop of Shefeld
who is Chair of Ministry Division, Steven Crof,
tasked us to steadily increase the number of
women and men coming forward for ordination.
Im glad to report that we are doing this in
Birmingham and that there has been a signifcant
increase this year in the number of young people
coming to explore whether God might be calling
them to be ordained even a few teenagers!
National statistics tell us that 40% of stipendiary
clergy will retire within the next ten years and so
it is urgent that we invest in training young leaders
who will grow the Church. We are also blessed
by the ministry of self-supporting ministers who
serve the Church and are also engaged in their
places of work and local communities. Tey ofer
a signifcant ministry among those who do not
come to our churches.
Tey need to be people who see the bigger
picture and are imaginative and creative in
developing new ways of being church that will
connect with people.
Tey should be able to inspire others in their
lives as disciples of Jesus Christ and encourage
the gifs of everyone, equipping more people
for ministry.
It is important that they also remain faithful
to serving the needs of all people in their
communities, including those who are poor
and in need, whether or not they count in
terms of statistical growth. Te concept of the
Church of England minister having the cure of
souls for all in their parish is a precious one.
Tey will need to be rooted in the Scriptures
and appreciative of the traditions of the
Church, able to draw on the riches of the past
while proclaiming the Gospel message afresh
to future generations.
To do all this we must make sure that they
have the physical, emotional and spiritual
stamina for the long haul, able to work in
teams, pace themselves, and be sure to care for
themselves and their families.
In September our Young Vocations Champion,
Lydia Gaston, and our Minority Ethnic Vocations
Champion, Joycelyn Lewis-Gregory organised
a vocations day for young people at 1 Colmore
Row. Call Waiting was a great success drawing
people to Birmingham from elsewhere in the
West Midlands to be encouraged by Bishop
David and a wide range of young clergy and lay
ministers. We will be ofering similar events
in 2014.
In August another group of young people went
on pilgrimage to the Taiz Community in France,
led by Faith Claringbull, Manda Howet, Oli
Preston, Susannah Rudge and Tomas Ruston.
As last year they were encouraged to think about
what God might be calling them to do with their
lives and it was a signifcant experience for many
of them.
Te Signposts Course runs through Lent each
year and atracts an increasing number of people
who want to explore a call to Ordained Ministry
TRAINING FOR ORDINATION
One of the Transforming Church goals is to increase the number
of leaders of all ages, and drawn from every ethnic group, who
are trained and deployed in the church and wider community.
IT IS URGENT THAT WE INVEST IN TRAINING
YOUNG LEADERS WHO WILL GROW THE CHURCH
KATE PEARSON PIONEER CURATE AT
ST BEDES BRANDWOOD &
ST GABRIELS WEOLEY CASTLE
Exploring ordination and becoming a mum went
hand in hand for me. I was seven months pregnant when I went on my
BAP and my daughter was three months old when I started training. Zoe
accompanied me to morning prayer, lectures and meetings and she has been
an amazing partner in our ministry amongst families in the local area. Its been
hard work but I would genuinely and enthusiastically encourage parents of
young children to go for it now rather than wait.
Ordained ministry provides me with amazing glimpses into Gods love and
purpose for people during precious moments of connection. It is an enormous
privilege to be able to call this work my job.
Pioneer ministry and mixed mode training has enabled me to explore an even
more Kate-shaped route than I had hoped for and, whilst the pressures of the
Pioneer label ofen feel costly, there is a permission to explore what mission
and ministry look like for me and for the people of our local communities who
have never been to church and for this I am grateful.
DOMINIC WRIGHT CURATE AT
ST MARTINS IN THE BULL RING
I love the truly international favour at St Martins.
People from all backgrounds and traditions come in
every day out of curiosity or to engage with God. It probably sounds
a bit of a clich but it really does feel like a privilege to preach the
gospel in this context. Just being in the church, which is open seven
days a week, and praying with people has been very special.
