ANNUAL REVIEW 2011

AN AWESOME AND INTIMATE CATHEDRAL

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» Rodger Harris

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It has been an immense privilege to serve as Acting Dean over the last few months. Working out of the Dean’s Office brings a new perspective on cathedral life, revealing aspects of our mission and ministry that I was not previously aware of.

I saw the challenges that running a hugely important, iconic building brings. I gained a greater sense of the importance the cathedral has in the hearts and minds of those who worship here. I witnessed the central place the cathedral has in so much of the life of our city. I now have a deeper appreciation of the efforts of so many volunteers and staff without whom nothing would happen. I understand more of the greatness of God who inspires and sustains us.

Liverpool Cathedral is a vast and complex institution. It holds a central place in the hearts and minds of many. It is the focus for significant moments in the life of our city and diocese. It is a spiritual heartbeat that brings people together in times of sadness and joy. It is widely recognised as one of Liverpool’s great treasures. It is a place of personal prayer, public worship, a world class tourist attraction and venue for grand dinners and glittering occasions.

Along with Chapter, I am mindful of the challenges and tensions that this can create. To try and meet the desires and expectations of the many groups who wish to engage so positively with us often means we have to make difficult decisions over what we support and do. We don’t get them all right but we do consider our work prayerfully and diligently as we seek to be obedient to our desire to further God’s mission at all times.

Like so many in the Cathedral Company I was proud to see our former Dean, Justin Welby, chosen to be Bishop of Durham. Of course we were sorry to see him, Caroline and the family go as they have made a huge contribution to the development of the cathedral since 2008. But, as Justin himself would say, the cathedral is about so much more than one individual. We have a strong shared vision, a robust plan and a talented, hard working team of staff and volunteers. I would like to thank everyone whose work makes Liverpool Cathedral what it is.

This report encapsulates the essence of Liverpool Cathedral over the last year. It doesn’t cover everything but shows some of our successes and challenges over the year. Through it we aim to show how we work to be a welcoming, worshipping, changing, unifying, growing, awesome and intimate cathedral. It shows an amazing breadth and scope as we continue to work to be a safe place to do risky things in Christ’s service.

ACTING DEAN’S LETTER

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A WELCOMING CATHEDRALLiverpool Cathedral is a place for everyone. With nearly 500,000 visitors last year we saw a huge variety of people come through our doors. People with many reasons to enter our magnificent building. People looking to encounter God, enjoy world class music or marvel at the architectural wonders of this world class tourist attraction. People of all ages, backgrounds, from different parts of the city, the region and all corners of the world.

2011 started in the reflective manner that we have been accustomed to in previous years. Visitors were encouraged to “walk into the new year” with a prayerful activity that recalled the previous year’s successful ‘Walking through Windows’ promenade theatre production. It set the tone for a year which saw art exhibitions, concerts, an increase in children’s and school activities and a burgeoning reputation for hosting high quality events and dinners.

Highlights of the year included the Beatles Let it Be Strings, the combining of our Choirs with those from the Metropolitan Cathedral for the Two Choirs Concert, and ‘The Magnificent Elizabeths’ Commemorative Concert for over 2,000 passengers of Cunard’s newest Elizabeth on her maiden arrival in Liverpool. Our Organ recitals remain a perennial favourite. We held our first exhibition to feature drawings of the cathedral itself.

Our Children and Families Missioner, a joint appointment with the diocese, has enabled us to offer creative fun activities for families during all school holidays. Meanwhile, our outreach to schools has developed with our remembrance and Easter workshops and invaluable transition workshops for Year 6 pupils being well received by schools around the region.

During the year we invested in aspects of the cathedral to provide a greater welcome for visitors. We completed refurbishment of the lifts for our popular Tower attraction, providing greater capacity for those seeking the spectacular views. We started work to install an accessible lift enabling more to enjoy the delights of our Lady Chapel.

We have also had a longstanding desire to offer a warm environment for visitors. The vastness of the cathedral creates many challenges but by improving under floor heating we have increased the level of comfort for visitors. Measures to improve draught exclusion have made a large difference – keeping the gale outside!

» Children’s half term activities

» Above: Concert for Cunard’s newest Elizabeth on her maiden arrival in Liverpool Credit: Ant Claussen

» Right: Choirs from the two cathedrals at the Two Choirs Concert.

