General Synod Diary 10-13 July 2009

Friday 10
The piles of papers arrived over the past month or so, and I spent only an hour putting them in order....I am getting better at this! Then there was the challenge of reading them through and marking them up with thoughts, comments and highlights. Then I headed by bus and train for the campus of York University for another few days of synodical activity, while leaving behind a busy family and church weekend. It is always tough to go away, especially if some of the debates look set to be rather unexciting!
At York I managed to get to my room and unpack before the opening of Synod, with prayers led by the Archbishop of York, an address from Bishop Nathan or the Armenian church, and reports on progress of various bits of legislation. Synod seems a bit moody, and the debate on the business of this synod and the appointments (not elections!) to Archbishop’s Council both proved to raise a few hackles. Then Colin Slater presented the report ‘Giving for Life’, a good report and handbook to encourage stewardship and more giving from church members. A couple of amendments, including one specifically mentioning children and young people which I supported, got through but slowed progress, and the debate had to stop early to be continued on another day.
The House of Laity gathered over a meal to discuss (rather inconclusively) what differences we can make to the work of the church, before we all traipsed back to the Central Hall for the Questions. I had put in two questions, one about training for clergy in all-age worship, and another about resourcing for children’s work. For both I managed to ask challenging supplementary questions, but didn’t get quite the answers I was looking for. In these financially stretched times it is hard to get anyone to give guarantees! So a busy day ended, and I headed to my room for reading tomorrow’s papers and sleep.

Saturday 11 July
After breakfast and preparing papers and reports for the day I headed for the Hall. The day began with prayers and then a ‘presentation’ (short speech, questions and comments) on ‘Faithful Cities – Urban Life and Faith’ which was well-received, and a good warm-up for some uncontroversial legislative business, along with some long debating about Ecclesi8asitical Fees. Just before lunch the Archbishop of York did a formal speech of thanks for our own retiring Bishop George, which was followed by a long round of applause.
Over lunch I attended a meeting about the digital revolution, with Andrew Graystone of the Churches Media Network as speaker. I have worked with Andrew occasionally over many years, and it was good to see him again.
The afternoon was all about money, and all quite challenging for many reasons. The problem of the church having and raising enough money to pay clergy pensions continues to be a major focus of Synod, and I really don’t know what the answer is. The following debate, on the Archbishop’s Council spending priorities, had many people expressing passionate and serious doubts about the plan to remove many national advisers’ posts, including those for children and youth. I was furious that, in summing up, the Chair of the Finance Committee suggested that representations about the importance of these national posts may have been ‘orchestrated’. In that role, and with no mechanism to challenge what he was saying, this was in my view a most unfortunate and inappropriate use of his privilege. The tough afternoon finished with the spending for the coming year approved...although rather grudgingly!
I enjoyed a light meal with other members of EGGS (Evangelical Group on General Synod) before returning to the debates for the annual reports from the Archbishop’s Council and Church Commissioners, both of which were fairly unexciting! After catching up with an ex-colleague it was time for bed.

Sunday 12th July
Early rise and early breakfast before the good walk into York centre for the annual Synod service in the Minster, with Archbishop Sentamu as preacher. With over 400 synod people dominating the place I did wonder how the regular congregation view these large interruptions to normal service! After the service I walked back quickly in order to see a presentation about ‘Fresh Expressions’ (although I’m still not sure what the real definition of one is!) and then met Alistair Littlewood, vicar of Edwinstowe, to sit wit6h him in the public gallery and watch the debate on Ministry with People with Learning Difficulties and People on the Autistic Spectrum. It was a really good debate, with many people with experience and knowledge speaking well. The church has to work much harder in thinking through how it meets the needs of all worshippers.
The debate and motion that followed, led by Christina Baxter, was always going to struggle. A report had been prepared fairly dramatically cutting down the work of various committees and streamlining the work of the national church structures in very much the same style as we have done in the Diocese. However, it seemed a step too far for some, and was sunk by a ‘wrecking motion’ which killed it dead! The following Diocesan Motion, from Bradford, was about the possibility of reducing the numbers of Bishops, and received lots of media attention. It was quite a light debate, and ended with a report being considered for future debate.
I decided to skip the evening meal, as I always eat too much when there’s buffet-style food around. Instead I sat by the lake and watched the apparently stress-free ducks waddling and paddling around. I headed for a good seat in the chamber ready for the debate on the Good Childhood Report – an area of expertise where I felt I had something to offer. I had submitted my request to speak, and focused on an area that I thought others wouldn’t want to speak on. I sat in direct eye-line of the ‘chair’ of the debate, and wore a bright shirt. I stood to speak at every opportunity...but still got ignored! The role of ‘chair’, choosing who to call to speak, is not easy, but I am now really fed-up of doing all the right things but being ignored in favour of the ‘usual suspects’ who speak on anything, regardless of whether they have anything to say or not! I choose what I stand to speak on very carefully, and restrict it to things I know about, but my and many other peoples’ expertise is to an extent going to waste. At the end of the debate the report was supported unanimously. Frustrated I stomped back to my room, wondering once more what the point of General Synod is! 

