Helen Cameron
Helen Cameron is Director of the Oxford Centre for Ecclesiology and Practical Theology at Ripon College Cuddesdon. OxCEPT undertakes research and other activities to support the life of the church. Helen’s talk will be based upon her recent book: Resourcing Mission: Practical Theology for Changing Churches – a book which tries to help local churches think about their everyday concerns, such as buildings, in a theological way. She lives near Oxford with her husband Martyn who is a shepherd and together they are on the committee of their local sheep dog trials association.
After almost 20 years in the computer software industry, Susan set up and ran a computer training centre for unemployed people in Nottingham's inner city. This experience led her to Nottingham City Challenge, a large, government-funded urban regeneration programme, where she worked as Programme Manager before taking over as Chief Executive in 1995.
In 1998, despite all of her colleagues thinking she was off her head, Susan moved from urban to rural regeneration to run the highly successful Rural Churches in Community Service programme funded through the Millennium Commission - and found many rural communities experiencing the same problems as inner city areas! Susan based her publication, Open All Hours: A way forward for Church buildings in the 21st century, on the experience of this programme.
Since 2001 Susan has been a freelance consultant working with faith groups on extending the use of their buildings. In 2009 Susan undertook a review of the Rural Churches in Community Service programme for Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England and, with Living Stones, a research project for English Heritage’s Places of Worship at Risk programme.
Susan is an active member of her local community in rural Nottinghamshire, where she is a Reader licensed to the Cranmer Group of parishes and an active member of Aslockton Community Association. Susan is a Trustee of Base51, a teenage health drop-in in Nottingham and of New Perspectives Theatre Company. In her spare time Susan acted as Fundraiser for the £650,000 extension to her parish church.
Jill Hopkinson was appointed as National Rural Officer for the Church of England in 2004, a post that involves both mission and public policy work as a staff member of the Mission and Public Affairs Division of the Archbishops’ Council. She offers consultancy to Anglican dioceses, supports and resources rural churches, through published and online resources and trains rural clergy and lay people for mission and ministry in rural communities. She advises in the areas of agriculture, food, rural community development and the environment, including briefing for Bishops in the Lords. The post is based at the Arthur Rank Centre (the churches rural resources centre) at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. She is the author of Seeds in Holy Ground and Making Connections (both workbooks for the rural church), has edited a collection of essays: Re-shaping Rural Ministry recently published by Canterbury Press, and edits Country Way magazine. Jill is an active member of a small rural church in her home village. She chairs the newly formed Farm Crisis Network county group in Warwickshire.
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas has thirty years experience in the insurance industry. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute and Chartered Insurer. Also a member of the Institute of Risk Management. Earlier part of his career focused on general insurance claims including churches. Since 1990 he has worked in a customer facing role guiding churches on security, arson and liability risks in Salisbury, Portsmouth, Winchester and Guildford Dioceses. He is currently, Ecclesiastical’s Field Operations Manager managing a team of 24 Insurance Consultant & Surveyors. Also, Account Manager for some Cathedral, Greater Churches and Charities.
Diana Evans
Diana Evans grew up in a market town in Dorset and has subsequently lived in Oxfordshire, Scotland, Northamptonshire and Rutland but recently moved to central London. She has a background in adult education and was the Diocesan Advisory Committee Secretary for Peterborough Diocese for 13 years before moving to her present post at Head of Places of Worship Advice at English Heritage. She served on the Council for the Care of Churches and has been part of the Steering Group for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings' Faith in Maintenance project since it's inception. She has been licensed as a Deaconess since 1984.
Meryl Smith
Meryl Smith is the Deputy Chief Executive of the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council, a registered charity which is part of the national Rural Community Action Network supporting community empowerment and self-help. ORCC is also a member of SERCC, South East Rural Community Councils, on whose collective wisdom she has drawn when preparing her presentation.
Meryl has worked for ORCC for over 30 years, during which time she has been Village Halls Adviser and line manager of the organisation’s work to promote and support community-led planning projects. The ORCC has long-standing experience of how key community groups function and interact and of the vital ingredients necessary for rural community social, economic and environmental sustainability.
