Bishop Christine and Bishop - Diocese of Newcastle

October 2017

INSIDE: Page 4 – Book review: mental health Pages 6&7 – growing church bringing hope Page 8 – Pilgrimage to the Holy Land Pages 8&9 – New year for Lindisfarne

1 race, 57,000 stories, 2 bishops – but can you spot them? B

■■ Left, Crossing the finish line with a smile! Above, Bishop Christine and Bishop Mark before the run with Sir Mo Farah and the Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne, Councillor Linda Wright.

ishop Christine and Bishop Mark were among the 57,000 runners on Sunday, 10 September to take on the challenge of the 36th Great North Run. As VIP runners they lined up at the start with celebrities such as TV presenter Davina McCall, not far from the elite athletes, including Mo Farah (see inset). Perhaps running with celebrities isn’t the most important thing – but it’s heartening to think that being a bishop is also recognised by the secular world as a prominent role for society at large, not just for the church. This, in fact, is the message both Bishop Christine and Bishop Mark are keen to get across. They both believe Christians are called to be fully engaged with every element of society, not just what goes on inside the four walls of a church. Bishop Mark said, ‘Being a bishop in the northeast, it would simply be wrong not to do the Great North Run. I’m so looking forward to being part of this great community event.’ We caught up with the bishops before the race started to ask them how they were feeling. Bishop Christine said: ‘It’s an incredible atmosphere here; you can’t not be affected by it – you see so many people running for so many reasons. I have to confess I’m a little apprehensive, but we’re here now and I’m going to give it a good go.’ Bishop Mark added: ‘I’m delighted with the way the fundraising has gone so far, and am very thankful for every donation received. As for the race, I’ll be happy if I can finish under two hours, though I should be able to manage one hour 45 minutes!’ An important aspect of the Great North Run is the opportunity to raise money for a worthwhile cause. Both the bishops chose a charity to support through their (half) marathon efforts: Bishop Christine has been raising money for the West End Refugee Service (WERS) Hardship Fund, while Bishop Mark is supporting youth work carried out by Mission Initiative Newcastle East (MINE) in Byker. At the time of writing, over £800 has been raised for MINE, while donations for WERS are approaching an incredible £4,000. Lindsay Cross, Project Director of WERS, had this to say in response to the amount raised so far: ‘'WERS has the greatest respect for anyone who can run 13½ miles! Bishop Christine has raised a staggering amount of money and given hope to the many asylum seekers and refugees who come to WERS for support. A huge thank you to Bishop Christine and all those who have so generously supported her run!' ■■ Donations in aid of WERS can be made via a JustGiving page at www. justgiving.com/BishopChristineGNR, or by texting ‘BGNR95 £2’ to 70070. Donations to MINE can be made via a JustGiving page at https://www. justgiving.com/crowdfunding/minebishopofberwick. We will be keeping both pages open for a while yet, so there’s still plenty of time to donate if you wish to.

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generous engaged open

Bishop’s Diary This is not a full list of the Bishop’s engagements, but includes the items we think might be of particular interest to you.

BISHOP OF NEWCASTLE’S DIARY 3rd/4th Leadership Development Programme 5th 8.30 am Bishop’s Staff Meeting 5.30 pm Evensong, St. Nicholas Cathedral to mark the new Legal Year 7th 2.00 pm Readers Licensing Service, Hexham Abbey 8th 10.00 am Hebron Harvest Festival 4.00 pm Seghill, with Seaton Delaval & Holywell, Confirmation 10th 10.30 am Newcastle University Court 11th Bishop’s Staff Strategy Meeting Follow up Day 12th 8.00 am Ecumenical Prayers 3.00 pm Sons of the Clergy AGM 16th–18th London 19th 11.00 am St. Hilda’s Trust 26th am Embleton Interviews 6.00 pm Newcastle Council of Faiths 29th St. Michael’s New Hartley – Delaval Parish Confirmation 31st 9.00 am Sherburn House, Durham 1.30 pm Church House – New Clergy Day 7.30 pm Licensing St. Silas, Byker

BISHOP MARK’S DIARY 2nd 3rd 5th 6th

10.00am Fresh Expressions Bishop’s Hub, Manchester 10.00am Nunnykirk Centre for Dyslexia, Netherwitton 4.00pm Bishops in Mission meeting, Pegswood 6.30pm Reader Quiet Evening, Hexham Abbey 8.30am Senior Staff Meeting, Bishop’s House 10.00am Diocesan Property Manager, Pegswood

growing church bringing hope October

6.30pm Harvest Festival & Supper, Bolton Chapel 7th 10.30am Third Order Society of St Francis, Church of St Francis, Heaton 2.00pm Reader Licensing, Hexham Abbey 8th 9.30am Confirmation, St John Wallsend 10th 8.00am Ecumenical Breakfast 10.00am Growing Church Bringing Hope City Centre Steering Group, Cathedral 7.30pm Morpeth’s Boy Brigade, Morpeth 11th 8.00am Meeting with Georgina Noakes, Bishop’s House 7.00pm Licensing of Tony Tooby, St Cuthbert Blyth 12th 9.00am Retiring Clergy, Shepherds Dene 13th 10.00am Mentoring Group, Pegswood 7.00pm Middlemiss Dinner, Cathedral 15th 9.00am Preaching Alnwick Baptist Church 6.00pm Confirmation, Norham Deanery 17th 9.00am Diocesan Youth Team, Pegswood 2.00pm Action Foundation, Pegswood 7.00pm Bishops in Mission meeting, Alnwick 18th 10.00am Chaplain & Interfaith Adviser, Northumbria University 6.30pm Open Consultation on Resource Church, Cathedral 19th 8.00am Bishops & Archdeacons meeting, Bishop’s House 11.30am Emmanuel College, Gateshead 6.00pm Tynemouth Dinner Club, Tynemouth Golf Club 25th 10.00am Reader Secretary, Pegswood 29th am Confirmation, Byker, MINE churches 7.00pm Evensong/Songs of Praise, Knaresdale Church

CONTACT US The Link, Church House, St John’s Terrace, North Shields NE29 6HS. Tel: (0191) 270 4100. Email: [email protected] Facebook: m.me/ncldiocese Twitter: @ncldiocese LinkedIn: linkedin/company/ncldiocese Link is produced ten times a year by the Diocese of Newcastle, with joint issues for August/September and December/January. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the Diocese or the Editor. The Editor is pleased to consider articles or letters of up to 350 words for publication. Where possible, articles should be accompanied by a good-quality digital photograph of 250dpi or higher. Please contact the Editor before submitting obituaries. For advertising rates and deadlines please use the above contact details to get in touch. Copy date for November 2017 issue: Monday 9 October.

A warm welcome to the Revd Suzanne Cooke

Helping light up Whitley Bay

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On Thursday, 27 July we welcomed the Revd Suzanne Cooke as Vicar of the Benefice of Doddington, Ilderton, Kirknewton and Wooler. Her Institution was conducted by the Bishop of Berwick and the Induction by the Archdeacon of Lindisfarne. The services were held at the Church of St. Gregory the Great, Kirknewton.

loodlights have been installed to illuminate one of Tyneside’s bestknown churches. St Paul’s Cullercoats in Whitley Bay is being lit up as part of a series of projects rejuvenating Whitley Bay town centre, helping make the church more accessible to both parishioners and members of the public. The project to install the permanent floodlights has been led by Gerald Lang, the church’s Tower Captain, who first lobbied council planners in 2013. He said: ‘At night during winter months the town centre of Whitley Bay and especially St Paul’s was very dark and gloomy, so not very attractive. At ■■ New vicar Suzanne Cooke

Comings & Goings Appointments

The Revd. Daniel Freyhan currently Assistant Curate, St. Nicholas Stevenage & St. Mary’s Graveley in the Diocese of St. Albans is going to be Vicar of Prudhoe The Revd. Helen Gill, Priest-in-Charge of Tynemouth St. John Percy is going to be Vicar of Byker St. Silas and Staff Member of MINE

Retirements

The Revd. Canon Nick Darby, Vicar of St. James & St Basil, Fenham is returning on 31st October, 2017 The Revd. Peter Sinclair, Vicar of Newbiggin retires on 30 November, 2017 The Revd. Roger Mills, Vicar of Kingston Park retires on 31 January, 2018

Vacant Parishes Cramlington TV North Shields TR

Bywell St. Peter, Stocksfield & Mickley Seaton Hirst Embleton & Rennington & Rock Bolam w Whalton and Hartburn w Meldon and Netherwitton North Tyne & Redesdale Team (HFD) Tweedmouth, Scremerston & Spittal (HFD) Shotley (HFD) Bamburgh & Ellingham Shilbotel Cresswell & Lynemouth Sugley Chollerton w Birtley & Thockrington Warkworth w Acklington Corbridge Whorlton Upper Coquetdale ■■ Expressions of interest for any of the above vacancies would be welcomed by the Bishop and Archdeacons

Newcastle Diocese are holding an

Open Consultation to look at the proposal for a

Resource Church in Newcastle City Centre Wednesday, 18 October 6.30pm in Newcastle Cathedral All are welcome, please do come along Tea and coffee will be available

To help with numbers, please confirm your attendance to [email protected] or 0191 270 4100

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Christmas however, there are special lights located in the trees surrounding the church. Whilst these lights illuminated the trees and in some little way the church building, after the festivities and the area returned to darkness.’ Mr Lang said he believed having permanent lighting would not only enhance the beautiful church building, but would make the church grounds far safer for visitors and the town centre look more attractive. ‘I put this idea to the local council and spoke to several departments during 2013 and was surprised at the good response. There was even a promise of funding if I found suitable suppli-

ers of equipment with some indicative costs. ‘After what seemed a very long delay, I was contacted in January 2017 by both my local councillor John O’Shea and John Little (Capital Programme Officer - Strategic Investment and Property, North Tyneside Council) who informed me that the project was to go ahead as part of the town centre rejuvenation. ‘The lighting units were installed in June and are now working in conjunction with the street lighting. The effect is wonderful and is a real benefit to both the town centre as well as St Paul’s. There have been several comments on just how lovely the church now looks at night.’

