The Diocese of Sheffield is delighted to announce the Revd Huw Thomas, Diocesan Director of Education, has been appointed as the new Adviser in Inter-Faith and Public Affairs.
Taking over from Casey Strine, Huw’s role will build upon some of the inter-faith work he has already carried out during his time in the Diocese. He will be carrying out duties on behalf of the Diocese in relation to different faith communities, such as upcoming civic services. This will be in addition to his current role as Director of Education, where he has been in post since 2012.
Supporting the Bishop of Sheffield’s membership of the Sheffield Faith Community Leaders, Huw will undertake the following responsibilities:
- pro-actively, to promote healthy relationships between the Diocese and other faith-communities.
- re-actively, to respond to specific inquiries and urgent crises either by supporting the Bishop or by representing the Bishop in responding to issues that arise in the Sheffield city region.
Huw said:
“I’m absolutely delighted to have been appointed. When I was asked by Bishop Pete to think about it I said I wouldn’t need any time to mull it over! This is just ideal. I love this sort of work and I really enjoy working with different faith communities.
“Some of the conflicts going on internationally challenge our sense of community between the faiths, but in my experience in Sheffield we’ve always been very good at maintaining good inter-faith relations throughout difficult times.
“I want to bring friendship to the role. I would urge people to take every and any opportunity to talk to those of other faiths and to be good friends with those of other faiths. We need to go into those rooms intending to hear more than we say and to listen more than we speak. That to me is one of the key ways of having dialogue with people of other faiths.
“I am unashamedly 100% Christian myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t really enjoy listening to those who have a similar feeling when it comes to their Buddhism; their Hindu Dharma; their identity as a Muslim or their belief in Judaism”.
Regular activities are likely to include engagement with South Yorkshire Police; Sheffield City Council) and Public Health Sheffield. Alongside this will be occasional round-table meetings and representing Bishop Pete and Diocese at various working groups across the Sheffield city region on matters of inter-faith concern.