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» Dramatic aerial performance “As the World Tipped”

» Guests in the newly refashioned Sir Giles Gilbert Scott Suite

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A major change came through our catering review and decision to work in partnership with caterers Couture. This has enabled us to provide a greater range of quality food in our Mezzanine Café and especially in the renamed Welsford Restaurant, now with table service. We have refashioned the Western Rooms into the Sir Giles Gilbert Scott Suite giving a greatly improved venue to hire for private and corporate events as well as celebrating the work of our famous architect.

The cathedral has developed a reputation for hosting high quality large scale events. There were many glittering occasions in 2011 and every guest was warmly welcomed by a member of our clergy, always seeking to make connections between the event and the way the cathedral serves its city.

Our welcome extends to churches across our diocese, graduates from our local universities and of course the business sector. The stunning surroundings and our spiritual values make strong impressions on our guests, which leads to more visits. This was seen in our hosting of 26 launch events for the Land Rover Evoque. From a conversation between the Dean and a Jaguar representative at a corporate dinner a series of events with journalists from around the world ensued. The setting dazzled and the cathedral helped ensure that the hospitality business stayed local. We did not bring the launch to Liverpool. The city did. But the cathedral more than played its part in the success of this global launch.

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We have also tried to provide better quality information about our activities. We have revamped the north entrance aisle to the building, providing a clearer, less cluttered and welcoming feel. Our website, email newsletters and social media activity continue as important aspects of our overall welcome, and we were delighted to move from piloting the Liverpool Coach Welcome Scheme to being the first of a more permanent approach in the city that has now resulted in Liverpool gaining awards for Coach Friendliness. We offer coach parties a personalised welcome to the city with useful information, parking advice to the driver and of course the opportunity to begin their Liverpool visit with us.

We want to continue to welcome all. Whatever the reason for the visit or the length of time spent with us, we want time spent within our cathedral to be a stimulating experience and a chance to bring people into God’s welcoming presence.

“we want time spent within our cathedral to be a stimulating experience”

» Liverpool Coach Welcome Scheme is now in full effect

» Guiding visitors around our awesome cathedral

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“we remain committed to pursuing excellence in worship in all that we do”

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A WORSHIPPING CATHEDRALWorship is and remains paramount in the life of our cathedral. We are proud of and committed to the traditions of cathedral worship that have sustained and nurtured our congregations over many years, yet we are also keen to find new ways to explore our relationship with God and connect with those who do not yet know Him.

Chief among these was the establishment, under the direction of our Canon for Mission and Evangelism, of our all age café style worship, Zone 2. This has proved highly successful, meeting alongside the morning Eucharist in the main space. Bible reading, teaching, prayer and fellowship are key ingredients in Zone 2, as they are in more traditional worship, but are presented in an informal and interactive style.

In June we welcomed our Curate, Tim Watson. As members of the Chemin Neuf Community - an ecumenical religious community - Tim and his wife Kate have established a new prayer group. As Tim’s ministry with us develops we expect to see more involvement from the Community in the patterns of our spiritual and worshipping life.

This complements our continuing desire to enhance people’s spiritual encounter through worship. Our popular weekend retreat, Food for the Journey, gave sustenance to many during Lent and our desire is to find creative ways to aid our visitors’ spiritual journeys.

We continue to try to make worship accessible to all. The introduction of BSL interpretation at monthly services has proved immensely popular and we are delighted to have held BSL Messy Church on a number of occasions.

One of the key strengths of our cathedral is our ability to reflect the city’s mood. The cathedral remains the place people come to at key points in their life. At Christmas we see a diverse range of charities, organisations and schools converging to celebrate the season. We continue to host many civic services and provide comfort at major funerals. The cathedral remains central to the diocesan calendar with our beautiful Ordination and Licensing services.

Sustaining worship is an essential part of cathedral life. The daily rhythm of prayer demands much of our clergy, choir, musicians, vergers and stewards, yet we remain committed to pursuing excellence in worship in all that we do. By providing a variety of styles we aim to make our worship as accessible as possible.

» Left: All age café style worship at Zone 2

» Right: Members of the Chemin Neuf Community

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A CHANGING CATHEDRALA cathedral can never remain static. People come and go bringing fresh experiences and ideas. New opportunities to serve present themselves. The times and context we work in demand that we remain relevant, but we must never be a cathedral that forgets its roots and those traditions that have sustained it over many years.

