HOB Working Group announced & HOL agenda

The following news release was published today by the Church of England

"The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have announced the membership of the new working group established by the House of Bishops following the defeat of the women bishops' legislation.

The group includes members of all three houses of the General Synod - Bishops, Clergy and Laity - and a senior member of clergy who is no longer on the Synod. 
The members are:

The Rt Rev Nigel Stock, Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich (chair)

The Rt Rev Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry

The Rt Rev James Langstaff, Bishop of Rochester

The Rt Rev Dr Martin Warner, Bishop of Chichester

The Very Rev Vivienne Faull, Dean of York

The Ven Christine Hardman,

The Rev Dr Rosemarie Mallett

Dr Philip Giddings

Dr Paula Gooder

Mrs Margaret Swinson


The group's task (see PR 160.12 http://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2012/12/statement-from-the-house-of-bishops-on-defeat-of-women-bishops-legislation.aspx ) is to assist the House when it meets in February and again in May to come to a decision on the new package of proposals which it intends to bring to the Synod in July. The group has been tasked to arrange facilitated discussions in February with a wide range of people of a variety of views. It is expected to have two initial meetings in January.

Once draft legislation is ready for introduction to the Synod there will be a separate decision, in the usual way, about the membership of a new Steering Committee. That Committee will have the responsibility for the management of the legislation through Synod. Steering Committees are always composed of members of Synod who support the legislation.  

The membership of the Revision Committee is settled after first consideration of the legislation."

See here

Also published today, information about the forthcoming meeting of the Church of England's House of Laity which has been called in an attempt to remove its Chairman, Dr Philip Giddings. The agenda is here. 
The motion of no confidence is to be moved by lay canon Mr Stephen Barney of the Diocese of Leicester, the membership secretary of the Open Synod Group, whose aims and objectives include: 

"listening to the views of others, seeking the truth that lies within every point of view, working for tolerance and understanding, seeking closer working relationships, encouraging dialogue and building bridges where there are divisions so that we become one Church under God."

Curious...