Fond farewells to the Rev and the Reader Sunday, 23 July saw an official presentation to the Revd David Johnson and his wife Mrs Doreen Johnson following their (second!) retirement at the end of May. Rev David, as a retired vicar, and Doreen, as a Reader, have worked tirelessly in the United Benefice of St Cuthbert’s, Bedlington, St John’s, Sleekburn, and St Andrew’s, Cambois for thirteen years during our interregnum. Rev David has taken services, given sermons and presided over funerals whenever needed. Doreen has delivered Messy Church and also regularly given sermons, as well as maintaining links with other churches under the Churches Together in Bedlingtonshire umbrella. They will both still live in the parish of St Cuthbert’s and will remain a big part of church life, although both now fully retired. All three parishes are incredibly grateful for their hard work and dedication over the last thirteen years, and will miss having two people so willing to step in at the drop of a hat! They are pictured at St Cuthbert’s, being presented with a cheque to go towards their next river cruise.

Gospel Readings 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

16th Sunday after Trinity Matthew 21.23-32 Monday Luke 9.46-50 Tuesday Luke 9.51-56 Wednesday Luke 9.57-end Thursday Luke 10.1-12 Friday Luke 10.13-16 Saturday Luke 10.17-24 17th Sunday after Trinity Matthew 21.33-end Monday Luke 10.25-37 Tuesday Luke 10.38-end Wednesday Luke 11.1-4 Thursday Luke 11.5-13 Friday Luke 11.15-26 Saturday Luke 11.27-28 18th Sunday after Trinity Matthew 22.1-14 Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer, Bishops, Martyrs,

17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31.

1555 Luke 11.29-32 Ignatius, Bishop, Martyr, c.107 Luke 11.37-41 Wednesday Luke 10.1-9 Thursday Luke 11.47-end Friday Luke 12.1-7 Saturday Luke 12.8-12 19th Sunday after Trinity Matthew 22.15-22 Monday Luke 12.13-21 Tuesday Luke 12.35-38 Wednesday Luke 12.39-48 Thursday Luke 12.49-53 Friday Luke 12.54-end Saturday John 15.17-end Last Sunday after Trinity Matthew 22.34-end Monday Luke 13.10-17 Tuesday Luke 13.18-21

As I write this, Bishop Mark and I, along with many thousands of others, have just completed the Great North Run. It was incredibly moving to see so many people running for so many amazing reasons. There were 57,000 runners and I suspect 57,000 stories. I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of you who have supported us, not just with your prayers and morale-boosting messages, but also with your generous financial support of our charities, youth work in Byker and the West End Refugee Service. That support is one important way of making real our commitment to each other as children of God. As a diocese, one of the ways we make real our commitment to our brothers and sisters in Christ is through our three companion links: with the Dioceses of Botswana, Møre, and Winchester. I was struck by that on my recent visit to Møre: spending time with Bishop Ingeborg, I realized how much we can and must learn from each other, whether that be in ministering in rural communities (large parts of Møre Diocese are more remote than many of us can imagine), or our programmes of Christian nurture and education, or in the ways that lay and clergy can work and minister together. We need to continue to reflect on the ways in which our commitment to each other can be made real and how we can enrich each other’s life and mission, and that is true of our other links too. We have recently been hosting a mixed group from Botswana and Bishop Mark and others are about to travel to Botswana to take part in a mission there. Closer to home, I am pleased to let you know that Canon Carol Wolstenholme has agreed to chair a renewed Winchester Link Task Group (taking over from Canon Robert Gage, to whom we express our thanks), and to guide the link relationship into its next stage. In all that we do together we need, I think, to ask, ‘What is God showing us?’ and ‘How can we learn from each other and work together for the coming of his Kingdom?’ On the eve of the Great North Run, I was lucky enough to be invited to be at a dinner celebrating the story of this amazing event, the brainchild of Brendan Foster. This year there is a new partner – Simply Health. The CEO of Simply Health said this: ‘If you want to go faster, you run alone. If you want to go further, you run together.’ Let’s go further together in the adventure God is calling us to travel.

The Scarecrow event held at Rennington raised £1148 for our church funds. We thank the Village Hall Committee for organising the event.

We are next hosting a Harvest Supper at the Horse Shoes Inn in Rennington on Wednesday 4th October 2017, 7pm. Tickets £17.50 for 3 course meal, available from 01665577174 or [email protected]

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Life After Care to be launched by Trigger Press on 2 October

Mental health and the issues surrounding those who struggle with it are frequently featured in the media, particularly with celebrities and the young Royals coming out and talking about their own mental health challenges. In our own Diocese, we recently ran a workshop for clergy and lay ministers on developing mental resilience to working under pressure. Life After Care is an inspiring autobiographical book about one of the ministers in our Diocese and his lifelong struggles with mental illness. The Revd Mark Edwards writes with profound honesty about his journey with anxiety, panic attacks and depression, and reveals the enduring impact his childhood had on his mental health. His diary entries from the 1980s bring to life his thoughts and feelings as a teenager, struggling to understand how he came to be placed in care, and how to deal with his adolescent feelings of loss and love. On the verge of breakdown, Mark tried to take his own life and he was sectioned under the mental health act. The book follows his journey from local authority care to the wards of a crumbling Chester Victorian psychiatric asylum, and beyond into life on the streets. This is a heartfelt, true story of how a troubled young man managed to turn his life around. From being imprisoned in the care system and mislabelled as a violent boy with no hope, he became a successful, happily married family man, ordained in the Church of England and a prominent figure in his local community. In conversation with the Link editors, Mark said, ‘I have been described by many over the years as a walking miracle to be doing what I am doing today, considering my background. I was a special needs child and written off by the educational system, social services, the NHS and even the armed forces. I was considered a hopeless cause who would either spend his time in and out of prison and mental institutions, or eventually commit suicide. ‘My journey to ordination was not easy: I had to fight against prejudice even within the Church. I would be the first to admit that for many years I carried a huge working class chip on my shoulder and was content to play the victim. It has been a tough journey, and I still wrestle with my mental health issues, but through my faith, my marriage and my service to the community I am able to give something back rather than be a victim. ‘I wanted to publish the diaries as a way of helping to remove the stigma surrounding mental health problems. I want to show that mental health difficulties are not a barrier to living a good, wholesome and positive life, and that it is possible to move beyond being a victim to being a victor.’ Life After Care forms part of the Trigger Press Inspirational Series, which features authors who have overcome their difficulties to make a positive contribution to society. The series promotes the idea that mental health should be talked about freely and without fear. The book will be available from Amazon and all good book shops.

growing church bringing hope

Diocesan Runners in A the Great North Run

By Judith Sadler

As well as the bishops, we know a great many people in the Diocese also took part in the Great North Run, many of you also raising money for some amazing charities. Here is a small selection of stories and photos from some of the runners – thank you to everyone who sent something in for Link.

Suzanne Keenan, Administrator for the Joint Education Team, running for Alzheimer’s Society. ‘I was running for the Alzheimer’s Society and plan to do a Total Warrior on 16 September as part of my fundraising.’

Leanne Conway-Wilcox from Church of the Ascension, Kenton, running for her church. The churchwarden said, ‘We hosted a pasta party, open to the whole community, on the night before the run to ensure Leanne and other runners were fully ‘fuelled’ and as relaxed as possible.’ Madelaine Cordukes from Christchurch, North Shields, running for Women’s Aid. ‘I attend Christ Church in North Shields, and this year will be my first Great North Run.’ Margo Haldane, churchwarden in the parish of Delavel: ‘Our family members have been running for many years; my husband Mike, now deceased, completed many half marathons.’ John Laws of St Cuthbert’s, Blyth. ‘This will be my 34th Great North Run.’ Roger Mills of St John’s Kingston Park. Cath Newson of St Peter’s, Newborough, running for mental health charity Mind. Paul Rickeard, Director of the Joint Education Team, running for Macmillan Cancer. Tracey Young of Old Bewick, Eglingham, running for Hospice North, Northumblerand.