From the moment my vicar wrote a leter to start the process of
ordination, through to a fnal decision by the Bishops Advisory Panel
was for me about 18 months. Te systematic nature of the process
prepared me well and gave me confdence in my sense of calling.
in particular. Tey hear stories from a wide range of women and men
in ministry, as well as sharing in prayer, Bible Study and fellowship. It is
proving to be an important source of information and encouragement
for new generations of priests.
Te charts show how many people are exploring and how many
are training for the Ordained Ministry. Tose who work with me
as Vocations Advisers and Examining Chaplains continue to
be encouraged.
TRAINING FOR ORDINATION
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ORDINANDS IN TRAINING ORDINANDS IN TRAINING ORDINANDS IN TRAINING ORDINANDS IN TRAINING 2012 Apr-12
Men 37
Women 24
61
Ethnic Minority 8
White 53
61
20> 18
30> 15
40> 21
50> 7
60> 0
61
Stipendiary 45
SSM 16
61
37
24
Men Women
8
53
Black Minority Ethnic
White Majority Ethnic
45
16
Stipendiary SSM
18
15
21
7
20>
30>
40>
50>
60>
GENDER
ETHNICITY
CATEGORY OF SPONSORSHIP
EXPLORING VOCATION 2013
AGE
GENDER
ETHNICITY
CATEGORY OF SPONSORSHIP
ORDINANDS IN TRAINING 2013
REVD CANON FAITH CLARINGBULL DIRECTOR OF ORDINANDS
Te Ofce of Reader is one of the oldest
ministries in the Church and the growth of
Reader Ministry has been one of the great success
stories in the Church of England. Tere are
currently over 10,000 readers (representing
every diocese) who are authorised and licensed
to a parish to preach, teach and assist in
conducting worship.
Bishop David is a strong supporter of Reader
ministry and values the ways in which Readers
help the church to be aware of Gods mission and
to demonstrate Gods transforming power. Tere
are over 200 Readers licensed by the Bishop in
the Birmingham diocese.
THE READERS ASSOCIATION
Te aim of the Readers Association, under the
leadership of Revd Martin Stephenson (Warden),
is to further the ministry of Readers licensed
within the Birmingham diocese. Te association
has a broad understanding of training and
considers it a privilege to support and promote
the rich diversity of ministry that Readers bring.
Whether newly-licensed or long serving, the
association ofers fnancial support to all Readers
wishing to develop their ministry.
As Warden, one of Martin Stephensons roles
is Pastoral Care of Readers, a responsibility he
shares with a group of Assistant Wardens, aiming
to represent every deanery (see list of Assistant
Wardens, below). Together they aim to build
upon a previous round of Reader reviews by
recruiting a team of peer reviewers within each
deanery to conduct a rolling programme of four-
year reviews.
BECOMING A READER
Te journey to becoming a reader begins with
a sense of calling from an individual that is
confrmed by others. An application is then made
(by 31
st
March of each year) and a process of
selection takes place with candidates atending
an interview and a selection conference. In June
2013 the conference recommended 14 people to
go forward for training.
A distinct approach to training in Birmingham
diocese with emphasis on providing a practical
course and learning experience rather than one
that is more academically-focused continues
to atract a wide variety of people to apply for
Reader selection. Contrary to the national
average, numbers coming into training in
Birmingham diocese are increasing. Tis training
is led by Revd Liz Howlet, Bishops Advisor
for Adult Lay Education and Training, and ably
assisted by her team of tutors.
At the end of the initial training course a fnal
assessment is made and a recommendation is
made to the Bishop for those to go forward for
licensing. An annual Doors service is held in
December marking the transition of trainee to
prospective Reader. At this point the candidates
move from the training course to the Readers
Association who ofer candidates a day of
quiet refection.
A Licensing Service takes place at the beginning
of the year at Birmingham Cathedral where this
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Readers, sometimes described as lay theologians, ofer a
rich variety of skills to Church life. Tey represent a range
of occupations and backgrounds, and serve God in parishes,
education, prisons, healthcare, retail and industry.
READERS HELP THE CHURCH TO DEMONSTRATE
GODS TRANSFORMING POWER.
Readers Service 2013.
