Local ecumenism is back on the agenda!
On Monday 16thJuly 2018 we had the pleasure of meeting with the Bishop of Sheffield at Bishop’s Croft. The other members of the meeting were the Archdeacon, the area Deans and the Methodist Superintendents.
As you may already be aware the Methodists and the Anglicans have been working on setting up covenanted agreements to encourage local joint working, without having to work through some of the ‘red tape’ which slows things down. They have developed documentation which enables partnerships to happen locally. The URC have been involved through the process but only as observers.
At the meeting we shared information on our churches, where they were located, the strength of presence (worshipping congregation) and areas where we are least represented. We also identified possible areas for mission initiatives.
By the end of the meeting we had a clearer understanding of the challenges which we all have in common, the areas where we are already working together and possible areas of further collaboration.
We all found the meeting helpful and it was suggested that we may wish to meet again to progress our discussions. No date or time was set for the next meeting but it is hoped that we will meet again over the next 6 to 12 months.
Watch this space for further news and developments.
Zaidie