[Home]  [Index]  [Search]  [E-mail]

Training offered by Diocesan Departments, Boards and Groups

Return to Training Contents Page

• Board for Church in Society

• Communications & Resources

• Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns Committee (MEACC)

• Southwark Diocesan Board of Education

• Croydon Religious Education Council (CRERC)

The Diocesan Inter-Faith Group exists to enhance Christian understanding of and promote good relationships with peoples of other religious traditions. It recognises the enrichment as well as the challenge that living within a multi-religious culture provides. Through its national and local networks, the Group is a willing source of information, advice and training to parishes, groups or individuals who wish to explore this exciting part of the Church's mission.

The World Mission and Development Group includes representatives from the major mission and development agencies and people from parishes and deaneries. It seeks to help parishes make an awareness of the world Church a natural part of their thinking and world development a natural part of mission. The Group is planning Area workshops during 2000 but is always glad to respond to particular requests for training, information, advice or presentations.

A new diocesan network called Relationship and Family Matters pools the expertise of WelCare, the Mothers Union, our Youth, Children's and Pastoral Care and Counselling Advisers and people working in parenting, domestic violence and marriage preparation and enrichment. During 2000 these groups are producing resources for parishes wishing to work on family, marriage and relationship issues. Members of the group are happy to assist in developing local training.

In 1998, the Southwark Diocesan Board for Church in Society published The Chemical Generation: Understanding Young People and Drug Use.

The Canon Missioner is available to explore what Christian Mission means today and tomorrow - theologically and practically - with PCCs, Parish Mission Teams, Deanery Synods and individual clergy through preaching, presentations, training seminars, parish weekends or personal conversation.

See also:
Publications

Back to top of page

Communications and Resources

Formed in 1992, Communications and Resources brings together the work of the Christian Stewardship Department and the Communications Officer. It exists to provide help to those in the diocese - parishes and individuals - as they seek to:
live according to God's principles for the stewardship of all resources
communicate with others concerning their faith and the life of the church in this area and throughout the world.

Further details

Present personnel in the department can also offer the following:

Wendy S. Robins, Director, Communications and Resources and Bishop's Press Officer
Wendy is responsible for co-ordinating the work of the Communications and Resources Department. She is involved in writing and delivering stewardship programmes such as The Responsibility is Ours (TRIO), Giving Enables Mission (GEM) and Pass-it-on within the parishes as well as being the managing editor of the diocesan newspaper, The Bridge.

Diocesan Communications Officer
The Diocesan Communications Officer offers training and advice for the parishes and church schools, as well as for diocesan staff, on publicity and internal communications. 

Diocesan Stewardship Resources Officer
Key tasks include: being a resource to parishes who are seeking to implement and develop principles of Christian stewardship; advising on matters of capital fund-raising; explaining and promoting the Diocesan Covenants Scheme.

Further details from:

Communications and Resources, Trinity House, 4 Chapel Court, Borough High Street, London SE1 1HW
Tel: 020-7939 9400, fax: 020-7939 9468.
See also:
Wendy S Robins

Back to top of page

Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns (MEAC)

MEAC offers Racism Awareness and Anti-Racism training courses which are used by groups as part of their wider ministerial training and by parishes and deaneries for Christian education - e.g. during Lent or Advent. The following courses are available but we can also provide courses tailor-made for your situation.

Understanding Racism from a Christian Perspective
For our basic Racism Awareness and Anti-Racism training courses we use this study pack developed by the Commission and it is available for sale as a resource for use by church and community groups.

Seeds of Hope in the Parish
This is a course developed by the Church of England for use in parishes which we can help facilitate for any parish or deanery.

One Race
A study pack developed by the Churches Commission for Racial Justice. This course deals specifically with Racial Harassment and we are willing to help any group looking at this issue using this course material.

Courses vary in length from 1 session to 5/6 sessions.

We organise two annual events, the Southwark Diocese Black and Minority Ethnic Forum and the Youth Conference, to which all are invited. We can advise and speak on a wide range of issues in race relations and minority ethnic concerns like: Black history and culture; the Gospel, race and culture; Black youth and the church; equal opportunities; cultural awareness.

The staff team are actively involved in our respective AMTs but we work together in developing and delivering courses, training and study sessions for parishes and diocesan-wide groups. We are looking for your partnership in this important work for justice and Christian mission and witness.

Further details from:

Delbert Sandiford
Trinity House, 4 Chapel Court, Borough High Street, London SE1 1HW
Tel: 020-7939 9418, fax: 020-7939 9400

Back to top of page

Southwark Diocesan Board of Education

The Southwark Diocesan Board of Education offers a range of training opportunities to both staff and governors of Church of England schools in the Diocese. It is also able to offer training for clergy who lead worship in community schools.

The training focuses on the distinctive nature of church schools and enables governors and staff to understand issues which relate to a schools Christian ethos. These include:

• admission to school

• appointing senior staff

• exploring the governors role

The Board also offers induction training for governors and runs conferences for newly qualified teachers in church schools. Training may be school-based or held centrally.

The Board has specialists in religious education at both primary and secondary school level who provide training on RE and worship for school staff and disseminate good practice. At the primary level, the Board has written resource material for RE teachers on Christianity, Judaism and Islam. A grant has been obtained to enable the Board to work in partnership with others to produce guidance on collective worship in secondary schools. Courses are also offered to enable staff and governors to explore spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in schools.

Further details available

Back to top of page

Croydon Religious Education Resource Centre (CRERC)

As one of the largest resource centres of its kind in the country, Croydon' s Religious Education Resource Centre (CRERC) aims to provide a service for all those involved in Christian ministry or education at whatever level. From its inception within the Diocese' s former ACTS centre at Selhurst, CRERC' s strategic relationship with the Southwark Diocese has been an essential aspect of its overall resourcing policy and provision.

The traditional mainstay of CRERC resources includes individual texts, video/audio tapes, slides, artefact collections and other combined resource packs amounting to over 16,000 items covering all aspects of the Christian life relevant to the whole church. A new adult theological library is currently being installed. More recent computer facilities means that visitors now have the opportunity to preview a growing collection of CD ROM and other multimedia resources or arrange for additional internet research and resource enquiries to be undertaken on their behalf by staff. Separate video and artefact catalogues are available on request whilst full on-line catalogue searches of all CRERC' s available resources can be performed on-site. Remote access referencing of CRERC' s main catalogues and resource lists should be available shortly as part of a new web site initiative currently underway.

CRERC is a regular venue for training events for RE teachers and church workers. For those within easy reach of Croydon it is also worth remembering that another part of the centre' s overall provision includes two attractive meeting rooms available free of charge in many instances for member churches. As new resources are regularly being acquired, the centre is always keen to hear from any church within the diocese with suggestions for new resources which may prove useful to individual needs. CRERC remains a unique service to the entire diocese. The centre is open Monday to Thursday and the 1st & 3rd Saturday in the month throughout the year.

Further details - opening times, membership and access arrangements - from:

CRERC, The Crescent, Croydon CR0 2HN
Tel. 020-8689 5343

Back to top of page