Need to Know More about becoming a Festival Church?

The Association of Festival Churches is a registered Charity which you can find more about here.

The church of England website also has important information here.

Our current pattern is to have Deanery services every 5th Sunday when these occur in the month. We have our next 5th Sunday Deanery Service on December 29th 2024 at 11 am. This service will be hosted in Tilton church and all are welcome. Our zoom congregation is also invited to join in with this service online. Our first deanery service of 2025 will be Sunday 30th March 2025, which is also Mothering Sunday.
Our service will be hosted by St Peter’s, Church Langton and the school will be invited to participate. As with our recent harvest services, you are very welcome to join with this Mothering Sunday Service, but we recognise you may have your own traditions of welcome, hospitality and mission on this special day. God bless!

Jonathan Dowman
Oversight Minster for the Launde Deanery Minster Community

Please find the minutes from the Deanery Synod on 10th October here. Notes have been made of all that was said, however, please note that the minutes are purposely brief for ease of communication.
The feedback from the session on Questions, Opportunities, Concerns and Hopes is also available on the same page. This is not edited in any way except to delete one concern and one hope which made specific reference to Jonathan, and were contrary to the ground rules that he set out before the discussion.
There is now much discussion to be had regarding “Our next steps as a Minster Community” following on from Thursday’s meeting.
Where do we go from here?
Well, we would encourage you to think through the responses given, in PCCs and, particularly in groups larger than your PCCs. Perhaps in Benefice groups? Feel free to invite Jonathan and Jayne to join your discussions. We hope that you will be able to think about the future direction of the Minster Community, bearing in mind that we are planning towards working with 1 stipendiary minister and a small group of PTOs (Permission to Officiate) and lay leaders from next summer.
We would welcome feedback from such discussions before the February Synod on 27th February so that we can then meet together to begin to discuss our plans as a Minster Community. Please take note of key themes that are emerging.
You may wish to give consideration to what audience you wish to discuss the questions with or share the answers with?

Revd Canon Jonathan Dowman, Oversight Minister for the Launde Deanery Minster Community

We have had some really good events and services over the last couple of weeks and many of our churches will have had harvest festivals, suppers etc – but we don’t share any of it. We would like to encourage congregations to take pictures and record the good things that they are doing so that we can share them. We can put them on the website and we can add them into community newsletters. When your church has something good, joyful loving or generous share it with us – to Wendy our Administrator to circulate and to John Dyson for the website

Jonathan

Revd Canon Jonathan Dowman, Oversight Minister for the Launde Deanery Minster Community

A reminder that our Deanery Synod meeting is being held on Thursday evening, 10th October at Tilton on the Hill Village Hall from 7:15pm for 7:30pm start. This will be an important meeting which will have a significant impact on our shared life moving forwards. Every parish is therefore being urged to send two representatives to Synod so that your parish is present and so that you can take away further information to share with your churches. We look forward to seeing you then, if you are unable to attend please send any apologies to Wendy Lewis in writing before Synod.

All Treasurers within the Deanery are invited to an evening to give an opportunity for all Treasurers and those acting in that capacity to share in the work of being a Treasurer. This event will be held on Thursday 17th October at 7pm, but please note that the venue is to be confirmed.

Please confirm with Wendy Lewis whether you will be able to attend.

Many thanks and best wishes,

Jonathan

Revd Canon Jonathan Dowman, Oversight Minister for the Launde Deanery Minster Community

Retirement Announcement from Revd Jayne Lewis to the Launde Deanery Minster Community

For personal family reasons, I have decided that now is the time to give informal notice of my intention to retire next year.
I want to devote more time to family and friends than is possible in what has been a very full-time six day a week ministry.
I am very conscious that my retirement will have significant short and longer-term implications for the Launde Deanery Minster Community (details of this will follow).
I have therefore felt strongly that I would like to share this with you well in advance of me leaving, in order to assist Jonathan, Madeleine, Wendy and you all to discern the best way forward. So, this is not currently a farewell and I sense that good can come of this situation.
For your information, I am formally required to give three months notice. My current feeling is that I will probably retire Summer 2025.
Every blessing,
Jayne

Saturday 14th September sees Ride + Stride happening across the Diocese (https://lhct.org.uk/ride-and-stride/) and we would encourage you to make your churches welcoming to both riders and striders, find someone to sponsor, or simply just pray for the event.

