I am delighted to be able to present to you Liverpool Cathedral’s annual review for 2018. It is the first annual report since I became Dean and it effectively highlights our work as we endeavour to enable more people to encounter our cathedral, our welcome, and our God.
It’s been little over a year since I had the tremendous privilege of encountering this place as Dean. As someone who has always had a heart for cathedrals, to be given the task of leading one of the UK’s most significant and creative cathedrals was immensely humbling. I have admired the work, mission and ministry of this place for many years so to have a role in guiding all the dedicated people who volunteer and work here is truly amazing.
Since arriving I have been acutely aware of the tremendous opportunities this cathedral has. We say we are built by the people, for the people to the Glory of God and we live up to that. The report shows our outstanding worship, brilliant cultural programme and dedicated work in tackling food poverty and inequality. It highlights the large numbers of worshippers we see – particularly at Christmas – and the vast number of visitor who came to see the museum of the moon.
However, we work in a challenging environment. With no guaranteed funding we have to rely on our own enterprise to support our work. Over the year I have learnt that without that zeal we risk becoming relics of the past unable to sustain our worship, support our social justice outreach or maintain our impressive Grade 1* listed building. Cathedrals that fail to adapt will fail to thrive, fail to survive. We owe it future generations to prevent this from happening.
So we have
- Welcomed over 700,000 visitors to a wide range of events and activities
- Raised over £100,000 so our charity Micah can help those in need
- Achieved over £8m in donations to our 2024 appeal since 2015
We are not in isolation. The Cathedral is proud to say we were built by the people for the people to the Glory of God. We are proud to be a place where the city comes together in sorrow and joy before a God who knows and loves them. We are delighted to work in partnership with so many organisations that value our place in the cultural and spiritual life in this great city.
We can’t do this without support. We are immensely grateful for the support of Liverpool John Moore’s University and our other Guardians. We give thanks to all who have contributed to raising over £8m to our 2024 appeal. We honour our volunteers, staff, congregations and thousands of well-wishers who make us the place we are.
Our review is published at a time of change. A time where we honour the past and look to the future. A time when we take pride in being built by the people, for the people. A time when we want to continue to help more people encounter Liverpool Cathedral.
Thank you for your time in reading our report. Thank you for your ongoing support. Thank you for encountering Liverpool Cathedral.
The Very Revd Sue Jones
Dean of Liverpool
Click on the picture to read our report online