To tell us about a forthcomining event you'd like to see publicised here, do one of the following:
share to the facebook group "Chelmsford CMD"
or email Andy at agriffiths@chelmsford.anglican.org
The Church of England has relaunched its “clergy transition service” - free confidential coaching, support with job applications and interviews, rooted in the context of life-long discernment and formation. Find out more here
MAY
COLOURS OF DAY: A RETREAT
We encourage ministers to take regular retreats, and enable them to receive grants to do so. But one person’s lifegiving retreat is another person’s purgatory. The secret is for each of us to discover what is refreshing for us, and find a retreat that meets our needs.
If craft-based creativity works for you, why not book yourself into COLOURS OF DAY on Saturday 9 May 2026, 10:00 16:00 at The Diocesan House Of Retreat, The Street, Pleshey CM3 1HA
This will be a Reflect and Create Craft Day, led by Sharon Blakman & Rev Mandy Hewson with musical accompaniment by Rob Blackman. This day retreat will look at the way that colours and textures can help us to listen to the still, small voice of God in a relaxed and peaceful, creative atmosphere.
Sharon will take you through the process of making a picture from recycled fabrics and textures (sewing or glueing) and exploring the inspiration of colour and the creative process.
Mandy will lead us in quiet reflection giving us space in the day to consider how colour impacts on our well being and how we might use it to enhance our prayer life. And, as well as playing instrumental guitar throughout the day, Rob will be reflecting on the use of ‘colour’ in music - how this can change the atmosphere or raise awareness through sound and word.
Ministers in Chelmsford Diocese are invited to join the Diocesan Education Team on Tuesday 12 May, for an inspiring day from 9am - 3pm, exploring ministry in our Church schools.
This conference will equip clergy and lay ministers with practical ideas, theological insight, and confidence to support SEND inclusive worship, pastoral care, and school church relationships.
Find out more and book your place at https://buff.ly/yGl7BJU
JUNE
June 13th: Carbon Literacy Course 9.30am to 4pm at St Luke’s Church, Moulsham Lodge, Gloucester Avenue, Chelmsford, CM2 9DT.
This course, being led by the Diocesan Environmental Training Lead, Revd Sandra Eldridge, is designed to help attendees to better understand carbon footprints of individuals, organisations and countries and what action can be taken at many different levels to reduce them. It is run as part of the Carbon Literacy Project. The course is free, but you will need to bring your own lunch or can buy something locally. The church is on a C5 bus route, (the bus stop is right opposite the church), and there is a small car park.
Places are limited. Contact Sara Hodges as early as possible to book. If you have any queries please contact Sandra.
A contemplative quiet day at Pleshey Retreat House, using chosen writings of Evelyn Underhill; 15 June 2026.
Valerie Thompson will use her experience of Underhill's writing to present a variety of Evelyn's sayings and prayers. Choose one or two passages to meditate with, in the peaceful atmosphere of Pleshey house and garden. There will be opportunities to discuss the sayings and prayers, you will be free to join this or have your own private space.
We need each other
So pleased to share that the third annual Diocese of Chelmsford estate churches conference is happening in Chelmsford on Thursday 18th June. All clergy, lay ministers and members of churches on estates and in low income communities are invited to join us for this year’s conference ‘We Need Each Other.’
We’ll be exploring ideas around working in partnership with others, strengthening our network and growing as bridge builders and peacemakers. They’ll be talks, workshops, panels, discussion and more and we hope everyone will come with something to contribute and leave with ideas and encouragement for their ministry.
Please do register - link is here - the conference is free and includes lunch. Do spread the word, invite others and we hope to see you there
Leading your Church into Growth – for 2026!
We are delighted to announce that a series of Leading your Church into Growth (LyCiG) conferences will be taking place throughout our diocese this year. This is a chance to experience collaborative team training, like no other.
