THE diocese of Leeds has received a grant of £734,000 from the Church of England’s Racial Justice Triennium Fund to diversify its mission by higher supporting ethnic communities.
A release from the diocese on Tuesday said that the funding would help churches and schools to implement a number of the 47 recommendations of the 2021 report from the Archbishops’ Anti-Racism Task Force, From Lament to Action (News, 23 April 2021). From its research, the taskforce identified five priority areas for motion on racism within the Church: participation (including appointments), education, training and mentoring, young people, and structures and governance.
The Triennium Spending Plans for 2023-25 included £20 million for use for work on Racial Justice, of which £4.3 million was allocated by the Archbishops’ Council in November 2022 to implement the From Lament to Action recommendations. The remaining funds — £15.7 million — were to be made available for “future allocation” subject to applications being made to a separate approval panel.
To date, the panel has approved about £8.1 million of the Racial Justice Triennium Fund (News, 18 August 2023). The Church Times understands that the majority of this has been allocated to dioceses. The largest portion went to the West Midlands, led by Birmingham diocese and including Coventry, Gloucester, Hereford, Lichfield, and Worcester dioceses.
The award to Leeds diocese was made by the Racial Justice Panel in March. It is to deal with three areas: ministry, learning, and engagement. The first is to encourage Global Majority Heritage vocations to put and ordained ministry, develop intercultural mission, and expand the diocesan Mission Apprentice Scheme.
The second is to ascertain and deliver courses and resources for churches and schools, including making use of research partnerships with link dioceses abroad.
The third is to support churches and schools to form interfaith, ecumenical, and academic partnerships with other organisations within the diocese, create “secure spaces” for members of ethnically diverse communities, diversify school leadership and governing boards, and establish “imaginative” community focused projects.
These three work streams are to be supported by a diocesan racial-justice reference group. The Bishop of Huddersfield, the Rt Revd Smitha Prasadam, who’s the diocesan lead for racial justice, said: “This timely gift enables us to construct on the great work and good will so evident in our churches, schools, and communities.”
Triennium Funding has also been allocated to ethnocultural networks including the Anglican Ethic Minorities Network (AMEN); the Gypsy, Roma, and Travellers Friendly Churches network; and the Anglican Network for Intercultural Churches. The racial-justice work of theological education institutions, including Durham University, St Mellitus College, the Queens’ Foundation, and Emmanuel Theological College, have also been supported. Several small grants (£5000 or below) have also been made “on an ad hoc basis to empower local GMH/UKME leaders and groups and to facilitate modern projects and good practice”.
