Children and Families Minister

My role is focused more on Sunday mornings but a typical week leading up to Sunday consists of reflection for the last Sunday. Looking at what went well, what can be improved and floods of ideas for next time. I am still fairly new to SMR. But I have enjoyed getting to know everyone, from the parish office, Children’s ministry leadership team, volunteers at the church and the congregation.

At the beginning of the year, I felt a strong pull to teach on mental health – primarily Depression and anxiety. This had such a great impact on the children we were able to understand our human emotions and put them into visual representations and understand what the word of God says regarding these emotions and feelings.

It was great to hear some of the adults’ feedback on this as well. A few of the children are making the transition to high school this year and emotions can be quite overwhelming. Providing a safe place where it doesn’t feel like school or another institution.

Being a visual learner myself, I feel like it is so important to make sure all ages can get together and use different senses. We have been creative with painting our hands using the 5 prayer fingers. and learning how God hears our prayers. Referencing Ezekiel 34:11-16/20:24 'My Sheep hear my voice' It is so important to in my position to show the Love of God and encourage the children to build on their relationship with God through creativity using the bible.

I am so excited to see how this year progresses as we build up our relationships with each other.

Keilah Ayuba Cadogan

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Sermon on Sunday,10th August 2025

By matthew.buckmaster • August 10, 2025

Preached by the Revd Laura Verrall-Kelly, Associate Vicar

Interregnum Information

By Laura.Verrall-Kelly • August 7, 2025

Keeping You Updated During the Interregnum As I prepare to go on maternity leave at the end of August, I want to share some important updates regarding our Sunday Services and communication during the Interregnum period. We’ve taken time to consider what is sustainable and meaningful in this season of transition, and while some of the changes have been difficult, they are intended to ensure we can continue to worship together well. Service Changes 8am BCP Eucharist We’ve made the difficult decision to pause this service during the vacancy, following a PCC vote (with 3 votes against). This is due to the limited availability of clergy to cover two Eucharist services on a Sunday. We’re grateful that this decision has allowed us to secure strong cover for the other services. If you’re looking for an early service, the Cathedral offers Morning Prayer at 7.40am and BCP Eucharist at 8am. This change to the 8am will happen from the beginning of October. Mattins & Evensong These will continue with support from a growing team of Lay Leaders. If you're interested in helping lead, please speak to Simon Goodman. Please note: bespoke online orders of service will no longer be produced weekly. Instead, we will use a standard booklet and hymn book in church. Online viewers will receive a standard order of service plus a document with Bible readings and hymns. 10.30am Sung Eucharist Some small changes are being made to simplify things for visiting clergy: Notices will be read by a Church Warden, Duty Warden or Church Representative Communion distribution will return to queue formation A Gradual Hymn will replace the Responsorial Psalm - there is simply not the resource to produce a weekly or termly Psalm hand out in church. We’ll use a standard “Eucharist during the Vacancy” order of service (in booklet form), with hymn books provided in church. As with other services, online resources will mirror this setup. These changes to the 10.30am will happen from the 17th August. Christingle Service Due to the scale of this service and the planning it requires, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause it this year. Without full-time clergy to oversee preparations and lead the service, we don’t believe we can deliver it safely or well. We know this will be disappointing, but this service will be back. Ongoing Communication Thanks to Chris Duncan and Sam Love, we will continue to send out a weekly email during the Interregnum. I’m very grateful to both of them for stepping up to support in this way. We know some of these decisions may not affect everyone, while others may feel them more deeply. We don’t expect universal agreement, and that’s okay — your questions and thoughts are welcome and valued. All we ask is that feedback is offered with kindness and respect for those who have worked hard to make these plans in a short space of time. Thank you for being part of this community and for your ongoing support as we navigate this together.