Contents for this Enews include:

• Volunteers week - Thank you
• Parish Support Team Pop Ups
• Vision Conversation
• News across Norfolk and Waveney
• Fill in your EFT tool for a chance to win £1,000 for your parish
• Events
• Vacancies
• Daily Prayer Diary

We celebrated Volunteers week (2-8 June) across the Diocese of Norwich and would like to take this extra opportunity to say a BIG THANK YOU to all our amazing volunteers in and around our church communities. You are vital to supporting and providing mission and ministry across Norfolk and Waveney and to reaching more people with the Good News of Jesus.

From opening churches, to sweeping floors, fixing fittings, to mowing churchyards. From flower arranging to providing music, a welcoming smile and refreshments. The weekly notices, the tech support, the music provision and the rotas. (This list is not exhaustive!)

Romans 12 v 6 (NIV) "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us."

You can watch a video below about the amazing Baby Basics team, a voluntary charity operating from St Nicholas Church in Dersingham.

And don't forget that there are volunteering opportunities at Norwich Cathedral and if you're a keen gardener, there's the Bishop's House Garden in the centre of Norwich.

• How you can join Norwich Cathedral's community of volunteers - Diocese of Norwich
• Wanted: volunteers for hidden gem city garden - Diocese of Norwich

Do get in touch with your local church where you live to see what opportunities are available there: A Church Near You

Thank you to those of you who came along to our first two ‘Parish Support Team Pop Up’ events at Walsingham and Cringleford at the beginning of June. It was helpful to meet PCC officers, lay people and volunteers to listen about what is going on in your local context and to provide signposting and support.

We received feedback that you are happy to know the parish support team is available and able to offer help and support should you need it. The most common feedback from the evenings is that people are unaware of exactly what support is on offer.

The Parish Support Team are here to serve those in mission and ministry across the Diocese of Norwich. You can find out more on our website here: Parish Support Team pop ups - Diocese of Norwich

Your first contact with the team is Dani Rice, our wonderful Parish Support Team adviser. Please call Dani on 01603 880853 or email hello@dioceseofnorwich.org

Don't forget that you can call or email anytime Monday to Friday between 9am-5pm or call to arrange a visit and pop in and see us.

A reminder that there is still an opportunity to join an online conversation about our Diocesan vision on Thursday 12 June, If you are a part of your local church community and you live in a rural area or small/market town, we are inviting you to join in.

Our vision across the Diocese is Transformed by Christ: Prayerful, Pastoral and Prophetic. It is a big vision which is rooted in something very small: the belief that, by the grace of God, one heart transformed by Christ, living in the purposes of the Holy Spirit, is sufficient to transform another life, a whole family, a school, workplace, market town, urban estate, rural village or coastal community.

At the March Diocesan Synod, the current challenges we are facing as a Church in Norfolk and Waveney were presented through a study of the data compiled from the annual Statistics for Mission. Synod then shared their priorities for what they think are the most urgent challenges we face. Now we want to hear what you think are the best and most exciting ways to address these challenges in the places you live and worship.

We are very aware that the challenges and opportunities churches face – and indeed the solutions – can often be different in Rural locations, Smaller/Market Towns, Large Coastal Towns and across Norwich.

These events will cover three main topics:

1. Sharing with you and hearing your feedback on the key challenges we face.
2. How to develop a deeper and fuller sense of what it would mean to be truly Transformed by Christ: Prayerful, Pastoral, Prophetic - and to hear from you on that sense of call.
3. To receive your ideas on what we could do in our parishes or benefices (and as a whole diocese) to overcome our challenges and to become the Church that Christ is calling us to be.

You can join a conversation for your location

Rural

Thursday 12 June 2025

19:00 to 21:30

Join the call here.

Meeting ID: 366 154 874 720 4    

Passcode: pi7jZ6CY

Smaller and Market Towns

Thursday 12 June 2025

19:00 to 21:30

Join the call here.

Meeting ID: 353 733 217 629 7    

Passcode: jS3w9Ci6

If you cannot take part in your relevant forum but would like to contribute to these discussions email strategy@dioceseofnorwich.org

Your contributions, prayers and ongoing support are vital, and we are deeply grateful for all you do in your parish and benefice communities.

Bishop of Norwich’s May diocese diary: celebrations by the sea, walking with farmers, and the next step towards choosing an Archbishop.

“Unfurl your sails and let the Spirit lead you forward,” said the Rt Revd Graham Usher at the celebration service for the restoration of St Nicholas’ Church, Wells-next-the-Sea.

The whole town was invited to celebrate, with a service, tree planting, heritage and wildlife activities and tours of the church and churchyard. The six-year restoration included repairs to the tower, roof and south porch, funded by a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant and lots of local donations and fundraising.

St Peter Mancroft stars in new Church of England net zero report

A major step in a significant package of proposals for clergy well-being is announced today, which if implemented will increase future pension benefits for existing and future pensioners.



The improvements are being proposed by the Archbishops’ Council, based on analysis by the Church of England Pensions Board. They include restoring the target pension level to two-thirds of pensionable stipend, coupled with an increase to pensions that have come into payment since 2011. General Synod will be asked to consider these proposals, which will require changes to the scheme rules, this July, with potential implementation after April 2026.

First Eco Chaplains trained in Diocese of Norwich

Four new Eco Chaplains have been trained, to help parishes embed creation care in their mission and ministry.

This voluntary role’s primary purpose is to encourage and support churches to respond to the climate and ecological crisis, by advocating for environmental action, resourcing others, and helping churches on their Eco Church and net zero journey.

The Eco Chaplains will be commissioned by Bishop Ian, on Sunday 22 June at Norwich Cathedral Evensong at 3:30pm. All are welcome to come and support them in prayer in this new venture.

Fill in your Energy Footprint Tool and your parish could win £1000!

DEADLINE: 30 June 2025

Courtesy of the Anne French Memorial Fund, we are able to offer parishes the chance to win a £1000 prize if they complete their Energy Footprint Tool (EFT) so don't miss out!

Awarded via a lottery draw, the grant can be used to support energy efficiency work on any parish buildings - providing long-term savings and helping our diocesan commitment to achieving Net Zero.

The form has only ten questions; all that is needed to complete the process is a parish's energy bills for the last year and a couple of other basic bits of information

So how do you do it? Find out here: Energy Footprint Tool - Diocese of Norwich

Or contact Ed Cotterill directly. Ed is our Net Zero Officer and you can email him at ed.cotterill@dioceseofnorwich.org

We follow the Diocese of Norwich Prayer Diary and today we pray for:

Toftrees

Churchwardens and PCC during the vacancy.

All organists and those who play in bands

Diocese of Mumias (Kenya)

You can follow our prayer diary online or download and print a version here: Prayer Diary - Diocese of Norwich

Prayer Diary: Summer 2025

The Summer 2025 Prayer Diary is out now: Prayer Diary - Diocese of Norwich

Prayers began on 2 June 2025.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility

Safeguarding - Diocese of Norwich

The Diocese Safeguarding Team:

Sue Brice, Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser

Peter Sayer, Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser

Helen Norris, Safeguarding Training

Email:safeguarding@dioceseofnorwich.org

Call: 01603 882345.

Write: Safeguarding Team, Bishop’s House, Norwich, NR3 1SB.

Let us know your news - we'd like to help you tell others:

contact news@dioceseofnorwich.org

For all general enquiries contact hello@dioceseofnorwich.org or 01603 880853

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