FOR THE BRADWELL AREA:
16 - 17 May Brentwood Conference
Location: St Peters Church, Claughton Way, Hutton, Brentwood CM13 1JS
FOR THE BRADWELL AND COLCHESTER AREAS:
17- 18 October Chelmsford Conference
Location: The Salvation Army Chelmsford Citadel, 70 Baddow Rd, Chelmsford CM2 0DD
FOR THE BARKING AREA:
LyCiG will also be running in the Barking area.. Those in the Archdeaconry of Barking please save the following dates: 2 June 2026 and 11 and 12 September 2026, To register an interest in these Barking Archdeaconry dates, please email jnagle@chelmsford.anglican.org
Dates will be coming soon for the West Ham Archdeaconry.
Booking for the Bradwell and Colchester Area Conferences
To book for the Bradwell and Colchester Area Conferences, please click here. NB, although the venue shows as St Peter's Brentwood, you will be given an option to book October's Bradwell and Colchester Area conference in Chelmsford, when you click 'check availability'.
JULY/AUGUST
A week of walks in the Essex countryside, 31 July-7 August
Led by Tim Lee. A week of walks in the Essex countryside, reflecting on the lives of Abraham and Sarah, people who walked with God.
Starting with short easy routes, our walks will build up over the week to 8-10 mile intermediate level routes; each day’s journeying linked to Bible reflections to ponder. This is a light-hearted week of walking, conversations and time out with God. There will be a few pub lunches (not included in the price). The walks are very gentle and include plenty of pauses for prayer and reflection.
Abraham and Sarah, great heroes of faith were also humble wandering Arameans whose journeyings centred on searching for answers to big questions. In our week’s pilgrimage of walks, the invitation is to unpack their lives and make connections with our own.
“To me the stories of Abraham and Sarah are fascinating because there were so many contradictions in the story. They are held up are the father and mother of Old Testament faith. Yet they didn’t just go in a straight line to Canaan, they wandered around, made plenty of mistakes and had many false starts, their faith blew hot and cold, they had quite problematic family relationships. Yet God clung to them, and they clung to God. Their lives are not just stories, but encounters, discoveries about God and themselves. As we walk with them, I hope we’ll find that their journeys will come to life for us, and our journeys will have something new for us as well. “
Tim Lee is a spiritual director, trained in the Ignatian tradition and has led quiet days. He is a focal minister for three rural parishes in Essex; he loves walking and keeps bees. He has a particular interest in the spirituality of people for whom 'silence is not their thing'. His favourite Bible people are those like Abraham and Sarah who 'mess up' - as real people all tend to do sometimes.
https://www.retreathousepleshey.com/events/journeyings-with-abraham-and-sarah
SEPTEMBER
Equipped for Ministry: Science and the Life of the Church
Online, 7.30pm-9.30pm, Mondays from September
Examine regular activities of the Church, asking: What wisdom can we draw from science to help us in this area of church life? How can these key aspects of Christian life feed into science? https://faraday.institute/Equipped
Vocations resources and events | The Church of England
NOVEMBER
Remaking After Trauma: The Role of the Church
Online/Cambridge, 9.30am - 4.30pm Saturday 7th Nov
How can the church support people who have experienced trauma in a biblically and theologically informed way? What does post-traumatic growth look like? Join us to explore this vital area of the Church’s work.
https://faraday.institute/trauma
Triple Listening: Listening to God, listening to the congregation, listening to the community
A day with Rev Angus Ritchie, 10 November 2026.
This is a Bradwell Study Day, but ministers from across the Diocese will be welcome. More information later in the year.
Christian Art Conference 2026: 14 November, London
Responding to criticism
An interesting article reflecting on how as leaders we respond to criticism positively. The author, Chris Green , has written a number of books on leadership and his blog Ministry Nuts and Bolts is worth looking at as well
A fascinating article about the value of boredom written by the leader of a local Chelmsford church - well worth a read!
Intergenerational Preaching: A video
Roots for Churches present a video by Mary Hawes and others
Lots of resources in different learning styles about being a "relational church"
A More Relational Church – Relational Church UK
Inside-Out: Next steps for Clergy Wellbeing – Relational Church UK
An article about clergy burnout, and the way that structural change may be required as well as personal responsibility
The article ends with challenging words: "In conclusion, Jesus came that we may have life in all its fullness. As churches we are treating our clergy as if this hope doesn’t apply to them. Worse than that, we treat them as “canon fodder” who can be used and put aside when they are broken. We could do better."
