4. Church_at_Home_19.4.2020

Digital Ministry Mission Shed Inspires Churches to Try ‘God-Given’ Technologies

Authenticity is becoming a scarce resource, driving more demand for creator content, not less. The dial is moving from ‘Can you create?’ to ‘Can you make something that only you can create?’ Joe Hartropp, the Church of England’s Digital Labs manager, was the main speaker at the Diocese of Exeter’s recent Digital Ministry Mission Shed at St Jude’s Shed in Plymouth. People from churches across Devon gathered for a day of learning and inspiring about…

Bishops Call for Prayer for Cyprus, the Gulf and Wider Middle East as Conflict Escalates

Devon’s Anglican bishops have called for Christians in the county to respond to a request from the Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf to pray for all those caught-up in the current conflict in the Middle East. The Diocese of Exeter is officially linked with the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. At least six countries in the diocese, which covers Cyprus and a number of the Gulf states, have been hit by drone strikes…

The Church of England’s Disability Project awarded £5 million in funding

The Church of England has recently announced it is awarding £5 million over the next three years to the Disability Project. The Disability Project aims to remove barriers and encourage participation for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people in the life of the church. The project will receive funding for a series of programmes between 2026 and 2028. This includes a number of leadership projects, as it encourages more disabled people into leadership roles within the…

Reflections on February General Synod

General Synod took place in London last week from the 9 to the 13 February. The General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England, and it considers and approves legislation affecting the whole of the Church of England, formulates new forms of worship, debates matters of national and international importance, and approves the annual budget for the work of the Church at national level. Items discussed at February’s General Synod included the…

Licensed Lay Ministers Explore Enabling Others to Worship in Varied Ways

Enabling Worship was the theme of this year’s Licensed Lay Ministers (LLMs) conference from 7 to 9 February in Torquay. Carol Price, an LLM from Yeoford, near Crediton and Assistant Lead for LLMs, said “At the heart of our ministry is worship. I wanted the conference to highlight different ways of worshipping that we can access and bring to our churches, so we reach more people. “Our aim is to reach as many people as…