Andy Lie of St Luke's and St Andrew's in Newcastle, running for Action Foundation. ‘It was a fine day for running but the Great North Run is getting ever so congested! My time was alright at 2:09:33, about 6 minutes slower than the past two years. This was my 15th Great North Run. If you would still like to support Action Foundation, please visit http:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Andy-Lie2017. Bryan Vernon of St George’s, Jesmond, running for Christian Aid. ‘I did my first Great North Run in 1981. Apart from 1984, when the run clashed with a service I was taking, I have completed them all, although I had a foot injury in 2005 and was pushed in a wheelchair by a couple of medical students. This was my 35th Great North Run - I believe I am right in saying I have completed more Great North Runs than any other member of the clergy! I raised over £1,000 this year, and managed a time of 2 hours 5 minutes 27 seconds.’

SEEDLING, BONSAI OR MIGHTY OAK? What’s helping us grow as Christians? By Hilary Elder, Associate Director of Ordinands Helping people to grow as Christians, and to find and follow the path God has made for them, is a vital part of our churches’ role. It’s high on the national Church’s agenda, too. Recent reports, including Setting God’s People Free and Serving Together spotlight this aspect of who we are as churches and as Christians. So we did our own little piece of research with Deanery Chapters in the Diocese of Newcastle to find out what’s going on here. The research showed the following: ■■ A strong pattern of using Lent and Advent as time for Christian group learning; ■■ Lots of creativity, with people designing their own materials for their own situations; ■■ A desire to understand our own communities better; ■■ Seeing opportunities for developing discipleship everywhere, not just in formal learning. But there were also some significant barriers. The two that loomed largest across the board were lack of time and capacity, and lack of confidence. At first sight this is surprising. Helping people to grow as Christians is central to who we are as churches, so what’s getting in the way? The main culprit was the day-today tasks that crowd in on us and can stop us from seeing what’s really important. ‘Keeping the show on the road’ takes time and energy,

leaving only the scraps of ourselves and the dog-ears of our diaries for anything else. This isn’t a problem just in churches. How many of us spend more time at work on paperwork than on performing actual tasks? As parents, how often do we get to the end of the day and find we’ve spent it being irritable, rather than the parents we intended to be? It’s a common phenomenon and it’s been well-known to Christians from the very start: ‘I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate,’ says Paul in Romans 7.15. And what about confidence? How can we be lacking in confidence to tell the greatest story, to bring the best news, to those around us? Jesus encouraged his disciples to be joyful and confident in their proclamation. But he also said ‘Do not be afraid,’ and he said

it repeatedly. Why? First, he really wants us not to be afraid. Fear holds us back from that confidence we need to proclaim the good news joyfully. Second, we are inclined to lapse into fearfulness – often. It’s exactly because this stuff is important to us that we worry about doing it right, and we end up doing not what we want, but the very thing we hate! Our Diocese is not alone. The report What makes disciples grow? (Saltley Trust, 2016) is based on research with over 1,000 Christians in the midlands. The findings show that people’s spiritual lives are growing, that people learn their discipleship in a variety of ways, and that that ‘confidence as much as competence is the challenge for today’s Christians.’ (p.3). Similarly, the report of the Archbishops’ Council Setting God’s People Free finds that ‘one of the most common reflections we heard from frontline congregations was that people lacked “confidence” in applying their faith to their Monday to Saturday lives.’ (p.3). There is much to think and pray about here, and we have a great opportunity coming up to do that together: Our Diocesan Open Synod Forum on Discipleship will be on Saturday 25 November in Ashington – more on this next month. Do come if you can and join the conversation.

n eight-year old boy in a ‘Prayer Space’ in a school is looking at a world map and remembering the country from which his family fled. He puts his name near Kosovo and remembers those who were left behind. He talks to his classmate about it, and his new friend says: “It’s alright mate. You’re here now, and we’ve got your back.” Meanwhile another child, involved in another ‘Prayer Space’ activity, speaks of how she likes ‘fizzy tablets’ to make her feel calm, helping her forgive her mum for shouting at her. These two stories were told by the children who, having entered the ‘safe space’ offered by ‘Prayer Spaces’, were able to express their feelings, then felt free and willing to leave the space and share with fellow classmates their experiences and thoughts. ‘Prayer Spaces in Schools’ (or even in ‘Yurts’ if you remember Pat Craighead’s article in the last edition of the Link!) is a way of dedicating physical space for children of all ages to ‘make their own meaning’, helping them develop the skills of being still, asking questions, reflecting and sometimes praying. Father Adrian Hughes quotes a statement which inspired him to be part of a ‘Prayer Spaces in Schools’ team in a High School. He said: “The church’s most basic task is to offer people creative ways to communicate with the source of life”. He explains that while the ‘Prayer Spaces’ approach arises from a Christian perspective, it is not designed to proselytise. He believes that it is as meaningful for staff as it is for the whole school community. So, if you can imagine a space being put aside at your local school for Prayer Walls, Bubble Tubes, Play Dough, World Maps, Washing Lines of ‘BIG’ Questions, Forgiveness Stones, Mirrors and Prayer Chairs, or a host of other activities, see: https://www.prayerspacesinschools.com/. You might be interested in joining national director, Phil Togwell for an introduction to ‘Prayer Spaces in Schools’ at Holy Nativity Church, Hillhead Parkway, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE5 1DR on Wednesday November 22 either between 1.30 pm and 3.30pm or 4.30pm and 6.30pm.

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Giving children the freedom to reflect

We are very impressed by Bishop Christine and Bishop Mark’s achievement in completing the Great North Run. Here at the Cathedral we have been offering prayerful back-up, but can lay no claims to athletic endeavour! Nevertheless, trying to get our Common Ground and Sacred Space project up and running has sometimes seemed something of a marathon as well! ‘I thought you were taking your pews out?’ commented a visitor recently – she’d been on a Deanery visit a couple of years ago and was surprised to find that nothing very much seemed to have happened since then! Of course, a lot has happened since then, though much of it has been behind the scenes. For example, we’ve been refining our proposals and shaping our application to the Heritage Lottery Fund to secure the funding that will enable the plans to go ahead. Finally, after three attempts we heard in March that we had been successful in securing a Stage 1 pass, releasing money to do the detailed design and planning that is required. Having finally been given ‘Permission to Start’, things have suddenly have moved up a gear. As I write, we have just had a week of interviews for new staff and consultants who will turn our outline proposals into detailed designs and costed plans. There is the design team for the work on the fabric, comprising the architects, mechanical engineers, quantity surveyors, landscape designers and structural engineers. Their work is crucial for getting into the nitty gritty of our outline plan: Exactly what will our new nave floor look like? How will we protect and preserve the ledger stones? What Knowing the fa materials will we use? What specification will about your pa cts ri and church ca sh our underfloor heating have? How will our new n be really useful w visitor facilities be laid out? talking about hen This very high-profile work on the building both mission and st takes a huge amount of skill and expertise, ewardship. We ca By Rachel Jobes but it is of course not an end in itself – this is n de termine perc e th epWe love not ultimately what our project is all about: tio n g an d reality and ein What we are working towards is a Cathedral thought of b er to it can help us kn We’ve been collecting stories from around the Diocese of how churches are managing ow brave in ord and that attracts many more people across the stewardship, often in challenging situations. Here’s one we particularly like from ho w h to act! grow churc king threshold; that is working more closely with Whittonstall. Read the story below, then check our comments for thoughts and ideas ta e, p o bring h you can apply to your own church. a range of partners in the city and region to if en ev a risk and the offer a welcoming and creative environment rk o w ’t n es it do Whittonstall is a small village of 200 inhabitants, many of them scattered in farms and e er th t for people to use for a whole host of activities an w clusters of houses. It has no real centre but is split in two by Dere Street, the still busy Roman Road that marches north way you learn to and events; that is recruiting new volunteers n o ss le a from York to the forts beyond Hadrian's Wall. People told me that the church of St Philip and St James is much loved, as is to work not just with the history and heritage they often do in Northumbrian villages, but it didn't feel like it of the Cathedral but to meet more effectively A few years ago an attempt to make it more useful (Whittonstalll has no community hall or the needs of the young, the vulnerable and It’s helpful It’s goo space) saw the removal of the pews. A local community band was begun, which remains very to both mis those many who come in search of sanctuary, d p r a ctice to stay popular, but church services had dwindled almost to nothing. At my first Whittonstall Annual sion and ou hope and meaning. In short, we are seeking a w a r re where Meeting, shortly after arriving as Vicar of the Moorland Group of Parishes, the three members of stewardship you can of to ensure that the Cathedral is not just g the PCC shuffled uncomfortably when I asked how many would be in church on Sunday. r g ants an et to make use d physically at the heart of the city, but is a fu of n fr din om, the contacts an y can h g d spiritual and cultural hub too. We decided to experiment with a Tuesday service instead twice a month. It proved a w e it lp h you relationship s. modest success, with six or seven communicants and occasionally a few more. To enable this to happen we have also project r church Who do you then en s which recruited a part time Volunteer Co-ordinator know? How ab Whittonstall First School gave me a warm welcome. I also discovered that they liked the ca fu n rther y les you to and a Partnership Officer, and commissioned you help th o ur idea of coming to church. Now that we have swanky new heating thanks to a grant em? missio church consultants to develop activity plans, with from the Community Foundation they like it even more. n! interpretation schemes to bring the story of the Cathedral to life. Underpinning it all is a Once a month they come and join us for our service and often bring a generous and s e g number of parents and carers too. It's short but fun and warm. We all formed a chain, went outside, and n business plan that will ensure all the sums add a h c Noticing es or suc'clipped' the church on the Tuesday nearest to Mothering Sunday (we gave it a big hug) and we hoped it was a up. It really is a huge undertaking and we are ri to ic v ll s sma sign that it's really beginning to feel more loved. great way really just beginning. The road ahead will be a cesses are ing people g ra u long one and no doubt there will be a number o c n e ! It of After most of our services, folk linger longer than they once did - usually now in the Anchor Inn over a their faith of twists and turns along the way before we cup of coffee. We're all feeling a bit more upbeat and begin to wonder if God has a purpose for St Philip and St and lifting nerous mind e reach the finishing line. And of course that is James in the years to come - and what that might be. shows a g eryone loves when the work will really begin! set and ev tude.

