Challenge and Hope
This week, our Bishops continue their successful Episcopal Zoom Meetings with our Deaneries, which are revealing a strong sense of the challenge churches face, as well as a deep hope for the future.
Original photo Wikimedia Commons
The Bishops are meeting virtually with Deanery Synod representatives, clergy and churchwardens to give thanks to God and share all we are doing as churches and schools during the pandemic, and to look together at how, as a Diocese and as individual churches, we can confidently look ahead to the future.
The visits are just the start of what is hoped will be an ongoing conversation in deaneries and parishes across the Diocese, and to help with this a video and a set of reflective questions and Bible study for groups has been made available via http://bit.ly/beyondthep.
The Bishops have already met with Poole and North Bournemouth, Blackmore Vale, Alderbury, Purbeck, Sherborne, Lyme Bay, and Bradford Deanery and continue their evening visits across the next 2 weeks.
So far the meetings have hosted lively and enthusiastic discussions, with those attending sharing good practice and a wealth of ideas, as well as their concerns over finances.
Bishop Nicholas said:
“In these strange and tumultuous times we need to talk together about what we are thinking, praying, doing, so we see more clearly what God is teaching us in the time of this pandemic. As Christians and as churches, how will we continue to Renew Hope in the places where we live, work and serve?
“I was left with a stronger sense of the scale of the challenge as well as with a deeper hope about how together we will respond creatively and positively. The first 3 meetings of Beyond the Present were useful and went well. Thank you to everyone who took part.”
Representatives are invited to take the discussion back to their deaneries and parishes and a video and a set of reflective questions and Bible study for groups has been made available at http://bit.ly/beyondthep to help with this.
On 10th November, Bishop Nicholas is with Salisbury Deanery, Bishop Karen is with Milton and Blandford, and Bishop Andrew with Chalke.
On 11th November, Bishop Karen is with Dorchester/ West Dorset, Bishop Andrew with Devizes and Marlborough, and Bishop Nicholas joins Calne and Pewsey.
On 12th November, Bishop Andrew is with Stonehenge Deanery and Bishop Karen is with Wimborne.
On 18th November, Bishop Karen is with Weymouth and Portland, and Bishop Andrew with Heytesbury.
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