Walthamstow Farmers Market

Walthamstow farmers’ market

Revd Tony Cant reported on his work as manager of the Walthamstow farmers’ market which operates each Sunday. The church has a refreshment stall in the market. This raises funds through youth work and provides free refreshments for the traders. Tony acts as ‘town crier’ at the market. He declares it open and reminds shoppers and traders of the major Christian festivals. The two minutes’ silence on Remembrance Sunday was a significant experience.

The church community had considered how it could engage with the community for some 15 years. The church runs a pop-in café, provides food for the homeless through a Christian kitchen and has launched a Facebook site. They worship in a house on a Wednesday evening, reflect on the past week, plan for the next one, share the Gospel and have communion together. They have taken the bold step of no longer worshipping at St Luke’s. Their work is based on Jesus, Mission and Church in declining priority. Synod applauded this work and prayed for continued success.

Giving Strategy

The Bishop of Barking, Rt Revd David Hawkins, introduced the strategy. The greatest gifts of the Church, he said, were its people. He gave thanks for the giving of the people and for the finance team in Chelmsford and the Area offices. The strategy document saw finance as an opportunity and looked towards an increase in giving from 3% to 5% of take-home pay.

Bishop David played a dvd of an address given by Archbishop Doulas Hambidge of the Anglican Church of Canada. The Archbishop included the following points:

• Money is much more than something to pay the bills. It has a sacred quality, almost a sacramental nature, because beneath its outward appearance there is a deep spiritual meaning.
• Money is ‘people in miniature’. It says what we are doing with our lives.
• We should not give because the Church needs money but because it is ourselves that we should give. The only way to do this is to take this common commodity that expresses us and give it.
• A reference to King David in 2 Samuel 24: “I will not offer to the Lord my God that which costs me nothing.”
• As we give ourselves, according to proportion of faith, and it is painful, and we notice it. It will cost us something.
• At the heart of it, the offering has nothing to do with the needs of the Church or the needs of the poor or the hungry, paying bills, meeting deficits or responding to a crisis somewhere else. Those things come later.
• If we began to take our offertory seriously, not just bread and wine but our total offertory, lives will be changed as people are allowed, encouraged, to say to God, “This is what you mean to me because I know what I mean to you.”

Robin Stevens added that giving was often dealt with in isolation in responding to a need, when it should be central to strategy. The Church has substantial costs of building and clergy, which are often poorly resourced. There is a lack of realistic consideration of giving.

Annie Coley said that there is a wealth of resources for parish giving programmes. ‘TRIO’ gives an understanding of parish finances that raises awareness and with it levels and patterns of giving. This leads to a ‘eureka moment’ and the eventual freedom from worry over bills. The programme is for committed Church members. In the rural setting the membership base is not enough. The rural church has to broaden its base to include non-members from the community.

Martin Wood said that parish giving officers are a useful tool to put the principles before the congregation and ensure that giving is on the PCC agenda as often as the Treasurer’s report. They can turn a spreadsheet into a story of the accounts and budget which is understood by all, and say ‘thank you’ to the donors. Training, resources and networking will be made available.

Comments in the debate included: poor giving is a spiritual problem; the document should include references to scripture (from Corinthians 8-9); ‘take-home pay’ should be replaced to include the unwaged; the document should be specific in its aim to raise giving to 5%; there is a need to manage the strategy into the future. Members reported success stories of how it had been possible to move away from reliance on fundraising and embrace parish share.

Bishop David said that he would make the suggested changes and moved a motion to take note of the Christian giving strategy, commend it to Areas, deaneries and parishes for action, endorse the Biblical principal of proportionate giving and specifically the General Synod’s exhortation of 5% of take-home pay as a benchmark of giving to and through the Church and mandate the Diocese to monitor progress and report in the summer of 2009. The motion was carried unanimously.

Travellers

Revd Michael Hore, the Bishop’s adviser, said that the word ‘gypsy’ may bring various stereotypes to mind: caravans on public land, noise, rubbish and anti-social behaviour. Some prejudice is understandable, but it can develop into hysteria. The largest section of travellers is the English Romany at 85%, originating in India and coming via Egypt - hence the name ‘gypsy’. The bulk of the rest are the Irish Travellers whose origin is unknown but may have come as a result of the potato famine. They are no longer Irish, but still have the accent. Some others are showmen and boatmen. There are approximately 120,000 nomads and the same number now living in homes. Some 72% live on authorised sites, 12% on unauthorised sites owned by themselves and the rest by the roadside. Under the 1960 Caravan Sites Act planning permission is required for a site, but there is a 90% chance that an application will be refused. In 1968 councils were charged with the provision of adequate sites, but this was largely ignored. In 1994 powers were extended for councils to close unauthorised sites and move the people on, with dramatic consequences.

The life expectancy of a traveller is some 10 years less than average; women are 10 times more likely to experience the death of a child and 17 times more likely to have a still-born child. The incidence of mental health problems is high; less than 30% receive pre-school education. This is partly a lifestyle choice. Fewer than 20% receive secondary education due to bullying and the expectation of plying the family trade. English gypsies are mainly Anglican, but are largely ‘unchurched’ due to the problem of literacy; some are Pentecostal, and the ‘light and life church’ is very popular.

