Black Country Churches Engaged
the sub-region’s ecumenical intermediate body
The Sponsoring Body | The Effective Befriender |
The Effective Befriender
One of the key responsibilities of this Intermediate Body is sponsoring the Local Ecumenical Partnerships within its area. That rôle 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 acting by invitation of (usually) the Black Country Ecumenical Officer. In between Reviews, the Sponsoring Body keeps in touch with each LEP through a designated Befriender and the Ecumenical Officer. The Befriender provides an annual Report on the LEP’s on-going life for the Sponsoring Body’s consideration. The purpose of this article is to recommend good practice in the maintenance of the LEP’s relationship with its Befriender.
The Black Country Churches Engaged Sponsoring Body consists of the Church Leaders (bishops, chairs, moderator, divisional commander, etc.), Denominational Ecumenical Officers where appointed, the Befrienders (and maybe others) nominated to serve by individual Church Leaders, and, ex officio, the Black Country Ecumenical Officer. Without in any way distancing the Ecumenical Officer, it is, however, appropriate for the LEP to regard the Befriender as their representative on the Sponsoring Body, and as the initial and more frequent point of contact.
Hopefully, the Befriender will be known in the LEP (and 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 to 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 Befriender and the Ecumenical 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
- annual church meeting
- church council
- perhaps a particular committee
It is assumed that on special occasions (esp. farewells, welcomes, institutions and licensings) that the Ecumenical Officer and the Befriender will be invited and that one of them will be given the opportunity to say a word on behalf of the Sponsoring Body.
In relation to the periodical 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. In the aftermath of the Review, the Befriender can undertake 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 provides the Sponsoring Body Secretary* with (the annual) reports, and also keeps the Ecumenical Officer* fully informed.
BCCE Sponsoring Body, 2006
* At present, they are he, one and the same person.
Office Address:
18 Selman’s Hill
Bloxwich
Walsall
West Midlands
WS3 3RJ