Over the past nine months, six rural benefice teams comprised of a mix of lay and ordained leaders from across Sherborne and Ramsbury have been following the Flex course funded by Rural Hope. The last session of the course was held this month, drawing Flex as a whole to a close.
At Evensong last Sunday, 13-year-old Rory from Warminster was installed as the latest in a long line of Chorister Bishops at Salisbury Cathedral, unseating the Bishop of Salisbury for the duration of the 45-minute service.
This past weekend Bishop Stephen made his first official visit to the Channel Islands since the island deaneries were joined to the Diocese of Salisbury in mid-November.
This year’s national Church of England Christmas video tells the story of a life supported by the local church. It follows one woman through many Christmases throughout her life – from her first starring role as the baby Jesus in the village nativity play, to childhood and teenage years, joining church youth groups, getting married, parenthood and facing bereavement.
Over 4,000 people attended three spectacular Advent Processions, titled ‘From Darkness to Light’, at Salisbury Cathedral last weekend. You can read Bishop Stephen and Dean Nick's addresses here.
For the first time ever, the town of Devizes in Wiltshire will be hosting the ‘Devizes Adventure’ - a community event set to bring the town together through a giant interactive Advent Calendar that starts on 1 December.
Joy Tubbs MBE, Director of Education, has shared the news that she will be retiring at the end of April 2023.
When Bishop Stephen gave away £10 shares of £10,000 during his welcome service earlier this year, he gave it away with a mission “that we can invest what we have for the good of God's Kingdom.” From our early estimates, this original gift has more than doubled, growing by a further £11,740 and being shared with good causes around the diocese and the world. Thank you for your generosity and faithfulness!
This Advent, Bishop Stephen has asked everyone in the diocese to pray together a simple prayer, suitable for homes and church congregations. A version has also been written for use in collective worship in schools.
Beechcroft, St Paul’s CE Primary School, started their Prayer Club this time last year when Project Touchline, an organisation that works at promoting Christian values through sport, finished at the school and a group of children still wanted to continue.
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