Monday 13th July
The final day of this slightly shortened Synod, so we all had to clear our rooms before breakfast and the worship and the first debate at 9.15. The day opened with some reflections from the Archbishop of Canterbury on the state of the Anglican Communion and the many meetings and conferences he goes to. There are some obvious splits and cracks developing, although not nearly as rapidly or as damaging as many ‘prophets of doom’ had predicted. This was followed by a morning of more legislative business, ranging from more pensions issues to the Pastoral and Mission Measure, Parochial fees, and so on.
At lunch time I attended a session about church tourism, which was really helpful in the light of the Church History Project we are doing here. The main thing I took away is that if churches look untidy to the visitor walking through the door they won’t stay, and won’t return!
The final fling, before heading back home on train and bus, was a Diocesan Synod motion from London concerning the Clergy Discipline Measure. The main issue is that, now it has been in place for a few years, the role of the Bishops in it is difficult to balance. They find themselves both as pastors to clergy in difficulty, and ‘judges’ when things go wrong. While I have some sympathy with that predicament, I think that’s what most managers and leaders have to do...no special pleading for those in the ‘real world’! Some speakers very bravely shared their experiences of being subject to the discipline measure, and the debate ended with the whole issue being reviewed....a typical Anglican answer to most things! Synod ended with some more ‘farewells’ to Bishops and very senior people retiring, and closing prayers.
At York station the trains were delayed due to signalling problems, so I had plenty of time to reflect on the long weekend of legislative business, controversy, and unexciting debates. One question asked time and time again throughout the four days was ‘What is Synod for?’, and I’m still not sure I know!    

February 2009

Monday 9th
And so, laden with papers and reports, clothes and customarily bright trousers and shirts, I headed for London for a full week of General Synod debates. The papers have all been read through....some in more detail than others!

Monday began in the traditional way, with opening prayers and a debate on the business of Synod, which was followed by a careful and gracious speech from the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor. The debate that followed was interesting, with speakers pointing out that different denominations are not fully ‘out of communion’ with each other, as full communion has not existed since the early church! The afternoon’s business finished with the customary Questions, and many supplementary questions being asked from the floor of the chamber including one from Colin Slater. I then scuttled away to find my Travelodge over near Moorgate (a lot cheaper than hotels at Westminster) and did a bit of work.

Tuesday 10th
What a sad, lonely and empty look commuters on the Central Line have! Having squeezed my way onto a tube train I got to Church House in time for the day’s business. Our own Christina Baxter began with an initial report on changing the structures and committees of the church constitutions, which was met with a range of views! The key to this is slimming down the structures...much as we have done in this Diocese. Then followed some legislative business, and Tony Walker from Retford spoke on the need for flexibility with wedding fees to make the church more welcoming. At lunch I went to reception about the Children‘s Society ‘Good Childhood Report’ which had been launched a week before, And asked some questions about the lack of differentiation in the report between the needs of boys and girls. The afternoon began with the presidential address from Archbishop Rowan, another careful, slightly dense, and generous speech about holding the church together! Then followed a debate that fascinated the press, regarding church staff and membership of the BNP and other similar organisations. This was one of three debates linked with the issues around race and equality, and was carried by a very large majority. Many people had had enough by this stage, so the final debate of the day concerning the voice of the church in public life was a bit low in numbers by the end, but carried after one minor amendment. That evening I treated myself to a night at the theatre to see Billy Elliot the Musical – it is really fantastic!

