clergy wellbeing,guiding principles,marriage,mission,next generation,safeguarding,same sex,same-sex relationships,sexuality,survivors,victims

HELEN SMITH
Candidate for General Synod
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E-mail – [email protected]
Proposed by: Barbara Varley, Easington Deanery
Seconded by: Barbara Chambers, Auckland Deanery
Personal details
My name is Helen Smith, I am sixty-two years old and have served on General Synod for
eleven years – an extra one added on due to COViD. I am recently widowed but have two
daughters and three grandchildren who keep me busy and bring me much joy. I currently
work as a Parish Nurse two days a week looking after the physical, emotional and spiritual
wellbeing of two parishes and communities – Bowburn and Spennymoor. I really enjoy this
job as, after forty-four years in nursing, I feel I am still able to make a difference to people’s
lives. Most recently, along with a friend and colleague, we have set up a Sit-a-Cise class in
each parish which has been very successful and attracted both members of the congregation
and members of the local communities. Nothing too strenuous takes place but it’s lovely to
hear the banter and laughter that goes on throughout the class. I am church warden at St
Andrew’s church Spennymoor and also sing in the choir and serve when needed. A privilege
of being a Parish Nurse is taking part in the laying on of hands at the service of anointing and
healing and also taking home communion to members of the congregation unable to attend
church.
Why am I asking for your vote?
I am asking for your support to return to General Synod because I believe that the Church of
England is at a critical point. I believe that the Church of England needs people on Synod
who will listen carefully, speak honestly, work constructively with others and above all keep
Christ and the mission of the Church at the heart of what we do. Serving on General Synod is
both a privilege and a responsibility and during my time on Synod I have seen the strengths
of our Church but also the considerable challenges facing our parishes, our clergy and our
communities. I would like the opportunity to continue to represent you and bring the
experience I have gained to the next quinquennium.
Supporting our clergy and lay people
Having grown up in a clergy household and also having a grandfather and brother as priests
in the Church of England, I would like to see the General Synod address the considerable
pressure on clergy and lay readers. We cannot expect to see churches grow if their leaders
are exhausted, overstretched or burdened by bureaucracy. I want to continue to support
clergy wellbeing, recruitment and retention, training and realistic workloads. We must also
remember that the church does not belong to the clergy alone. Lay people are essential to
the life of the church and their voices must be heard.

Safeguarding and rebuilding trust
For nineteen years of my nursing career, I was a school nurse and heavily involved with
safeguarding. I worked with vulnerable families and their children, attended child protection
conferences, wrote reports and ensured that “every child matters”. Subsequently I am
passionate in ensuring the Church gets safeguarding right after all the past mistakes. They
need to recognise their responsibility to protect children and vulnerable adults, to listen
properly to victims and survivors and to ensure safeguarding is properly managed and
resourced. Hopefully this will be addressed early on in the next quinquennium and will
provide an opportunity to rebuild confidence and trust. We need a culture where
safeguarding is embedded in every part of the church. Trust has to be earned through action
and I would value the opportunity to be involved with this if I am lucky enough to be re-
elected.
Disagreement without division
The Church of England contains people with deeply held and sometimes very different
theological convictions. This has been particularly evident in our debates about sexuality,
same sex relationships, the sanctity of marriage and the Five Guiding Principles. I believe
strongly in the importance of the Five Guiding Principles and see it as a way of living with
disagreement without allowing disagreement to become division. Mutual flourishing must
mean mutual respect and I hope that I can be a voice of respectful debate and principled
decision making.
What I will bring to General Synod if re-elected
If I am successful in being re-elected, I will bring:-
• Experience – an understanding of how General Synod works
• Independence – I will not simply follow the prevailing view, I will listen, think and
vote according to my convictions
• A parish perspective – having grown up in a clergy household I am well aware of the
pressures of parish life
• A willingness to listen
• Try to challenge constructively
The Church of England faces serious challenges: - financial pressures, safeguarding, clergy
wellbeing, disagreement over theology, caring for God’s creation and the need to reach the
next generation of worshippers. If re-elected I will listen, challenge where necessary and
work with others to seek the best future for our Church and the communities we serve.
Thank you for taking the time to read this address. I would be grateful if you would consider
giving me a first or high preference vote in this election. My prayers are with all those
standing for General Synod at this time.
Helen Smith