GS Results for Winch laity

I received a letter today, stating that the following are elected to the General Synod's House of Laity from the Diocese of Winchester:

Dr Tony Bennett (Bournemouth)
Mr John Davies (Basingstoke; returning from last quinq.)
Mrs Chris Fry (Basingstoke)
Mr Ken Shorey (Basingstoke)
Dr Brian Walker (Winchester; returning from last quinq.)

I "finished" 7th, so to speak. Quite pleased with that to be honest. Well done to my new Synod reps.

Interesting note: our 5 reps were born between 1944 and 1964, making them aged about 46–66. Of my fellow candidates, one was aged 21 — he dropped out first; one was 23 — he dropped out third.

The Answer Was...

Fifty-two vessels.

Well done to Mr Ian Renton, who got the correct answer, apparently by counting them in the image.

Whoops, I meant for that not to be possible...

Cathedral Protest Not Illegal

About 10 months ago, some friends of mine attended a meeting with our Diocese's boss man (not the Bishop, the other one), at the end of which, we called off our planned protest. The protest that was planned was to be extremely peaceful in nature (following the "don't be a dick" principal, essentially), on the grounds of our Diocese's cathedral. We called it off because the suited man "pointed out an obscure law from the 1500s which says that any protest on the grounds of a cathedral is illegal".

So, when Mr Clegg announced the Your Freedom website, where the general public could suggest which ridiculous laws should be repealed, my mind naturally fell upon said obscure Cathedral protest law. I sent an email to the suited man's secretary and she eventually got back to me with: Section 2 of the Ecclesiastical Courts Jurisdiction Act 1860.


That's the law which states that to disturb an act of worship is illegal. But, so far as I can tell, a peaceful protest would not be forbidden by this law.


So, assuming that the ECJ Act was the law to which the suited man was referring, and assuming my interpretation of the law is accurate, he would best be described as a cheeky git.

Boldrewood Tunnel: further evidence

Well, today we have literally stumbled upon startling evidence (Fig. 1) of the much-discussed Boldrewood Tunnel. Pictured here, there is clear evidence, says our expert engineer, of subsidence which clearly indicates the presence of tunnel. We are not able to disclose the location of said evidence (Fig. 2)

Fig 1. Evidence of the Boldrewood
Tunnel? Our expert engineer says
"there's almost nothing else it could be!"

Fig. 2 Undisclosed location

We found this while covering the campus in brand new stylish chaplaincy posters. We showed quite some dedication to the cause (Fig. 3). And that's after having spent several hours last night postering halls...

Well, I say "we" showed particular dedication... I mostly showed inspiration...

Fig. 3 Reach for the stars...

Vessels ahoy!

Okay, so we finally got 'round to clearing out the mugs cupboard. We'd observed when we moved in in July that there were perhaps a few too many mugs in there.

So, we got them all out, counted them, and then put back a few each and packed the rest away.

The house has become no less tea-centric since
the days of the late great Mr Treharne

Oh yes — just you try and count 'em!

Competition time! Email in with your guess as to how many mugs there were. Closest answer gains a prize. Exciting!

General Synod Election 2010

The following is my Election Address as provided to the Electors in the Diocese of Winchester:

My name is Dan Barnes-Davies and I am a young man in an old Church. It would be all too easy for a young person to look upon an old Church as scary, outdated or irrelevant. However, I believe that I am a member of a Church which is diverse and exciting, and I am passionate about its future. That is why I am standing for election to the General Synod — because I am genuinely excited about where and how God will lead the Church of England in my lifetime.

I am fortunate in enjoying a sort of dual citizenship at two churches in Southampton. I am an active and keen member of the ecumenical community at the University Chaplaincy, whilst also attending my parish church (Highfield Church), where I worked for a year as an intern and got thoroughly involved in many of that church’s activities. I have learned a lot about the workings of a large and welcoming modern church with some more traditional outlooks and those of a close-knit, vibrant and inclusive chaplaincy. As a result, I believe I have gained a balanced understanding of the wider Church uncommon in a man of my age.

I have never been part of a Synod. I do, however, believe that I already have many of the required skills and abilities. I have gained such experience through having served on a handful of different committees and councils throughout my college and university careers — from joining the committee of the youth group I attended to my current roles at the Chaplaincy. In that time, I have developed superb organisational skills out of necessity, having served in several leadership roles at the same time.

While I came to faith through an ecumenical youth group, many of my formative faith experiences (both in early childhood and at university) have been with the Church of England. Over the last year, I have received insight into how the Church and Diocese are structured. I grew to appreciate the difficult decisions made day-to-day by staff and synods, and would truly value the opportunity to become part of those important processes.

My current roles & memberships include:

Chair, University of Southampton Chaplaincy Council — a body, formed of representatives from the community, which directs many of the chaplaincy's activities and events.

Chair, University of Southampton Chaplaincy Association — an organisation created to support the work of the ecumenical chaplaincy.

Vice-President (jointly), University of Southampton Student Christian Movement & a member of the national Movement.

I will be very happy to answer any questions you may have for me. Thank you for your time.

My email address is danbarnesdavies@gmail.com

I may well include further musings upon the subject of General Synod in the near future.

Moar blog!

So, it's been, as is often the case, a bloody long time since I last posted.

I'm now a trainee teacher — lectures start tomorrow.

I'm also standing for election to the Church of England's General Synod.

Yellow's gone but the Chaplaincy and its near future are not looking too shabby at all.

More blog soon.

In fact, I'll be posting my Address.