As we mark East and South East Asian Heritage Month (ESEA) during September, we invite you to take time to celebrate the rich cultures, histories and contributions of people with East and South East Asian heritage across the UK and within the life of the Church and Diocese.
Though the Intercultural Worshipping Communities project has officially come to an end, building Intercultural Communities remains a significant priority for the Diocese of Leicester. To support this, we have established an Intercultural Steering Group, appointed and commissioned Intercultural Champions in our churches, and launched an Intercultural Network open to anyone interested in this area of mission and ministry.
Church leaders, clergy, lay ministers, and congregation members from across the diocese recently gathered for the Intercultural Worshipping Communities (IWC) Celebration and Learning Event. The special day marked the culmination of several years of intercultural ministry, learning, and transformation.
Recent news in the diocese has brought some really encouraging stories to light, with a significant rise in baptisms and growing numbers of people coming to church, particularly from global majority heritage backgrounds. But this growth hasn’t happened overnight. It reflects years of intentional work through one of the diocese’s key priorities, Intercultural Communities and the Intercultural Worshipping Community Project.
Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket Foundation marked the start of the new cricket season with its annual Season Blessing. The event included a multi-faith blessing by religious and community leaders from across Leicestershire, in a service led by the Ven Richard Trethewey, Archdeacon of Leicester, and was a celebration of unity, reflection and community spirit.
Bishop Martyn recently met with Father Stefan and members of Leicester’s Romanian Orthodox community. During the visit, he was shown around the church and spoke with the congregation about the challenges they have faced in migrating to Leicester, as well as their desire to play an active part in the city’s community life and wider ecumenical relationships.
Around 120 people from organisations across the city gathered at Leicester Cathedral to mark one year since the launch of the Intercultural City project, to hear about the successes so far, and to make pledges for the future.
The Promoting Unity in our Nation group, chaired by Bishop Martyn, want to hear from church leaders in the Diocese of Leicester about whether political and social polarisation is having an effect in your communities and, if so, what resources you would find useful.
A small team from the Diocese of Leicester recently travelled to our Link Diocese of Trichy‑Tanjore in the Church of South India (CSI) to strengthen long-standing partnerships, share ministry expertise, and deepen intercultural connections. The visit - our first since the Covid pandemic - was Intercultural and Intergenerational Ministry in action, a reconnecting of communities, with the group returning to Leicester feeling spiritually inspired and energised.
Join us for a celebration and learning event marking seven years of the Intercultural Worshipping Communities Project in the Diocese of Leicester - exploring how churches can grow as places where people of different cultures and languages worship and belong together.