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Aston Jackie Burton
Central Birmingham Ruth Cooper
Coleshill Paul Raymer
Edgbaston Ross Hayes
Handsworth Vacancy
Kings Norton Fay Fearon
Moseley Anne Waugh
Polesworth Carolyn Baker
Shirley Vacancy
Solihull Vacancy
Suton Coldfeld Sheila Richmond
Warley Jill Macdonald
Yardley & Bordesley Bill Turner
ASSISTANT WARDENS
REPRESENTING DEANERIES
year 16 new Readers were welcomed from a
range of parishes. Tis service, as well as marking
the ofcial licensing by the Bishop, is symbolic of
the start of a new journey of ministry as a Reader.
All new Readers then take part in NEXT, the post
licensing programme co-ordinated by Canon
Helen Hingley on behalf of the Association.
CONTINUING MINISTERIAL
EDUCATION (CME)
Te CME commitee (Chaired by David
Harrison) provide stimulating training days for
Readers. Tese range from the mandatory funeral
training to days like in May when Revd Dr Helen
Cameron spoke on: Paying atention to God, self
and the other doing theology in pastoral care.
In November 2013 we held Celebrating Reader
Ministry in a Changing World where we had a
keynote speech from Bishop David, as well as a
series of workshops from people with diocese-
wide roles.
THE NATIONAL PICTURE
Te Central Readers Council, currently chaired
by the Bishop of Sodor and Man, provide
national support for Reader Ministry through
development meetings and by the production
of the quarterly Reader Magazine. Te Readers
Association pay the subscription fees for
this magazine for all trainees and Readers to
help everyone feel part of the bigger picture.
Representatives from Birmingham diocese atend
the AGM each year and Mike Lynch (Secretary
of the Association) provides the statistics for
Birmingham diocese.
CHURCH AND
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Its important to see not only how many are
involved but what sort of ministry Readers are
engaged in both inside and outside the Church
(not least because collating this data from the
Annual Return of Service forms part of our
Conditions of Service in the Bishops Regulations
for Reader Ministry).
Although most Readers work within a set area,
they can also be invited to lead and preach in
services outside of their own parish. We have a
list of those Readers prepared to do this and Peter
Conabeer, our Engagements Secretary, helps to
enable cover during holidays or an interregnum.
Reader Ministry was originally primarily about
ministry outside of the Church and, although
Readers have become an important part of
Church life, it has been encouraging to see
growth in Readers taking on chaplaincy roles
in hospitals, retail centres and universities.
Readers are providing ministry to the elderly
in care and residential homes and also taking
on other roles within the community and with
voluntary organisations.
Above is an outline of the sort of work Readers
are engaging with around the diocese.
READER WEBSITE
We are grateful to Davis Ash, Sue Dilworth and
Martin Stephenson for geting the Readers
Association back online in 2013. Te website has
links to resources for Readers, there is a monthly
blog from our Warden as well as all the contact
details for members of the association. Why not
have a look for yourself ?
www.birminghamreaders.org
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
Te Readers Association continue to work,
support and pray for the wonderfully diverse
ministry represented by the Readers in
Birmingham diocese.
READERS ASSOCIATION
MIKE LYNCH SECRETARY, BIRMINGHAM READERS ASSOCIATION
2013 READER STATISTICS
Status Men Women TOTAL
Active 78 87 165
Unatached to a parish 1 5 6
Permission to ofciate 17 24 41
Emeritus 25 22 47
TOTAL 121 138 259
READERS WORK IN THE DIOCESE
Statistics for 2013 based upon 72% of returns
received by 28
th
March 2014
2013 2012 2011 2010
Numbers of Services assisted in leading in own parish 1791 1822 2274 2271
Number of sermons preached in own parish 1655 1772 1876 1991
Services conducted in absence of a priest in own parish 1068 1167 1142 1179
Funerals conducted in absence of a priest 546 507 505 403
Number of Readers involved in this ministry 43 38 41 45
Services conducted in absence of a priest in another parish 165 175 251 257
Percentage of Readers assisting with Holy Communion 96% 85% 87% 90%
Percentage of Readers assisting with Morning or Evening Prayer 73% 74% 78% 79%
Percentage of Readers taking Sacrament to the sick 48% 45% 43% 30%
Percentage of Readers leading services in the week 39% 40% 42% 39%
Percentage of Readers leading services of all age worship 61% 55% 59% 58%
Percentage of Readers atending a CME Training event 60% 50% 52% -
PASTORAL CARE OF THE CLERGY
It is increasingly essential
that the clergy house
provides the priest with
sufcient accommodation in a
comfortable, thermally efcient
and well maintained structure,
in order to provide a safe and
secure home from which to
conduct their lives and carry
out their work.