As a cathedral community we were tremendously proud to see Dean Justin Welby selected to become the Bishop of Durham. Justin’s appointment was in part a testament to the achievements of the cathedral during his time with us and he left with the prayers and support of our community.

Justin’s was not the only departure during the year. We said goodbye to our Canon Treasurer Anthony Hawley who retired in the summer. Anthony was an important part of our cathedral for many years and skilfully led us through the previous interregnum. The whole cathedral community joined in wishing him and Rosemary a happy, fulfilling retirement.

Inevitably, part of the year was about discerning who was being called to lead the cathedral into the future - a creative process resulting in the appointment of an excellent new Dean. The cathedral will continue to thrive under new leadership and use the strong foundations that we have built to ensure a vibrant future.

Changes to our catering arrangements, the establishment of new services, the development of outreach and cultural events, all bring a different flavour and character to the cathedral.

Led by our in house maintenance team, we continue to make considered and appropriate structural changes to the cathedral’s fabric. At the beginning of the year we had some asbestos professionally removed from the chancel area. We also started a project to refurbish the Undercroft area – with improvements to the choir areas and a lift to create better access to the Lady Chapel being started.

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All of this is supported and driven by a robust, rolling three year development plan that aims to bind Chapter, staff and volunteers into a sustainable vision for the future.

As we enter 2012 we are delighted to be able to welcome Pete Wilcox as new Dean. Along with his wife Cathy and family, he will bring a new, fresh dynamic to our work and life as a cathedral.

“the cathedral will continue to thrive under new leadership”

» Far left: The newly appointed Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverend Justin Welby

» Left: Saying goodbyes to Anthony and Rosemary Hawley

» Pete Wilcox announced as the new Dean of Liverpool

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A UNIFYING CATHEDRALWith so many different facets to our work, life and ministry, we try hard to maintain a common purpose under a common direction.

As a large employer in a deprived part of the city, we are aware of the impact we have on many lives. We have continued to work hard to be a great place to work and volunteer, improve communications with staff and volunteers and secure employment for as many local people as possible.

We are extremely mindful of our heritage as a cathedral built by the people of Merseyside for the community. We want to be a place which the city, region and diocese regard as central to the rhythm of their lives. We have worked hard to make strong connections with other city institutions and organisations to become a respected part of city life.

This is clearly expressed in our links with our partners on Hope Street with whom we have founded the ‘Visit Hope Street’ CIC (Community Interest Company). We have been a key partner in the drive to make the Hope Street Quarter a vibrant destination within Liverpool as for example an active participant in the ever-developing Hope Street Feast.

Liverpool Cathedral stands as an iconic building on the city’s landscape; a visual symbol of our importance to the city. Building on our successes in 2008, we have aimed to play our full part in the cultural life of our great city. From our

participation in Light Night to our hosting of the dramatic aerial performance “As the World Tipped”, previously planned for the Waterfront, we have shown an ability to support the city’s economy. This remarkable performance attracted thousands and shows the possibilities for the cathedral to become a stunning visual backdrop for future outdoor events with Culture Liverpool.

Our popular annual photo competition expanded in 2011, establishing itself as a firm fixture in the city’s calendar. The theme, Inspiring Places, brought out the creativity of so many, with the haunting picture of father and son viewing “Fantine”; one of the Walker Art Gallery’s most popular paintings and a clear winner. Our photo competition showed the mix of humour and affection expressed by the people of Liverpool to their inspiring places which made for some memorable entries.

We also shared the concerns of many over the state of the economy and the impact of cuts on poor and marginalised people. We opened the doors for a TUC rally as we see the cathedral as an ideal place to raise and debate these topical issues.

Described as one of the city’s spiritual heartbeats, we aim to continue as a central unifying part of the life of this great city and region.

» Winner of the City Centre category, Tony Mallon’s ‘Parent with Child’ photograph

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“our photo competition showed the mix of humour and affection expressed by the people of Liverpool to their inspiring places”

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50,000 attended services

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13,000 visitors from local schools

1,700 highest single congregation

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A GROWING CATHEDRALOur overarching priority is to grow. We strongly support the Bishop of Liverpool’s Growth Agenda as we try to bring more people to our Sunday Eucharists and weekday services, drawing them into the presence of God’s love and transforming power.

