Mrs Sheila Bissell
St Albans
House of Laity
Sheila Bissell
Lay Chair, Bedford Deanery
Standing for the house of Laity of General Synod 2026
Proposed by: Rosemary Bentley, Lay Chair, Biggleswade
Deanery
Seconded by: Kerry Smith, Lay Chair Dunstable Deanery
Who am I?
I am a widow, a mother to four children and a grandmother. My professional life was in
education as a teacher, Special Needs Coordinator and later as an Advisory Teacher
for Bedfordshire working with Minorities Achievement Support Service for Black and
Minority Ethnic (BME) pupils. I worship at St Andrew’s Church Bedford, a member of
Inclusive Church. Throughout my personal and professional life, my Christion faith has
underpinned my strong passion for social justice and equality of opportunity.
Why Vote for Me
I have been incredibly honoured to hold a lay position within the General Synod for the
last five years and see it as a form of vocation which I take very seriously. I believe
the Church of England has a key healing role to play in our country at a time when
inequality and divisions within society grow and are exacerbated by the climate and
ecological crisis. As such, if re-elected I will continue my work with:
• General Synod Environment Group (including working towards carbon net zero by
2030 and ecologically sustainable management of Church land)
• Racial Justice Network
• Together for the Church of England
• Inclusive Church
• Save the Parish.
I am a good listener, with strong intuition about people’s concerns. Nurturing
relationships and showing appreciation of all the work that takes place in our local
churches to build Christ’s Kingdom on Earth is essential and of great importance to me.
I value that in our Deanery Synod churches of many different Anglican traditions are
represented. If I am re-elected, you can count on me to continue working hard,
diligently attending debates and using my vote wisely, as well as producing reports for
the relevant deaneries. I will also endeavour to increase two-way connection between
different levels of Church life to support greater cohesion.
Relevant lay leadership experience
I have held these significant roles at local and diocesan level:
• Parish Safeguarding Officer from 2010 until 2023.
• Equality and Diversity Officer from 2019 – 2023
• Bedford Deanery Lay Chair since 2023
• Part of the Agenda Committee for Diocesan Synod
• Member of Bishops’ Council
• In 2025/6 I was a member of Crown Nominations Committee which elected our
new Diocesan Bishop, the Reverend Dr Andrew Rumsey.
Key priorities for the life and mission of the Church
Inclusion and Equality – for everyone. In the words from John 15 “This is my
commandment that you love one another as I have loved you”. I am committed to
encouraging our churches and the Church of England to include and welcome:
• people of different economic, cultural and racial heritages
• people with neurodiversity and disability
• families in every way they present
• single people for whatever reason
• marriage for couples in healthy loving relationships (including LGBTQIA couples)
• any stranger seeking sanctuary and support
Strengthening local parish and community structures
I believe local parishes play vital roles in ministry and mission to the local communities.
As such, I am committed to:
• building relationships within and between our churches
• connecting with churches of other denominations and supporting community
cohesion through interfaith work.
• encouraging and supporting vocations as this is essential to increasing
recruitment for ordination and lay ministry
• facilitating the involvement of young people in worship and church life
• supporting the ordained ministry of women
Thank you for reading my electoral statement. I hope that you feel the commitment I
have to the Church of England at all levels. Please give me your first place vote. It will
be much appreciated.
If you would like to discuss any of these issues, please get in touch through email
([email protected]) or phone (07715 625319).
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