Te Finance, Investment & Property Sub-
Commitee (FIPS) continued to support the
Surveyor in maintaining clergy houses to a good
standard and increased their eforts to reduce
the amount of outstanding recommended
improvements - at year end these were down
to 474,325 from a position of over 1 million
six years previous with agreement to a further
substantial spend in 2014.
Improving the thermal efciency of clergy
houses continued with work completed at 72
properties. During the year quinquennial repairs &
redecoration were carried out at 31 houses, vacancy
work at 19 and improvements at 11.
Te good stewardship of fnite resources was
pursued with the sale of two developable plots of
land from excess sized parsonage gardens, giving
receipts of 149,000. Te sale of further garden
areas is being progressed at four houses and
development being considered at three.
Te policy of leting empty clergy houses, where
possible, was continued, which brought in gross
receipts of over 200,000, with an average of 26
houses rented each month.
During 2013 an audit of house ownership was
completed, with the ofcial position at year
end being a hold of 127 parsonages and 38
other houses.
For many the parsonage represents the domestic
heart of the parish. Te commitee will continue to
fully support the clergy as they help people to fnd
life, hope and purpose.
ALAN BROADWAY DIOCESAN SURVEYOR
CLERGY HOUSING
THE COMMITTEE WILL CONTINUE TO FULLY SUPPORT THE CLERGY
AS THEY HELP PEOPLE TO FIND LIFE, HOPE AND PURPOSE.
Why does the Church of
England Birmingham need
an Adviser for Pastoral Care
of the Clergy?
Te stresses of clerical family life are well-
documented, with various research fndings
over recent years atesting to the unique cocktail
of stressors from tied accommodation to the
nature of the appointments system, exacerbated
by the current cultural and social contexts in
which the Church is operating. Te way in
which the Church supports its clergy and their
families periodically gets an airing in the media.
In February of this year, the Times newspaper
published an article by Anne Atkins, a clergy wife
and vocal critic of the churchs care for its clergy.
In this article she suggests that parish ministry
caused a number of physical and psychological
difculties in her family. She clearly expected
more from the church than it was able to deliver,
and writes with relief that St Lukes Healthcare for
the Clergy (based in London and associated with
Church House Westminster) is now extending its
brief to include issues of clergy stress.
What sadly got overlooked in this article is the
existence of a national network of Diocesan
Advisers in Pastoral Care of the Clergy, which
has in place since the late 1980s. 39 of the
43 Dioceses in England now have a named
person who has some form of responsibility for
providing pastoral care for the clergy varying
from the simple provision of a counselling
service, to a comprehensive post providing a wide
range of services and training for clergy. More
information can be found at pastoralcare.org.uk.
It is vital to care for the carers. One cannot look
afer anyone else unless one takes good care of
oneself frst. Sadly, many of those in the caring
professions including clergy fnd themselves
taking care of themselves (and their families) last.
Tis is understandable when the work of caring
is important and absorbing, and time must also
be given to the organisational tasks that clergy,
especially incumbents, face. Tese tasks include
fnance (balancing the books and meeting the
parish share) and ensuring that lay posts in the
church are flled and that the people in them are
trained and equipped for the work. Tere is also
the all-important work of inspiring and sustaining
lay people spiritually to do Gods work in the
world, and follow their own spiritual journey into
God. All of this is life-giving, rewarding and the
vocation into which the clergy are called. Te
Bishops Adviser for Pastoral Care of the Clergy
stands as a reminder to all clergy to ensure they
are in good shape to do this work. One way
in which I do this is via an annual session on
Sustaining Wellbeing in Ministry that forms
part of the induction programme to clergy new
to the diocese, and part of the training to those
newly ordained. It is a morning that always
provokes thought as we think together about
each clergypersons responsibility for creating
a way of life that enables them to fourish. How
important it is to get priorities right and give time
to the things that bring life so that we can foster
life in others. I usually remind those present of
something that is said on every aeroplane fight:
ft your own oxygen mask before helping others.