On Sunday, some of us are gathering at Goadby Church at 2:30 pm for a walk which will end in Gaulby (we will pass Illston at 3:40ish?). If you would like to join us, please let me know and if you would like to join us from Illston, I will give you a better estimate of the time as we begin our walk (mobile 07477 783464).

Finally, please could you hold Linda Jones in your prayers this weekend. Linda is a key member of our community and does so much to organise rotas, support local ministry and serve our ZOOM congregation (among other things).

She has been serving in Uganda this week as part of a World Vision programme and had a fall resulting in a broken bone in her upper arm. She’s received the treatment she needs and will be returning home soon. Please hold her in your prayers this weekend.

Many thanks and God bless,

Jonathan  and Jayne

Rev Canon Jonathan Dowman, Oversight Minister for the Launde Deanery Minster Community and Rev Jayne Lewis, Co-Area Dean

On Sunday, the 15th of September we have our final pilgrimage walk for the year and we will be sauntering from Goadby church to Gaulby church. We will meet at Goadby for a 2:30 pm start and we will be mostly travelling on paved lanes. The distance will be about 4.3 miles and should anyone want to join us for a shorter walk, you would be welcome to join us from Illston (we’d find a way to let you know).

Saturday the 14th sees the annual Ride & Stride day (https://www.lhct.org.uk/ride-and-stride/),which is as popular as ever and many people seek to support, so whether you want to join us on the Saturday or the Sunday, it’s sure to be a very active weekend.

If you would like to join with Ride & Stride, checkout their website or ask your parish and if you’d like to join us for the walk on the Sunday, just drop me an email so that we know to expect you.

Have a great weekend and see you soon,

God bless!

Jonathan Dowman

Oversight Minster for the Launde Deanery Minster Community

Bishop Saju at Hallaton

We want to advise that Bishop Saju will be visiting the informal Teatime service at Hallaton on Sunday 22nd September to confirm a young adult wishing to receive the sacrament of confirmation. The teatime service is designed particularly for seekers and those wanting to explore faith issues.
We wish to extend the invitation to anyone else within the Minster Community wishing to receive confirmation or renew their baptismal vows at that service.
Since the confirmation is taking place as part of the short informal Teatime service, we feel that this may be particularly of interest to any teenagers or young adults within the Deanery Minster Community.
Please advise Jonathan or Jayne if there are any youngsters within your congregation who would like to come forward for confirmation on this date.
Many thanks and God bless,
Jonathan and Jayne

Rev Canon Jonathan Dowman, Oversight Minister for the Launde Deanery Minster Community and Rev Jayne Lewis, Co-Area Dean

September news!

Dear friends,

As mentioned at our last Deanery Synod Wendy has been asked to increase her hours of work, financed by Leicester Diocese for 1 year, in order for her to better support the Deanery Minster Community. It is hoped that this cost will be borne by Parishes at the end of the 11 months. Wendy is now working 16 hours a week during term time and her original 9 hours each week during school holidays. She is working Tuesdays and Thursdays during school hours and Friday mornings.

Wendy is currently dealing with a number of enquiries about weddings and carrying out the initial administration of these as well as invoicing for weddings where this is agreed by Parish Treasurers. Wendy is also involved in supporting our Parishes with their A Church Near You websites. Do let us know if there are any ways in which Wendy could help to support the administration within your Parish.

2nd September 7pm - Food for Thought, Tugby

After a long break, we are really pleased to see Food for Thought returning! This is an evening of good food and good conversation around theme based on the Christian faith relevance to the world and open to all (launde-minster-community.webador.co.uk/what-s-on).It is currently fully booked, but you might be fortunate!

We hope that this will become a regular gathering once again.

9th September 7:30pm -  Online meeting for Safeguarding Co-ordinators

Jayne has arranged an online Zoom meeting with Safeguarding Co-ordinators within the Deanery Minster Community. This is to discuss issues around safeguarding and to help ensure that we, as parishes in the Launde Deanery Minster Community, are 'doing what we should be doing' in regard to Safeguarding. Jayne is very aware that there is a need for oversight of this important area of work and support for us all as we endeavour to comply appropriately with safeguarding requirements.  As a first step a meeting has been arranged for Safeguarding Co-ordinators to share experiences and concerns.  

