Woolwich Episcopal Area is racially, culturally and socially diverse and our principal aim is to serve the people who live and work in it.
The Area Office is led by the Bishop of Woolwich, together with the Archdeacon of Southwark and the Archdeacon of Lewisham and Greenwich, and they are supported by a team of staff and Area Officers.
We strive to fulfil our responsibility as servants of Christ to the people and communities in our Area.
The Bishop of Woolwich has three Episcopal priorities:
- proclaiming the love of Christ in mission and evangelism to our community
- celebrating the gifts of, and giving voice to, the children and young people in our Church
- celebrating the racial diversity of the Church as a gift from God in Creation.
The Woolwich Area is made up of 10 Deaneries supported by our Area Deans, Assistant Area Deans and Deanery Lay Chairs who, in turn, support the work of the clergy, lay ministers and church councils in our parishes.
The Area through its chaplains and Diocesan Board of Education supports 39 Church of England educational establishments made up of primary schools, secondary schools, colleges and universities.
There are also a number of hospitals and prisons in the Area and we have a number of chaplains who work in them, along with SPAs, Readers and laity within the parishes.
The Area has a thriving, strong and active Youth Forum, giving the young people a voice which is heard throughout the Diocese.
We are proud of our international links with the Church in Zimbabwe (Anglican Communion). The Woolwich Area is twinned with the Diocese of Manicaland in Zimbabwe.
One of the ways we celebrate the diversity in our Area is through the Woolwich Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns Committee (WMEACC).
Other Area contacts
Area Officers
Anglican Ecumenical Borough Deans
Southwark Borough: The Revd Edward Collier
Lewisham Borough: The Venerable Alastair Cutting
Greenwich Borough: The Revd Patrick Eggleston
Other Area contacts
Area Environmental Adviser: The Revd Dr Catherine Shelley
Area Ecumenical Advisor: The Revd Patrick Eggleston
Area Parish Development Advisor: The Revd Jonathan Roberts
Area Directors of IME: The Revd Dr Jonathan Macy / The Revd Canon Jonathan Sedgwick
Women’s Ministry Advisor: The Revd Liz Newman
Area Warden of Readers: Penny Molyneux
Archdeaconry SPA (Lewisham & Greenwich): Carolyn Watkins
Archdeaconry SPA (Southwark): Heather Smith
Mothers’ Union: Catherine Hall / Jennifer Davis
Woolwich Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns Committee (WMEACC)
When the Diocesan Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns Committee was established it was determined that issues affecting race relations at Episcopal Area level were vitally important and that a local presence should be maintained. The Woolwich Area responded to this challenge by launching a small group to monitor such issues within the area.
The Woolwich Area group has the following aims and objectives:
- to assist with and oversee the implementation of the Diocese’s report on institutional racism, which expects each and every department and institution in parishes and deaneries to take the initiative in implementing those parts of the report that concern them
- to identify local issues that need to be addressed and initiate action with assistance from the Diocesan MEACC
- to help publicise the Diocesan-wide empowerment programmes and increase participation of minority ethnic Anglicans within these programmes. These include Racial Justice Sunday, the Black and Minority Ethnic Forum’s annual conference, the Summer Youth Conference, Vocations Road Shows and work with young people
- to identify areas of limited participation of minority ethnic Anglicans in the life of the Church.
For further information, contact:
The Revd Stanley Njoka, Chair, Woolwich Area MEACC
Zimbabwe Link
The Woolwich Area is twinned with Manicaland, the eastern Diocese in Zimbabwe.
The Bishop of Manicaland, Bishop Erick Ruwona, was enthroned in 2015 and Bishop Christopher and others represented Southwark Diocese and the Woolwich Episcopal Area at the service.
A large part of the Diocese (which is nearly half the size of England) is rural. Many of the clergy are serving several churches dispersed over wide areas and facing tremendous difficulties with the present challenging situation in Zimbabwe. We pray for better times, for an end to the cholera epidemic, for a fair distribution of food and clean water to all people, and for the re-establishment of hospitals and schools.
Contact Person: The Venerable Alastair Cutting
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