In this first episode of the Chester Box Podcast for the year 2023, Bishops Mark, Julie and Sam reflect on the ways in which they have responded to God's call in their own lives and how they encourage others to recognise it in theirs too. If you want to explore where God could be calling you in 2023, help is on hand. The Director of Vocations in the Diocese of Chester is Sarah Fenby, and she would love to talk to you if you are sensing God's call into lay or ordained ministries. You can email her DDV@chester.anglican.org.

On Saturday 15th October around 60 women attended the annual Women’s Voices Conference from the Diocese of Chester. Five speakers were invited to share their different perspectives on the Bible. In the fifth and final talk recorded at the 2022 Women's Voices Conference, the Revd Liz Shercliff focusses on the story of Tamar.  The next Women's Voices Conference is due to take place on Saturday 14th October 2023.

On Saturday 15th October around 60 women attended the annual Women’s Voices Conference from the Diocese of Chester. Five speakers were invited to share their different perspectives on the Bible.  In the fourth of five talks, the Revd Jenny Bridgman explores what it means to be an attentive leader in anxious times. The next Women's Voices Conference is due to take place on Saturday 14th October 2023.

On Saturday 15th October around 60 women attended the annual Women’s Voices Conference from the Diocese of Chester. Five speakers were invited to share their different perspectives on the Bible. This is episode three of five talks from the day.

On Saturday 15th October around 60 women attended what was the 9th annual Women’s Voices Conference. Five speakers were invited to share their different perspectives on the Bible. This is episode two of five, featuring all five talks from the day.  The Revd Dr Jasmine Devadason is originally from the Church of South India and has an interest in Dalit Feminist readings of the Bible. She is currently on the ministry team of St Catherine's, Heald Green.

On Saturday 15th October around 60 women attended what was the 9th annual Women’s Voices Conference. Five speakers were invited to share their different perspectives on the Bible.  The first speaker on the day was Dr Eve Parker who is the Director of Global Mission at USPG and author of Trust in Theological Education. This is the first in five talks from the 2022 Women's Voice Conference.

On 5th October 2022, the Church of England published its national Past Cases Review 2 (PCR2) report, a review of more than 75,000 files, some dating back to the 1940s. The PCR2 process was carried out by independent reviewers across all 42 dioceses, including the Diocese of Chester which has also published an extensive Summary Report of the findings in the diocese.  The Bishop of Chester, Mark Tanner, the Bishop of Birkenhead, Julie Conalty, and the Bishop of Stockport, Sam Corley, recorded a conversation, ahead of the national report publication, in which they reflect on the PCR2 process and findings of poor safeguarding practice in the Diocese and the Church.  More information, including the reports, can be found here:

As a former CEO of a local Multi-Academy Trust and Chair of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel, David is a well-known figure in the Diocese of Chester, and stood for election to Diocesan Synod in February, but narrowly missed out. Due to this "near miss" David was invited to serve on the House of Laity of General Synod, in response to the Archbishops' anti-racism report, From Lament to Action, which calls for greater representation of people from Global Ethnic backgrounds. Here he reflects on his time at General Synod and explains why he's having to stand down as Chair of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel.

The Revd Liz Shercliff is the Director of Studies for Readers. Her newly published book, The Present Preacher: Discerning God in the Now, is a practical, confidence-building guide for all who want to develop their preaching "by homing in on that which points to God in the now." She talks to Stephen Freeman about the book which is out now through various retailers including Amazon and Canterbury Press.

The Bishop of Chester, Mark Tanner, led a Bible study at the Clergy Gathering exploring Mark 1:14-18. In this episode Bishop Mark spends some time talking about the word “repent” and what he says are the increasing difficulties we face in our understanding of the word both culturally and linguistically. He also references a book called 3D Gospel by Jayson Georges which you can learn more about here: The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures: Amazon.co.uk: Georges, Jayson: 0787721853312: Books

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell addressed the Clergy Gathering 2022.    Before becoming Archbishop, Stephen served the Church in various roles and geographical locations from parish priest in Chichester to Diocesan Missioner and Bishop’s Chaplain for Evangelism in the Diocese of Wakefield. He has also served as Canon Pastor of Peterborough Cathedral and Bishop of Reading before becoming the 98th Archbishop of York in 2020. He says he has a desire "to see a much greater diversity of leadership within the Church and is described by Archbishop Justin Welby as “one of the most inspiring leaders in the church." Archbishop Justin says: "He preaches, he writes beautifully, he writes poetry, he thinks very deeply, he communicates superbly, he is not hierarchical, he’s got a huge heart that is open to the needy and poor and vulnerable. He’s a pastor.”   www.chester.anglican.org/clergy-gathering

The Bishop of Birkenhead, Julie Conalty, led a Bible study exploring Mark 1:14-18 at the Clergy Gathering 2022.   www.chester.anglican.org/clergy-gathering

Key Speaker the Bishop of Burnley, Philip North, addressed the Clergy Gathering 2022.    Bishop Philip was ordained in 1992 and spent his first 10 years of priesthood serving in the north of England in Sunderland and then Hartlepool, before moving south to become Priest Administrator of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham and then Team Rector of Old St Pancras. In 2015 he returned to the north being installed as Bishop of Burnley.  www.chester.anglican.org/clergy-gathering