Tis is true in life, too, as clergy seek to care and
to serve.
Revd Susannah Izzard is the current Adviser for
Pastoral Care of the Clergy and has been in post
since January 2007. Te work of the Adviser includes
both preventative and remedial roles, as she works to
enhance clergy well-being via the provision of groups,
workshops, work-life balance reviews and quiet days,
and also co-ordinates the Diocesan Clergy
Counselling Service.
PASTORAL CARE OF THE CLERGY
HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO GET PRIORITIES RIGHT AND GIVE TIME TO
THE THINGS THAT BRING LIFE SO THAT WE CAN FOSTER LIFE IN OTHERS
REVD SUSANNAH IZZARD ADVISER FOR PASTORAL CARE OF THE CLERGY
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CLERGY HOUSING
PURPOSE
Te Diocesan Advisory Commitee for the Care
of Churches (DAC) ofers guidance to parishes
on carrying out their responsibilities for church
buildings under Canon F13 and operates in
secular legislation through the Care of Churches
and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1991. Its
main statutory function is to give advice on the
architecture, archaeology, art and history of places
of worship to the Diocesan Chancellor and
the Archdeacons as part of the judicial Faculty
permission process. Mr Mark Powell QC is the
current Diocesan Chancellor, with Mr John
Edwards as his deputy. Tey are supported by Mr
Hugh Carslake (Diocesan Registrar) and Mrs Pat
Joyce (Clerk to the Registrar).
Te DAC also ofers advice to clergy,
churchwardens and parishioners who are
planning work to their churches and grounds.
Members have a detailed experience and
knowledge of the use, development and good
stewardship of church buildings; the living liturgy
and worship of the Church of England; church
architecture, archaeology, art and history; and the
care of historic fabric and furnishings. Advice and
support is available to parishes at all stages of a
project, from initial thoughts, to making a Faculty
application, to fnal completion.
For the Church of England to retain as much
freedom over the development and growth
of its listed buildings as possible, the essential
requirement of the Faculty procedure is
equivalence with secular heritage asset consent
in terms of due process, rigour, consultation,
openness, transparency and accountability, while
paying due atention to the mission and worship
of parishes and congregations. To remain within
the Ecclesiastical Exemption from Listed Building
Consent, the credibility of the Faculty system
must be maintained, continually. As such, the
DAC membership is constituted of experienced
specialists who provide a senior consultant level
of advice on a voluntary basis.
COMPOSITION
Te DAC is chaired by a person appointed by the
Bishop. In addition, the DAC must be constituted
by: the Archdeacons of the Diocese; two elected
members of the Diocesan Synod; one nominee
from English Heritage; one nominee from the
National Amenity Societies; one nominee from
a Local Government Association; and at least
seven other members appointed by the Bishops
Council. Te DAC must have a quorum of one
third of its members, including one Archdeacon
and one architect, and is appointed on a six-yearly
basis. Te current cycle is 2010 to 2016.
Te Revd Mary Gilbert stood down as one of
the Diocesan Synod nominees at the start of the
year. Dr Sarah Lewis became English Heritages
Principal Adviser for Heritage at Risk and a new
nominee, Mr Ross Brazier, joined the commitee.
