Bishop Julie Conalty has contributed a Bible reflection to a safeguarding campaign organised by Christian safeguarding chairty, Thirtyone:eight. Her reflection is part of a suite of resources including prayers, worship ideas, animations, and liturgy that are freely available to churches.
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Jerry Marshall is a member of St Mary’s Church Weaverham, where he is a youth leader, communications coordinator, and part of their café church team. He also devotes his time to helping people in Africa, something to which he says he feels called by God to do.
The Church of England has published lots of advice to help churches reduce their energy costs this winter. There are practical suggestions from the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division and also a webinar on "housekeeping and quick wins" which discusses a range of ideas for reducing energy usage.
Christian, Jewish and Muslim perspectives of Divine Love will be the topic of discussion at an event on 14 November as part of Interfaith Week. Find out more about the three speakers from the main Abrahamic faiths taking part.
The Growing Faith Foundation is seeking to resource 12 Learning Hubs across the country to further its impact. The hubs will act as strong developmental communities of practice from which other school and church leaders (both regionally and nationally) can learn.
Buildings for Mission Adviser, Sheena Wilson, looks at Warm Hubs and offers some advice on whether this is something you and your church could be offering this winter. There are plenty of resources to help you explore this topic at a time of need for many in our communities.
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The Revd Lesley Currie is the newly appointed Dean of Women in Ministry for the Diocese of Chester. She will support ordained and lay women in ministry and encourage them to apply for senior posts, diocesan groups, and committees.
On Saturday 15 October over 60 women attended what was the 9th Women's Voices Conference. Five fantastic speakers were invited to share their perspectives on the Bible.
Christ Church, Higher Bebington has been celebrating becoming the first church in the diocese to receive a gold Eco Church award - the highest accolade possible in the award scheme from A Rocha, the Christian environmental organisation.
The Church of England has responded to the publication of the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). The Church of England was one of the first institutions to call for the Inquiry and a spokesperson for the Church says it is "taking its recommendations very seriously."
Many churches across the diocese are already registered with A Church Near You, the website that helps people to find a church in their area. For churches it’s a great way to put yourself on the map, literally, so that people know where you are, how to find you and who to contact, via phone or email.
The Christmas campaign theme for 2022 from the Church of England is 'Follow the Star - The Great Invitation'. Some resources have already been released with more promised and a webinar, which you can watch here, explains what's happening.
What is Divine Love, and how is it interpreted by the Islamic, Jewish and Christian faiths? This question forms the basis of the 'Together in Love' event which event is being held on 14 November during Interfaith Week. All are welcome to attend.
Chester Cathedral held a Diversity Service on Sunday 16 October to welcome and celebrate those from diverse and minority communities from different races, sexuality, and physical and mental abilities.
The Church of England is to provide £15 million for dioceses to help churches struggling to pay energy costs. The Diocese of Chester is set to receive £299,000 to support parishes. Further details will be communicated shortly.
It was a glorious sunny day on 08 October when 16 men and women were licensed into lay ministry roles at Chester Cathedral on 8 October 2022. Please pray for them, as they begin their new ministries, and for the parishes in which they will serve.
This week, Deb Toole arrived at Church House to begin her role as P.A for the Archdeacon of Macclesfield, Ian Bishop. She was previously a medical secretary at Halton and Warrington Hospital, where she worked for twenty-nine years.
The Church of England has published its national Past Cases Review 2 (PCR2) report, the purpose of which was to identify both good practice and institutional failings in relation to the handling of allegations of abuse. The Diocese of Chester has also published its Summary Report.
The Bishop of Birkenhead and the Lead Bishop for Safeguarding, Julie Conalty, has issued a statement following the sentencing of Richard Owens, a former choirmaster in the Diocese of Chester who pleaded guilty to non-recent sexual offences.
As we mark Black History Month throughout October, the Archdeacon of Macclesfield, Ian Bishop, speaks to churchwarden Julius Kililiku about his role as churchwarden in Bidston and about how he came to the UK from Kenya.
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The Bishop of Chester is today launching the vision development process for the Diocese of Chester. The grassroots consultation aims to "cast the net wide" in order to capture the views of the widest number of people in our churches and communities to determine the vision and strategy for the future.
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Christ Church, Wheelock recently gave thanks for the dedicated service of two members of its congregation. George Wood has recently marked 60 years as a Reader alongside his sister June who has been playing the church organ for 75 years. George's nephew Carleton will be licensed as a Reader on Saturday.
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Please pray for the 16 men and women who are due to be licensed into lay ministry roles at Chester Cathedral on 8 October 2022. Pray for them, their new ministries, and for the parishes in which they will serve.
The Church House officers behind the Here to Listen project have told how they were prompted to act after hearing about a suicidal school child who had been told they could not access support for eight months. In November, the team behind the project will offer training to new church volunteers.
It was the National Harvest Service at Chester Cathedral on Sunday 25 September. The service was well-attended, not least because a number of farmers from across the diocese came together to give thanks to God and rejoice in the splendor that nature has provided them.
Women’s Voices, the event that promotes theology from a women’s perspective, is now into its 8th year and is due to take place on 15 October. The event description has been catching the eye of would-be-attendees, particularly the phrase "subjugated knowledges", a term coined by French philosopher Michel Foucault.
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Charmaine Maw, administrator at St Thomas & All Saints Church, Ellesmere Port is an artist who appeared on the television programme Joe Lycett: Summer Exhibitionist, after one of her pieces of art was shortlisted for the Royal Academy exhibition.
Julie Okundaye is the new Chair of the diocesan Race and Ethnicity Forum. Here she speaks with Archdeacon Ian Bishop about the role on the eve of Black History Month, the event held in recognition of the contribution and achievements of those with African or Caribbean heritage.
Chester Cathedral has been chosen as the venue for this year’s National Harvest service, which will be taking place this coming Sunday 25 September, and will include a farmers market. The National Harvest service is organised by ‘Love British Food’ and was first held in Westminster Abbey in 2013.
The summer is officially over, and we are now into autumn, a season that brings with it certain weather conditions and natural phenomena that can cause damage to church buildings. If left unchecked and unresolved, damage can become much more of an issue come winter, costing more money and time to fix.