Stewardship stories: St Philip & St James, Whittonstall

grati

In the meantime, we need to find better ways of reminding everyone in the village when our special services take place and we'd love more people to come and feel at home in the building.

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growing church bringing hope Loving God, We thank you for our beautiful Dioc ese of Newcastle, and the many wild and wonderful frien ds You have made here through the year s. Help us to grow in Your likeness; to welcome everyone You call; to bring Your hope to our communities ;

and to share Your love with all. We ask all this through the power of Your Spirit, and in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. A prayer from the young people of St Mark’s, Shiremoor

Strand 5 of our new Diocesan vision: Rural

Introduction by Jonathan Mason

I

n the twelve months since I was licensed as Bishop's Rural Affairs Adviser, I have learnt much about the Diocese of Newcastle, not least about its rural areas. Some has come from my Adviser's role, travelling around parishes and benefices, talking to people who live and work in the countryside, reading reports and attending meetings. Some has come from my role as Priest-inCharge of a four-church, two-parish benefice at the furthest western edge of Morpeth Deanery. However, I am under no illusion that there isn't a great deal more to learn. The Diocese of Newcastle, so our website tells us, 'covers the beautiful and deeply rural county of Northumberland' – the most sparsely populated area in England – with small rural parts of County Durham and Cumbria also within the Diocese. It also contains the most populous city in the north east: the population of Newcastle is something under 300,000 people, packed into about 44 square miles. Northumberland has a population of about 316,000 spread over almost 2,000 square miles. About half are concentrated in the more urban areas of the south-eastern corner of

Northumberland, with the other half in county town, villages and hamlets. There are many different types of 'rural'. In a series of ‘Rural Conversations’ held around the Diocese last autumn, we heard about 'pit village rural', 'commuter and retirement village rural', 'tourist rural' and even 'deep rural'. There are large areas of farm and forestry, as well as over 400 square miles of National Park and 100 miles of coast designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The National Trust is a large landowner; the Ministry of Defence owns some 93 square miles of the Southern Cheviots in the Otterburn Army Training Estate; and Kielder has the largest man-made woodland in England and the largest man-made lake in northern Europe.

Much of Northumberland is beautiful and deeply rural, but the beautiful rural is not without its problems, many of them shared with urban communities. Urban and rural deprivation display a range of common characteristics such as low levels of income and difficulties in accessing education, training and affordable housing. Some issues are more acute in rural areas, among them: a higher cost of living, connectivity (mobile phone and broadband), fuel poverty and an ageing population. In churches across the Diocese there are regular, weekly congregations, some very small, but also larger groups of 'irregular regulars' who appear at major festivals (Christmas, Easter, Harvest, Remembrance) and for occasional offices. These two groups were identified at one Rural Con-

Report on the rural strand of growing church bringing hope

versation last year as, respectively, the 'Confessional' and the 'Incarnational' Church. The Church faces its own challenges, related to the demographic issues of an ageing, falling population as well as the occasionally perceived burden of multiple church buildings. But there are strengths too, of course: the rural church is often part of a closelyknit network, which might include the local school, the village hall, shop or pub. Everywhere, the church is connected outwards into the community through its people, often through support of a food bank or work in the hundreds of voluntary organisations. Buildings might be a burden but they can also be a focus of local belonging and a place of quiet where requests for prayer might be left or candles lit. The countryside is facing many changes and challenges. The Church, present in so many of our small and remote rural villages and hamlets where other services and facilities have vanished, is well-placed to play its part in supporting and strengthening rural community life. It does this most effectively when working in partnership with others, when working collaboratively. This will be strengthened and supported by the rural strand of Growing Church Bringing Hope, which will see clergy and laity working together in order to reshape the rural church’s engagement with God’s mission.

by Peter Robinson

■■ Left to right, the then vicar of Mitford, Revd Joanna Dobson, posing in the tractor while waiting for the bride to arrive! The surprise gun salute outside the church after the ceremony. Joanna Dobson proving the tractor really is being used as a wedding car.

A rural variation on the wedding car These pictures were taken at a wedding at Mitford church, Morpeth Deanery, where local couple Keith Brown and Emma Bennewith tied the knot in September 2015. Keith is an agricultural salesman selling farm machinery. He and Emma live on a farm in a tiny hamlet just two miles up the road from Mitford

n rural a a focus o To bring your church for to is in th y t tr u ut o minis hy not c me while, w tor, stick it to so c er a y tr ra r p e y w pra rite a fe w ed? d id n v a card aces pro – a p s e th points in o be coloured in uth It can als resource for yo ! ls le great litt d Sunday Schoo work an

■■ St Cuthbert’s in Elsdon, Bellingham Deanery

■■ Kyloe hills, near Rothbury

■■ St Aidan’s in Fourstones, Hexham Deanery

There are some big challenges facing the rural areas of our Diocese, as Jonathan Mason has pointed out. They are by no means unique to the Diocese of Newcastle, but are present in any rural landscape. In fact, a recent panEuropean found the following: ‘Rural areas perform crucial roles in society as the main provider of food and a reservoir of natural resources, delivering a range of ecosystem services and public goods. Rural areas across Europe are facing several challenges such as pressures on land use from increased urbanisation, changing demographic structures due to depopulation and ageing, and stress on rural ecosystems as a result of climate change.’

■■ St Paul’s in Branxton, Norham Deanery

Rural communities in the UK, and especially farms, are also facing additional uncertainty over the future impact of Brexit. Part of the strategic task of the local church is to understand its rural context in the Diocese more deeply. For example, what capacity does the rural church need to have in order to be helpful to local communities facing the challenges outlined above? What shape does the church’s ministry need to have so we can respond even more effectively to our parishioners’ needs? The rural strand of our Diocesan Vision aims to address these big questions specifically through the task of ministry. Overall, within five years, ministry in rural multi-parish

benefices will have been reimagined. We will have simplified our structures, identified lead/ focal ministers and created new teams. At this early stage of the Vision, a good question to ask is: what will success look like in five years’ time? Our answers to this include: ■■ Where possible, services will be taking place in every parish church at least once a week; ■■ We will be experiencing confident, growing congregations; ■■ Parishes and congregations will be aware of one thing they can do really well and offer to the wider benefice, the deanery or even the Diocese; ■■ There will be a benefice mind-set emerging: parishes will be supporting each other

■■ Thropton countryside, near Rothbury effectively across established boundaries; ■■ Church structures will be simpler, with more single parish benefices; ■■ Each parish or congregation will have a trained and equipped focal leader (lay or ordained) who is working collaboratively; ■■ There will be a particular emphasis on crossbenefice and cross-deanery engagement to meet the needs of children and young people, as well as those who are isolated. This is an exciting vision within growing church bringing hope. Through a series of ‘rural conversations’ over the past year we now have around 100 people engaged in the process of re-imagining the rural church. There is a guiding coalition for the rural strand, currently

comprising Steven Purvis (chair), Jonathan Mason, Steve Wilkinson, Joanna Dobson, Hilary Elder, Rob Kelsey and Helen Savage. The leadership group is currently working to select four areas in which to inaugurate rural ministry teams in a pilot project. They are also organising a rural strand conference for 2018, and setting up a rural theology group. We hope to report on these focus areas in future issues of Link. If anyone in the Diocese would like to join in with the rural strand and is not currently involved with the network, we invite you to get in touch by emailing [email protected] or [email protected].

church. Keith and his best man arrived at the church on the tractor, and after the ceremony, bride and groom left together on it, driving the two miles up the road to the reception in a marquee at their home. Tractors can serve as an easilyrecognisable symbol of rural life. Farming

magazines print photographs of the newest machines, all gleaming and clean, while agricultural shows often feature processions of beautifully cared for vintage machines. The reality is often rather more muddy, untidy and isolated, but tractors are central to the rural lifestyle.