Key Speaker Dave Male addressed the Clergy Gathering 2022 focusing on the theme 'So go! Recasting the net'.    Dave heads the Church of England's Evangelism and Discipleship Team whose overarching aim is to motivate our million regular worshippers to become confident, prayerful disciples. Dave spent ten years starting and leading the Net Church in Huddersfield which was one of the first fresh expressions of church in the UK. In his role as Tutor in Pioneer Mission Training at Ridley Hall and Westcott House from 2006 to 2015 he developed the first Pioneer track in the Church of England and also started the Centre for Pioneer Learning in Cambridge, an organisation he founded to equip, resource and send out lay and ordained pioneers from across the denominations.   www.chester.anglican.org/clergy-gathering

Key Speaker the Revd Dr Sharon Prentis addressed the Clergy Gathering 2022 focusing on the theme of 'What are we being called from?'   Ordained in 2010, Sharon has been primarily a theological educator specialising in contextual theologies and working in church mission. She has a keen interest in exploring the relationship between faith, community well-being, and promoting inclusion. This interest has led her into leadership roles such as National Deputy Director for Research and Development at The Salvation Army; Intercultural Mission Enabler and Dean of Black and Minority Ethnic Affairs for the Church of England, Birmingham; and in 2021, she was announced as the new Dean of Ministry at St Mellitus College. She says: "My heart is to see the Church embrace the whole people of God so that all can fully participate in what God is calling us to be at this time".   www.chester.anglican.org/clergy-gathering

The Bishop of Stockport, Sam Corley, led a Bible study exploring Mark 1:14-18 at the Clergy Gathering 2022.   www.chester.anglican.org/clergy-gathering

Two married priests have been appointed to lead the diocesan retreat house, Foxhill.  The Revd Lucy and the Revd David Brewster will take up the job share in September, with Lucy titled Director-Designate and David as Chaplain. We went to find out a bit more about the appointment and their hopes for Foxhill in the future.  They said that despite having seen the job advert, they never dreamt of applying or that it could be them that God was calling to the post until they picked up a voice message on their answerphone from Bishop Sam Corley, the Bishop of Stockport, who suggested that in fact, they might be the perfect candidates.  Foxhill House dates back to the 1860s and is set within 70 acres of beautiful Cheshire countryside and woodlands. It has been run by the Diocese of Chester as a retreat centre since 1968. Find out more on their website: Foxhill House | What's on (foxhillchester.co.uk)

The Archdeacon of Macclesfield, Ian Bishop is joined in conversation by Revd Debbie Dalby, curate at Grange, and co-chairs of the diocesan Environment Forum, the Revd Joe Kennedy and the Revd Mike Loach. The podcast was recorded on the eve of the season of Lent. This Lent the Diocese of Chester, led by the diocesan Environment Forum, is inviting people in the diocese to join in with a gentle Lenten journey.  Leading the way are 40 individuals from around our diocese who will each delve into scripture and share inspiring personal stories about the small ways in which they are moved to cherish the gift of life. In this podcast Ian, Debbie, Joe and Mike talk about the Lent campaign and more broadly about their hopes for the Enviroment Forum and the different ways we can each live more sustainable lives and begin to take steps to become Eco-Churches.  Resources mentioned in the podcast:  More info on the Lent from the Diocese of Chester: www.chester.anglican.org/Lent Church of England energy footprint tool: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/policy-and-thinking/our-views/environment-and-climate-change/about-our-environment/energy-footprint-tool  Eco-Church by A Rocha: https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/  Caring for God's Acre, a charity specialising in the rejuvenating of churchyard: https://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/

Mike Gilbertson, the Archdeacon of Chester, and Emilly Allen, Church Buildings Missioner in the Diocese of Chester, discuss the ways in which churches have adapted their prayer life in the pandemic. We hear from three parishes.  Contributors: The Revd Louise Annison, Curate at Holy Trinity, BlaconThe Revd Beth Glover, St Mary's, EasthamThe Revd Dr Olive Igwe, St Andrew's, All Saints, and St Peter's,Marta Jones, Churchwarden, St. Andrew's Crewe Resources: Further resources about Everyday Faith are available from the Church of England. Hosted by: Archdeacon Mike Gilbertson, with Emily Allen Recorded: 11 December 2020

As the country heads into tighter restrictions and talk of a second full national lockdown persist, we look at how people in our churches are caring for others and working for justice in their communities. The Archdeacon of Chester, Mike Gilbertson, discusses this with three church workers from three different locations and asks each to explain the needs of their community, what they've been doing to respond, and how they have seen God at work. This episode is part of a series of conversations exploring how Christians across the Diocese of Chester are living out their faith in everyday life. Resources: Further resources about Everyday Faith are available from the Church of England. Contributors: Christine Branch from St John the Baptist, Meols Carol Dodgson from St Mary Magdalene, Ashton-Upon-Mersey, Sale Denise Price from the parish of Christ the King, Birkenhead Hosted by: Archdeacon Mike Gilbertson