FINANCIAL YEAR 2017
AN N UAL B RI E F I NG FOR PARIS H E S I N C H E LM S FO R D D I OC E S E
The difference discipleship makes This Briefing is a snapshot of how lives and communities in East London and Essex are being transformed through the presence of Jesus Christ. It presents examples of progress under four priorities set out in Transforming Presence our big vision to transform and be transformed.
Children and young people are meeting Jesus Christ and are exploring what it means to live as a disciple of Jesus.
Transforming Presence: Inhabiting the world distinctively
Thousands discover every church can be a school for disciples
More than 2,500 people took part in our School for Disciples evenings at 19 venues with Stephen Cottrell, the Bishop of Chelmsford. The Bishop said that if we read our Bibles and provide opportunities for learning and growing in faith this will have a transformative impact. At the end of each evening, every parish was given a bag with booklets, leaflets and a jar of pickled onions made by the diocesan Mothers’ Union. “Making a disciple is not unlike pickling an onion,” said the Bishop. “You put the onion in the pickling vinegar and wait. With making disciples you take a Christian and put them in the right environment and slowly they get pickled.”
Churches get Refreshed 550 clergy, licensed lay ministers, ordinands and deanery lay chairs came together with Bishop’s Council for ‘Refresh’, their first gathering in more than 20 years. A generous legacy and sponsorship covered general costs. Many parishes contributed towards the costs of hosting guests from partner dioceses. Participants donated more than £8,800 towards ministry in our partner diocese of Marsabit, Kenya. Services and videos from Refresh are available at www.chelmsford.anglican.org/refresh.
www.chelmsford.anglican.org • www.transformingpresence.org.uk