Please will you help us make everyone’s experience count? Your role in shaping the future of our faith communities in this diocese is vital and alongside praying, it will make a real difference to the Shaped By God Together process if you can help us capture the real, honest views of everyone in our faith communities, especially those who wouldn’t normally contribute to such conversations.
Everyone’s experience matters and we would like you to help us reach people who don’t use computers (see a printable form you can put in the post here) or call to let us know who we could telephone or meet to help them share through a conversation a few soundbites of what faith in lockdown has been like for them – contact Josh Crick de Boom, the Bishop’s Research Assistant, and he can arrange for someone to phone and collect the story. Please contact Josh on josh.crickdeboom@leccofe.org or 0116 270 8985.).
We also need your help to specifically approach individuals to invite them to take part. We are particularly keen to hear from young people (11-18), young adults (18-24), people of BAME heritage and those from more deprived communities - but there is really no restriction - we want to hear from as many people as possible – and everyone can tell more than one story.
In fact, short and simple contributions work best in this process – ask the people you know to imagine being at a social or a family event and saying what’s on their mind. Ordinary, honest speaking about what’s worked and what hasn’t, is what we need.
We all know that many people in our churches do not, for whatever reason, participate in these sorts of discussions normally. They don’t think they are important. So, we do need to be specifically approaching individuals to invite them to take part because every person in your faith community counts. We are particularly keen to hear from young people (11-18), young adults (18-24), people of BAME heritage and those from more deprived communities - but there is really no restriction - we want to hear from as many people as possible – and everyone can tell more than one story. If you have children or grandchildren, please make sure their voices are heard too, as well as your own.