Spreading the word to our Cornish MPS

-
There is a Save The Parish meeting with MPs in Parliament on Tuesday 25 April - click here for details and to register and attend.
And - particularly relevant for people from Kerrier, Penwith and Carnmarth North deaneries in west Cornwall:
Derek Thomas MP (St Ives, Conserv.) has now confirmed both that he will go to the meeting in Parliament on 25 April and also that he will attend a meeting with concerned local people at 10.30am on Saturday 22 April, in the former library building, 62 Morrab Road, Penzance. All are very welcome.
Mr Thomas has indicated that he has some sympathy for the Bishop - this was his somewhat confusing reply to one concerned correspondent:
"I have some sympathy with what the Bishop of Truro is wanting to do in this diocese, but I’d like to see a greater level of support for the churches and their existing congregations in harmony with the development of the pioneer role."
If you can, please attend. It's important to let Mr Thomas know that there are serious concerns and widespread strength of feeling about the process - and direction - of diocesan plans and the OTW process cross his constituency.
If you can't make the meeting, his address is derek.thomas.mp@parliament.uk or Wharfside Shopping Centre, Wharf Road, Penzance, TR18 2GB

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Save The Parish Cornwall responds to Diocese of Truro statement

-
Image
Save The Parish Cornwall issues the following response to a regrettable statement by the Diocese of Truro published on its website on 5 March 2024. The Diocese misleadingly says that Save The Parish Cornwall is 'targeting clergy' and providing inaccurate clergy figures. Save The Parish Cornwall’s recent analysis of clergy numbers in the Diocese shows that there were just 39 priests for Cornwall’s 200 plus parishes and 300 churches at the end of December 2023 - according to figures supplied by Church House sources at the end of January 2024. A further 19 other incumbencies remained vacant. Stipendiary priests in Cornwall at the end of December 2023, and their locations: data supplied by Church House sources to Save The Parish Cornwall at the end of January 2024. There was, therefore, one stipendiary priest to 15,000 people: the population of Cornwall is just over 600,000. The number of stipendiary priests in Cornwall at the end of December 2023 was 39. Save The Parish Cornw
Read more

Save The Parish Cornwall calls for a moratorium on the Bishops' divisive On The Way plans

-
Image
Click here to read our dossier, published today to coincide with a meeting with the Bishop of St Germans, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, and Diocesan Secretary Rev Simon Cade. It contains testimonies from people across Cornwall who are dismayed and alarmed at the Bishops' On The Way plans that will change the nature of the Church of England in Cornwall forever. Bishop Hugh has the power to press the 'pause' button as the controversial plans attract national attention. We are urging him to have the courage to do so. How does healing of the church of Cornwall now happen?  Many have been badly hurt and threatened…. Can a safe place be created where all might flourish? We are calling for a moratorium, an increase in clergy numbers, a halt on the sale of parsonages and an end to oversight ministry.
Read more

Cornwall's Bishops in tailspin after BBC Sunday Politics coverage

-
Image
Cornwall’s Bishops have been stung by hard-hitting coverage on BBC Sunday Politics South West of their controversial On the Way cost-cutting programme which is cutting clergy numbers, merging parishes and threatening church closures. In a 1200-word statement on the Diocese of Truro website , and an accompanying letter to all churches, the Bishop of Truro, the Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen, and the Bishop of St Germans, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, complain about many aspects of the report ( click here to view the report ). The problem is, as so often with the Diocese of Truro statements, rhetoric does not coincide with reality. Truro complains (on the Diocesan website): “The report lasted just under five minutes but…. Much of the time was given to four speakers from a campaign group, three of whom have no connection with the church in Cornwall or with wider Cornish society." Save The Parish Cornwall explains: The four actually included two well-respected SouthWest MPs who are i
Read more