Deanery News

Dear all,
Summer is now upon us and we are all enjoying, or enduring, the heat. I hope you are able to make the most of this season and can find time for rest and relaxation. Here are a few key notices which I need to circulate:

Living Faith in Milton Keynes
A draft Deanery Plan was launched at the Deanery Pastoral Committee on Wednesday 1st July. It was produced after six months of reflection and discussion and reflects a great deal of thought. It will be discussed at Synod on the 23rd September, but the deadline for comments will be the end of October. We intend to put a the new plan to the Synod for formal ratification on January 27th 2010. This time-scale has been lengthened so that there is plenty of time for people to comment and contribute to our thinking so that we develop a really useful strategy for mission and ministry.
There are ten hard copies for each church, but you can download an electronic copy from www.livingfaith.mkdeanery.org - You can also view the draft plan on-line and make comments.
Please do have a look. We hope that this process will give us more clarity about our work together and the way we can support each other in mission and ministry.

Tim Clapton
Our development Chaplain, Tim Clapton, has decided to move to London but will be working with us part-time over the coming year to help us think about his future. For more details, please see his newsletter, or follow this link: Tim Clapton.

Mission Shaped Ministry
We are hosting a major regional mission course next year which is a huge opportunity for us in Milton Keynes. For more details about the course visit: msm. To book a place call or email Peter Ballantine.

Deanery Secretary
We are looking for a volunteer to act as Deanery Secretary. The Deanery has a part-time administrator who works two hours a week. This is really helpful but we also need a lay volunteer to focus on minutes and agendas so that things run smoothly. For more details, please download the Deanery Secretary Job Description.

Deanery Lay Chair
We are also looking for a new Deanery Lay Chair now that Paul Bright has completed his term of office. We will miss Paul since he had built up a great deal of wisdom and experience. Over the next couple of months we will be asking people to nominate a new Lay Chair, so please share any thoughts you may have. For more details, please see Lay Chair's Responsibilities, Lay Chair in Milton Keynes Deanery or download the Diocesan Handbook for Area Deans and Lay Chairs.

Fresh Expressions
Looking ahead to the Autumn, a small group has been formed to develop CafeChurch in Milton Keynes - starting in the City Centre working with Christ Cornerstone. If you'ld like to be part of this project, please let me know.
There will also be a FEAST Day on Sunday September 27th between 4:00pm and 7:00pm which will be an opportunity for networking, conversations and tasters. I'll send more details out soon but do pop it in your diary if you think it may be for you...

Have a great summer, all the best,
Tim Norwood