BLACK HISTORY MONTH OPENING EXHIBITION Venue: St Luke's Church, Prestonville, Brighton Date: Saturday 3 October 2026 | 14:00 This year’s Black History Month will open with a special exhibition exploring Black history, heritage and presence within church spaces across the Diocese of Chichester and the Anglican Communion. The exhibition will highlight and celebrate the stories, witness, and legacy of Black men and women woven into the history of our diocese and the Anglican Communion, including: • The SS Mendi - commemorated at St John the Evangelist Church, Newtimber • Olaudah Equiano - abolitionist, writer and prominent voice in the struggle against the transatlantic slave trade • Roque Ferdinand - commemorated at St Mary Magdalene, Madehurst • The Uganda Martyrs - remembering their faith, witness and enduring legacy • Project Spire - the Church of England’s fund for healing, justice and repair Keynote Speaker Kwesi Ochosi - Project Coordinator & Archivist, Lambeth Palace Library Programme Speakers Vitalis Manjong Ngwambi - Diocesan Racial Justice Co-ordinator Flo Sparham- Anti-Racist Education Strategy co-lead- Brighton and Hove City Council Poet Marie-Paul Duwai-Sowa- Poet & Artist Refreshments: A Selection of African and English Food, with African Music Transport option and parking facilities: St. Luke’s is a 10 minute walk up the hill from Brighton station. Bus numbers 7, 17, 27, 47 and 700 go through stop at Seven Dials which is 5 minutes’ walk from the church. There is pay and display parking in the streets around the church using the PayByPhone app.

Wine holds a powerful and multifaceted symbolism in Scripture, reflecting both the goodness of God’s creation and the complexity of the human experience. It often represents joy and celebration and is associated with feasts and weddings, symbolising the abundance and happiness that come from God’s blessings. Wine symbolises God’s covenant blessings, and carries deep spiritual significance, often representing the blood of Christ - a powerful symbol of sacrifice and salvation. This year’s Rural Conference, ‘BEING RURAL : BEING FRUITFUL’ will pick up on these themes from a rural perspective. For example, how does the vine’s planting, growth, pruning, and tendering relate to rural ministry? And how do we create the best spiritual ‘soil’ to enable rural churches to thrive? As well as a keynote speaker, a variety of rural practitioners will facilitate a number of Breakout Groups, focussed on the practical outworking of these themes. These will provide an opportunity for all, lay and ordained, who have a heart for rural mission and ministry to be inspired and encouraged. The venue for this year’s Conference is Plumpton College, itself an award-winning producer of wine and celebrating its 100th anniversary. Hence, the Conference will include a visit to the viticulture (wine-making) centre, as well as wine tasting! The Conference will conclude with a short Holy Communion Service. COST: £35 per person* (covers refreshments on arrival and before departure, a buffet lunch, wine-tasting, admin. costs, etc) *We do not want anyone to miss out! If cost is an issue, contact the Rural Officer (see details below). For more information please contact: Revd Gary Cregeen, Rural Officer For East Sussex Tel: 07749 904887 Email: Gary.Cregeen@chichester.anglican.org PROGRAMME 9.45 Registration & Refreshments 10.15 Welcome, Introductions & Opening Prayer 10.30 KEYNOTE ADDRESS: ‘FINDING MY ROOTS…’ - Revd Dr Mark Scarlata 11.45 Brief introduction to winegrowing and wine production at Plumpton College 11.50 Breakout Groups and Vine Centre/Land Visits 12.55 Lunch 13.45 Breakout Groups and Vine Centre/Land Visits 14.50 Wine-tasting 15.30 Shortened Holy Communion in St Michael’s Church, at the heart of College 16.00 Final Blessing BREAKOUT GROUP 1: PLANTING & ROOTEDNESS How do images of the vine and being rooted help our faith and cultivate rootedness in the wider community. BREAKOUT GROUP 2: GROWING & PRUNING What can we do to support growth in our rural churches? What might we need to prune (let go of) in order to grow? BREAKOUT GROUP 3: ABIDING & HARVESTING What does abiding (constant presence and connecting) and harvesting look like in rural churches? BREAKOUT GROUP 4: FEASTING & CELEBRATING How might we include these more in our local communities, i.e. agricultural celebrations, such as Rogation; also, Easter . BREAKOUT GROUP 5: WINE-MAKING & THE SOIL Half hour visit to Plumpton’s Viticulture Centre and half hour outdoors, reflecting on soil and the balance of life between plants, microbes, carbon, etc. especially as a model for church. Also, the miracle of life that happens underground before a plant ever comes to the surface. How might this encourage us when growth is often unseen and slow?

