The simple cards which encourage people to start to talk about Jesus have been very well-received across the whole Diocese so we are using this Strategy update to encourage even more people to use them!

Below, there is a video from Richard Lamey, the Director of Mission and Ministry, explaining where the idea came from and then another video from Sean Ojeniyi, an AWA at St Andrew's, Lowestoft, who talks about how much he and the congregation enjoyed answering the questions during a service. 

The idea is that we get to deepen our faith by telling our own story of Jesus- by telling it to ourselves, by telling it to those we pray with week by week and, eventually, perhaps, that might give us the confidence to share something of our own story with a friend, colleague or neighbour. 

At the heart of the Diocesan Strategy is a longing for us to be more confident in our own story and in what Jesus has done for us. These cards are a simple, easy and unthreatening way of beginning to think about these things. 

You can get your own cards by clicking on the links below and then print them out for coffee after church or a house group or Bible study, or an 8am congregation, or a PCC meeting.

A4 to print and fold into double-sided A5: Mission-card-Fold-into-double-sided-A5.pdf

A4 to be printed single-sided: Mission-card-to-print-One-sided-A4.pdf

Our Director of Mission and Ministry, Revd Richard Lamey explains the idea behind the 'Sharing Our Story of Faith' cards.

Sean Ojeniyi, an AWA at St Andrew's, Lowestoft, talks about how much he and the congregation enjoyed answering the questions during a service. 

What's Next?

The next big landmark in the development of the Strategy is the discussion at Diocesan Synod on the 21^st of March. In advance of that we are continuing to develop our work around the five main priorities for 2026 which Synod agreed back in November: 

1. Encouraging a missional vision and culture which is humble and optimistic, grounded and ambitious, through which Christ's work of transformation might be encouraged, 
2. Streams, which offers every benefice across the whole Diocese input and a sense of companionship on the road of pilgrimage, 
3. Mission Multipliers, which is national church investment into a small number of places so the growth there might be accelerated and so that other churches might, in due course, be blessed and supported from this growth, 
4. A Diocesan People Plan which looks at everything around developing new leaders and supporting and valuing the leaders we have, both as individuals and in role, 
5. A working group to dig more deeply into the administration burden faced by benefices and to make recommendations for how it can be made less heavy. 

The March strategy email will have more detail of all of these matters. 

Join us to pray for our vision

And please do join us to pray each Tuesday at 8.30am that our vision will be fulfilled throughout the Diocese.

Microsoft Teams

Join the meeting

Meeting ID: 333 747 040 311 0

Passcode: vB6uA7Vk

And please continue to pray in your own churches and groups for the work we are doing together. We need to bathe and wrap and cover everything we are doing in prayer to make sure that it is God's will we are pursuing and God's voice we are attending to. Please pray often for the whole development of the strategy and for its good impact across the whole Diocese, that more people might come to know the love of God which passes all understanding.  

Mission Resources

Festival Church Recipe Book is a mission resource with the aim to set the tone for experimentation and an all age approach to holding a gathering with a simple gospel message. Written by Revd Dave Lloyd, Mission Development Officer for the Diocese of Norwich.

Pray the Small Stuff is a helpful mission resource from the Garden Network and the Diocese of Norwich. Particularly designed for parents or toddler groups, when life feels especially chaotic, these small cards can be cut out and put around your home as gentle ways of fitting in scripture and prayer into your daily life. 

Sharing Our Story of Faith: We are really proud to have produced this card which you can print out and leave on the table or pew when you have coffee after church (or at any other time you gather with people from church), all with the aim of stimulating conversations about telling stories of faith.

The Diocesan Strategy Group

The Bishop of Lynn, the Rt Revd Dr Jane Steen

Tim Sweeting, Diocesan Secretary

Revd Canon Julie Boyd, Team Rector Aylsham and District

Revd Canon Richard Lamey, Director of Mission and Ministry

Andy Sexton, Strategic Programme Manager

Diocese of Norwich

www.dioceseofnorwich.org