SAVE THE DATE! 

"INCREASING FAITH LITERACY IN YOUR COLLEGE" 

Wednesday 16 November 2011 

10.00-14.00 inc. lunch Venue tbc (Birmingham area) 

Topics to include: The need for faith literacy 

What is faith literacy? 

The Student Union/Learner Voice contribution to interfaith relationships at college 

Q and A session 

Resources/tools to explore and experience 

Further Details to follow. 

Meanwhile, please save the date and pass on to any colleague whose work demands 'faith literacy' (e.g., student services managers, youth workers, equality and diversity officers, etc). 

Workshop organised by the West Midlands Churches' Further Education Council 

Contact: Andy Haynes, Development Officer on andy(at)breatheresource.org.uk 

or Ian Jones, Director of the St. Peter's Saltley Trust on Director(at)SaltleyTrust.entadsl.com

Applications Now Open For Community Grants

Round 8 of Worcestershire County Council's Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) grants is now open. This round of grants seeks applications from organisations which develop diversity in the community, provide community based activities for older people or are involved in the provision of community arts.

Celebrating Diversity  A total of £7,000 is available for grants to help VCS organisations celebrate diversity through raising knowledge and understanding and encouraging interaction through a range of activities. The maximum to be applied for under this grant is £1,000.

First based Community Arts  A total of £3,000 is available for grants to help VCS organisations to show how the arts can have a positive impact by bringing communities together and for communities to take an active and participatory role in the arts. The maximum to be applied for under this grant is £500.

Supporting Community Based Activities for Older People  A total of £60,000 is available for grants to help voluntary and community sector organisations to provide activities to help meet the needs of older people in the community. The maximum to be applied for under this grant is £5,000.

 

The deadline for submitting applications is 4pm on Friday, October 28. For full details on how to apply for the grants.

A campaign to make the UK’s 20 million Christmas trees a bit more meaningful this December has been launched. The campaign is in response to news that 46% of people say Jesus is irrelevant to their celebration of Christmas.

To help parents, grandparents and godparents communicate the Christmas story to the next generation, The Meaningful Chocolate Company has produced the UK's first ever interactive set of chocolate Fairtrade tree decorations, based on the characters of the Nativity story.

Each box of Meaningful Chocolate Tree Decorations contains a limited edition Christmas card, a sticker set and six hand wrapped, high quality, Fairtrade chocolate decorations. The Christmas story, which can be found on the card, enables adults or children to read the story while placing character stickers on the decorations. Once completed, the decorations can be hung on the tree as a reminder of the real meaning of Christmas.
David Marshall, from The Meaningful Chocolate Company, said

"We estimate that most of the UK's 20 million Christmas trees don't have anything religious hung on them. The Meaningful Chocolate Tree Decorations are an opportunity to buy an interactive gift that allows the telling of the Christmas story at home. The card also includes and invitation for people to go to church to hear the Christmas story there. So, not only is it educational, it's also a piece of evangelism."

The Meaningful Christmas Tree Decorations cost £3.95. Church orders can be made through http://www.meaningfulchristmas.co.uk/ or exclusively from Traidcraft. Orders should be made by 14^th November 2011 as supplies are limited.

Christmas Welcome for Students

Can you imagine what it would be like to be in a foreign country during a national holiday when everything closes and people are with their families? Could you share your Christmas with an international student? Two opportunities are below.


From University Chaplain Fiona Haworth:
Most home university students will leave around the 16 December. Staying in the halls of residence during this time can be lonely and isolating. 
Last year Fiona, the chaplain at Worcester Uni, was able to arrange for 23 students to spend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with families, and for 11 to go to a Christmas Day lunch at Bromyard Road Methodist Church.  It was overwhelmingly successful for both students and hosts.


This Christmas we would like to offer more students the opportunity to experience a traditional British Christmas.  A simple act of hospitality and kindness makes a huge difference to a student's experience of Britain and can lead to lasting friendships. 

