THE ORIGINAL CHURCH NEWSPAPER.

ESTABLISHED IN 1828
Alices
experience
scares us
all
P15

THE

CHURCHOF
ENGLAND
Learning
from the
Caf
Church,
P9

Newspaper
NOW AVAILABLE ON

NEWSSTAND

FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015 No: 6270

Southwark clergy
rebuke partisan bishop
By George Conger
ONE IN 10 of the Diocese of Southwarks stipendiary clergy have signed a
private letter to their bishop, the Rt Rev
Christopher Chessun, rebuking him for
his partisan management of the diocese.
Delivered last week, the letter is understood to take issue with the bishops preference of clergy living in same-sex civil
partnerships to senior posts within the
diocese, while marginalising traditionalists.
The letter, accompanied a public statement endorsed by 60 priests and nine
parish councils, affirms the doctrinal
principles of the Church of England,
which also urged the bishop to ensure
that clergy he has appointed to high
office conform to these teachings.
The Southwark Declaration and private letter comes amidst a sharp financial
contraction and declining church attendance in Southwark, coupled with the
appointment of clergy living in same-sex
civil partnerships to the posts of cathedral dean, diocesan director of ordinands
and canon chancellor.
Complaints of bias in Southwark
prompted evangelicals in 2012 to form
the Southwark Ministry Trust to divert
parish funds from the diocese to an
organisation that would support parish
ministry costs. While Bishop Chessun
has recently appointed a Canon for Fresh
Expressions ministries to reach the
unchurched, as of years end the diocese
had only one plant.
The decline in income and attendance
led a November 2012 diocesan task force
to call for the elimination of one in 10 of
the dioceses stipendiary clergy positions. The Strategy for Ministry report
recommended the diocese eliminate 30
stipendiary clergy posts over five years,
10 from each Episcopal area, reducing
the total number of positions from 290 to
260.
In the cover letter soliciting signatures
for the declaration, the authors stated
that in November 2014 five of us met
with Bishop Chessun to to share with

The Rt Rev Christopher Chessun

Black and
Asian
contribution
to Church is
celebrated

By Ashley Prevo

him our concerns including the appointment of a new Canon Chancellor, who
announced to the second year curates in
October that she was in a same-sex partnership with another woman; and the
developments at St Johns, Waterloo
where the priest-in-charge allegedly conducts services of dedication and thanksgiving for couples after their same-sex
civil marriages are performed.
The organisers hoped the declaration
will make the Bishop listen in a way that
nothing hitherto seems to have done.
The Southwark Declaration is
designed to be a positive statement
about what we believe the Bible and the
Church clearly teach about marriage,
the organisers told The Church of England Newspaper.
Over the last few years, a number of
us have spent a lot of time trying to persuade Bishop Christopher to act in a
godly way as a Bishop right from a

cen@churchnewspaper.com

warm welcoming meeting to him as soon

as he was consecrated. We have also had
three or four open face-to-face meetings
where we have been very frank with
him, including one in Holy Week 2012
with 120 clergy and laity following the
appointment of the Bishop of Croydon.
And also a number of letters back and
forth. None of this has made any difference.
The Bishops Press Officer, the Rev
Canon Wendy Robins confirmed Bishop
Chessun had received the Southwark
Declaration and was grateful for the
contribution that conservative evangelicals make to the life of the Diocese.
As you may be aware there is an
opportunity for the whole of the Church
of England to discuss these issues
through the Shared Conversations and
the Bishop of Southwark welcomes this.
Southwark Declaration, page 8

facebook.com/churchnewspaper

PARLIAMENT was the venue for a

reception celebrating Black and Asian
enrichment of the Church of England.
The event was organised by General
Synod member Vasantha Gnanadoss
and was hosted by the Speakers Chaplain, the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin.
This was a follow-up to the Synod
fringe meetings that occurred during
the London and York sessions last
year.
This was an evening that affirmed
the enrichment that has taken place
and strengthened confidence about
further enrichment in future.
Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Blair of Boughton
presided over a programme of speakers. The Rev Calvert Prentis, Team
Rector of Horley and Southwark
Diocesan Minority Ethnic Vocations
Champion, highlighted the importance of the contribution of Black and
Asian people in the present and continuing into the future.

