27 Oct

Deanery Synod Minutes

Hello Everyone,

Thank you so much for coming to our recent deanery synod meeting at which we looked at how we might better serve our local schools. I’m sure you all join me in thanking our speakers Jo Jones, Sally Yarrow, and Penny Roberts. The minutes of the meeting are here and these include a links to the presenters’ slides. Do let me know if you have any questions or notice any changes needed in the minutes. We’d also be very grateful to receive feedback on how you found this meeting and any suggestions you might have as to how we can improve and make more valuable the time we are spending together as Synod. 

Also, please have a think about the subjects you would like discussed at Synod – maybe this is something you could raise at your PCC meetings and see whether there are any particular areas where you would welcome more advice or sharing of information with other churches in the deanery. 

The next synod meeting is planned for February, with a focus on community engagement. Please do reach out to Rev Andy Watkins, the Deanery Community Champion, if there’s anything you would like to contribute to this event.


Church Energy Cost Support Grants

With the cost of living crisis starting to bite we know that many churches are facing significantly higher energy bills than ever before. The Diocese of London has been allocated £684,000 to help churches with energy bills this winter, and these funds are due to be distributed in the next couple of months.

The amount that can be allocated to each church will depend on how many churches apply, as grants will be awarded by dividing the allocation from National Church by the number of applicants. The Diocese would therefore request that you consider carefully how great your need is for financial support at this time, bearing in mind your sources of income and available reserves.

If your church wishes to apply for a grant, please send an email to energyfund@london.anglican.org including the following details by 11th November 2022:

  • Name of your church
  • 4-digit diocesan reference number
  • Contact name at the church
  • Bank account details to which funds should be remitted, together with supporting evidence, e.g., scan of paying-in slip or bank statement extract

All applications will be reviewed and processed after this deadline, therefore please expect to hear back in late November. If you have any questions about the grant scheme or the process, please contact Mary Spredbury, the Kensington Area Finance Adviser.


Deanery Updates & Notices 

Bishop of Kensington – until the consecration of the new bishop of Kensington, Bishop Ric Thorpe (the Bishop of Islington) will be Acting Bishop of Kensington during this interim period. Archdeacon Richard will be leading the Area Team locally during this time, but for any Bishop’s Office enquiries during this period, please continue to contact Emma Hughes (PA to the Bishop of Kensington).

Hounslow Welcare Trust – The Hounslow Welcare Trust exists to make grants to help deanery churches work in their community. Supporting projects ranging from debt support, community hubs, and relief for Ukraine, the trust has given out over £40k to deanery churches in the last year and would like to give out so much more. The next meeting of the trust will be held in November so if your church project could do with funding, take a look at the criteria and send in your application before the 1st of November

Patenting in a Digital Age – 1st November, 7.45pm, at All SoulsYoung people growing up today are ‘digital natives’ – the first generation to grow up exclusively in the digital age. The impact of digital technology is far-reaching; creating both challenges and opportunities. Led by Jason Royce, former director of Romance Academy, and a hugely experienced youth worker, this seminar will look at the challenges and opportunities of parenting in this digital age. To sign up, click here.

Preventing Gambling Harms in Diverse Communities (PGHDC) – run by YGAM together with Hounslow Safeguarding Children Partnership, PGHDC was set up in 2021 to equip Faith and Community Leaders in London and surrounding counties with the knowledge and skills to have purposeful and informed conversations with young people and their families about gaming and gambling. The training is open to Safeguarding Officers, Children & Youth Workers, School Chaplains, and anyone else who works closely with children. Workshops are being held Monday 7th November at 6 pm (register here), and Tuesday 29th November at 10 am (register here). For further information please reach out to Marek Maj, YGAM Education Manager

The Menopause Café – 17th November, 7.30pm, St Paul’s Church Brentford.The Menopause and the Workplace report found that one in 10 women have left work because of symptoms of the menopause. Featuring our special guests, Bishop of London Sarah Mullally, Menopause Nutritionalist and Wellbeing Specialist Joanne Fazel, and Angela Chan, Head of Inclusion at StoryFutures. Tickets are £2 each, please click here for more information or to purchase tickets.

Clergy Marriage Retreat – 25-27 November 2022 at Wiston House, West Sussex. An opportunity for clergy couples to spend a weekend away investing in their marriage. The weekend is led by Nicky and Sila Lee, Will and Louie Van der Hart and Ian and Jo Dyble, who help couples recognise and navigate the unique pressures on clergy marriages. As on The Marriage Course, each couple’s conversations are kept private while mealtimes give an opportunity to get to know others. There is limited availability so, if you would like to come, please book early.