Like many cathedrals around the country we have been encouraged by official figures that reveal growing cathedral attendance. Over 50,000 attended services over the course of the year with the highest single congregation seeing 1,700 worshippers. These figures are growing slowly, but we want to build on these numbers and reach ever more people.

We look for growth in all areas. Our regular Alpha courses have enabled many to ask and answer questions about God, life and what it’s all about. Those seeking to understand more about the Bible have been challenged and stimulated by our Breakfast with the Bible/Supper with the Scriptures series.

Our schools work has flourished, with more and more schools engaging with the programmes that we offer. This will be developed as we seek to reach out in many ways to many different communities. Last year we saw over 13,000 visitors come from our local schools.

Growth is important. Chapter has embraced the idea that growth is the way we manage the financial challenge we face. Cutting our work, mission and ministry may make short term savings, growth offers us security and confidence over a longer term.

We believe that there is still a challenge about building better and more sustaining relationships between members of our congregations and, more importantly, between them and God. It is the strength of our relationships within and without the cathedral community that will determine whether and how we grow.

» Hundreds at the Deacons’ Ordinations

» Both right: Every pupil of St Luke’s Formby CofE Primary visited the cathedral

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FINANCESThe biggest challenge for the cathedral is to fulfil our commitment to a breakeven financial position. Maintaining jobs at a time of increasing unemployment is a key priority for the cathedral so we look to grow our income base in a varied and sustainable way. We are determined to increase the levels of congregational giving. The committed giving of faithful church members underpins the finances of all local churches. While different in scale the giving challenge to members of the cathedral congregation remains the same. Beyond our congregation we are finding innovative ways to raise funds for our work. The People’s Path, launched this year, has been incredibly

popular, with individuals buying bricks in memory of a range of significant events that connect them with our cathedral.

We have also seen an increase in visitor giving through the improvement of our information boards explaining that we rely on the generosity of our givers and including a request to donate £3 to keep the cathedral free. Free entry remains an important principle so this emphasises our need to be creative with fundraising.

Our enterprise activity is also key to our financial sustainability. The revenue from our shop and online site, catering outlets, attractions ticket, car park, concerts and venue hire is core and key contributions to the life and witness of our cathedral.

The full set of financial results is contained in the Annual Report and Accounts available on our website or from St James House.

» The People’s Path cementing a special event in someone’s life

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Investment property £4,464,900

Investments £1,402,313

Non investment property £2,712,877

Equipment and plant £296,528

Stocks £167,339

Liquid assets £219,726

Total £9,263,683

£5,000,000

£4,000,000

£3,000,000

£2,000,000

£1,000,000

£0

Income from activities generating funds £1,227,461

Voluntary income £518,336

Income from property, investments and interest £334,751

Charges and fees arising in the course of mission £269,263

Grants receivable £18,000

Total £2,367,811

Unrestricted Income

Cost of generating funds £800,465

Cathedral and precincts upkeep £744,700

Administration services £395,945

Ministry £281,269

Education and outreach £92,285

Centenary expenditure £73,343

Depreciation and other expenditure £70,930

Governance costs £13,810

Total £2,472,747

Unrestricted Expenditure

Total Unrestricted Assets

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AN AWESOME AND INTIMATE CATHEDRALDuring the year we developed a new way to encounter the cathedral. Designed as a spiritual trail, this self directed ‘Awesome and Intimate’ tour encourages people to pause and reflect as they journey round our building. At various places the visitor takes in an element of the cathedral – a window, a chapel, a statue – reads a reflection and contemplates their place in the world. It enables people to take a break from the daily pressures, allowing them to consider God and the world beyond themselves and gain a sense of perspective for their lives.

But in many ways, that trail’s title encapsulates our cathedral precisely. We do awesome work in an awesome building that stands testament to the majesty of the God we proclaim. Yet we also have an intimacy - in our welcome, our personal approach, our relationships with others.

This is what defines us and what will continue to define us as we continue to be a welcoming, worshipping, changing, unifying, growing, awesome and intimate cathedral.

» The spiritual journey of the cathedral

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“we do awesome work in an awesome building”

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Liverpool CathedralSt James MountLiverpoolL1 7AZ

0151 709 6271info@liverpoolcathedral.org.ukwww.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk

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