Following the electronic count on 14 October, six people have been elected to stand for General Synod from across the Diocese. Three people have been elected to stand in the…
Those elected:
| House of Laity | House of Clergy |
| Hannah Barlow | Becky Elliott |
| Elliot Grainger | Adam Hadley |
| Lynn Nichol | Claire Lording |
Diocesan Secretary, Andy Todd, acted as Presiding Officer for the election. He thanked all the candidates who had stood for being ready to serve in this significant and at times demanding role, and also those who had represented the Diocese during the previous five years of General Synod for their valuable contribution.
Those elected will take up their seats at the November 2026 sessions of General Synod and are elected for the period until 2031.
Congratulations to our elected representatives.
Hannah Barlow currently worships at St Margaret’s Church in Hasbury and St Peter’s Church in Cradley just outside Halesowen. She said:
“As a newly elected member of General Synod, I bring a heart open to listen, love, and grow, and a faith rooted in my belief and trust in a God who loves us all outrageously. As Christians, we are called to love God and one another. Let us put God at the centre of all that we are, do, and say, and have faith, for nothing is impossible through him. Thank you so much to those who voted for me, supported me, and prayed for me. Please continue to pray for me and for all those elected as we begin our exciting time of serving you. Don’t forget that we are here to represent you, so please share your thoughts.”
Elliot Grainger worships at St James, Harvington where he is churchwarden. He said:
“I am proud to have been elected to represent Worcester at General Synod, and thank everyone who has put their trust in me. I hope to build on the work of Robin and Kashmir, and look forward to working alongside Hannah and Lynn to support thriving worship and growing ministry in all our parishes over the next five years.”
Lynn Nichol worships at Great Malvern Priory. She said:
“I’m both humbled and thrilled to be re-elected to serve for a second term on General Synod. I’m looking forward to the first Synod meeting in November, reengaging with the many issues that are important to people in the Diocese and working with other elected lay and clergy reps”
Becky Elliot, Vicar of Holy Trinity and St James, Malvern, said:
“Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me in the General Synod election. I am honoured and humbled to have been elected to represent the clergy of the Diocese of Worcester. I am grateful for the support and encouragement I have been given. I look forward to working for the flourishing of our churches, our communities and all God’s people. Please pray for all who have been elected, that we may serve with wisdom, grace and courage.”
Adam Hadley, Rector of St Mary, Kingswinford and Church of the Ascension, Wall Heath, said:
“It’s an amazing honour to be elected to General Synod on a fully inclusive agenda as part of the Together Network. I’m looking forward to working hard to progress those areas I campaigned on and to help shape the future direction of the Church of England. As I said in my election address that was only the start of a conversation so please get in touch if there’s something you want to discuss around General Synod.”
Claire Lording, Vicar of Pershore with Pinvin, Wick & Birlingham, said:
“Thank you to everyone who voted for me and for putting your confidence in me that I can serve you well on General Synod. It is such a privilege to be re-elected to Synod and I look forward to sharing the distinctive diocese of Worcester voice in the many areas that will be debated in the next five years, not least in debates on inclusion, the environment and safeguarding.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally will visit the Diocese over the weekend of 6 and 7 February. She will spend two days in the Diocese visiting churches and meeting with a range of people; hearing some of our stories and offering encouragement.
At the recent Clergy Conference, the diocesan stewardship team launched a Boomerang offering, to help activate generosity across the Diocese. Each person was given a £5 note to take home, pray with and see what act of generosity God was calling them towards. We also asked them to share their stories of how the money was used.
Many of our churches hosted ‘light parties’ at the end of October as a popular alternative to Halloween. Some of our renewal churches hosted the biggest celebrations.
Our diocese has been awarded £3.6 million to continue to support churches as part of phase two of our programme to ensure our churches are healthy and sustainable for the future.
Kelly Gordon is a member of Wordsley Parish in Greater Dudley Deanery. She has recently been selected as one of only three people in the UK to be part of the Leaders Europe programme within the Obama Foundation.
St Peter’s CE Academy and St Peter’s Church in the Saltway Team have been awarded a silver Church and School Partnership Award recognising the close relationship between the church, school and local community.
This year’s Church of England Advent and Christmas theme focuses on the first and greatest Christmas gift of all: the gift of God being born as one of us in Jesus Christ.
An article from Archdeacon Mark for December editions of parish magazines.
The Muslim-Christian dialogue group in Lye, Stourbridge, arranged a litter pick on 31 October to clear up two local streets.
A new singing group for children will launch at St Peter’s Centre at Pedmore Church on 15 November, 10 years after Singing Angels originally began at St Andrew’s Church on the Straits.
