Diocese of Coventry eBulletin

Hundreds gather for City Praise and Prayer On Sunday 15th May, Christians from churches across Coventry and beyond gathered in the Cathedral Ruins to pray for the city. The event was fully booked with about 1500 people in attendance. It was the first time the event was held in the Cathedral Ruins and the first in person City Praise and Prayer since 2019. City Praise & Prayer first began in 2013. Over the last nine years, it has been drawing Christians together twice a year from across Coventry and the surrounding region, to worship together and to pray with one voice for the Kingdom of God to come in Coventry and beyond. Before the pandemic, the gatherings have took place at the Welcome Centre, the home of CLM (Christian Life Ministries), a Pentecostal church in the city. Read more

Coventry churches support refugees Coventry churches and local charities have been working closely together over the past couple of months to coordinate how we as Christians can support refugees – both those forced to flee their homes because of the violence in Ukraine, and those from around the world who arrive in our city seeking sanctuary. Bishop Christopher organised a prayer gathering in Broadgate for Ukraine on 6th April, whilst Together for Change, HOPE Coventry and St Francis Radford ran a webinar on 7th April offering tips for individuals interested in hosting refugees in their homes. HOPE Coventry has worked at bringing local churches and charities together – Carriers of Hope, Together for Change, St Francis of Assisi Church Radford, Hope into Action, St Peters Hillfields, Refugees at Home and Feed the Hungry, to look at a strategy for helping Christians from different denominations to support refugees here across Coventry and Warwickshire. Read more

Christian business leaders invited to Hope4Business Bishop Christopher and Dean John invite business leaders for a time of worship and networking on 7 June at Coventry Cathedral. The gatheirng, entitled Hope4Business, will take place on Tuesday 7th June at 6.30pm. It is open to all Christian business leaders – regardless of their church or denomination – who would like to seek afresh God’s exciting purposes for their working lives. Hope4Business will feature: Bible readings, worship songs, testimonials of how God has worked through businesses during the pandemic, and an opportunity to engage with other Christian business leaders. Read more

Camphill church hall has revamp and launches new project Camphill church hall has had a £10,000 renovation and has launched a mobile food pantry. Camphill church in Nuneaton closed for worship in February 2021. A new Parochioal Church Council (PCC) was formed, and asked Together For Change (TFC) which is a charity project of the Diocese of Coventry, to lead on a project to raise funds and renovate the church hall. Jet Jones (CEO and Project Lead) and the trustees from TFC were keen to support this community which sits within a significant area of deprivation within the diocese. So far just over £10,000 has been raised to renovate the hall, and more funding is needed to renovate the kitchen and toilets in phase 2. Read more

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: Thursday 9th June, Thursday 16th June & Thursday 23rd June Time: 7.30pm to 9.30pm Venue: Meetings will be held on Zoom Read more

Thy Kingdom Come 2022 Sign up to receive free daily reflective prayer videos! During the period from Ascension Day to Pentecost, a group on the Equip Hub will host a daily video to go along-side the Thy Kingdom Come prayer journal. You can use the prayer journal if you would like to follow along, but you don’t need the journal to be able to engage with the videos. Each video with be a short, meditative reflection with time for response. Anna Naish has recorded a video explaining why she is signing up to the daily prayer videos. Watch the video

