AFTER expressing strong views on the shape and outline of the agenda, the General Synod took note of the Business Committee’s report.
The Committee’s chair, Robert Hammond (Chelmsford), acknowledged the “thousands of comments” that had been received.
Emma Robarts (St Albans) was in fighting mood, she said in a maiden speech. As part of “the under-represented rural Church”, she was “staggered” to find the issue 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 more than it listens”. She said: “Clergy bots on the ground are the drivers of growth. . . Millions are going into new projects and large 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 happen soon”.
Among the 11 speakers in the debate was Dr Andrew Bell (Oxford), who, to applause, noted the 258 questions that had been listed, and “the trend for many to receive partly or evasive answers. . . Can we ensure 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 could be simply dealt with 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 outside world: “Why is it worth our time?”
Rebecca Mynett (St Albans) conveyed the strength of feeling in the Synod over the absence of a debate on Palestine: “again shunted off the agenda” and “a preference for sustainable flowers and seat allocation at 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 in 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 stay until the very end of business, particularly out of politeness to invited Anglican Communion and ecumenical guests.
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