Warmest wishes and God bless,

Kathleen McQuarrie 
Hounslow Deanery Secretary


Deanery WhatsApp Groups
Useful for sharing best practice, the Deanery groups cover roles as diverse as Churchwardens, PCC Secretaries, Treasurers, Safeguarding, and children’s workers. If those in your parish would like to join, click here to let us know.

Kintsugi Hope
Kintsugi Hope is not just a charity. We have a vision of starting a movement of Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Groups where people can experience safety and support. To find out more about Kintsugi Hope please click here.

Hounslow Welcare Trust
This year the trust has extended grants to several churches, supporting projects ranging from debt support, community hubs, and relief for Ukraine. – take a look at the criteria and get in touch if your church would like funding.

22 Jun

June Deanery Synod Minutes and Updates

Hello Everyone,

It was lovely to see many of you at this week’s Synod and I hope that you enjoyed the meeting as much as I did. Many thanks to our speaker, Fr Joseph Fernandes. The minutes of the meeting are here and these include a link to the meeting’s recording showing the slides. 

Do let me know if you have any questions or notice any changes needed in the minutes.

Our next Synod meeting is currently pencilled in for the 20th October and will be held at Hope Church Hounslow. Closer to the time, we will confirm this date and send over the meeting details. Please do keep this date in your diary and do let me know if you have any items that you would like to be considered for the agenda.


Deanery Updates & Notices 

Children & Youth Workers – we’ve been asked to setup a WhatsApp group for Children and Youth workers to co-ordinate and share best practice. If your workers would like to participate in this, please send their contact details to me here.

School Chaplain Vacancy – Chelsea Academy have a vacancy for a school chaplain.  If you, or someone you know, would be interested please click here for the vacancy advert and for the Chaplain pack, click here.

Theatre Chaplains– Open once more, ministry is needed within the theatre industry more than ever. Theatre Chaplaincy UK provides pastoral support to all those working in the theatre, of all faiths and none and are looking to expand their team of chaplains. Chaplains are each assigned a theatre, where they visit regularly, front of house and backstage, to offer support and a friendly, confidential listening ear to any in need. They would love to hear from any interested ordained and licensed lay candidates. To find out more, please email theatrechaplain@gmail.com

Archdeacon’s PA Vacancy– The Archdeacon of Middlesex is advertising for a permanent PA.  If you, or someone you know, would be interested please click here for more information. The deadline for applications is 1 July 2022.

Bishop Graham’s Farewell service – Tuesday 12th July at 7:30pm at St Paul’s Hammersmith. Everyone is welcome at this service to say farewell to Bishop Graham who has been the Bishop of Kensington since 2015. Please let the team know if you are planning to attend here, to sign an e-card for Bishop Graham (which he will receive on 12th July), please click here

Kensington Area “Growing Younger” Training Morning – Saturday 15 October 9am to 1pm, St Mellitus College, 24 Collingham Road London SW5 0LX. Everyone who works with children and/or youth in a church setting in the Kensington Area, is warmly invited to this training morning.  This will include time together in worship, a key note speaker, and a wide variety of seminars on different aspects of working with children and youth across our churches. All free and breakfast will be provided!  To book your place please click here.

October Deanery Synod – 20th October 7.30pm, Hope Church Hounslow. Our next Deanery Synod is currently planned for October and will look at Schools, with a presentation by Jo Jones the Kensington Area Bishop’s Schools’ Chaplain. Make sure to note this in your diary!

Kensington Area Youth Weekend 2023 – The Youth Weekend 2023 will take place from 16-18 June 2023 at Oakwood Youth Challenge near Bracknell.  This weekend, led by Area Youth and Schools’ Chaplain Jo Jones, is particularly for churches who don’t run ‘in house’ youth residentials.  Further details will be sent out in the autumn, but if you would like to find out more before then, please contact Jo on Joanna.jones@london.anglican.org


With thanks,

Kathleen McQuarrie 
Hounslow Deanery Secretary


Hounslow Welcare Trust
 The Houslow Welcare Trust exists to make grants to help Deanery churches. The next trustees meeting is on the 14th of July – take a look at the criteria and get in touch ASAP if you’re interested.

Deanery WhatsApp Groups

Useful for sharing best practice, the Deanery groups cover roles as diverse as Churchwardens, PCC Secretaries, Treasurers, Safeguarding, and children’s workers. If those in your parish would like to join, click here to let us know.

Kintsugi Hope
Kintsugi Hope is not just a charity. We have a vision of starting a movement of Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Groups where people can experience safety and support. To find out more about Kintsugi Hope please click here.

08 Nov

New Guidance for Lockdown 2.0

For you quick access, below is the most recent information on the new lockdown and how they pertain to Churches.

