Diocese of Coventry eBulletin

St Martin's Finham opens a community coffee shop St Martin’s Finham celebrated a successful first week of its new community Coffee Shop, Revive, with a visit from Bishop Christopher on Sunday 6th March. The Bishop led a service involving the whole church family and then prayed a blessing in the Coffee Shop area. He even got to have a go at making his own latte! The Coffee Shop opened its doors to the public on Shrove Tuesday, 1st March, and is already proving to be very popular, with many people coming from the local community and beyond to sample the tasty homemade food and good coffee and tea. In the first week, Ali, the Kitchen Manager and Chef, and the amazing team of volunteers cooked, baked, washed up, took orders, cleared tables, and made a total of 14 Flat white coffees, 49 americanos, 56 pots of tea, 59 cappuccinos and 71 lattes…… And all with a welcoming smile and a chat. Read more

What we're listening to Welcome to our monthly feature, where we ask a member of the wider Diocesan team to share a hymn, song, or piece of music that has been a blessing to them and has helped them encounter the presence of God. Simon Taylor has recommended the Hymn ‘How shall I sing that majesty’ and says; “Singing this hymn always reminds me of some of my most formative experiences as a Christian, and has resonated with me particularly in the last 2 years of pandemic. Though we may feel alone or isolated God is with us, closer, more loving, and more glorious than we can ever know in this life.” Watch video

Why will no one sing with me? In his new blog, James Henney writes: “It seems like a lot of people have forgotten how to sing! Certainly, they are out of the habit. Covid, for months, prevented us from singing together. The person (or people) at the front could sing ‘at’ us, but we couldn’t join in, and for many it seems to be a difficult habit to get back into… So, what can be done to help? In my experience, people will give a number of different reasons why they find it difficult to join in with sung worship; and none of them are related to Covid. The problem, overwhelmingly boils down to confidence (or a lack thereof). Opening your mouth is a risky business – you never know what might come out of it. You might sing the wrong words! Or the wrong tune! Or, even, mostly the right tune but in entirely the wrong key (like my roommate at university). There’s also the worry that ‘everyone’s a critic’ Gone are the days when singing was something we did around the campfire, or with the family at Christmas, or down the pub with friends. For years now talent shows have been a keystone of mainstream entertainment and have thoroughly pervaded our culture. So it’s easy to feel, when we sing, that the people around us are rating our performance – perhaps with Simon Cowell’s voice in their head making unpleasant comments about strangled cats? And I get the feeling this is particularly the case for the younger generations who have never known anything but this culture.” Read more

The Equip Hub The Online Learning Platform from the Diocese of Coventry. Once you've signed up, this email will contain personalised recommendations for topics you are interested in exploring.     Sign Up Now

Churchwarden Learning Community Being a churchwarden is a very rewarding but at times demanding role. It comes with some specific responsibilities, but you also come with a set of gifts and a personality which contribute to what that role looks like. This learning community will cover the main aspects of being a churchwarden and allow space to reflect on how they apply in your specific church. This will include looking at the warden’s role in services, caring for buildings, oversight of church activities and the PCC. It will also focus on the relational aspects of being a churchwarden such as maintaining boundaries, difficult conversations and working in a team. As an added bonus, it will be a great opportunity to meet other churchwardens in the local area and share stories and ideas. This Learning Community is open to new and established churchwardens. It is also open to deputy wardens and those who may consider being a churchwarden in the future.   Dates: Wednesday 25th May, Wednesday 8th June, Wednesday 15th June Time: (10.15am for refreshments) 10.30am-12.30pm Venue: St Nicholas, Church Lane, Radford Semele, Leamington Spa, CV31 1TA Read more

Prospective Churchwardens’ Meeting Are you thinking about being a churchwarden?  Would you like to know more about the role?  This session is designed to give you a chance to ask questions and understand the role better, hosted by Matt Jermyn, diocesan Effective Structures Learning Mentor and a former warden.  Anyone who wants to come is welcome, whatever their current thoughts on taking on the role.   The meeting should take about an hour and will be held on zoom.  There are two available dates: Thursday 31 March at 3pm – to book to come on this date please click here. Monday 4 April at 7.30pm – to book to come on this date please click here. Read more

Diocesan News Young Vocations Conversation Are you interested in seeing how the vocations of young people can be supported and developed in this diocese in this season? Lizzy Holland (Young Vocations Champion) is hosting a Zoom meeting to see what is currently happening, what has happened previously and what passion there is to see how we can invest in the vocations of young people and all are welcome on Tuesday 29th March between 1 and 2pm. If you are interested please contact Lizzy for the link: revlizzyholland@gmail.com Energy Footprint Tool for Church Buildings The Energy Footprint Tool for Church Buildings is now open for 2021 data collection. The EFT this year will work slightly differently – there will be a hard deadline of 31st July. There will be no extensions. This will enable Research and Stats to get the data analysed and published sooner, meaning they will be able to develop the tool earlier, leading to hopefully opening the tool at the very beginning of 2023 (for 2022 data collection), as requested by DEOs. Please ensure that your PCCs, Church Treasurers and Churchwardens know about this and ensure that they submit your 2020 data alongside your Parish Returns. Click here for instructions on how to submit your data.  Continuing The Journey Continuing the journey is a Biennial Conference exploring theology, psychology and spirituality. It takes place from  23-27 May 2022. Anybody who wants to deepen both their faith and calling through creative engagement with each other and with God is welcome to attend. The conference has aimed to provide a safe place for exploration, reflection and simply ‘being’. The conference will include plenary sessions, workshops and small group work. In addition, each day will have a rhythm of worship (both structured and creative), and opportunities for reflection, relaxation and sharing. As a special treat we will have an evening of entertainment on the Thursday night! Click here for more information.

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