4 November 2025
The Deanery of Colchester recently brought over 150 people together from their parishes for a Deanery Day, with 12 visiting speakers covering a wide variety of topics, worship, workshops and lots of food, made possible with money from the Diocesan Mission Opportunity Fund (MOF).
Speaking about the Deanery Day, Lay Chair Lynne Gettings said:
"The seeds of the Deanery Day were sown at a Diocesan Bishop’s Study Day for Area Deans and Lay Chairs in May 2024, when the Deanery of Chelmsford reported on a similar venture. A vision started to emerge of a Colchester Deanery Day with parishes working together, as opposed to working in isolation.
"The Area Dean of Colchester, the Revd Canon Erwin Lammens, was particularly keen to follow up on a previous year’s Deanery MOF project in which parishes in the Colchester Deanery were encouraged to hold an awayday to review their mission strategy and to plan for the future. The Deanery Day was to be a big 'awayday' for every one of our 24 Parishes, and was billed as ‘A day of networking and nurture for equipping, enthusing and encouraging the congregations'."
Co-ordinator the Revd John Chandler picks up the story:
"We contacted twelve visiting speakers on topics as varied as wellbeing, evangelism, young people, music, social media, Church buildings and the SHAPE Course – and all twelve said yes! We hired St. John’s Church, Colchester, where there are several rooms in the Church and Community Centre, and filled them all. With a choice of four seminars in each of three sessions, people had lots to choose from, and we all certainly had plenty of choice at lunch too!"
Speaking about the day, Colchester Area Dean the Rev'd Canon Erwin Lammens said:
"We are immensely grateful to all members of the Deanery Standing & Pastoral Committee who helped organise the event, those who led children’s activities, all our speakers and everyone who came along. It was good that Bishop Roger and Archdeacon Ruth agreed to be part of the Day, alongside other high-profile speakers such as Patrick Regan OBE and the Revd David Senior from the Diocese of Guildford. Our thanks too to the team at St John’s Church who hosted the event in such a supportive and welcoming way. We have had such a positive reaction to the Day that we’ve already set a date for a similar but different event in 2026."
Reactions from attendees included:
"What an inspired and inspirational day! I wish it could happen again next week so that I could attend some of the sessions I missed, because there was so much choice. What a team effort!"
"Thank you for arranging for a BSL Interpreter to be there all day. That was a great benefit."
‘"The printed programme helped us make our seminar choices and to navigate our way around."
"The level of organisation on the Day was outstanding, and everything happened like clockwork."
Colchester Deanery have set a high bar for the organisation of their 2026 event. They hope that this year’s Deanery Day will encourage even more people to attend next year and have a happy and productive time together.
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Attendees at the Colchester Deanery Day.
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Patrick Regan OBE, director of Brighter Days, a business supporting well-being in the workplace, and co-founder of Kintsugi Hope was one of the keynote speakers.
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‘The Colchester Deanery Day brought together people from across the deanery to hear from keynote speakers on a variety of interesting topics.
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The Archdeacon of Colchester, The Venerable Ruth Patten was one of the speakers at the Deanery Day.
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Attendees gather to listen to keynote speakers at the Colchester Deanery Day.
