Our Racial Justice Programme took a significant step forward this weekend with a launch event hosted by the Church of the Ascension Hulme. On Saturday, people from across our diocese came together to celebrate the progress made so far, share powerful stories, and look ahead to the next phase of our journey towards racial justice.
Thank you to Fr Azariah France-Williams and the parish team for their warm hospitality. The event was a celebration of the work already taking place across the diocese and an opportunity to outline key initiatives now being supported through funding from the Church of England’s Racial Justice Unit.
The morning began with a welcome and opening prayer from Bishop David (pictured left), followed by inspiring worship led by Ni-Cola Scott, Shades Lead (centre), alongside the Shades Ambassadors—young people from Bishop Bridgeman School in Bolton (right).
A series of interviews and presentations then explored the four key strands of the programme:
- Shades Project – Ni-Cola shared the origins of this faith-based anti-racism initiative, which began as part of the Places Project in Bolton, and explained the impact it is making in schools and parishes.
- Intercultural Kingdom – Canon David Onabanjo , Intercultural Mission Enabler, (pictured below left) reflected on his work supporting Global Majority Heritage (GMH) congregations and encouraged churches to embrace intercultural mission.
- Celebrating work in parishes – Amit Chawhan, Churchwarden at St James Moss Side, (pictured below centre) shared his experience of the multicultural congregations at his own parish and that of their partner church of St Edmund Whalley Range, and Rob Chilton, Parish Support Officer, outlined how grants from the diocese will support parish-led initiatives. Find out more and apply here.
- Introducing New Roles – The Revd Phil Cansdale, Director of Mission and Ministry (pictured below right) and Ni-Cola Scott introduced the new staff roles that are now open for applications. We are currently recruiting for three Shades Workers and a Racial Justice Programme Lead. A short video was shared featuring Archdeacon Karen Best that explains the aims and impact of the Racial Justice Programme Lead role. Find out more and apply here.
The gathering concluded with a reflective act of worship. Attendees were invited to write personal prayers and commitments for themselves, their churches, and the wider world. These prayer postcards were brought forward in a shared act of dedication, accompanied by music from Geraldine Latty.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend on Saturday. If you couldn’t attend in person, why not join us for the online launch event this Thursday at 6pm, where you'll have another opportunity to hear more about the programme and explore ways to get involved. More details here.