Staff and volunteers at the Cathedral and four locations around the diocese are making final preparations ahead of Saturday's live Vision Feedback Event. The ambitious service will see people from each location contribute to the service via a live video link.
_1684332527.png)
Chester Cathedral is preparing for its first exhibition looking at relationships between the 900-year-old Cathedral and the British Empire in its history. Imperial Legacies, Sacred Space exhibit will occupy the South Transept of the Cathedral and opens to the public on Thursday 18 May.
It was a weekend filled with celebration across the diocese as churches held all kinds of events to mark the occasion of King Charles lll being formally crowned as monarch of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey.
The King's Coronation has ignited a newfound interest in bell ringing at St Mary's in Astbury, with 23 new members joining in the last few months alone. Bishop Sam went to meet the new recruits ahead of the Coronation.
_1683284835.png)
The Bishop of Chester has launched Glimpses of Grace, a new podcast with the aim of “capturing the grace and love of God around our Diocese”. Co-hosting the podcast alongside him is Rachel Hsuan, Acting Director of Operations at Bishop’s House. Available now on all popular streaming sites.
Members of the diocesan Environment Forum joined environmental campaigners from across the country, including the former Archbishop of York, to travel down to London for “The Big One” climate protest.
Count on Nature is an initiative developed by Caring for God’s Acre, which focuses on the brilliant wildlife to be found in churchyards. Jane Hill, Secretary of the St Mary’s Eco Group has been instrumental in counting numerous species of plants and animals since 2021.
Thy Kingdom Come (TKC) is a global ecumenical prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray from Ascension to Pentecost for more people to come to know Jesus.
A special event at Chester Cathedral on Saturday 20th May will provide an opportunity for the bishops to give their feedback on the broad themes and priorities that they see emerging from the vision consultation, Casting the Net Wide. All are welcome to join them at the feedback event.
There has been a significant increase in donations made to churches using digital payment methods, such as online, QR codes, and contactless, both nationally and within the Diocese of Chester.
On a glorious sunny Good Friday day in Chester, Vicar of St Peter's in Chester, Jonathan Phillips and his team are giving away a massive amount of Hot Cross Buns to the people of Chester in celebration of Good Friday.
In his Maundy Thursday sermon at Chester Cathedral, the Bishop of Chester, Mark Tanner, urged the Diocese of Chester to "rediscover the freedom of doing the one thing we can do for God and to do it brilliantly."
_1680788022.png)
In a recent newsletter sent out nationally to its supporters, the Church Urban Fund featured St Paul's Church, Stalybridge and the work it is undertaking alongside Transforming Lives Together to offer welcome and hope to the local community through its Places of Welcome initiative.
When Revd Stuart Cornes's doctor said that he was "a bit overweight" he came up with the idea of combining a bit of keep-fit with a way to raise money for essential church repairs by entering the Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire competition.
At the Archdeacons' Visitation Services, the Churchwardens in attendance traditionally make a donation to charity and this year the Archdeacons have chosen Transforming Lives Together as their charity of choice. The money raised will go towards funding the 'Filling the Gap' initiative.
As the daffodils dazzle and spring blooms all around, the Chair of the diocesan Environment Forum, the Revd Mike Loach, has written a reflection for the diocesan Cycle of Prayer in which he urges us all to consider God's creation.
Poets of all standards and experience are invited to join April's Poetry Break, the theme of which will be the diocesan vision process, Casting the Net Wide. Attendees can contribute their own verses or simply enjoy listening to others recite theirs.
_1679496676.png)
Alisa Wilson has been announced as the new chair for DSAP, Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel. Alisa is an independent safeguarding consultant and chartered manager supporting a national cancer charity in their delivery of safeguarding.
Bishop Mark has told the BBC that being the Bishop of Chester "changes him every single day". In an interview on BBC Merseyside, he reflected on his time in the diocese since his appointment three years ago and told presenter Paul Beesley about his new book, Clinging to the Cross.
Parishes across England and Wales can now register to participate in Churches Count on Nature, an annual scheme where people visit churchyards and record the plant and animal species they encounter.
Eco Church is a scheme run by A Rocha, UK equipping churches to care for God's creation through their worship, buildings, land, community engagement, and individual lifestyles. Find out how your church can move to being recognised as an Eco church.
There are just a few days left to contribute to the diocesan-wide vision process which, over the last six months, has been gathering the views of people in our churches and communities with the aim of developing a shared vision for the Church in the Diocese of Chester.
_1678364121.png)
The three churches that form the parish of Tarporley have each been awarded a Bronze Eco-Church award by A Rocha. The award scheme recognises how churches express their care for God’s creation through caring for the world and engaging with the local community on environmental issues.
Churches in the Diocese of Chester who have an ACNY account will be pleased to hear that there are some new extra features available for editors which include a dedicated safeguarding information box for church homepages.
Chester Cathedral has installed solar panels on its ancient monastic building. The 206 solar panels generate 22-25% of the total energy consumption of the building and contribute to the Church of England’s aim to be Net Zero by 2030.
Revd Claire Corley and Revd Aled Seago, from St George's and St Margaret's, Altrincham were out in the town centre celebrating Ash Wednesday by offering people in the community the opportunity to be ashed.
_1677080896.jpg)
The speaker at the next 'Sunday at Seven' event at St Mary’s Upton, on Sunday 05 March will be Dr. Krish Kandiah. For those who may not have heard of Krish, he’s an internationally respected speaker and campaigner.
For us all to have a plan for growth for our churches, it's important to have a good understanding of our churches across many areas of mission. Gathering statistics is a key part of understanding the overall picture.
A video of two members of our clergy performing a choreographed Valentine's Day dance routine has been viewed thousands of times on social media since it was posted. The idea for the dance, which is fast becoming an annual routine, began in 2021 as a way of lifting the spirits of the community.
You could be mistaken for thinking that the ‘Crafty Café’ at St Mary’s, Liscard is so-called because of some sneaky way of skimping on their ingredients, but you couldn’t be further from the truth. Crafty Café is a weekly event that unites people together through their shared interest in crafts, such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting, etc.