3D Coaching presents: Effective Conversations
You know how to have conversations. You’ve been having them for a long time.
Using our learning platform FreshLearn, you will be able to watch this set of videos (approx. 85 mins).
In this video set we will be thinking about small practical changes you can make to conversations that will make them:
- Easier for you
- More effective for the people you talk to
Includes: ideas, practice, real-life coaching demo, coaching framework and examples
Claire Pedrick MCC has been coaching for over 30 years. A coach, mentor coach and coaching supervisor, she trains managers, leaders and experienced coaches across multiple sectors to reap the benefits of working more simply. Claire is the Founding Partner of 3D Coaching.
Matt White's new book, "Propelled into Wonder," is out NOW!
50 original poems accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations.
#poetrycommunity #writerscommunity
GoHealth: Rest and Reset
Engaging with new housing
Is there new housing in your parish or area? Do you have questions about *How to be Christlike in New Housing Areas, *How to Deal with Practicalities, *How to Work Together as the Body of Christ, *How to Plan and Evaluate, and *How to Engage in Different Contexts?
These are exactly the issues a new resource covers: Introduction to Engaging with New Housing: a set of How-to Guides – Housing Justice.
We've been building a bit of a library of videos about various spiritual movements, and how they can influence us as ministers in East London and Essex in the 2020s.
Past sessions have looked at Benedictine Spirituality, Dominican Spirituality, two different varieties of Evangelical Spirituality, Ignatian Spirituality, Community Organising Spirituality, and Moravian Spirituality. Browse all this and lots of rubbish at:
http://www.youtube.com/@andygriffiths7654
I've been reading Thrive by Pam McNaughton (London: Church House Publishing, 2023), and I thought I'd post a review.
The subtitle of the book is "Helping your multi-parish benefice to grow", and this is an area the author has serious experience of, having been the incumbent of three different multi-parish benefices (MPBs) in three different dioceses, and having developed a course on the subject (also called Thrive) for CPAS.
The book isn't rocket science, and you won't be surprised to hear the list of things listed as keys to a thriving multi-parish ministry, around which the book is built:
*Prayer
*Mapping and relating stories
*Enabling leaders and great teams (for what it's worth, this seems to me to be the strongest section, and if you did nothing else any MPB would profit from taking this wisdom to heart)
*A culture of discipleship - "shaping the life and activity of our churches around the Great Commandments and the Great Commission." I liked this section, though the community organiser in me would have loved there to be a recognition that we don't just worship God, serve our neighbours and share the good news (crucial as these things are), but also listen to our communities to see what they care about, and enable them to take action for justice. I don't for one moment think that Pam MacNaughton is inward-looking-except-with-regard-to evangelism, but that's such a danger for MPBs that I would want to flag it up.
*Faith sharing. This may be the most challenging section for a number of our MPBs, but it's introduced with gentleness and realism.
*Vision for the future
The value of the book lies not so much in the choice of these topics, which will be familiar, as in the clear, approachable way they are explained and made relevant to multi-church contexts. I liked the way the book often gives several options, rather than a single authoritative template: for example, when starting to move towards vision, we are given
*a template for a formal review of church life, but also
*permission not to use it because there may be one or two areas that clearly need to be worked on first, before the review is encouraging, and
*permission to start with one big project that will get people's imagination firing and raise morale, so that when it is time to review the church(es), the momentum of the project will help people look at possibilities with newfound positivity.
I also liked the way the author often chooses to ask questions rather than to give advice.
I could imagine this being a book that a whole PCC, or a standing committee, looked at together; or perhaps, the wardens and ministers drawn from all the churches in a benefice. There are online materials available as well.
In this Diocese, there are two networks for incumbents (and other ministers) with MPBs or the equivalent - "Four or more" and "More than one". If you'd be interested in being part of such a network, do get in touch with Janet Nichols or Andy Griffiths.