CARING FOR OUR CHURCH BUILDINGS
DIOCESAN ADVISORY
COMMITTEE FOR THE
CARE OF CHURCHES
MEMBERS as at 31/12/2013
Chair
Dr Jim Berrow appointed by Bishop David
Ex-ofcio
Te Ven. Hayward Osborne
Archdeacon of Birmingham
Te Ven. Dr Brian Russell
Archdeacon of Aston
Ms Sarah Baldwin Architect
Mr Graeme Beamish Architect
Mr Ross Brazier English Heritage nominee
Mr Tim Bridges
National Amenity Societies nominee
Mr Derek Clarke Architect
Te Revd Oliver Coss
Diocesan Synod nominee
Ms Helen Ellison
Local Government Association nominee
Mr Ken Fairbairn Architect
Mr Christopher Hargreaves Planner
Dr Mike Hodder Archaeologist
Mr Robin Hurley Architect
Mrs Merryn Lloyd Craf designer
Mr Eamon Mooney
Health, safety and disabilities consultant
Mr Stephen Oliver Architect
Mr Harry Rawlings Electrical engineer
Mr Charles Shapcot Structural engineer
Mr Brough Skingley
Mechanical and electrical engineer
ADVISERS as at 31/12/2013
Dr Jim Berrow Acting Organs Adviser
Mr David Bradnock MBE JP DL FBHI
Clocks Adviser
Te Very Revd Catherine Ogle
Textiles Adviser
Mr Andrew Stubbs Bells Adviser
Mr Richard Waddell Churchyards Adviser
STAFF as at 31/12/2013
Mr Adrian Mann Secretary to the DAC
Mrs Vicki Tildesley Administrative Support
At the end of the year, the Ven. Dr Brian Russell
announced that he would be leaving the Diocese
for a new role in early 2014. Mr Richard Waddell
joined the DAC as the new Churchyards Adviser,
while the Revd Oliver Coss was appointed from
the Diocesan Synod. In addition, Ms Sarah
Baldwin became a new architect member and Mr
Eamon Mooney joined as a specialist in health,
safety and disability maters. Te DAC continues
to seek advisers on church furnishings, liturgical
practice and the introduction of audio-visual
equipment into places of worship, in addition to a
second nominee from the Diocesan Synod.
Tanks are ofered for the diligent and efective
service of all members, advisers and staf.
Particular gratitude is ofered to the Ven. Dr Brian
Russell, Dr Sarah Lewis and the Revd Mary
Gilbert for the very valuable input and advice
that they were able to ofer to parishes, the DAC
and the Chancellor during their time on
the commitee.
CASEWORK
Over seven meetings in 2013 (DAC289 to
DAC295), the DAC considered 309 items
of business, including 84 new applications for
Faculty to carry out work to churches in the
diocese. Te Chancellor granted 62 Faculties
during the year. Petitions from parishes covered
everything from the installation of churchyard
benches to full liturgical reordering, with work
to heating systems and maintenance to external
building fabric being particularly important.
In the summer of 2012, following consultation
with the DAC, Transforming Church (TC)
released new guidance and grant support to help
parishes set up consistent, efective, afordable
and appropriate sign and notice boards to further
support their welcome, mission and outreach. At
the end of 2013, 31 churches had taken advantage
of the funding to set up new signage. Te DAC
was very glad to have participated in this diocese-
wide project to enhance churches visibility
through their external signage and hoped that the
outcomes would be positive and lasting.
Te DAC encouraged parishes to take advantage
of the Heritage Lotery Funds Grants for
Places of Worship Scheme and the expanded
Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, for
the redemption of VAT. Te DAC was also
glad to note that, following its giving of several
recommendations, the Cathedral and Church
Buildings Division of the Archbishops Council
had ofered a share of a 3million campaign to
help with the conservation of artworks to four
churches in the diocese.
Te thef of lead and copper from the exterior
of church buildings remained a major concern
to parishes. Te DAC hoped that this problem
would now decline, due to the installation of
alternative materials at many churches and the
deployment of enhanced security systems. Te
new Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 came into
efect at the start of October and the DAC was
glad to have contributed statistical information
during its drafing.
Te DAC was involved in a national project to
review the condition of the fabric of all Anglican
churches through an assessment of the fve-yearly
inspection reports, which was funded by English
Heritage. It was hoped that the data would be of
help to the development of the upcoming People
and Places initiative.