Another part of rural life has always been to do with wildlife management, including hunting and shooting. Keith Brown is, like many people, part of a shooting group. Unknown to him, Emma had arranged for a gun salute as they came out of the church, greeting the newly-wed couple with quite a bang!

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New academic year starts Shrinking the Footprint is the Church of England’s national environmental campaign. The website states: ‘The Church of England has endorsed the observance of a “Time for Creation” from 1 September (the first day of the church year for the Orthodox Churches) to 4 October (the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi). During this season congregations are encouraged to give particular focus to environmental issues. Time for Creation links in naturally with the time when we celebrate harvest thanksgivings.’ Harvest is a favourite season in the church year for many Christians. It doesn’t come with the complex issues of the virgin birth, like Christmas, or the resurrection of Easter. In essence, Harvest is about ‘sowing the seed, gathering the harvest’ – which leads inevitably to the ceremony of the limp runner-bean. That said, for many years there has been a movement towards celebrating Harvest as a time of sharing God’s good gifts – which can lead to the ‘Let’s fill the sanctuary with toilet rolls thanksgiving service’. But Harvest isn’t really as simple as that; it is an event that needs to be seen in the context of wider Creation. Looking out of our study window, we have watched our local farmer manage to harvest his wheat. Not long after planting we had a spell of very wet weather which flooded the lower part of the field and from which no harvest was forthcoming. A spring appeared in the middle of the field which damaged the crop around it, then along came pigeon, rabbit and hare. Watching the crop develop has been an ever-changing tapestry. No, this harvest was not straightforward. So when we gather at our harvest festivals we are not only giving thanks for God’s good gifts we should also be opening a doorway into an appreciation of the wider stage on which our harvest play is enacted. The fundamental question is whether we are willing to enter this doorway or whether the comfort of simplicity is too strong an attraction. Having been a professional environmental scientist for most of my working life, I find it hard to understand why we wouldn’t consider crossing the threshold, but two encounters over the summer showed me the stark reality. At a church-based meeting in Dorset, plans to have a mass release of balloons were challenged when it was pointed out that this would not be in the best interests of the environment. There followed a tirade against ‘kill-joy environmentalists that the church could do without’, and the matter was only resolved when a local councillor confirmed the release would contravene local by-laws. Then at a local church meeting, when the concept of Creationtide was raised, the general response was along the lines of: ‘For heaven’s sake, why does the church have to complicate things – harvest is harvest, just leave it alone!’ Both these experiences suggest to me that, as a Church, there is a substantial gap between our stewardship of Creation and the practice of our religion. ‘Let’s keep things simple’ – this view suggests that many churchgoers don’t really want to take the opportunity of seeing harvest in a wider Creation context. I wonder where you stand on this? Are you willing to take that step and look at the wider context of our harvest celebrations, or is tradition too valuable for it to be marred by a different perspective?

News from Lindisfarne Regional Training Partnership www.lindisfarnertp.org A word from David Bryan, Dean of Lindisfarne RTP

Will you dare to share your riches in common and minister to those in need? We will.

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n Saturday 9 September, Lindisfarne RTP launched the new academic year for 2017-18. In the morning we welcomed most of the new students – twelve Reader trainees, seven Ordinands and two independent students. They come from both our Dioceses, Newcastle and Durham. We were also delighted to welcome the new chaplains for Lindisfarne, Revd Stephen Herbert (Byker) and Revd Barbara Hilton (Tudhoe). Their task will be to support staff and students, and to pray for them throughout the year. Both have long experience of working with us: Barbara was a student here for five years, and Stephen has helped us in various ways over the full lifespan of Lindisfarne. They will enhance the journey of learning very much indeed. After lunch we were joined by the continuing students as we gathered in St John’s Church, North Shields, for a Eucharist to inaugurate the year. Bishop Mark Bryant of Jarrow was the celebrant. He encouraged us to look to God to re-form the Lindisfarne community

Will you dare to pray for each other until your hearts beat with the longings of God? We will. with prayers for graces from the Spirit. Peter Robinson, Archdeacon of Lindisfarne, preached passionately about the calling of the Church to see ministry as sharing in the work of God the Trinity in the world, and enabled us to reflect on the challenges of the times in our region. The service ended with a moving commissioning that included the following words from Times and Seasons:

Will you dare to carry the light of Christ into the world’s dark places? We will.

In this way, we set off with hope and confidence into a new year as a community of learning and prayer. It promises to be very exciting. Please do pray for us and ask how we are getting on. Throughout the year, we hold residential Empowered by the Holy Spirit, weekends and Easter Schools for both readers will you dare to walk into God’s future, and ordinands. Below you can read Derek trusting him to be your guide? Avery’s account of the ordinands’ residential By the Spirit’s power, we will. visit to Corrymeela. In the forthcoming year, the ordinands will be visiting Auschwitz and Will you dare to embrace each other Krakow after Easter 2018. We will try and give and grow together in love? you a flavour of what we learned when we We will. return.

Corrymeela: An inspirational visit to Northern Ireland’s troubled past In June, a group of fourteen ordinands studying at Lindisfarne Regional Training Partnership and three staff members attended a summer school on the stunning Antrim coastline in Northern Ireland. Our visit was to an organisation like few others – the Corrymeela Community. The ordinands have met together for several residential weekends over the last year or so. As we are from two dioceses (Durham and Newcastle), it is always a great opportunity to meet, learn, have fun and reflect prayerfully on our future ministries. However, this nine-day summer school would be different. The Corrymeela Community is Northern Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation organisation and is a dispersed ecumenical community with people from all Christian religious traditions. It began before ‘the Troubles’ and continues to work in Northern Ireland’s changing post–conflict society. We joined the eleven thousand people who spend time in the community’s residential centre every year, examining conflict, its origins and its impact on our lives and society. Our nine days were led by two community members who have direct experience of helping manage conflict in trouble “hotspots” all over the world. We experienced amazing learning, realising that the sources of conflict are not always obvious - the seeds of conflict can often exist within us and our own families. Our eyes were opened to the reality that ‘the Troubles’ in the north of Ireland are far from over. The conflict still rages and communities are divided still.

The only difference seems to be an absence of violence and real tensions between communities remain. We visited some of the places where conflict can be palpably felt, including the city walls of Derry/ Londonderry where murals commemorate past issues. We were surprised by a “conflict tourism” industry that has grown up around people’s interest in how the conflict has played out. We saw the so-called ‘peace walls’ in Belfast which divide the two communities. Some are incredibly ugly constructions, fifty feet high, with residents on either side fiercely displaying their allegiances with banners, flags and symbols. The sad thing is that these walls still separate people and some sections are fifty years old. Some of our number were shocked and others saddened by what is still going on, so close to home. The learning sessions were amazingly well handled. They occasionally touched raw nerves with a great deal of emotion; tears as well as laughter. As future priests, we were sensitised to the

fact that we may be called on to mediate conflict situations. We were also encouraged to use the skills of ‘leaning into conflict’ - to face up to its reality rather than avoid or skate around situations which cause pain. One of our number said: “The troubles formed a backdrop to my growing up, but we learnt about real people, and the impact on communities. I was struck by walls, in Derry and Belfast. The strategies we learnt about conflict resolution were helpful and thought provoking.” We had time for prayer and reflection. Corrymeela has at its heart a beautiful building called the “Croi” (pronounced ‘Cree’ and means “heart”) where there was twice daily worship consisting of twenty-five minutes silence followed by a simple short spoken liturgy. During our nine days, there was also time for relaxation and fun. As well as the stunning sunsets, there were trips to the local town Ballycastle and to the nearby Giants’ Causeway, as well as locations made famous by the TV programme “Game of Thrones”. The hospitality of the Community and its volunteers remains a golden memory to us all. We were heartened and cheered by the other groups sharing our space at the centre. There were local schoolchildren learning that friendships could be made across communities, and a large party of American students and a group of Swedish teenagers preparing for confirmation whose stay had been unavoidably prolonged by a catastrophic failure in their airline’s computer system! All in all, it was an unforgettable experience. I will finish with the words of another member of our group who described it as a “deep transformational learning. What more could one wish for?” Thank you Corrymeela, may God bless your efforts now and always.

Licensing of the Revd John Carr

Dinner brings a year of events to a close

This year’s Readers’ events will culminate in the Middlemiss Dinner when Dr. David Bryan will speak on whether we, or any living creature, have an Immortal Soul. The dinner finishes a year in which Readers have been putting on events across the Diocese, such as informal meals, retreat mornings, and a sermon on Preaching. Discussions through the year included looking at being green from a self-centred point of view, what makes a meeting of people a worship session, and recent alarming research claiming Anglican services and sermons are incomprehensible to half the population. Notes and resources from our debates are on the Readers website or available from Jan Porter. Next year, starting in Advent 2017, the theme of all our events will be Prayer.