Diocesan News Growing the Heart of England – Roadshows Archdeacon Barry and his team are holding a series of roadshows this summer, entitled Growing the Heart of England. You should already have received information about this, and now a poster with further details can be downloaded here. Multiply: Church Planting Conference Multiply 2022 will be an open conversation, a place to hear different voices as questions are explored, where we gather to seek God’s wisdom together. It will take place on Thursday 23rd June 2022 from 9:30 am till 4:30 pm at St Mark’s, Coventry. For more information, click here. St Laurence Icon Centre Open Day As part of Rowington Parish’s Summer Festival Week, on Thursday 9th June they will focus on their Icon Centre at St.Laurence’s,  and they’ll also have their Festival Café open 10 am till 4 pm with tea, coffee and homemade cakes available throughout the day. There are two new Icons of their local Saints, Blessed John Sugar and Blessed Robert Grissold (from Rowington) which will be on display for the first time as part of the ‘English and Celtic Saints’ icon display. The Icon Centre will open for people to come and view the work of their iconographers during the day with a talk at 12:30 pm, just after midday prayers, on how the icons were written. That evening, the Rev’d Dr. John Sharp will provide a complementary overview of the local historical context in which these two martyrs lived and died. Starting at 7.30pm, it promises to be entertaining, interesting and informative (why, where and when!). Rev’d Dr. John Sharp is the former Archivist for the Archdiocese of Birmingham and former Parish Priest of Saint Francis of Assisi Church, Baddesley Clinton. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers at the end of the talk and you are then welcome to stay on for some cheese and wine. Rowington Parish Summer Festival runs from the 5-12th June 2022. For more information, click here. Plenty! Plenty! Is a small group discussion resource for churches. It looks at the economic issues behind current ecological crises such as climate change and biodiversity loss and seeks to uncover more about why we are facing them, and what you can do about it from a Christian perspective. In facilitated discussions of 1 hr 15 mins, you’ll cover Inequality, Consumerism and Advertising, Economic Growth and Debt and living sustainably with Joy in Enough! For more information, click here. St. Saviour's Anglican Church in Riga Joe Horgan, Churchwarden at St. Saviour’s Anglican Church in Rīga, Latvia, writes: ‘Greetings from St. Saviour’s Anglican Church in Rīga! We have a huge favour to ask all of you: Each year in Latvia at the end of May we have a country-wide event called “Baznīcu nākts” (Night of Churches) where almost every church hosts concerts, lectures, discussions, etc, and visitors will visit multiple churches throughout the night. Our church also usually displays different exhibitions of art done by our members, and one idea I had for this year would be a wall/display of postcards from many different churches throughout the COE! That way, we would be able to represent not only ourselves on this special occasion, but our entire denomination and your church as well!  It would be fantastic if your church could send us a postcard with a small message for St. Saviours or for Latvia in general written, preferably one with your church pictured if possible. If you don’t have one with the church building visible, any postcard from your parish will do! We will make sure to display them so both sides are visible and your messages are visible as well. If you are so kind as to send us one, we will send you one back as well! Our address is: St. Saviour’s Anglican Church Anglikāņu iela 2 Rīga, LV-1050 Latvia Thank you so much in advance, and we look forward to sending you greetings!’ Thank You Day - 5 June Together are planning the national ‘Thank You Day’  to take place this year on Sunday 5 June (to coincide with The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee). The key aim of the campaign is to encourage friends, families, neighbours and communities to get together to raise a glass to The Queen for 70 years of outstanding service, and also to thank each other as well. There are a number of resources available on the Thank You Day website. Click here for more information. Coventry DBE - Venue Hire Coventry Diocesan Board of Education have a main meeting room and break out room available for hire. They can can accommodate up to 16 people and are ideal for senior leadership days, team meetings and interviews. The venue is a five minute walk from Rugby train station with parking available close by. Cost : £50 for half a day and £ 70 for a full day. For more information please call 01788 422 800 or email helen.gibson@coventrydbe.org Red Hill Christian Centre 65 acres of tranquil fields, woods & lake near Stratford-on-Avon.  – New Camping Facilities Brand new, purpose-built showers / WC’s & stretch tent for hire: ideal for church away days / weekends.  – Meeting Spaces Day conferences; seminars; retreats / quiet days; catering.  – Accommodation Beautiful, refurbished oak-beamed Bed & Breakfast or self-catered en-suite rooms. Please enquire: 01789 731427 or email: info@red-hill.org  For more information, click here.

Diocesan Vacancies Student Worker Post - St Paul's, Leamington Spa St Paul’s Church Leamington Spa are recruiting for a Student Worker to start in September. This is a part-time post (20 hours a week) but additional hours may be available in a different ministry area for the right candidate. FTE £22,000 – £29, 000 depending on experience. They are looking for someone who loves Jesus and students, is passionate about helping students come to faith and grow in Christian maturity and who will build community amongst our students. For more information, click here.

External Vacancies Why do we advertise external vacancies? Volunteer Speaker Vacancies - The Children’s Society Can you talk with passion to audiences both large and small? Would you like to make a positive difference to the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK? If so, would you consider becoming a Volunteer Speaker for The Children’s Society? The Children’s Society need Volunteer Speakers to take up the role in most Deanery areas of the Coventry Diocese. Speakers make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable children by increasing awareness of the charity’s work, and guiding people’s interest to an engagement method with The Children’s Society that suites them. By reaching out and sourcing talks in your local community you will strengthen our ties with your local area, through churches, schools and social. For more information, click here.  Vacancies with Voluntary Action Coventry VAC currently have a number of vacancies. They are currently recruiting: – Healthwatch Engagement and Outreach Co-ordinator – 25 hours per week, £28,840 pro-rata – Healthwatch Deputy Chief Officer – 32-37 hours per week, £33,000 per annum pro-rata – VCSE Mental Health Alliance Chief Officer – 22-26 hours per week (to be agreed), £35,000 – £37,000 per annum pro-rata – Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Mental Health Liaison Officer (Coventry), 16-20 hours per week, £28,840 per annum pro-rata – Coventry Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Alliance Coordinator – 18 hours per week, £30,507 per annum pro-rata – Healthwatch Engagement and Outreach Co-ordinator – 25 hours per week, £28,840 pro-rata – Healthwatch Deputy Chief Officer – 32-37 hours per week, £33,000 per annum pro-rata For more information, click here.

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