Regulations – we are sure you’ll have all seen over night that the regulations went live (available here). They set out:

  • that you can leave home to attend a Place of Worship
  • how Places of Worship can open for a number of specific purposes i.e. for individual prayer and funerals etc – each purpose will be explained in the guidance. Relevant extract from the regulations below:

(7) A person who is responsible for a place of worship must ensure that the place of worship is closed, except for uses permitted in paragraph (8) and regulation 11(18).

(8) A place of worship may be used—(a) for funerals,(b) for commemorative events celebrating the life of a person who has died,(c) to broadcast an act of worship, whether over the internet or as part of a radio or television broadcast,(d) to provide essential voluntary services or urgent public support services (including the provision of food banks or other support for the homeless or vulnerable people, blood donation sessions or support in an emergency),(e) for childcare provided by a person registered under Part 3 of the Childcare Act 2006,(f) for individual prayer, and for these purposes, “individual prayer” means prayer by individuals which does not form part of communal worship, or(g) to host any gathering which is permitted under regulation 8 or 9.

(9) A person who is responsible for a community centre or hall must ensure that the community centre or hall is closed except where it is used—(a) to provide essential voluntary activities or urgent public support services (including the provision of food banks or other support for the homeless or vulnerable people, blood donation sessions or support in an emergency),(b) for the purposes of education or training,(c) for the purposes of support groups, or(d) for the purposes of—(i) childcare provided by a person registered under Part 3 of the Childcare Act 2006, or(ii) supervised activities for children.(10) A person who is responsible for a crematorium or burial ground must ensure that the crematorium or burial ground is closed to members of the public, except—(a) for funerals or burials,(b) commemorative events celebrating the life of a person who has died, or(c) to allow a person to pay respects to a member of their household, a family member or friend.

Q&A – We thought it would be helpful to share the answers to these with you:

Who can be involved in the broadcast from a place of worship?

  • Attending a place of worship for broadcasting or filming an act of worship is permitted but should only involve those people working or volunteering who are essential for the content of the service, and for technical support to enable people to watch and worship online or via a television or radio.  
  • If musicians or singers usually form part of the act of worship that is being broadcast, they may participate but only if they are essential to the delivery of that act of worship. The numbers or people involved should be kept as small as possible to minimise risks and participants should follow social distancing guidance.  

What about Out of School Setting activities for children?  

  • The guidance from DfE covering off the impact of the new national restrictions on the education sector has just been published here
  • As such, out-of-school activities may continue to operate if their primary purpose is either/and/or: 
    • providing registered childcare 
    • offering other childcare activities, where this is reasonably necessary to enable parents to work or search for work or undertake training or education 
    • for respite care, including for vulnerable children. 
    • to be primarily used by home educating parents as part of their arrangements for their child to receive a suitable full-time education (which could include, for example, tuition centres, supplementary schools, or private tutors). 
  • Youth support services, including 1-1 youth work and support groups, may also continue to operate. 
  • All other out of school activities, not being primarily used by parents for these purposes, should close for face-to-face provision for the duration of the national restrictions. 

What constitutes a support group such as continue to take place in a Place of Worship?

  • To ensure support for the most vulnerable during this period, support groups that provide mutual aid, therapy or any other form of support can take place with up to 15 people attending, if the support group is organised by a business, a charitable, benevolent or philanthropic institution or a public body.  
  • Examples include support to: 
    • victims of crime (including domestic abuse); 
    • those with, or recovering from, addictions (including alcohol, narcotics or other substance addictions) or addictive patterns of behaviour; 
    • new parents; 
    • those with, or caring for persons with, any long-term illness or terminal condition or who are vulnerable; 
    • those facing issues related to their sexuality or identity including those living as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender; 
    • those who have suffered bereavement; and 
    • vulnerable young people, including to enable them to meet youth workers. 
  • Anyone working is not included as part of the 15 person limit. 

Hope this is helpful and do reach out to myself or Rev Sarah if you have any specific questions that aren’t answered in these documents.

With thanks,

Kat

Deanery Secretary

14 Aug

New CofE Pandemic Guidance

Hi Everyone!

To assist churches to function in line with the latest COVID requirements the following advice documents, together with relevant FAQs have now been updated on the Church of England Advice page.

Please note that this advice is currently issued in draft form, awaiting confirmation of the exact wording of government guidance for places of worship on the use of face coverings. The guidance may change as the situation evolves and we’ll let you know as soon as we’re sent the final versions.

Hope this is helpful and do reach out to myself or Rev Sarah if you have any specific questions that aren’t answered in these documents.

With thanks,

Kat

Deanery Secretary

24 Jul

Updated Guidance documents

Dear all.

Following Government Guidance updates in the past week, we wanted to let you know that the Church of England website has just been updated to include the following:

Please do familarise yourself with these documents and feel free to reach out to Sarah or myself if you have any questions.