Newcastle Cathedral School of Prayer Event Saturday 4 November 2017 10:00am-4:00pm

Invitation: Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

By Robert Lawrance, Vicar of St Francis High Heaton

■■ The Dome of the Rock, a Muslim shrine

for Lindisfarne RTP

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Like many Christians before us, I and the Revd Gary Birchall have found that pilgrimage has nourished and stimulated our faith in a unique way. We would like to invite you to join us on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2018. We will be going to places you have read and heard about in the Bible: starting beside the Sea of Galilee, we will visit sites such as Nazareth and Capernaum, where you will discover intriguing connections with Jesus and faith. Then we will journey south through the hills of Samaria, down to the Jordan valley, passing places where John the Baptist worked, visiting Jericho before ascending up through the hills of the Judean desert and over the crest of the hill to Bethlehem, where Jesus

was born. We will explore Jerusalem, staying within the mediaeval city walls and within walking distance of key places such as the sites of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Inevitably, the hills and landscape are little changed, but the modern towns and cities, and the huge challenges of the contemporary political and religious debates will also be there in front of our eyes. We will learn more of the history of the last hundred years. We hope to hear from people committed to working for peace in the present realities. We are delighted to say we will be travelling with Lightline Pilgrimages, a Christian travel company who work exclusively with

Christian pilgrim houses, restaurants, and tour guides, and who is the ‘official and preferred’ pilgrimage operator for the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem. It’s not the cheapest option, but we believe it’s the most ethical way to travel: not only does it support our Christian brothers and sisters in a very practical way, but also through its partner on the ground, Lightline can open doors to the different communities we will encounter. ■■ You are welcome to join us! To find out more, email me at [email protected]. org or find a brochure at www.robertlawrance. com.

On St Aidan’s Day, 31 August, the Revd John Carr (pictured with the bishop of Berwick and others) was licensed as House for Duty Assistant Priest for the Parishes of Carham, Cornhill and Branxton at a special service at Cornhill Church. In his sermon, the Bishop of Berwick, the Rt Revd Mark Tanner, referred to St Aidan’s practice of going out and about to meet people where they were, rather than wait for them to come to him. The Bishop made the point that John will be a priest for the whole parish, not just for the church, and told him (for example) to be sure to be seen in the local pub! The Area Dean for Norham Deanery, and Priest in Charge of the three parishes, the Revd Rob Kelsey, said that, ‘During the past four years all three churches have grown in various ways, in self-reliance, in lay leadership, and in engagement with the wider community. Today John Carr will be licensed as Assistant Priest, to add value to the good things that are already happening.’ The Archdeacon of Lindisfarne, the Ven. Peter Robinson, said that part of John’s remit was to work with the churches to explore the possibility of a ‘Fresh Expression of Church,’ which would enable people who don’t already come to church to worship together and grow in the knowledge and love of God in a way that works for them. Representatives of various groups and organisations from within and beyond the three parishes were present, and said their own words of welcome during the course of the service.

The Revd Prof David Wilkinson, Principal of St John's College, Durham, will speak about his recently published book: 'When I pray, what does God do?' The Very Revd Michael Sadgrove, former Dean of Durham, will lead a session on the practice of prayer. Bishop Christine says: "I am delight delighted to endorse this event and would encourage you to publicise it widely. One of the aims of our Diocesan Strategy is to 'create opportunities for deeper engagement with God in prayer', and this day on prayer seeks to do precisely that." Cost: £20.00 per person, including buffet lunch. For further information, please contact The Revd Canon Steven Harvey by email: [email protected] or telephone: 0191 232 1939.

Tickets purchased via: https://school-of-prayer.eventbrite.co.uk

St Nicholas: Man or Myth? Saint or Story? Tuesday 5 December 2017 11:00am-4:45pm A day of illustrated talks exploring the Cathedral’s dedication. Led by The Revd Bruce Carlin. Cost: £20.00 per person, including buffet lunch. The day is followed by Choral Evensong, with music from Benjamin Britten’s ‘St Nicolas Cantata’. For further information, please contact The Revd Canon Steven Harvey by email: [email protected] or telephone: 0191 232 1939. Tickets purchased via: https://st-nicholasillustrated-talks.eventbrite.co.uk

10 generous engaged open

Link Crossword 136

ACROSS Compiled by Mary Sutton

HAVE YOUR SAY Do you have a story for LINK? Is something on your mind? Or in your prayers? Let us know, and we’ll publish the best submissions.

sermon (6)

DOWN

2. Woman in New York wanting children’s nurse (5) 3. Old hay moved before end of busy religious festival (4,3) 4. Mother about to get waterproof garment (3) 5. Tom, a vet, is removing spurs (9) 6. First of readers in robe having become bigger (5) 7. The royal going round hotel with slimmer (7) 10. Religious person in charts I upset (9) 12. Engineers with inspector revealing regret (7) 14. Five having bad time in small place (7) 16. Finding pipe, a prophet (5) 18. Short man, cold, with abdominal pain (5) 20. Georgia parking in opening (3)

Post: Have your say, LINK, Church House, St John’s Terrace, North Shields, NE29 6HS Email: communications@ newcastle.anglican.org Facebook messenger: m.me/ncldiocese Twitter: @ncldiocese

#DigitalDiocese – New and improved: A Church Near You is being developed

By Laura Ball Good progress is being made on revamping A Church Near You (ACNY). Following research with 1,788 people, we are planning to improve the site by adding new features and functionality. These include: a mobile-first design, a simpler log-in process, an ability to display feeds from church social media accounts, and more options for churches to add details of their missional work and promote events. The new website will hopefully be launched in early November. Following that, our priority for 2018 is to allow churches to turn their current

1. Worker beside border identifying song (6) 5. Strong youth originally seen after May (6) 6. High Church member giving coaching to all, possibly (5-8) 9. I had reportedly watched (4) 10. Agreement involving group of witches and worker (8) 11. Quiet man with hesitation presenting petition (6) 13. Vet ran out of pub (6) 15. European politician initially helping a sibling with stress (8) 17. Decorative fabric left by expert (4) 19. Bandage found by Bill next to the French piece of furniture (8-5) 21. It’s about chief’s stay (6) 22. With Penny, get to deliver a

single page in to a full church website. This website will be provided free of charge to the churches, and you will be able to choose your own domain name. All existing data will move to the new website when it goes live. Please note though, that anyone who has not logged into their ACNY account for the last 12 months will lose access to the new platform and have to re-apply for it. If you have any queries about the new ACNY developments, or about your own church website or Facebook page, please do get in touch with the Communications Team at communications@ newcastle.anglican.org.

Answers to Crossword 134

(which was mistakenly labelled ‘135’ in Link)

In other n

We welcome ne ews… w Facebook pa ges: 1. HolyTrinity Em 2. Whittingham bleton 3. Whittingham , Edlingham and Bolton C of E Primary School Search for them on Fa cebook what the new pages look like! and see

OBITUARY RIP Revd John Horton, 1927 - 2017

The Revd John Horton John died in hospital on 7 May, aged 90. John had celebrated his 90th birthday in March 2017 after more than 60 years of priesthood. He served his title at St Peter’s Balkwell in North Shields, had a second curacy at Coatham on Teesside and then went on to the newly created parish of James the Deacon in York, where he served the remainder of his full time ministry. In the 1990s he retired to North Shields. During his retirement he continued to serve the Church, and regularly helped in many parishes, especially in Balkwell and Billy Mill. He was a dedicated priest, whose care and compassion

was appreciated by many individuals and also the parishes he served. He and Jean, his widow, had kept in touch with many from his parish in York where he had been responsible for the many developments over the 35 years of his tenure. He will be greatly missed by those who knew him and not least for the smile and the firm handshake that was so familiar to us. John died in hospital on 7 May and a Requiem Mass took place at St Peter’s Church, Balkwell on 5 June. A packed church thanked God for his long life and service. Our hearts go out to his wife of over 60 years, Jean, who will also remain in our prayers. Revd Canon Jim Robertson

ACROSS: 1. Evangelist 8. Duchess 9. Runup 10. Ring 11. Complete 13. Irish 14. Itchy 16. Senorita 17. Asia 20. Class 21. Nursing 22. Repentance DOWN: 1. Elder 2. Ascension Day 3. Grey 4. Lesson 5. Seraphim 6. Intercession 7. Speedy 12. Pharisee 13. Insect 15. Stance 18. Argue 19. Brat Our Crossword is sponsored by St Thomas the Martyr Church, One World Shop (The Haymarket, Newcastle upon Tyne). A Voucher to spend in the shop will be sent to the crossword winner. Many thanks to the Master of St Thomas and Staff at the One World Shop. Winner of Competition 134 (mislabelled ‘135’) was Mr Peter Anderson of High Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne. ■■ Completed entries should be sent to: Competition 136, Church House St John’s Terrace, North Shields, NE29 6HS. Closing date Friday 10 November 2017

growing church bringing hope 11

Inspired North East

With Ian Bapty

Noticeboard

www.inspirednortheast.org.uk

HLF Grants Workshops in the North East

As previously highlighted in LINK, the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Grants for Places of Worship programme has now closed. However, the HLF have said that, at least for the next year, they are ring-fencing a similar amount of money to be spent on church projects via their ‘Our Heritage’ (projects from £10-100,000) and ‘Heritage Grants’ (projects over £100,000) programmes. They say this change will actually allow greater flexibility for church applicants for HLF funds. The HLF’s North East office is proposing to run workshops for churches to introduce this changed funding landscape and the new opportunities it provides. They are requesting that churches contact them at [email protected] to express an interest in attending a workshop. Venues and dates will be announced in due course. The HLF remains a vital funding source for church projects, and we would strongly recommend as many churches as possible request a place on these workshops. While the ending of the Grants for Places of Worship scheme was disappointing, it is very important that churches continue to make full use of HLF funds and access all the support available.

