News - Diocese of Chester

The Great Hot Cross Bun Givaway

On a glorious sunny Good Friday day in Chester, Vicar of St Peter's in Chester, Jonathan Phillips and his team are giving away a massive amount of Hot Cross Buns to the people of Chester in celebration of Good Friday.

Bishop Mark encourages diocese in sermon

In his Maundy Thursday sermon at Chester Cathedral, the Bishop of Chester, Mark Tanner, urged the Diocese of Chester to "rediscover the freedom of doing the one thing we can do for God and to do it brilliantly."

TLT recognised for its work supporting communities

In a recent newsletter sent out nationally to its supporters, the Church Urban Fund featured St Paul's Church, Stalybridge and the work it is undertaking alongside Transforming Lives Together to offer welcome and hope to the local community through its Places of Welcome initiative.

Vicar who was told he was 'a bit overweight' takes on Ironman

When Revd Stuart Cornes's doctor said that he was "a bit overweight" he came up with the idea of combining a bit of keep-fit with a way to raise money for essential church repairs by entering the Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire competition.

Donations from Churchwardens to support 'Filling the Gap'

At the Archdeacons' Visitation Services, the Churchwardens in attendance traditionally make a donation to charity and this year the Archdeacons have chosen Transforming Lives Together as their charity of choice. The money raised will go towards funding the 'Filling the Gap' initiative.

Environment Forum Chair urges care for creation

As the daffodils dazzle and spring blooms all around, the Chair of the diocesan Environment Forum, the Revd Mike Loach, has written a reflection for the diocesan Cycle of Prayer in which he urges us all to consider God's creation.

Write a poem about the vision process, Casting the Net Wide

Poets of all standards and experience are invited to join April's Poetry Break, the theme of which will be the diocesan vision process, Casting the Net Wide. Attendees can contribute their own verses or simply enjoy listening to others recite theirs.

New chair of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel

Alisa Wilson has been announced as the new chair for DSAP, Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel. Alisa is an independent safeguarding consultant and chartered manager supporting a national cancer charity in their delivery of safeguarding.

Being Bishop of Chester 'changes me every single day'

Bishop Mark has told the BBC that being the Bishop of Chester "changes him every single day". In an interview on BBC Merseyside, he reflected on his time in the diocese since his appointment three years ago and told presenter Paul Beesley about his new book, Clinging to the Cross.

Counting wildlife in ‘undisturbed’ churchyards

Parishes across England and Wales can now register to participate in Churches Count on Nature, an annual scheme where people visit churchyards and record the plant and animal species they encounter.

What is Eco Church and how do we become one?

Eco Church is a scheme run by A Rocha, UK equipping churches to care for God's creation through their worship, buildings, land, community engagement, and individual lifestyles. Find out how your church can move to being recognised as an Eco church.

Last chance to contribute to vision consultation

There are just a few days left to contribute to the diocesan-wide vision process which, over the last six months, has been gathering the views of people in our churches and communities with the aim of developing a shared vision for the Church in the Diocese of Chester.

Triple Eco-Church awards for Tarporley parish

The three churches that form the parish of Tarporley have each been awarded a Bronze Eco-Church award by A Rocha. The award scheme recognises how churches express their care for God’s creation through caring for the world and engaging with the local community on environmental issues.

New Features on A Church Near You

Churches in the Diocese of Chester who have an ACNY account will be pleased to hear that there are some new extra features available for editors which include a dedicated safeguarding information box for church homepages.

Solar Panels installed at Chester Cathedral

Chester Cathedral has installed solar panels on its ancient monastic building. The 206 solar panels generate 22-25% of the total energy consumption of the building and contribute to the Church of England’s aim to be Net Zero by 2030.

Ash Wednesday in Altrincham

Revd Claire Corley and Revd Aled Seago, from St George's and St Margaret's, Altrincham were out in the town centre celebrating Ash Wednesday by offering people in the community the opportunity to be ashed.

Dr Krish Kandiah coming to the Wirral

The speaker at the next 'Sunday at Seven' event at St Mary’s Upton, on Sunday 05 March will be Dr. Krish Kandiah. For those who may not have heard of Krish, he’s an internationally respected speaker and campaigner.

Statistics for Mission

For us all to have a plan for growth for our churches, it's important to have a good understanding of our churches across many areas of mission. Gathering statistics is a key part of understanding the overall picture.

Vicar's Valentine's Day dance

A video of two members of our clergy performing a choreographed Valentine's Day dance routine has been viewed thousands of times on social media since it was posted. The idea for the dance, which is fast becoming an annual routine, began in 2021 as a way of lifting the spirits of the community.

Crafty Café in Liscard

You could be mistaken for thinking that the ‘Crafty Café’ at St Mary’s, Liscard is so-called because of some sneaky way of skimping on their ingredients, but you couldn’t be further from the truth. Crafty Café is a weekly event that unites people together through their shared interest in crafts, such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting, etc.

Prayers for God’s blessing for same-sex couples take step forward

The Church of England’s General Synod has called on the bishops to take the next step to issue prayers which would enable same-sex couples to come to church after a civil marriage or civil partnership to give thanks, dedicate their relationship to God and receive God’s blessing.

Race, the topic of conversation as part of clergy training day

Over 70 curates and training incumbents gathered at Forest Hills Hotel to enter into an ongoing conversation between peers about racial justice. Participants were challenged to think about their experience and background, and how this shapes their wider views on race.

Training to offer Pastoral Supervision for clergy

We will soon be offering courses for clergy looking to receive pastoral supervision. In conjunction with this, we are also running training for those who could act as supervisors. Could you be one of those people?

A new IT system to aid administrative tasks

A new Contact Management System adopted by the Diocese of Chester will assist Church House staff, Bishop’s House staff and parishes to manage administrative tasks and aid communication. Church House staff will be working with parishes to roll out the CMS locally and explain how to use it

Vision webinar with Bishop Mark

A webinar with Bishop Mark offered attendees the opportunity to discuss the ongoing consultation process to develop a new vision for the Church in the Diocese of Chester and to find out more about the different ways people can take part. Watch again here.

Gaia artwork coming to Chester Cathedral

Gaia, a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram is coming to Chester Cathedral. From the 7th of February the public will be able to view this awe-inspiring installation. The artwork is a representation of our planet and aims to create a sense of the Overview Effect, a term first coined by author Frank White in 1987.

Churches invited to submit art for Chester Cathedral exhibition

An art installation coming to Chester Cathedral in May will be a key creative feature of the Casting the Net Wide vision process. The community artwork will comprise of a shoal of 1000 paper fish, produced by parishes from across the diocese. Parishes are invited to start making the fish in preparation.

A church in interregnum

In this short video, Paul Williams, a Churchwarden at St Luke's, Huntington explains how the church has been able to carry on during the temporary period when they are without a vicar, a period known as interregnum. He says it's been both "scary" and "exciting" as they've adapted to the new situation.

One Reader's experience of being called by God

"God calls us to serve because of who we are, not who we may think he wants us to be." When NHS Nurse, Andrew Bradley-Gibbons felt God calling him to ordained ministry he responded enthusiastically. However, it wasn't meant to be - at least not yet. He shares his story of responding to God.

Safe Spaces service hours extended

A service offering victims and survivors of church related abuse a confidential, personal, and safe space to discuss their experiences has increased its operational hours under a newly appointed independent provider, First Light, which took over the service from Monday 9th January.