The Synod has met three times in the past twelve months. Each meeting begins with refreshments followed by a short time of worship led by the host church.

June 9th 2009 at St. Mary's Church, Easthorpe.

The Revd Philip Ritchie, Lay Ministry Education Co-ordinator gave a brief history of the Course in Christian Studies (CCS), It began in 1987 and there are now 3,000 graduates of the course. It is open to anyone aged 16 or over. The CCS is self financing and the cost to students is £120 per year. The course stands alone but can also lead to other training.

Hannah Cooper, a Christian Youth worker based in Coggleshall then spoke about her work. She runs five different groups for children between the ages of 7 and 18 - some are more Christian based than others. Her enthusiasm was infectious and we all came away wanting the same thing in our own parish.

The Deanery Treasurer Brian Smith reported that 29% of the parish share had been paid by the end of May. He said it would help the Diocese if monthly installments could be paid.

October 8th 2009 at All Saints Terling

Brian Smith the Deanery Treasurer reported that 65% of the parish share has now been paid.

The Rural Dean - The Revd John Suddards introduced an update on the consultations on ministry in the Deanery. He stressed that there is no plan, nothing has been decided but the consultations are taking place in order to listen to what the people in the parishes are saying about their needs. It was suggested that the thriving parish depends on enthusiasm and flexibility. We need to look at the needs of the wider community and use our buildings accordingly. We need to look at the way stipendiary posts are used in the Deanery - we need to be aware of the value of other ministries - clergy and people need to work together.
Youth work in the Deanery was discussed and we were told that it should be on every PCC agenda at least once a year. The Revd Martin Fletcher reported that following Hannah Cooper's talk at the June Synod meeting various groups in Tiptree were anxious to start some youth work.

February 18th 2010 at St Luke's Church Tiptree

The Revd Chris Newlands, Bishop's Advisor for Deliverance Ministry spoke about his work as a member of the Diocesan Deliverance Team. He explained that before 1970 this ministry was know as the Ministry of Exorcism. The aim is to help people who believe that their house is haunted or that they have experienced other paranormal activity.
We split into four groups to look at relevant passages in the Bible
Matthew 10:1-15 Mark 5:1-20 Mark 9:14-29 and Acts 16:16-20.
The church is the extension of Jesus' ministry.

The six Deliverance Advisors in the Diocese work with parish clergy. They try to understand the needs of people in turmoil. Social Services, counsellors and mental health agencies are often involved. Different areas have different problems. For example - in the multicultural area of Barking problems with witchcraft and curses are very common. We were told that there is evil around - witchcraft and satanism exist and spiritual warfare goes on. The television cult of demons and vampires can be destructive.

An important part of the Deliverance ministry is Prayer ministry. This needs to be sensitive and not forced upon people.
Brian Smith the Deanery Treasurer was pleased to report that 99.1% of the Deanery had paid their parish share. He reminded us that a discount is available if parishes pay by monthly standing order. He thanked treasurers for their hard work.

The Deanery Synod is a good way of sharing concerns and plans with other parishes.

Daphne Hoare - Deanery Synod Representative