Fundraising Support Opportunity from ‘Giving to Heritage’

Everyone involved in church management projects knows that an effective fundraising strategy is essential. While the task may seem daunting, there is a lot of free help out there to put you on the right track. One source of assistance is the Institute of Fundraising’s ‘Giving to Heritage’ programme (funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund) which provides a range of resources to support organisations managing heritage and historic buildings, specifically churches. Although the ‘Giving to Heritage’ programme closes in December 2017, there is a limited number of one-to-one free telephone fundraising consultancy sessions still available. Book via the events and training section of the Institute of Fundraising’s website: http://www.institute-offundraising.org.uk/events-and-training/heritage/supportsurgeries-for-the-heritage-sector/. These surgeries are only available while funding lasts, so book early.

Inspired Futures ‘Travelling Treasures’ Training event

As regular LINK readers are aware, a key part of the Heritage Lottery funded Inspired Futures project is to provide training support both for the 18 churches in the Inspired Futures project and all churches in the North East able to attend our programme of events. Working with heritage interpretation consultant Jo Scott, our next event will be a day workshop on Wednesday 18 October to develop the ‘Travelling Treasures’ exhibition – one of the outputs of the Inspired Futures project. The exhibition is available to all the Inspired Futures churches and will be based around objects contributed by each of the churches. The aim is to reach out to congregations and church visitors in altogether more creative ways. So please put the date in your diary - it promises to be a busy hands-on session where you can discover your inner creative talents. Check out the Inspired North East website for details.

Inspired Futures Churches find out what their communities think

It’s one thing to have a good idea about how you want to develop and improve your church for community and mission, but it is also crucial to test those ideas with the partners and people who will benefit from the project. Undertaking consultation, and demonstrably involving the church and wider community in developing a project, is not just essential for successful funding applications, it is also the basis for ensuring your project will actually be sustainable in the long term. Will other community groups really be prepared to use your revamped church and facilities? Are you really responding to the core needs in your community? With this in mind, several of the churches being supported by the Inspired Futures project have had a busy summer developing and delivering open days and events. These proved a great focus for introducing a wider group of people to the churches, and provided opportunities to get the views of local people on the activities and developments which are at the planning stage. Here are some examples of what three churches did: St Cuthbert’s, Billingham in Durham (see photos) brought a series of local groups together on 24 June for a series of activities and displays operating in and around the church during the day. An art group, wildlife interest

groups, local history groups, and groups working with children and young people were all involved. Nearly 200 people dropped in during the course of the day. A series of different methods such as face-to-face conversations, comments cards and opportunities to post ideas on boards in the church were used to gather information on local people’s ideas and priorities relating to the future of St Cuthbert’s. St Cuthbert’s, Elsdon in Northumberland have linked their consultation processes to a series of evening events over the summer. Working with the Inspired Futures team, different consultation materials were produced, ranging from simple ‘pew cards’ to a display where people used post-it notes to comment on proposals for new venue spaces in the church, and to support the case for improved heating. These allowed people attending to offer their views and provide essential information for the church development process. Christ Church, Shieldfield in Newcastle linked their event to the remarkable historical story of Shieldield and the opportunity to connect past and modern lives. The event, which ran over the first weekend of September, coincided with the planned completion of improvement works on the adjacent church hall, and showcased the process of change and development at the church. Elements included an afternoon barbecue, talks by a local historian, circus performances (linked to Circus Central who are partners in the development of the church facilities), and a visit from Nick Brown, the local MP. With extensive prior publicity including use of social media (with the help of the diocese’s communication team), over 150 people attended the Saturday alone. A great deal of consultation feedback and information was captured on themes including lack of youth provision, family activities and reminiscence of older people, and this can now be used to shape future project strands. The basic message from all these examples is that consultation and the information it provides is invaluable for church development projects. While organising and developing events can take some work, this is repaid many times not just by the social and missional value of the event, but by the vital information and evidence gained to inform the future sustainability of the church.

Inspired North East CONTACT DETAILS Ian Bapty, Inspired North East Project Officer Tel: 0191 2704123 Email: [email protected] www.inspirednortheast.org.uk

Sat 23 September, 19.30, Italian Evening in aid of WERS. Join us in Riding Mill for a sumptuous, three course Italian meal to raise money for the West End Refugee Service (WERS). Spaces are limited to 80. Secure your place by emailing the Revd Lesley Chapman on [email protected]. Sat 23 September, 09.30-12.00, Training for New Churchwardens. This training session for churchwardens in the Archdeaconry of Lindisfarne will be held at St Andrew’s Church Cottage, Corbridge. For more information or to book a place, please contact Katherine Govier on 01670 503 810 or [email protected]. Sun 24 September, 14.00, Commemoration of the Battle of Britain at St Andrew’s Church, Newgate Street. All enquiries to Syd Graham on 01670 731196 or [email protected]. Fri 29 September, 19.30, Organ recital with Henry Wallace. Holy Trinity Church, Horsley, NE19 1RU. Henry Wallace is former assistant organist at Hexham Abbey and choral director of several Northumberland choirs. Tickets £10, please email mail@landermason to book. Fri 29 September, 09.30-16.00, ‘Refugees Welcome?’. The Rt. Revd Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham, will lead a day of reflection at Shepherds Dene on the ongoing refugee crisis. Cost £20, to include coffee on arrival, lunch and afternoon tea. Please contact [email protected] or phone 01434 682212 to book. Fri 29 September – Sun 1 October. ‘Saints and Angels’ flower festival at St Gabriel’s Church, Heaton. Fri/Sat 10.00-16.00, Sun 13.00-16.00, followed by a thanksgiving service. Free entry, refreshments and musical entertainment. For further details contact Margaret Crozier, 0191 224 4812. Sun 1 October, 19.00, A Monk’s Tale. Enjoy this theatrical show to mark the Reformation at Holy Trinity Church, Jesmond. ‘A great deal of silliness makes for a hugely entertaining show that revels in the absurdities of one of the biggest religious argument in history.’ - The Times. £10, concessions £8. Email [email protected]. uk or phone 0191 281 3399 to book. Mon 2 October, 11am, CMD and St Jerome Open Meeting. Professor John F.A. Sawyer

will give a seminar, followed by a discussion, on ‘Isaiah – an evangelist more than a prophet’ at the Education Centre, Newcastle Cathedral. Please direct enquiries to the Revd Dr Richard Virden on [email protected]. Fri 6 October, 9.30-3.30, ‘Thomas Cranmer & the Bible: What it Meant for Him and What it Means for Us’. A Cranmer Hall Explore Day, led by Revd Canon Dr Ashley Null at Leech Hall, St John’s College, Durham. £10. To book, please email [email protected] Sat 7 October, 09.30-12.00, Training for New Churchwardens. This training session for churchwardens in the Archdeaconry of Lindisfarne will be held at St Michael’s Parish Hall, Alnwick. For more information or to book a place, please contact Katherine Govier on 01670 503 810 or [email protected]. Wed 11 October, 19:30, Ponteland High School. Are natural disasters Acts of God? Professor Bob White FRS, Cambridge University. Free admission. Refreshments from 19:00. Further information: bigquestions-anyanswers.org Fri 13 October, 7 for 7.15pm, Readers’ Board Middlemiss Dinner. Newcastle Cathedral. David Bryan will speak on: ‘Are Souls Immortal?’ To book, please email Jan Porter on [email protected]. Fri 14 October, Ampleforth Abbey and Stanbrook Abbey. OPENING DOORS: The role of Benedictine Hospitality in the Ecumenical Movement. Email [email protected] for details. Wed 18 October, 18.30, Newcastle Cathedral. Open Consultation to look at the proposal for a Resource Church in Newcastle City Centre. All welcome. To help with numbers please confirm your attendance to [email protected]. org or 0191 270 4100. 21 October, 14.00-17.00, Brunswick Methodist Church. ‘From Conflict to Communion: Still Reforming?’ An ecumenical study afternoon to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. Email [email protected]. 25 October, 12.00–14.00 Christian Aid, St Ebbas Church Beadnell. There will be delicious, homemade soup, and cream scones from 12 - 2 pm in the WI Hall.

