AFTER expressing strong views on the form and description of the agenda, the General Synod took note of the Business Committee’s report.
The Committee’s chair, Robert Hammond (Chelmsford), acknowledged the “hundreds of comments” that had been received.
Emma Robarts (St Albans) was in fighting mood, she said in a maiden speech. As a part of “the under-represented rural Church”, she was “staggered” to search out the problem of Lower Income Communities Funding (LICF) “buried” in contingency business. That promise to the Synod last July of an early funding debate had not been fulfilled was suggestive of “a bureaucracy that speaks greater than it listens”. She said: “Clergy bots on the bottom are the drivers of growth. . . Millions are going into recent projects and huge urban subsidies, while smaller ones are left to wither.”
The Revd Marcus Walker (London) said that the promised debate on how money was directed “must occur soon”.
Among the 11 speakers in the controversy was Dr Andrew Bell (Oxford), who, to applause, noted the 258 questions that had been listed, and “the trend for a lot of to receive partly or evasive answers. . . Can we be sure that the answers are answers?”
Regarding the time set for a debate on sustainable flowers, Dr Ros Clarke (Lichfield) was incensed that the Business Committee would “give costly time to matters that might be simply handled by an email to parishes”. It was not the Synod’s business to “micro-manage the interests of volunteers”, but to “inform and trust them”, she said, suggesting that it was “insulting” and had drawn mockery from the skin world: “Why is it value our time?”
Rebecca Mynett (St Albans) conveyed the strength of feeling within the Synod over the absence of a debate on Palestine: “again shunted off the agenda” and “a preference for sustainable flowers and seat allocation on the expense of Palestine. . . Where does responsibility lie for this silence?”
The Archdeacon of Cumberland, the Ven. Stewart Fyfe (Carlisle), reminded the Business Committee that, “despite the sunny optimism of Avanti trains”, members living within the north of England and other regions had long journeys back on a Friday. It was difficult to reconcile this with all members’ being encouraged to remain until the very end of business, particularly out of politeness to invited Anglican Communion and ecumenical guests.
Read more reports from the General Synod Digest here