If you are able to offer a meal to two, or more, students, ideally on Christmas Day, or would just like to find out more, please get in touch with the Revd Dr Fiona Haworth.   
Fiona can be contacted by email:  f.haworth@worc.ac.uk  Tel:  01905 542327

Stay-at-home Christmas?
Are you staying at home for Christmas? Would you open your home and share Christmas with a student from China, India, or some other part of the world, who would otherwise be stuck at an almost deserted UK university? HOST invites you to give Christmas, perhaps for the first time in their life, to someone who is a guest in this country, who would love to experience your way of life and make your stay-at-home Christmas special. HOST will match you with one or two guests to suit your household. More volunteer hosts are urgently needed for 1-3 days at Christmas, and weekends all year round. Please see http://www.hostuk.org

County Council funding

Each Worcestershire County Councillor has £10,000 to give away to local groups and projects in their areas. The money is to be used to improve people's lives and so is available for a wide range of activities.
This information has been supplied by the Diocesan Commission for Social Responsibility.  
Worcestershire Councillors' Divisional Fund Scheme
This scheme allocates each Worcestershire County Councillor £10,000 per year, from 1^st August 2011, to deploy for the benefit of their respective Divisions. It is intended that this money should be for the economic, social or environmental well-being of the Division, but there is a wide range of activities and services that can be supported.

It is important that this money should be used for the most deserving causes and, in consequence.  While products and services may be purchased from commercial companies, they should be used for the benefit of the community as a whole or a group such as the Scouts, a sporting club or a charity or other voluntary group.

All the projects supported must conform to the Council's policies and the details of all grants made will published on the Council website, in accordance with the Council policy of transparency in financial dealings.
Cllr Hardman said: "The role of the local member is to lead their communities and this is a new and innovative way of embracing the principles of localism to support truly local initiatives.

"I believe that giving them control over how they support local projects will assist them in that role and will help ensure the funding support the County Council provides is directed at those groups and projects which need it most."

While the money is apportioned in twelve month periods, it does not have to be allocated all at the same time. Nevertheless it is likely that decisions will not be made early in the year for expensive projects, as other worthy ideas may arise in later months that might not otherwise be funded.

Information on the details of the Fund will be made available on the County's website soon, but I would be happy to hear now of any person or group that had ideas for this expenditure. While it is possible for Councillors to pool their allocation of funds for group projects, the relative isolation of the Tenbury Division leads me to expect that I will not be getting involved in such joint enterprises.

Please use the application and guidance note below.  Also attached is a list of County Councillors.

• Councillors' Divisional Fund Payment Request  (27 KB)
  A copy of the proforma to be filled in by members wishing to authorise payment
• Worcestershire Councillors' Divisional Fund Scheme  (53 KB)
  A copy of the agreed Scheme itself
• WCDF guidance notes

List of County Councillors

Worcester Diocese Links Task Groups

Magdeburg, Morogoro and Peru

Invite You To

A Links Praise and Prayer Evening

With Representatives from our Link Dioceses

On Wednesday 21 September 2011

At 7.30pm

In the Great Hall at the Old Palace Worcester

Praise * News * Refreshments * Prayer

YFC job opportunity (Halesowen)

Personnel Senior Manager
British Youth for Christ: is part of Youth for Christ International and exists to communicate the good news to young people in the UK through locally based youth work, missions and resourcing and equipping Churches in their youth ministry. As part of our senior management team you would be responsible for Personnel services at our Head Office in Halesowen and for providing Personnel advice and support for our Local Centres.

The role includes employee relations, employee pay and reward, performance management, recruitment and induction and Child Protection. You will have a CIPD or other relevant qualifications, experience in the Personnel function, excellent communication skills, be proactive, have the ability to build relationships at all levels and be highly motivated. The role would suit a Personnel Generalist who has a good understanding of employment law and of child protection and the ability to develop and deliver effective Personnel procedures and policies. You will be implementing strategy as well as dealing with every day matters.

Closing date: 30th September 2011
Interview date: 13th October 2011
Salary: £25,324 - £27,796 depending on ability

For further details contact HR on hr(at)yfc.co.uk for applications forms please contact Chris Nightingale email chris.nightingale(at)yfc.co.uk or phone 0121 502 9620. There is an occupation requirement that the role holder is a committed Christian in accordance with Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010. Due to the nature of this role a Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure is required before a final job offer is made. A criminal record is not necessarily a bar to employment with us please see our policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders for more details