In 2026 the House of Bishops published Hope for All Creation, a teaching document articulating the bishops’ theological response to the environmental crises. We're exploring this book as an interactive session, enabling everyone to pass on its key messages for Seeing, Reflecting and Responding to the global ecological crises that face us.

11:00 AM Commemorative Service for Roque Ferdinand Join us as we bring Black History Month to a close through worship, remembrance, and celebration. The service will include the dedication of a plaque commemorating Roque Ferdinand, one of the very few surviving eighteenth-century memorials to a Black man in a Sussex parish church. Speakers Professor Alan Lester University of Sussex Vitalis Ngwambi Diocesan Racial Justice Co-ordinator Alysia-Lara Interim Deputy Director for Racial Justice Church of England Marie-Paul Duwai-Sowa Poet & Artist ________________________________________ 3:00 PM Dedication of the Roque Ferdinand Plaque St Mary Magdalene Church, Madehurst Refreshments Traditional African and English Cuisine Contact detail: Tel : 01273 425 005 Email: adminhelpdesk@chichester.anglican.org

The Archdeacon of Hastings, the Venerable Russell Dewhurst, speaks on the Church of England and the state. Since Elizabeth I, the monarch has been known as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. But what exactly is the King’s role in the Church of England today?

Greg Moore takes a joyful wander through the story of carols—the music of Advent and Christmas—and how it came to sound the way it does. Christmas music pops up everywhere in English life: in churches and on street corners, in pubs, classrooms, and living rooms. It’s packed with memories, traditions, faith, and fun, telling stories that bring people together with warmth, hope, and a sense of belonging.

Join the Archdeacon of Chichester, as he speaks about Walter Hook (13 March 1798 – 20 October 1875), known to his contemporaries as Dr Hook, who was an eminent Victorian churchman. He was the Vicar of Leeds responsible for the construction of the current Leeds Minster and for many ecclesiastical and social improvements to the city in the mid-nineteenth century. His achievements, as a High Churchman and Tractarian in a non-conformist city are remarkable. Later in life, he became Dean of Chichester.

The Galileo Affair is often billed as a great example of why science and religion have always been at odds. But a closer examination of what this disagreement between one of history’s most famous astronomers and the might of the Vatican reveals that science and religion are always much closer than we think. Join the Reverend Alice Smith, Vicar of The Good Shepherd, Brighton, as she speaks on this fascinating subject.

‘An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.’ The Sacraments of the New Covenant are the work of Christ within his Body, the Church. The Sacraments, thus, are to be honoured and at the same time used by us: a gift, after all, has to be received as well as given. In more fully understanding these gifts and making as much use of them as we can, we come to more fully know and love the Giver of them. Join Fr Thomas Cotterill, Priest in Charge of St Andrew's, Worthing, for this fascinating conversation.

This talk will explore the joys and challenges of pastoral offices, often referred to as “hatches, matches and dispatches” (baptisms, weddings and funerals), and the valuable opportunities they provide for mission and connecting with people beyond the church. Canon Paul Doick, Rector of St Paul’s Chichester with St Peter’s Westhampnett and Rural Dean of Chichester will lead the discussion, reflecting on how these significant life events can point people towards God, followed by an opportunity for questions.