Synod Snippets February 2024
Synod Snippets is designed to help Synod members communicate what’s happening at Swindon Deanery Synod with their PCCs and wider congregations and provide points for discussion at and feedback from PCCs.
Please share all the information below widely in your parishes. Cutting and pasting the information into notice sheets and parish magazines as appropriate is encouraged!
If you want further information about anything below where there is not a contact listed, please email
Area Dean Sally Robertson Sally.robertson27@btinternet.com
Lay Chair David Cain TwelveTwentyFive@msn.com
Church and school partnerships
At our Synod on 6th February we heard about some initiatives that enable churches and church members to support schools. Please contact the speakers to find out more or offer to help.
Open the Book is an exciting storytelling project where Bible stories are shared with children in a way that is fun, interactive and memorable. You can find more information here
or Contact Pete Rogers peter.rogers5599@ntlworld.com
St Andrew North Swindon’s Pilgrimage was an RE enrichment activity for year 5 pupils. You can read about it here or contact Karen Vermeersch karenvermeersch@hotmail.com
Simon Halls, Jamie Reeves and Owen Green talked about chaplaincy in Secondary schools – their experience is mainly in Swindon Academy, Nova Hereod, where Jamie and a team where invited to set up a Listening Project, and The Deanery. Please contact them if you would like to know more and particularly if you would like to join Owen as one of the ‘prayer generals for The Deanery’.
Simon simon@shinepinehurst.co.uk
Jamie revjamesdeanreeves@gmail.com
Owen owen.green@dbat.org.uk
Diocese of Bristol Academies Trust.
We also heard an update on the situation with the Diocese of Bristol Academies Trust from Bishop Neil. For your information, here is the statement he sent to parishes containing a DBAT school last month.
“I wanted to update you on news that the Diocese of Bristol Academies Trust (DBAT) will be merging all its schools with a small number of well-matched academy trusts in their area. This decision was made by the Board of Trustees of DBAT in consultation with the Department for Education (DfE) after the OFSTED inspection of the Deanery School in Swindon. However, this is still subject to final confirmation by the Regional Director of DfE.
I understand that this news may cause concern among schools, families and local communities. Therefore, I want to assure you that all DBAT schools will remain Church of England schools within the Diocese of Bristol and uphold their Christian distinctiveness. They will be carefully matched and merged with local trusts that have a strong expertise and track record in school improvement.
Most importantly, they will have a commitment and lived-out experience of helping all children in their schools to flourish.
Thank you for your continued engagement and support for the DBAT schools in your area, it is greatly appreciated. We’ll continue to work together to offer an enriching education to young people in our schools. Although there is work to be done to find the right trust for each school, we are committed to ensuring that this is a constructive change for our schools in the long term.”
Deanery Vision
There is still time to join a working party to start implementing the Deanery Vision.
Deanery Leadership Team (DLT) has discussed the priorities which emerged from November’s synod and are developing 4 working groups as follows:
- Creating Partnerships between schools and parishes utilising Growing Faith Chaplains (to be known as School Church relations)
- Encouraging and promoting Diocesan, parish and deanery wide opportunities to deepen discipleship and evangelism (to be known as Discipleship)
- Supporting those who are marginalised in the deanery through partnerships with local councils and other agencies (to be known as Marginalised communities and combining the marginalised and partnership headlines from the vision).
- Ensuring new housing estates throughout the deanery are served by congregations, outreach and spiritual support in the right place. (to be known as New estates).
We are now looking for people with the right passion and skills to join these groups and begin work on devising and implementing plans in line with the Deanery Vision.
Given you probably feel very busy already, we are keen to ensure the right people with the right experience and time are on each working group, but your passion and energy could be just what is required to develop one part of God’s kingdom in Swindon Deanery.
Please let Jo know admad.swindondeanery@gmail.com whether you would be happy to attend an initial meeting of one of the groups and, if so, which one, or you do not feel you have the capacity to be involved at the moment. If you are aware of members of your church who are not on Synod, but who might be perfect for a particular group, please feel free to invite them to take part too and give them this information.
Responding to the Cost of Living Crisis
Mark Tidey asks you to promote this event please.
Racial Justice Update
Cathy Okoronkwo sent the following update:
- We are in the process of recruiting a Racial Justice Officer. Shortlisting and interviews this week.
- There is the second Anglican Intercultural Mission Conference in Leicester on Wednesday, 20th March to Friday, 22nd March. More details here
Eco-Church
Nick Orman reported that local Eco champions have been meeting to exchange ideas so if your parish Eco champion would like to join them please contact Nick. nick.orman@btinternet.com
Lent talks in Cricklade
David Martin publicised the Lent talks happening at St Sampson’s Cricklade where prominent people from the world of science, sport, music and the church will be sharing their faith stories in an accessible way. More details here
Post meeting: A reminder about the Wiltshire Historic churches Trust
[I was sent this by Archdeacon Christopher the day after synod, so thought it was worth sharing]
The Trust has just celebrated its 70th anniversary and can provide a power point of many of the recent projects to celebrate its work and encourage new applications for grants. You can view the slide show here, or if you would like to be sent it to show in your church please contact Brigadier NC Jackson MBE,
Hon. Sec. Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust, sec.whct@gmail.com