What Anglicans can do for these marginalised people is visit them, listen to their problems and help with their grievances, encouraging them into the local community.
The debate included: experiences of travellers being physically on the margin with authorised sites away from the general population; reports of contact over an 18 month period which brought the children to events and the families to Christmas services; a need to make people aware of their lifestyle and background; and a need to be flexible when planning services for them, particularly regarding times since they do not have a structured day. Comments were made about the effect on school results where they are pupils; the impact on a congregation by their presence; the problem of rubbish at unauthorised sites; and possible non-payment of taxes.

Bishop John said that Christians hold the Gospel with a responsibility to every culture; are present in every community; and are well placed to be a voice for those under social pressures.

Michael Hore thanked everyone for their contributions. In response to points raised in the debate he said that moving the travellers into houses caused mental health problems. Travellers paid community charge, even on unauthorised sites, and income tax. The problem with rubbish on unauthorised sites is largely because the local authority will not supply rubbish facilities because the site is unauthorised. Planning problems can force travellers to turn to unauthorised sites.

The motion - to pray for gypsies and travellers; to become aware of the social difficulties faced by them; to identify their presence in the area; to make contact with them and to consider ways of encouraging them to feel valued members of the community and to be welcome at church services and events - was passed with one abstention.

Havering Synod Motion

Antony Nicole introduced a motion on renewing and deepening commitment to the Bible according to some of the ‘Thirty-Nine Articles’, expressing appreciation of the work of the Bible Society and other bodies, looking for the Bible to remain central in ordination services and the coronation, calling on Christians to renew their study of scripture and calling on General Synod to adopt a symbol of confidence in the Bible, and noting that 2011 is the 400th anniversary of the Authorised Version. He said that the motion came with a background of differences of opinion in the Church internationally and the results of a Bible Society survey which revealed a lack of reading the Bible, even among church-goers. His deanery wanted to work together regardless of churchmanship and express unity.

In the debate, the ‘Year of the Bible – 2011’ was supported enthusiastically. Three amendments were brought to the motion: (1) the idea of trust in the Bible be replaced with its central role in the life of the church; (2) the words ‘reaffirms its confidence that’ be replaced by ‘reaffirms that’ and (3) references to the Articles of Religion be replaced with ‘the message of the Bible must be preached and taught in all possible and appropriate ways, and adequately engaging with the Bible involves a careful reading of the text married to the use of responsible interpretive strategies.’
The first two amendments were lost after short debates. Debate on the third amendment was balanced between concern that the Thirty-Nine Articles would provoke misunderstanding and hope that they provide a tool to tackle issues in every generation. The amendment was passed by two votes with five abstentions. The motion was passed with the amendment.

Other matters

Questions

Bishop John replied - to a question on the accountability of Assistant Bishops and the participation of a bishop titled Assistant Bishop, Diocese of Chelmsford in the irregular consecrations in America - that the Assistant Bishop is accountable to the Bishop of the diocese, who does not support irregular consecrations.

In response to a supplementary question, Bishop John said that he had visited Tanzania 10 years previously and had seen and been impressed by the ministry of this bishop.

A question was asked about whether Bishops’ Council had considered the merits of the single transferable vote system for elections to Council. Bishop John replied that the matter had not been considered but there were few candidates. In reply to a supplementary question about whether the Council would consider a short paper on the matter since Bishops’ Council was becoming more important, Bishop John said that he would ask the Council to consider the matter but thought it more important to encourage participation. When asked whether he considered the single transferable vote system to be one of the worst for producing unwanted results, Bishop John said that all elections can have that effect and that the character of the election directed the type of voting system.

The chief executive, Steven Webb, replied to a question on whether minutes of Synod could be made available shortly after each meeting so that absent members may be informed of the proceedings. He said that a report is posted on the web site shortly after the meeting, before the minutes are published.

Responding to a question about whether reports from Bishop’s Council are detailed enough, Steven Webb said that Council will consider whether any more detail is required.

Lambeth Conference

17 overseas bishops will be hosted by the diocese before the conference. They will be worshipping in Chelmsford Cathedral on 12 July in the morning. Everyone is welcome at the celebration. A group of curates, who visited the link dioceses in Kenya, are hopeful for the country. Some of the bishops will be worshipping in the deaneries on 13 July.

Clergy Discipline Measure

Harlow Deanery had submitted a motion that expresses concern at the effect of the Clergy Discipline Measure and calls for an urgent review of its working by General Synod, particularly in the care of those facing proceedings and the balance between the Bishop’s roles of providing care and administering discipline. The motion needs support for it to be considered for a future Synod agenda.

Amending Canon 27

This Canon was noted. It relates to the relationships with other Churches and to local ecumenical projects in the context of bishops’ orders made under the Dioceses, Pastoral & Mission Measure 2007.