Theological Reading Group
Susannah Brasier writes: "I set up an online theological reading group about 18 months ago. We meet monthly, on Zoom, on the second Tuesday of the month at 2pm for 45 mins-1 hr.
So far we have read a wide variety of books, of varying genres and intensity, and had some very good discussions.
The idea came from one of my own MDRs, where I lamented (not for the first time) that I wasn't getting around to theological reading - so Jill Mowbray suggested I started this group and certainly, even though previously I often thought I didn't have time to read, I now have a discipline whereby I am always reading at least one theological book a month!
It is however not only open to clergy - ordinands, licensed or authorised lay ministers are also welcome, as well as other lay people who have an interest in reading theological books."
Do contact Susannah Brasier if you'd like to get involved.
The institutions and providers below all offer courses relevant to the development needs of Chelmsford clergy.
The Anglican Centre in Rome
The Anglican Centre offers a range of residential courses. Go to www.anglicancentreinrome.org for more details.
The Arthur Rank Centre
A charity that supports and resources the rural church. It offers twice-yearly Rural Ministry Courses and Multi Church Ministry Workshops
It also has resources for the creative use of church buildings
The Buck Stops Here: Leading in MIssion and Ministry in Your First Incumbency
This residential course is offered by CPAS for those moving from a curacy to a first post of responsibility, or for those moving from overseas or sector post to an incumbency or team vicar post.
Los Olivos
A varied programme of courses and retreats in southern Spain, some of which will be eligible for CMD grant – check with your Area CMD Adviser before booking. Travel is not eligible for grant. Go to www.haciendalosolivos.org for details.
LYCIG Leading Your Church Into Growth
A training programme which takes the mystique out of growth and makes it ‘normal’ and do-able. It is likely that a LYCIG course will be run in Chelmsford Diocese in the coming year.
LYCiG is a four-day residential course for lay and ordained leaders. Now in itstwenty-first year, the course was pioneered by Robin Gamble and others, and is led by a team drawn from many different backgrounds, traditions, and ministry contexts. All are practitioners who can speak from personal experience of leading churches into growth. "The most valuable training we’ve ever done", is a typical comment from some of the 70 churches represented on the course.
For the current Conferences programme click here.
Transforming Worship
It offers a series of training events, mostly regional, for those who lead worship - website here
Sarum College
in Salisbury is an ecumenical centre for Christian study and research. It offers a variety of short courses and study programmes in theology, culture, Christian leadership, liturgy and worship, biblical study and sprituality; also singing, music and the arts. Many of these are eligible for CMD grant. For upcoming events or for their whole programme go to www.sarum.ac.uk.
The Society of Mary and Martha, Sheldon
The Society of Mary and Martha in Devon has a varied programme of residential weeks and workshops, including Myers-Briggs and Enneagram, and specifically for clergy, some of which (but not all) will qualify for use of CMD grant. Go to www.sheldon.uk.com.
How to obtain your CMD grant…
Many of these courses are eligible for funding from your CMD grant.
If you have questions about these or other training courses, contact your Area CMD Adviser or the CMD Administrator Sue Denham (01245 294450) .
For information on Sabbatical Leave and Study contact your Area CMD Adviser.
When requesting money for CMD grants, which are available for active clergy (including PTO with a working agreement) and Licensed or PTO Lay Ministers, applications must be received at least a month prior to the event and before booking or attending. To do this fill in an electronic grant form and send it to your Area CMD Adviser, Andy Griffiths, Jane Richards or Julie Couchman-Boor who will authorise and send to Sue Denham who will raise the payment. You do not need to send a copy of the brochure. It is preferred to make payments by BACS. See CMD Funding.
For consultation in advance of applications for any CMD events not included here, please contact your Area CMD Adviser. Please note that where a CMD Adviser, MDR, Archdeacon or Bishop has recommended coaching, this will be funded by a £230 grant, which will not deplete your CMD grant rights for the rest of the year.