The first meeting will be on Monday 9th September at 7pm with the option of a follow-up/ catch-up meeting on Tuesday 17th September at 7pm.
Please let Jayne or Wendy know if you would like to join the first meeting, for which the details are:

Join Zoom Meeting -
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88361541517
Meeting ID: 883 6154 1517

15th September 2:30pm - Goadby to Gaulby Pilgrimage

We will hold our final walk between two churches after summer break. The walk is about 4.5 miles, you could join us from Illston if you wanted! Please let me know if you would like to join us for this early Autumn walk.

29th September - Deanery Services

We know that the end of September is a key time for many of our parishes to celebrate harvest and this coming 5th Sunday marks a slight departure from what we normally do together.

There will be two Deanery Services on offer at 11am, one in Gaulby (which will be ZOOMed) and the other in Stonton Wyville.

We understand that you may have your own parish harvest service around that date we would encourage you to join with others from across our Deanery Minster community at one of these services to celebrate this time together.

30th September 7pm - Launde Abbey

Join others from across the Deanery Minster Community once again for a time of reflection study prayer and hospitality. Open to all, we particularly want to encourage those who find themselves any form of leadership in their local parish church to join us.

We look forward to seeing you over the coming month!

God bless

Jonathan and Jayne

Revd Canon Jonathan Dowman, Oversight Minister for the Launde Deanery Minster Community and Revd Jayne Lewis, Co-Area Dean.

Dear friends,

I hope you are all well.

It's been a joy celebrating the end of the year with our schools this week. I've had the privilege of working alongside head teachers, congregations and Brian from Billesdon Chapel in ending the school year in style and praying God's blessing upon our school leavers.

On Tuesday evening 30 of us gathered from 14 parishes in Tilton Church, to talk about what being a Festival Church might mean. We were joined by Gill Elliott (Building Development Enabler for the Diocese) and Nigel Mills (National Festival Church Development Officer). Thankyou, Sandra and all at Tilton for making us feel so welcome.

Gill guided us through what is an emerging way of being an effective parish church for some and there were some really helpful discussions that resulted. I have attached the presentation (please see link below) that Gill gave to us about becoming a Festival Church. Please do share it with your PCCs and churches.

Some of our discussions as a Minster Community can feel quite heavy, but there are two areas of discussion that help us to have a real hope for our future. The first of these areas is the work of Growing Faith, building on what we have with our local Church Schools, but the second is the potential that growing a Festival Church network might bring to the deanery and Minster Community.

Over the next six months it would be good to meet with all of those PCC who are looking at becoming Festival Churches with a view to growing a local network of festival churches in the coming year. But more on that later in the summer, as I’m about to go on leave!

Festival Churches Presentation - Gill Elliott

See you soon!

God Bless

Jonathan

Revd Canon Jonathan Dowman, Oversight Minister for the Launde Deanery Minster Community

Read the presentation given at Tilton Church by downloading the file below

Mike Hammond

Dear friends,

It is with great joy that we can announce that Mike Hammond from Great Easton has been recommended for training for Ordination in the Church of England.

Mike has been leading services and preaching in different churches across the Deanery and Minster Community during this period of discernment, but now he is official! He will begin his training later this year and will be remaining as part of our Minster Community to serve and lead and walk and pray with us. After his training he will serve the Minster Community as a Self Supporting Priest. Please hold him and his wife Katherine in your prayers.

No doubt he will be a great blessing to us and I hope we will be a great blessing to him and to Catherine.  We will have a blessing and commissioning service for his training at our next fifth Sunday, joint service on the 30th of June.

Many thanks and God bless,

Jonathan

Revd Canon Jonathan Dowman, Oversight Minister for the Launde Deanery Minster Community

Posted 14th March 2024

The Very Revd Karen Rooms Installed as Dean of Leicester

The Very Revd Karen Rooms was installed as the third Dean of Leicester by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, on Saturday 9 March in a service which honoured the Cathedral's place as the beating heart of our city and county.

