- Ecumenical Mission Officer (CLASP)
- 52 South Avenue
- Chellaston
- Derby
- DE73 6RS
01332705078
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One of the key responsibilities of the Intermediate Body is sponsoring the Local Ecumenical Partnerships within its area. That role involves providing support, oversight, evaluation and review.
Evaluation of each LEP by the Sponsoring Body is assisted every 5/7 years by an ad hoc Review Team, usually acting by invitation of the Ecumenical Mission Officer.
In between reviews, the Sponsoring Body relies on the Local Support & Advisory Group and the Ecumenical Mission Officer to keep in touch with each LEP, and the Sponsoring Body receives an annual Report on each LEP’s on-going life. In this Sponsoring Body, the current practice is for each LEP to know one member of the Group specifically as its Befriender. The purpose of this paper is to recommend good practice in the maintenance of that relationship.
The CLASP Sponsoring Body is the Church Leaders’ Meeting, which is attended by the Church Leaders and another significant person from each Church Leader’s area (perhaps a Denominational Ecumenical Officer).
The LEP understands that the Ecumenical Mission Officer is the Secretary of the Sponsoring Body and also attends the Local Support & Advisory Group. Without in any way distancing the Ecumenical Mission Officer, it is, however, appropriate for the LEP to regard the Befriender as its specific representative of the Sponsoring Body, and as the initial and more frequent point of contact.
Hopefully, the Befriender will be known in the LEP not by the leaders only, and could best be “owned” by being:
- sent minutes of the church council
- put on the mailing list for the monthly magazine
- invited to notable events
- asked to preach, or share in another way in the conduct of worship
- used as a speaker
(not necessarily to bang the ecumenism drum).
It is important that the Befrienders (and the Ecumenical Mission Officer) are not just trouble-shooters.
The Befriender will be on the look-out for good ideas (for export), and might suggest some too: and may notice or warn of potential difficulties.
Together the LEP leadership and the Befriender will discuss what it would be most worth-while to attend:
- worship, of course
- annual church meeting
- church council
- perhaps a particular committee.
It is appropriate that on special occasions (esp. farewells, welcomes, institutions and licensings) that the Ecumenical Mission Officer and the Befriender be invited and one of them given the opportunity to say a word on behalf of the Sponsoring Body.
In relation to the occasional Review, the Befriender may suggest advancing or putting back the proposed timing. An LEP Review Team would naturally seek to learn the Befriender’s perceptions. And at and after the presentation of a Review to the LEP, the Befriender can adopt a most helpful role in facilitating implementation of recommendations, or indeed in understanding and reporting back reasons why a suggestion has not been accepted.
There are times when the Befriender may be able to advise the LEP: sometimes a Befriender may be an advocate on behalf of the LEP to the Sponsoring Body or to one of the denominations involved.
When acting as a channel of information, the Befriender steers (the annual) reports to the Local Support & Advisory Group Secretary, and also keeps the County Ecumenical Officer fully informed.