Te DAC had been able to work with the
organisers of Continuing Ministerial Education
to provide training for new clergy. It hosted
a trial seminar for architects, surveyors and
conservation professionals during March at the
renovated St Barnabas Church, Erdington. Te
seminar had good atendance numbers of over 50
and the DAC aimed to run another such event
during 2014. A full Care of Churches section
was also designed for launch on the upcoming
new diocesan website.
Te DAC was helped most when church
building custodians were familiar with its
statutory responsibilities and were aware of the
support its members and advisers could ofer.
Te Faculty process might appear burdensome in
its requirement for equivalence with the secular
permissions, but it enables due regard to be given
to the role of a church as a local centre of worship
and mission and signifcant work was done on a
national level during 2013 to improve the system,
to help parishes progress through it as quickly and
as easily as possible. Tanks to the introduction
of the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2013, the
application papers would become much shorter
from 1
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January 2014. In addition, the DAC was
involved closely in the consultation process for a
major update of the Faculty system, which would
be introduced though a new Care of Churches
and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 2014
and would include the ability to apply for
Faculty online.
Overall, the DAC hoped that, throughout 2013,
it had been able to assist parishes in the good
stewardship and the efective and sensitive
development of their church buildings, in the
furtherance of their mission and the provision of
pastoral care. Te DAC extend its usual invitation
to any clergy and churchwardens to join and
observe one of its meetings where they, as
atendees, were not petitioning for Faculty.
CARING FOR OUR CHURCH BUILDINGS
ADRIAN MANN SECRETARY TO THE COMMITTEE
2013 saw many churches take advantage of funding for new signage.
CONTACTS
MINISTRIES SUPPORT
OFFICE SERVICES
FINANCE
ORDINANDS CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE
CLERGY/ LAY SUPPORT & DEVELOPMENT
CHURCH SCHOOLS
JOHN
PRICE
q 0400
E Reception
SARAH
ROSE
q 0400
E Reception
JACKIE
HUGHES
q 0417
E JackieH
JILL
STOLBERG
q 0422
E JillS
PETER
FRENCH
q 0418
E PeterF
SUSAN
CROSTHWAITE
q 0419
E SusanC
RACHEL
RAFTERY
q 0417
E RachelR

q 0436
E JoycelynLG
MARK
PRYCE
q 0430
E MarkP
LIZ
HOWLETT
q 0431
E LizH
SUSANNAH
IZZARD
q 243 3745
E Susannah.
Izzard
@blueyonder
.co.uk
CLAIRE
WESLEY
q 0432
E ClaireW
HELEN
TOMBLIN
q 0433
E HelenT
FAITH
CLARINGBULL
q 0446
E DDO
MARLYCE
BRYAN
q 0446
E MarlyceB
MELANIE
CROOKS
q 0412
E MelanieC
CHRIS
BUTLER
q 0413
E ChrisB
AMANDA
HOMER
q 0414
E AmandaH
JENNY
CHERRY
q 0404
E JennyC
JELENA
CAMMACK
q 0435
E JelenaC
JANET
NICKLIN
q 0435
E JanetN
ANDREA
STEVENS
q 0429
E AndreaS
DIANE
MILFORD
q 0435
E DianeM
JOYCELYN
LEWIS-GREGORY
RICHARD
TUCKER
q 0121
354 5873
E Malawi
Ofcer
MALAWI OFFICER
GENERAL SYNOD REPRESENTATIVES
CANON DR PAULA GOODER
REVD CATHERINE GRYLLS
REVD CANON NIGEL HAND
DR RACHEL JEPSON
VEN HAYWARD OSBORNE
GEOFFREY SHUTTLEWORTH
CHANCELLOR
MARK POWELL QC
REGISTRAR
HUGH CARSLAKE
RHIANNON
JONES
q 0420
E RhiannonJ
TOM
LENNON
q 0424
E TomL
TRANSFORMING CHURCH PARISH SERVICES
ANDREW
SMITH
q 0426
E AndrewS
INTERFAITH
COMMUNITY REGENERATION & THRIVE TOGETHER BIRMINGHAM
FRED
RATTLEY
q 0440
E FredR
JO
BAGBY
q 0442
E JoB
DEBBIE
BROWNING
q 0442
E DebbieB
SARAH
TURNER
q 0442
E Sarah
@thrive
together
bham.org
PATRICIA
ALLEN
q 0404
E PatriciaA
0121 426 #### q
########@birmingham.anglican.org E
Phone numbers and emails end or begin with the above unless otherwise noted.
