Director for Social Responsibility

The Revd Canon Chris Rich MSc.

A Cornishman, my working life began in Devonport Dockyard as an electrical engineer. Ordained in 1974 I have served as both parish priest and diocesan officer for almost fourty years. I have been Director for Social Responsibility for the dioceses of Winchester, Blackburn and Guildford. I served as the elected chairperson of the Britain & Ireland Social Responsibility Network for 9 years and was elected as one of two faith community members on the SE England Regional Assembly when first set up in 1998. I am currently the elected chairperson of SE England Faiths Forum (SEEFF) and a board member of Surrey Community Action and the Bishop of Guildford's Foundation.   I represent the Voluntary, Community and Faiths Sectors on a number of strategic bodies including Surrey Strategic Partnership.

My skills are in youth and community development, organisational development, management and social policy and planning. My experience has focused on assisting faith communities to develop local grassroots work in order to engage strategically. It has also included working with public sector agencies to develop community engagement through partnerships with voluntary, community and faith sectors.

My commitment is to work with people in parishes and deaneries in their faithful commitment to communities and in reflecting upon that engagement. I believe this engagement is essential to the expression of the Christian faith and is offered to all.  Christians bring our passion to the world, not just to our churches.  We live in the real world, with all its great beauty and possibilities, but also with its imperfections: inequality, injustice, environmental exploitation, and human pain and suffering.  Living in this reality leads many of us to work collaboratively with people of other faiths, understanding our differences (face to face) and working together in our communities (side by side).

Contact details:
T: 01483 790353
E: chris.rich@cofeguildford.org.uk



We work by:

• Being attentive to local ‘grasSRoots’ experience and, wherever possible, allowing this experience to guide and inform the setting of the Department’s agenda
• Providing resources, information, advice and consultancy to the diocese, deaneries and parishes on matters relating to social responsibility
• Raising social responsibility issues for debate, discussion and action wherever possible in partnership with churches, other denominations, other faiths and public sector, not-for-profit and community organisations
• Establishing and maintaining contact with those who make decisions affecting the allocation of resources in society in order to encourage consultation and co-operation
• Ensuring that networks are developed at national, regional and local government levels
• Our services are offered to all

If you are interested in finding out more about this work or would like to become a volunteer please contact us.

PA To The Director

Emma Beswick – PA to the Director &  Department Administrator

I come to the department with a background in educational course administration, which involved working closely with global businesses, government bodies and students, both overseas and in the UK. I have also been closely involved, in a voluntary capacity, with youth organisations in rural communities.

T: 01483 790324
E: emma.beswick@cofeguildford.org.uk or 
dsr.administrator@cofeguildford.org.uk

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