Keep up-to-date and see more details at www.newcastle.anglican.org/events

Playing Hide and Seek with God

By Tim Hardy

Have you ever seen a Godly Play presentation of the Parable of the Good Shepherd? In it (as I remember it told), the parable is slightly expanded to provide more opportunity for reflection and identification with the flock rather than the shepherd who is presented quite faithfully in terms of the original Gospel story - more or less strictly in terms of what he does and says. We see one sheep gradually fall behind and getting lost, trapped and eventually rescued when the shepherd realises that it is missing. Reflective questions are asked about how both the 99 non-lost sheep and the single lost sheep might feel, what would they be thinking and what might have caused the individual sheep to become lost in the first place. I sat and watched and listened as the single sheep fell behind and found myself identifying a desire to have a bit of space to myself and dreading the impending ‘being found’. The idea of an inescapable God became terrifying - and the identification quickly went from ‘gone astray sheep’ to ‘criminal miscreant, on the run from an inexorable, hard boiled gum shoe’. Old, comforting standards like Psalm 139 (‘If I make my bed in the depths, you are there’) now added to the claustrophobia and rather than coming away with a fresh appreciation of the titular Good Shepherd, I left the session a scared and shaken sheep on the run! Putting the boot on the other foot... In the first book of Kings, a scared, shaken

and on-the-run Elijah encounters God on Mount Horeb. The Lord has already spoken to him and told him to look out for a further encounter. As God is approaching, in quick succession, a mighty wind, an earthquake and an impressive-looking fire go before the terrified prophet. But God isn't in any of these phenomena choosing instead to reveal himself in a gentle whisper. Admittedly, the gentle whisper says some terrifying things. Following the resurrection, Jesus revealed himself in several surprising situations: in the Garden of Gethsemane to Mary who had mistaken him for the gardener; on the Emmaus Road to Cleopas and his travelling companion who failed to recognise him until he shared a meal and broke bread with them; and to a locked room full of disciples, hiding from the authorities. More recently, one Maundy Thursday, following the stripping of the altar (and indeed the whole of the front of the church, including the host from the aumbry, leaving it bare and dark with no visible signs of God's presence), I went to the front to the place where God no longer was meant to be and knelt at the rail, expecting and hoping to experience some of the emptiness and desolation felt by Jesus. Instead there was a sense of God being there already, welcoming me and a feeling that the desperate, long forgotten game of hide and seek was over. For now. Tim Hardy writes a blog under the name of Timbo Baggins. You can read his posts at http://www. timbo-baggins.co.uk. Tim Hardy

12 generous engaged open


Big Banks are key to Matters the Big Shift towards a cleaner future

Work with Canon Glyn Evans of Newcastle City Centre Chaplaincy

Did you enjoy your summer Holy Days? I went on a ballooning holiday – and put on four stone! It’s now back to school for lots of children but also a time when young adults begin a new job. Do you remember when you first started work? It was scary for me. I began work as a psychiatric care assistant and the hospital was massive. Gone now are those institutions. After that, I became a banker, but I lost interest! Now the world of work is a lot different and despite what people often think, youngsters do want to work. Perhaps they realise the truth of Proverbs 13 v 4: ‘A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied’. But what kind of work does the future hold for them and what do we have to say about it as Christians? Work will certainly involve more technology and last longer. There will also be many ethical challenges. The kind of work we consider important is the opposite of ‘bad work’ - insecure, exploitative and controlling, which is bad for health and wellbeing. It is something that also generates cost for vulnerable individuals and the wider society. Inevitably, we spend far more of our time at work than at church, and it is in the workplace that the reality of our faith is most often tested through the challenges of business and working practices and negotiating relationships with colleagues of other faiths and none. As Christians, we take every opportunity to testify to the compassion, generosity, steadfastness and authenticity of Jesus. But as a new ‘starter’ this takes a lot of bravery and courage. Please pray for all young men and women beginning a new job and for all who employ them.

It is now two and half years since we launched our Safeguarding Training Programme and during this time we have trained 1000 people on ‘Creating a Safe Space’, primarily laity and retired clergy, and 300 people on ‘Helping Others Create a Safe Space’, primarily clergy and readers. More than 200 people have been involved in undertaking a Parish Audit and producing a ‘Parish Safeguarding Action Plan’ and over 70 people have attended sessions about recruiting volunteers and paid staff safely. We will run our last ‘Refreshing Safeguarding Practices’ (parish audit and action planning) on November 8th with the opportunity to ‘drop in’ at Church House anytime between 3-6pm. By the end of 2017 we would hope that every parish/church has its action plan in place, approved and monitored by the PCC. In October 2017, we will be publishing our ‘Safeguarding

News from Christian Aid North East with Amy Scott Do you, like me, feel helpless about climate change in the face of such an overwhelming problem? We may feel insignificant, yet we can ‘do our bit’, for example by ‘living simply that others may simply live’, as Ghandi once said. And we can join in Christian Aid’s autumn campaign the ‘Big Shift’, the aim of which is to persuade the ‘Big Four’ banks to shift investment away from fossil fuels and towards more green energy projects. But can this really make a difference? Governments and scientists agree that we must move towards a zero carbon economy. UK banks manage trillions of pounds of our money and it is up to us to be interested in how they use it. To love our neighbours and God’s abundant planet as we’re entrusted to do requires a big shift in finances towards renewable energy. We understand that it’s not easy for banks to change all their loans and

investments. It will take time. But what is worrying is the lack of a clear plan or commitment from the banks about how they can scale up investments in renewables. That’s where we come in. What are we being asked to do?

To get the attention of the banks and the media, we have to be creative. **Meet Prudence, our giant piggy bank!** We’ve created hundreds of Prudence posters that will carry our demands to the banks and beyond. You can: ■■ Fill these posters with clean ‘money’ to represent the actions you’re already taking in your own lives to make the Big Shift towards a better world. ■■ Ask people to write their name and a message on their ‘renewable pounds’. Don’t forget that you can use special climate liturgy to embed the campaign in an act of worship. ■■ Take Prudence to your local bank, by the end of October if possible. You can obtain more information and materials from the local office by emailing newcastle@ christian-aid.org or ringing 0191 228 0115. The Church has often been key to shaping the collective conscience of society – think of the rise of Fairtrade, which began as a small church movement. Our brothers and sisters around the world at the sharp end of a changing climate tell us that burning fossil fuels is no longer OK. We must respond to their call.

Here’s how one local church joined in the ‘Big Shift’ ‘We believe we must act in order to protect our planet. In a moving section of a recent service we enjoyed a piece of drama, a brief informative presentation and a creative prayer

TOWARDS A SAFER CHURCH

With Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser Ruth Rogan

www.newcastle.anglican.org/safeguarding Training Programme’ for 2018 and for the first time this will include refresher training for all those who attended their safeguarding training in 2015 (SG1/C1 and SG6/C3). These sessions will be held in different parts of the Diocese so hopefully there will be a convenient date and venue for those of you who need to attend. Also for the first time we are running sessions specifically for bell ringers, organists and those involved in the musical life of our churches. There is an on-line module available now called C0 - this is a basic safeguarding awareness raising module and is something

to access before attending the foundation modules of C1 and C3. If anyone is interested in finding out more about this, please get in touch with Ruth Rogan at r.rogan@newcastle. anglican.org For all other training bookings please contact Ruth O’Hagan at R.O’[email protected]. org or on 0191 2704115 We can never be complacent about safeguarding training however much we think we know and however much experience we have. There is always more we can learn and reflect on to really ensure that our churches are the safe spaces we want and need them to be for everyone.

By Cathy Smith, Stocksfield Baptist Church and some of the church members later time that helped young and old alike took the Pig to Lloyds Bank in understand the issues around banks and climate change. The congregation Hexham. What the banks do with our personal finances is definitely our enjoyed the opportunity to add their business!’ renewable notes to Prudence the Pig,

PIONEER MINISTRY Baking and camping and… hang on, a church? By Phil Medley, Community Engagement Leader for Mission Initiative Newcastle East (MINE) St Michael’s Byker is a small congregation of people trying to work out what it is to be a ‘Church’ today. Seventeen years ago, the congregation decided to take a bold move in moving from their traditional home, the Victorian Church on Byker Hill, to an old bakery that was converted into a worship space and community centre. The Centre became the Church’s new home and situated in the heart of Byker it was an amazing way of witnessing community. Now the congregation is worshipping back in its old home, but in keeping with the pioneering spirit the Church showed 17 years ago, we are still doing things differently. We worship in a large tent inside the building. This was done out of necessity (the building has no heating system!) but the temporary tent does remind us that as a Church we are still on the long journey, with Christ, to discover how we can reach out to the community of Byker and spread his good news. A huge part of our life at St Michael’s is our

work with young people, which we do together with the other Churches of MINE. This summer we’ve had a Mission Week and Holiday Club in partnership with Scripture Union and offered lunches and activities to Children at our Centre, as part of a Newcastle-wide scheme to tackle and research holiday hunger. The task of pioneering is engaging with the challenges that our particular contexts have for us and working out ‘new’ and quite often ‘old’ ways of showing our communities the love of Jesus. There are no easy answers to some of the challenges we face in Byker, so all the time we are questioning where God is and his plan for us. But because of the recent history of St Michael’s and the considerable changes the congregation has experienced, creativity and pioneering have become important parts of our DNA. This means giving ourselves in the Church the permission to try new things, make mistakes (often!) and being prepared to be surprised by where God is leading us.