Wednesday 11th
The best way to help church people with strongly differing views to debate graciously is to begin the day with Holy Communion! This was done, followed by the next slow (and some might say tortuous step) towards Women Bishops. All Synod did, after a long and generally gracious debate with only two (in my view) inappropriate and bitter contributions, was to send the required legislation to a drafting group to come up with something that may please most people...a really tough challenge! After that debate it was lunch, and I attended a reception about the new national Children‘s and Youth Strategy.

In the afternoon I took to the skies...or at least the public gallery, looking down on the debating chamber. Now we have electronic voting gadgets we can listen and vote from up there, but not speak in debate. The first issue was the challenges faced by churches who are now being charged full water rates, and a call to OFWAT to look at the way water utilities are dealing with churches and other community buildings. It was easily carried. Then followed a motion from Paul Eddy, a student at St John’s College, on ‘The Uniqueness of Christ in a Multi-Faith Britain’. Some feared that this would be a controversial debate, but it turned out to be a bit of a damp squib! Anthony Thistleton made a really good contribution to the debate. By this point I needed a coffee, so missed some of the report of the Standing Orders Committee (I was sooo sad!), but did sit through the whole of the final debate on human trafficking. I learn a lot about
things I knew little of at Synod, and continue to be amazed at just how knowledgeable and skilled some members are.

At the end of business all 7 of us from Southwell and Nottingham, and reps from quite a few other Dioceses, jumped into taxis and dashed over to Lambeth Palace for a reception of light snacks, drinks, and chats. For those of us involved in the process of choosing a new Diocesan Bishop it was a useful chance to network....as well as go inside the hallowed building! A late night, but a good day!

Thursday 12th
I always yearn for a cooked breakfast when I can’t have one, but when it is always available I go off the idea! I started the day with a modest breakfast, popped into Church House for the beginning of some legislative business, and then headed for the House of Lords to meet Bishop George, watch the debate (during which he spoke) on the Good Childhood Report, and have lunch there. I sat in a great position above the chamber with the Bishop of Leicester’s Chaplain, and really enjoyed listening and watching a high-level debate with excellent speakers on all sides. Back to Synod in time for the afternoon.

The first debate was on the church’s response to the current Financial Crisis, which had been prefaced by a short presentation on Tuesday. The media seemed to enjoy this, and many papers ran with stories about what Bishops and others had said in this debate, taking sentences and phrases somewhat out of context! The second motion, on the church’s work on ‘presence and engagement’ with other faiths, was an opportunity for me to speak about Youth Encounter, an excellent project which encourages young people of different faiths to talk, discuss and engage. It is run by Scripture Union, of which I am a Trustee. I was pleased to be called to speak, especially having tried to do so earlier in the week to no avail! I missed a little of the final debate on the future of retreat houses in order to meet up with a fellow Trustee of Godly Play UK over coffee to work on plans for the future...all work! By the time I got out I was almost
too tired to meet up with an old friend for a meal out, but somehow I managed it! Then back to my lovely, totally predictable and samey Travelodge room to pack my bags and sleep.

Friday 13th
Looking at the date it’s a good thing that we’re not superstitious! The day began with Morning Worship, and I was pleased to lead the intercessions. Then the Southwell and Nottingham motion on Justice and Asylum Seekers, brilliantly led by Ruth Worsley, was open for debate. There were four minor amendments debated and carried which strengthened the motion and specifically mentioned the detention of children and families. This was a most successful debate, with many real-life stories and practical suggestions too. The following motion and debate on Climate Change and the church’s property transactions was narrowly lost, mainly because major (and unlikely) changes would be necessary in
charity law, otherwise the motion would be unworkable. Buy this end of the morning about 40% of Synod members had drifted off home, and missed the Farewells to the retiring Bishops of Peterborough and Carlisle, and the closing prayers.

I had lunch in a little park at Victoria, pleased to be in the open air and ‘real world’ after a week of fairly introverted debate, and then headed for St Pancras, and finally home via Chesterfield. I felt that it was a good week where the debates were interesting and challenging, decisions were good ones, and I knew what was going on. I am convinced that it is really important to be in as many debates as physically possible, to listen, pray, and vote, and to network and discuss with others. Being called to give a speech is good too, but not the ‘be-all and end-all’...or perhaps after 3+ years on General Synod I’m getting institutionalised!!

NH 24/2/09