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Refreshing Renewing Hope
Our Diocesan Vision, reinvigorated.
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Refreshing Our Vision - How can we Help?
Our 3 priorities for Refreshing Renewing Hope are an invitation to explore what we are called to become and how we can continue to Renew Hope - Pray, Serve and Grow in the context of coronavirus and beyond. But we would like you to tell us the best way to do this!
Read more...
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Church is Changing
Onward into the future, together.
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Funerals may go back into church
House of Bishops guidance advises that funerals may be carried out in church buildings from June 15th, but only if it is safe for individual churches to do so. Read more...
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Animations to encourage online giving
The Church of England Resource Hub has released a video generator that provides animations to encourage giving during your online services. Read more...
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Church Bells
Our church bells have not been rung for many months, so it is very important that ringers arrange to undertake appropriate maintenance checks and any necessary remedial work before we start to ring in every tower once churches are opened up again. More information here, and on the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers website, here.
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'Coronavirus, Church & You' Survey
We've had to take the rough with the smooth, but some of us are unexpectedly thriving. Researchers at St John's University in York are asking for your help with a survey that will chart where the Church is at the moment. Read more...
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Cathedral re-opens for private prayer as lockdown guidelines ease
On Monday 15 June, following government and Church of England guidance, Salisbury Cathedral will open daily for private prayer between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm Monday to Saturday, and 11.30 am to 2.00 pm on Sunday. Read more...
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Transforming Lives and Communities
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Calling on our churches to help spread the word
Wiltshire Council’s fostering team are being put under increasing pressure by Covid-19. Now the charity Homes for Good is asking churches to help spread the word and help them find foster homes for nearly 500 children. Read more...
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'Heaven in Ordinary':
prepare for Rural Mission Sunday, 19th July 2020
Rural Mission Sunday will go ahead this year despite organisers not being sure how it will be celebrated. Various options are on the table. Read more...
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Deepening Discipleship and Evangelism
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Hard Questions for Hard Times
This is a time which raises hard questions – about how we live, about our values, about God. St Paul’s Cathedral asked people what was most on their minds, and then asked a wide range of writers, thinkers and theologians to reflect on these ‘hard questions’. Read more...
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Help with imagining mission this summer
The St Aldhelm’s Fund has supported imaginative outreach activity in parishes for 15 years. The panel continues to be interested in receiving applications for grants supporting projects that promote new ways of engaging in mission. If you have a project in mind, perhaps doing something new for these times of social-distancing, please contact Colin Brady by the 26th of June for an initial discussion. Applications will be considered at the beginning of July.
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Refugee Week 15th-21st June
Refugee Week brings our churches an opportunity to celebrate the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees. This year, the Distressed Signals Campaign features a group of young people, supported by The Children’s Society, who are calling for the Government to introduce independent guardians for all unaccompanied and separated children and young people. Read more...
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Churches supporting Care Homes
Prama Care, which offers care at home for people in Dorset, is seeking to create a new Christian Care Network to support every care home through local churches. At least 18 churches are supporting over 40 care homes, and Faithworks is already building up a map of existing connections. Email if you have a local update or would like to be involved.
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Holiday Hunger
This summer will be a tough one for families, as school vouchers will probably not be available during the summer holidays for families who normally get free school meals. Foodbanks will be issuing special holiday vouchers, but is there anything else that we could do? Read more...
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Hold a Climate Sunday
Churches are being encouraged to create a Climate Sunday as a way of giving a voice to local commitments to combat climate change, at any time during a one-year period starting on 6th September but, as Bishop Nicholas explains, the key is to set aside one Sunday to place the focus on the environment. Read more...
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Join our churchwardens on Facebook
Going with the adage that 'the best person to answer a churchwarden's questions is another churchwarden', one of ours has set up a Churchwardens page on Facebook to do just that. Read more...
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Communities of Hope
In this month's letter, Bishop Karen discusses Christian communities and Church without walls. Read it here.
We are able to send out the letter to magazine editors in time for a mid-month deadline, do email us if you would like to receive it.
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During this unprecedented time, as they are unable to visit parishes, Bishop Andrew and Bishop Karen are reaching out through Social Media.
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Bishop Andrew is recording a YouTube series called ‘Going to Ground’, and his weekly blog is usually posted on Saturday or Sunday. He is also on Twitter and Instagram. Bishop Karen is on Twitter, and invites you to join her in praying the Renewing Hope Prayer daily on Facebook - search the diocesan page for her latest. Our bishops are contactable via email.
For their latest sermons, click here for Bishop Nicholas, here for Bishop Karen and here for Bishop Andrew. Our Thought for the Month is here.
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Coronavirus guidance links for publications
If you want to put links to the latest guidance in your publications, our main diocesan webpage is here, and the main links are printed in full here.
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Coronavirus Print Hub
The Church Print Hub now has a range that can be used in the current pandemic. Downloadable flyers for the Daily Hope Phone Line, Wedding Disappointment and funeral industry support cards, and free social media images for the virtual 'Light a Candle' initiative can all be downloaded here.
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Webinar: Inspiring Everyday Faith, Accelerating Change
Thursday 25 June, 12.00 – 1.45pm
How do leaders help steer churches through adaptive change?
How do whole church communities become invested in a corporate sense of mission?
How do church cultures better enable and engage Christians in our Kingdom callings?
Read more and book in...
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Free Webinar: Leadership in Lockdown - Rhythms, Rest and Focus
Our immediate response to lockdown is done, but what now as we face ongoing uncertainties?
Ee want to look at some of the 'slower' time things that it might be good to give attention to as we shift from our short to medium term response to what is happening.
Read more and book in...
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How to make good quality videos for Church
In an effort to help our churches up the ante where their digital church offerings are concerned, our colleagues at the Diocese of Manchester have produced a video to encourage churches to keep making little improvements to their video output. View it here.
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Livestreaming
Livenet, a telecoms and business technology company with very close connections to the Church of England, is offering their expertise in live streaming to help local churches engage with parishioners during the lockdown, with a brochure and kit list to make it easy for churches with no technical knowledge. Read more...
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Youth Ministry Course
The L&TSW (Living and Telling South West) 2020 course will be taking place online on 6th and 7th July, and is ideal for supporting children’s and youth leaders and offers training for churches wishing to take someone on for this role. Bookings close on 26th June. Find out more on www.swym.org.uk.
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Faithworks Briefing
Faithworks has been sending out a briefing each week to the churches in the BPC conurbation with updates which they might find useful. The shared website has prayer topics, a list of online services, contact numbers and other info.
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Sign Language for your online services
You can now download prayers, reflections and Bible readings in BSL (British Sign Language) to use in your pre -recorded or live streamed worship for free. To find out more, go to christianbsl.com/prayers.
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Music Resource from Sarum St Martin
A hymn and organ voluntary (and other things) are being put up on the St Martin's (Salisbury) website for use at home on Sundays, here, with thanks to Robert Fielding.
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National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast
You are invited to join online, on Tuesday 30 June at 8.30-9.00am. The event includes prayers led by parliamentarians, hymns led by special guest singers and an address by the Bishop of Kensington, Graham Tomlin. Read more...
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Virtual meeting of General Synod
The timetable for an informal virtual meeting of members of General Synod on Saturday July 11 has been published, after it was confirmed that the residential meeting due to take place in York in July had been cancelled in the light of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more...
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