CIGB
COMMUNICATIONS CHURCHES & PROPERTY DIOCESAN SECRETARY
BISHOP OF ASTON
ALAN
BROADWAY
q 0408
E AlanB
SUE
GREATHEAD
q 0409
E Sue
ADRIAN
MANN
q 0405
E AdrianM
VICKI
TILDESLEY
q 0423
E VickiT
CARA
BUTOWSKI
q 0439
E Cara
STEVE
SQUIRES
q 0438
E SteveS
ANDREW
HALSTEAD
q 0402
E Andrew
TRISH
BECK
q 0402
E TrishB
VALERIE
DALTON
q 0425
E ValD
ARCHDEACON
OF ASTON
q 0437
JENNY
HARRIS
q 0437
E JennyH
HAYWARD
OSBORNE
q 0403
E Hayward.
Osborne
MARGARET
HYDE
q 0403
E MargaretH
ANDREW
WATSON
q 0448
E AndrewW
CAROL
FLETCHER
q 0448
E CarolF
ARCHDEACON OF BIRMINGHAM ARCHDEACON OF ASTON
BISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM
DAVID
URQUHART
E DavidU
KATE
STOWE
E Bishops
Chaplain
CHRIS
WRIGHT
E ChristineW
MARY
ROSE
E MaryR
q 0121 262 1840 E enquiries@birminghamcathedral.com
k Birmingham Cathedral, Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2QB www.birminghamcathedral.com
PETER
SELLICK
q 0425
E PeterS
BIRMINGHAM CATHEDRAL
CAROL
CURRIER
E CarolCurrier
ANNA
PITT
E Directorof
Fundraising
BEN
FRANKS
E Ben.Franks
CATHERINE
OGLE
E Dean
RUTH
HARVEY
E Administrator
NIGEL
HAND
E Canon
Missioner
JANET
CHAPMAN
E Canon
Liturgist
q 0121 427 1163
k Bishops Croft, Old Church Rd, Harborne, Birmingham B17 0BG
CHAIR OF
HOUSE OF CLERGY
MARTIN
STEPHENSON
E martin.
stephenson
@cantab.net
STEPHEN
FRASER
E stevef_bham
@sky.com
CHAIR OF
HOUSE OF LAITY
CHAIR OF
BIRMINGHAM DBF
PHIL
NUNNERLEY
E TrishB
JIM
BERROW
E DAC
CHAIR OF
BIRMINGHAM DAC
INSIDE BACK COVER
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND BIRMINGHAM
q 0121 426 0400
E reception@birmingham.anglican.org
cofebirmingham.com
k 1 Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2BJ
BISHOPS CROFT
q 0121 427 1163
E ChristineW@birmingham.anglican.org
k Old Church Road, Harborne, Birmingham B17 0BG
David_Urq
THE FAITHFUL NEIGHBOURHOODS CENTRE
q 0121 675 1156
E admin@faithfulneighbourhoods.org.uk
faithfulneighbourhoods.org.uk
k 10 Court Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham B11 4LX

Supported by the Church of England Birmingham, the Faithful Neighbourhood Centre is a
place where people of diferent faiths can meet and a resource for the wider church.
Te Birmingham Diocesan Board of Finance is a company limited by guarantee
Registered in England No. 440966. Registered ofce as above. Registered Charity No. 249403.
ASTON
CENTRAL BIRMINGHAM
COLESHILL
EDGBASTON
HANDSWORTH
KINGS NORTON
MOSELEY
POLESWORTH
SHIRLEY
SOLIHULL
SUTTON COLDFIELD
WARLEY
YARDLEY & BORDESLEY
OUTSIDE BACK COVER
/cofebirmingham
/cofebirmingham

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