@churchnewspaper

www.churchnewspaper.com

Friday March 13, 2015

The Church of England Evangelical Council:

New vision, new structures and new leadership
By John Dunnett
CEEC
The Church of England Evangelical
Council (CEEC) was founded in 1960
by John Stott and key personnel from
CPAS and Church Society. Its
calling was to be a body that united
evangelicals within the Church of
England for the sake of the whole
church and nation.
As such, its vision echoed the voice
of a previous generation of
evangelicals including Bishop Ryle
who in his address to the Islington
Conference in 1868 implored
evangelicals of the time to come
together in order to strategically
contribute to the life and witness of
the church.
Over the intervening years CEEC
has supported National Evangelical
Anglican Congresses (NEACs),
resourced evangelicals for Synodical
and other debates, and issued
statements (eg the St Andrews and
St Matthews Day statements).
During that same time,
evangelicals have grown in number
and presence in the Church of
England and as a consequence
birthed a number of other networks
and organisations (including New
Wine, Reform, Fulcrum,
Proclamation Trust, Awesome and
others). One unintended
consequence of this bourgeoning of
evangelical life and interest has
sometimes been an increased
distance between evangelical
groups: something that Ryle, Stott
and others could be forgiven for not
predicting.
The 21st century is likely to
present evangelicals with a number
of challenges the primary one of
which must be how to present the
gospel afresh in a postmodern and
unchurched society.

In order to address this key

challenge a number of CEEC
members have been working over
the last 18 months to bring
evangelical groups together and to
clarify how CEEC might strategically
contribute to the evangelisation of
the nation at this time.
The outcome of this has been the
re-launch of CEEC with new
leadership, new structures and a new
vision.
The Council has elected the Rt Rev
Julian Henderson (Bishop of
Blackburn) as its new President and
the Rev Hugh Palmer (Rector of All
Souls, Langham Place) as Chair and
the Council membership now
includes groups such as Awesome
and Fulcrum. All of this signals the
positioning of CEEC to be a network
of networks fit for purpose in the
21st century.
Top of the recently endorsed
strategic vision is a commitment to
support the flourishing of mission
and evangelism by helping keep it a
priority in churches. This will involve
CEEC in facilitating national
conferences and gatherings on
mission and evangelism in order to
share good practice and celebrate
success, promoting church planting,
defending and advocating an
apologetic for conversionism,
partnering with the Evangelical
Alliance and other national networks
and various other initiatives.
The second strand of the new
vision is derived from the continuing
evangelical passion for scripture and
its study and preaching. In order to
support a resurgence of this
nationally, CEEC is intending to
commission resources on live issues
facing local church leaders, to
facilitate the establishment of
working/study groups on key issues,
to provide reading/resource lists for
different audiences across the

dioceses and to facilitate road show

evenings around the
regions/dioceses re relevant issues.
Thirdly, CEEC will advocate the
presence and engagement of
evangelicals in the structures and life
of the Church of England. Whether
in Synods, senior posts or
Committees, evangelicals have
much-needed gifts to bring to the
Church and CEEC is intending to
support, advocate and mentor
individuals to enhance evangelical
ministry at every level and in every
corner.
The fourth component of the new
vision is to promote and pursue unity
amongst evangelicals in order that
mutual mission and evangelism
might flourish.
This will involve facilitating
gatherings of evangelical leaders in
regions/dioceses and encouraging
more interchange amongst existing
networks. It will lead to the
coordination of national prayer
around evangelical concerns, the
development of a strategy for
offering support for evangelicals
experiencing discrimination and/or
opposition from church or other
sources, and the nurturing of links
with the Evangelical Fellowship of
the Anglican Communion.
In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus is
recorded as saying: The harvest is
plentiful but the workers are few. Ask
the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to
send out workers into his harvest
field.
It is CEECs conviction that the
harvest remains and that now is the
time for evangelicals to work
together with fresh vigour for the
sake of the gospel and in order to
build the Kingdom.
The Rev John Dunnett
Member of CEEC and General Synod,
General Director of CPAS

LOVE IT OR LOATHE IT?

If you are the sort of person who really enjoys visiting all the different car
showrooms, then haggling with each salesman over his managers very
best offer, whilst all the time being pressured to do the deal now, and
sign the order today, then Priory Automotive are probably not for you,
so it is fairly pointless to read on.
However, if you have neither the time, nor the knowledge to be absolutely
sure that any car is fault free, and also able to negotiate a fair and honest
price, then they most certainly are the business for you to try. The Priory
team has over 40 years experience in supplying cars to Clergy and
Church members, so let them use their skill and experience to supply you
with the very best value car for your money. As they reject more cars
than they buy, (they really are that fussy), you can be sure of receiving a
top quality car, with no dark secrets and in superb condition.
Free nationwide delivery to your door is included, and part exchange of
your old car is welcome. Their reputation is excellent and something that
they are rightly proud of, please take a look at their website to view some
of the customers testimonials, and see why so many Church of England
Newspaper readers have previously used them.
With Priory there are no hidden charges, they are honest, ethical and
wont let you down. One telephone call may change the way you buy
cars forever.