The service marked the beginning of a new ministry for Karen and the Cathedral, which reopened in November 2023 after an extensive refurbishment and restoration project. As well as enacting the legal process required for Karen to become Dean of Leicester, the service also provided an opportunity for thanksgiving for the work of God among us in the diocese, to pray for Karen, and ask for God’s blessing upon her.

Among those playing an active part in the service were: children from the Cathedral's Junior Church and members of St Nicholas' Church, who together presented Karen to the Bishop; the music group from All Saints’ Church, Belgrave; Jay Hulme, poet and churchwarden of St Nicholas' Church; Karen's family; and the Cathedral's choir and College of Canons.

The service had an intercultural flavour, in recognition of the Cathedral's place as one of the partner churches in the diocese's Intercultural Worshipping Communities programme. Alongside traditional hymns like Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, Rock of Ages, and The Lord's My Shepherd, All Saints' music group sang How Great Thou Art in Hindi, and the choir sang the response of praise in Swahili. Prayers of intercession were also said in Swiss German, Cantonese, Luganda and Malayalam.

The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, said: "It was a privilege to install Karen as the new Dean of Leicester. With her courageous and compassionate leadership, and her passion for justice and equity, I have every confidence that she will continue to nurture, disciple and grow the worshipping community at the Cathedral, and ensure the Cathedral lovingly serves and inspires our whole community and diocese".

The Very Revd Karen Rooms says, “It was a real privilege to be installed as the third Dean of Leicester in this great city and county on Saturday. It was very moving to be supported by so many people in the Cathedral as I formally took on the role. Although I have been Acting Dean for over a year now, stepping into the role fully and formally was a significant moment.

“As Dean, my work is in three areas: overseeing the life and work of the Cathedral – leading what we call the ‘mother church’ of the Diocese – the Church of England in Leicestershire – and playing our part in the Diocese, and together with the Bishops, working with people in our different communities for the common good.

“I want Leicester Cathedral to be a cathedral for everyone – where people with different identities feel seen and know they are welcome. Our newly refurbished building is a wonderful place to visit, and I am particularly looking forward to the opening of our new Heritage and Learning Centre later this year, where we will tell stories of the city and county, both from the past and as they unfold in the present. We are a centre of Christian worship, with open doors and hope we can be a beating heart of love and welcome in this city and county.”

The service was attended by the Bishop of Loughborough, Saju Muthalaly: and Robert Freeman, Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Leicester, and the Deans of Chester, Derby, and Southwell.

Also in attendance were Richard Brooks DL representing The Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire; Henrietta Chubb, High Sherrif of Leicestershire; Dr Susan Barton, Lord Mayor of Leicester; City Mayor of Leicester, and Dr Kevin Feltham, Chair of Leicestershire County Council.

Karen is the third Dean of Leicester, a post which has existed since 2002 - before which the postholder was referred to as the Provost. The Dean is a senior priest in the Diocese and exercises leadership of the Cathedral – its worship, people, mission, outreach and public life, overseeing governance, safeguarding, staff, and operations.

Posted 12th March 2024

Eight PCCs in the Welland valley and the Langtons met for discussions

Representatives from eight PCCs in the Welland valley and the Langtons gathered this week to share encouragements, services patterns, challenges and to plan ahead. We were hosted in Glooston’s wonderful village hall (thank you Brian) and we sought to identify how we might support and encourage one another. We decided that we should co-ordinate our festivals, starting with Harvest, so that we might complement one another and offer our villages a cohesive and thoughtful approach, but more on that another time. It was good to meet, and the conversation flowed easily. Highly recommended!

Posted 8th March 2024

Video Interview

In this video Bishop Martyn chats to Revd Jonathan Dowman, Oversight and Growing Faith Minister for the Launde Minster Community. Jonathan reflects upon the formation process and the joys and challenges in the first 12 months since launching the first Minster Community in the diocese.
Click on the white arrow in the red box below to view 

Posted on 29th February 2024

Posted 4th December 2023
It’s been an exciting few weeks for the Cathedral: as well as opening their doors for the first time following a 22 month-long restoration project, it has also been announced that The Revd Canon Karen Rooms will become the new Dean of Leicester.