Kat

Deanery Secretary

23 Jul

COVID-19 Government Guidance

Dear all,

Today’s update is just a quick message to take a look at the government guidance on the safe use of community facilities. So many of us use our church buildings not just for worship but as community spaces and it’s important to take guidance to keep these spaces both safe and welcoming during this time.

The guidance can be found here

If you have any questions, please do feel free to reach out to me or Sarah, we’re here for you as much as you need us.

Kat

Deanery Secretary

14 Jul

Message from the Archdeacon

Archdeacon’s Update

The speed with which things are changing means that any detail I might write about re-opening our churches & buildings could be out-of-date within days (hours?)…

However, the main CofE Covid-19 page contains links to all the relevant guidance (church and government) and is updated very regularly. In the meantime, a few key links to note and use:

If in doubt, do contact your Area Dean Sarah Guinness and/or me – between us we’ll find a sensible way through the complications and questions that we’re all dealing with.

Praying for wisdom, energy, and grace in the coming days.

Richard

22 Jun

Daily Hope – Ministering among Seniors

Dear Friends,

I wanted to take a moment to recommend Daily Hope, especially for those of you who are ministering to the elderly during this time.

Daily Hope is a free phone line (0800 804 8044) which offers a simple ministry to those who might struggle to access services and prayers online. We know churches across the country have risen to the challenge of engaging many creatively online with worship and prayer during lockdown. We were also aware that this also highlighted the ‘digital divide’ between those for whom the online world comes easily and others for whom it is inaccessible and alien. We know that less than a quarter of over 75 year olds regularly engage in online platforms and so wanted to make sure they weren’t excluded from worship in a time of isolation.That’s where Daily Hope comes in.

Daily Hope is an example of a great working together across the church – backed by the Archbishops’ Council – to deliver a solution to a real need. Specialists whose vocation is to minister amongst ‘seniors’, those who have got great tech skills, liturgists and musicians, those from Comms and the Evangelism and Witness team at Lambeth Palace gathered together at the beginning of April to see if they could make this happen.

On the 26th of April the free phoneline was launched. The line offers each caller a number of options – a collection of well-known hymns, the stories behind the hymns, joining in with Morning or Evening Prayer, or receiving the latest relevant public health advice. Since it launched, Daily Hope has received over 150,000 calls totalling 1.7 million minutes from nearly 38,000 unique callers. Callers receive a welcome from Archbishop Justin and then a series of options.Feedback has been hugely positive.

My mum is 89 and suffers from macular degeneration. She is living alone nearly 200 miles from us without internet access, and, like many at this time, is feeling extremely depressed and isolated. A few weeks ago I told her about the phone line ‘Daily Hope’. I can’t begin to tell you how much she appreciates this initiative. It has brought her such comfort, and I know that she spends many hours listening to it, particularly in the night when she’s unable to sleep.”

Stories like this make it all worthwhile and we’d love it if you can pass out the details of this wonderful service to those in your congregation who could benefit. You can read more on the Church of England website here.

Do continue to let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you during this time.

27 May

Guidance from the House of Bishops Recovery Group

*This page was edited on the 6th of June with updated documents, please check to make sure that you have the most up to date guidance to hand

Dear Friends, 

Further to the update we did last week on the House of Bishops Recovery Group I am pleased to be able to share with you some more detailed resources to help plan for Government restrictions relating to the coronavirus pandemic being eased. Please note that we have yet to receive the definitive Government guidance so this may still change.

As you’ll remember we have been working on a suite of resources.  Along with the two advice papers shared on Friday (on access for contractors and building work), this first set of advice papers relate to  the current restrictions affecting buildings, and can be put into use now. These include;

In addition, however, I’m sharing with you some papers setting out advice on how activities not yet permitted might be carried out safely when the time comes.  I want to emphasise that these papers are very much intended to help with forward planning and not as definitive guides. We obviously do not yet know the exact timing and sequencing by which Government restrictions may be eased and there could still be significant changes to advice, but these are intended to help churches plan based on the best information we have. They include advice on:

 During the course of next week, Parish Buying will begin to make available cleaning, handwash and other supplies in preparation for the gradual re-opening of places of worship , and will be sharing information about this in their monthly newsletter.
If you have any questions about these measures, please contact mark.betson@churchofengland.org.  

With every blessing,

21 May

Guidance on using contractors during the Pandemic

Hi Friends,

Just a quick update today! Following the House of Bishops meeting this week, please find attached new guidance papers which will also be published on the CofE website tomorrow. Do let me know if you have any questions that I can assist with!

Guidance for Churches on Construction work is here

Guidance for on using Professional Contractors is here

Many thanks,

Sarah