Visit www.prioryautomotive.com or call 0114 2559696

cen@churchnewspaper.com

facebook.com/churchnewspaper

Feature

The Southwark
Declaration
As clergy and lay people in the Diocese of Southwark:
We affirm the divine inspiration of the Holy
Scriptures and their supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. We affirm with Canon
A5 that the doctrine of the Church of England is
grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such
teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of
the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures.
We affirm, with Article XX, that it is not lawful
for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to Gods Word written.
We affirm the teaching of Scripture (Genesis
2.24, Mark 10. 7, Matthew 19.5), the Book of
Common Prayer, and Canon B30 (Of Holy Matrimony) that marriage is the union of one man and
one woman for life. We affirm it is the one Godordained context for sexual intercourse. We
affirm resolution 1.10 on human sexuality of the
Lambeth Conference (1998).
We call upon all the Bishops, Archdeacons, and
the senior staff of the Diocese, alongside all clergy and licensed lay ministers, to affirm these
truths, live by them, and to teach in accordance
with them.
We call upon the Bishops to appoint to positions
of teaching authority only those who hold to these
truths in good conscience.
Signatories include:
The Executive Committee of the Southwark
Diocesan Evangelical Union
The Parochial Church Councils of Morden
Team Parish; St Michael, Blackheath Park; St
Johns, Felbridge; St Stephens, South Lambeth;
St Nicholas, Tooting; Holy Trinity Wallington;
Holy Trinity with All Saints, Wandsworth;
Emmanuel, Wimbledon; St Luke, Wimbledon
Park.
And the following clergy and laity of the Diocese of Southwark:
Mojee Ajeneye, Janet Arnott, Rev Hugh Balfour, Christ Church Peckam,
Revd John Birchall, Christ Church, Surbiton, Kevin Bover, Nikki Bover, Molly
Bridges, Colin Campbell, Revd Sandy Christie, St Michael & All Angels, Blackheath Park, Elizabeth Coe, Rev Steven Coe, Holy Trinity, Wallington, Rev Sue
Clarke, Furzedowm Team, Revd CJ Davis, St Nicholas, Tooting, Gloria Dean,
Rev Jos Downey, St James & St Anne, Bermondsey, Michael Edser, Mary
Edser, Rev Bart Erlebach, Emmanuel, Tolworth, Revd Jonathan Fletcher, Revd Mark
Francis, St Johns, Felbridge, Revd Francis
Gardom, Revd Ian Gilmour, Holy Redeemer,
Streatham, Peter Gray, Suzanne Gray, June
Hallsworth, Revd David Heath-Whyte, St
Lawrence, Morden, Revd John Hall, Revd
Mick Hough, Holy Trinity, Redhill, Rev
Christopher Idle, Revd Stephen Kuhrt, Christ
Church, New Malden, C Lazzeri, Revd Canon
Andy Lines, Mission Director Crosslinks,
Revd Tim Linkens, St Nicholas, Kidbrooke,
Revd Canon Gary Jenkins, St James & St
Anne, Bermondsey, John W Martin, Gillian E
Miller, Norma Mason, Marion Maynard,
Revd Dan McGowan, St Martins. Morden,
Revd Charlie Moore, St Marys, Bermondsey,
Geoff Nunn, Anthony Reeves, Jackie Passmore, Sylvia Stockbridge, Mary Orpin, Peter
Orpin, Revd Paul Perkin, St Marks, Battersea
Rise, Revd James Paice, St Lukes, Wimbledon Park, Revd Rob Powell, St James, West
Streatham, Revd Greg Prior, All Saints with
Holy Trinity, Wandsworth , Revd Peter Ronayne, Revd David Ruddick, Emmanuel, Morden, Rev Roger Ryan, St Mary,
Summerstown, Revd Robin Thomson, Jill
Tijou, Maurice Tijou, Jeanne Vernette, Keith
Walshe, Revd Robin Weekes, Emmanuel,
Wimbledon, Revd Leslie Wells, St Georges,
Morden, Revd Bill Wilson, St Stephens,
South Lambeth.

@churchnewspaper