Posted September 14th 2023 from Revd. Canon Jonathan Dowman

Dear friends,

 I hope September has started well. My family and I had a wonderful August with friends and colleagues in the USA (New York and Connecticut) and we were deeply moved with welcome we received and the hospitality the churches we stayed with so feely offered. I look forward to sharing some of our experiences with everyone.

 There is some news to share, together with a few things to remind ourselves of in the Deanery Minster Community.

 Deanery Minster Community Administrator!

We are very pleased to announce that we have appointed a new administrator.

Wendy Lewis is a former local council planning officer who has taken a career break following arrival of her first child and is therefore looking to work flexibly part-time.   Wendy is also a former PCC secretary at Rothley parish church where she and her family worship. She was a very good candidate and will bring many gifts to the role of supporting you both as deanery administrator. We hope she will begin working with us in early October and we will keep you all informed. This is really good news!

 Deanery Synod and Deanery Service

We have our next Synod on the 25th October followed by the Deanery 5th Sunday service on the 29th October.  Our Deanery Synod will be held at Illston Village Hall, while our Deanery Service will be hosted by Tugby Church. Details to follow soon.

 What type of church are you and what might your church become?

Thank you for your engagement with these questions so far. There are some notes, together with the various descriptors attached to this email to help your discussions. Doing this will help identify what is important for our churches, where our vision for the future lies and significantly how we can work together and where to focus resources.

 This is unlike the dashboards from 2022, as the descriptors are simply a tool to help your church describe who it is and who it could become. These discussions help us to be honest, listen to one another and helps the Deanery Minster Community begin to share a common vocabulary and understanding.

 Monday evenings at Launde

All those who find themselves in some form of leadership or responsibility are invited to join us in the Oak Room of Launde Abbey. Meeting soon after 7 and ending as soon as we can after 9 we gather to share Scripture, some conversation, encouragement and prayer. Anyone is welcome. The dates for the Autumn are as follows:

 25th September

30th October

20th November

 Finally, I know that there were some communications over the summer regarding Generous Giving. As a pilot of the the Minster Community process, not everything will be right first time and so there will be a second communication focused on our context and particular situation soon.

 Looking forward to catching up with you all in due course,

God bless,

 Jonathan

Posted June 20th 2023  

A message from The Revd Alan Humphrey

It is with mixed emotions that I am writing to you. I am sure you are aware that I shall be retiring at the end of July, and moving, with Lesley, to live near our daughter in Stoke-on-Trent. It has been a real privilege to have served you as your Co-Area Dean over the past 18 months, and to have played a part in your journey in becoming a Minster Community. But it is with a certain regret that I shall not be around to help shape what it means to the Launde Deanery to become the first Minster Community within the Diocese of Leicester.
The Church of England has just entered the main period of ‘ordinary time’. But the last thing we ought to think of it as, is ordinary. Yes, it is a time that has very few festivals and is one commonly marked by having green hangings in our churches, but one can think of this extended period as being one of growth.
The colour green reminds us of the verdant nature of gardens, fields and hedgerows, all in a multitude of shades of green. We should use this visual image as a metaphor for the transformation of ourselves in terms of both our personal growth, and also our spiritual growth.
This is a time, and opportunity, to question what it means for every church, and every individual, to be a member of a Minster Community.
This is the time to ask, “To what sort of church do I belong?”, “What sort of church do we aspire to be?”. And then we can challenge ourselves with questions like, “What is God calling me to do?”, “Who is God calling me to be?”. No, this is no ‘ordinary’ time. This is a time for joyfully embracing the challenge of growing God’s kingdom, and doing so in ways that emanate from the desire for growth and sustainability in our churches.
I am sad to not be able to be a part of this exciting period for the Launde Minster Community but, at the same time, I am overjoyed by the exciting potential that this creates for Launde Deanery to become a beacon for what future church will look like within the Diocese of Leicester.
Lesley and I will continue to pray for you all as we respond to God’s call for us to follow Him in another place.
Prayers and blessings … The Revd Alan Humphrey
Interim Co-Area Dean, Launde Deanery