Occupy Sheffield has been invited to a meeting with church leaders on Monday 28th November, in order that they “can listen and begin to reflect together on the issues you wish to bring to our attention”. The invite and response and reproduced below, see also the previous correspondence published on the 22nd, 18th and 14th of November 2011.

Invite from the Dean of Sheffield:

Dear Occupy Sheffield,

We at the Cathedral have been trying to explore a way of being able to hear the issues about which you are protesting.

After conversations with a number of the church leaders in the centre of Sheffield we would like to invite a group from Occupy Sheffield (say 6 people) to meet with church leaders to give you an opportunity to outline in more detail the things you are protesting about and to answer questions.

We think this will provide an excellent beginning to the “Big Conversation” in which you are seeking to find a voice.

We hope you might be able to make Monday 28th November from 1300 – 1400 at the Central United Reformed Church (which is at the far end of Chapel Walk, on the right).

I hope you will be able to join us on at that time so the church leaders can listen and begin to reflect together on the issues you wish to bring to our attention.

Please let us know if you can join us then.

The Very Reverend Peter Bradley

Dean of Sheffield

Occupy Sheffield’s response:

Occupy Sheffield are pleased to accept the Dean of Sheffield’s invitation to meet with clergy leaders on Monday 28th November, to discuss the issues that are of such concern to us all.

Our aim is to encourage the widest possible conversation amongst the people of Sheffield. We hope to discuss the draconian assaults on our hard won public services, the lack of employment opportunities for our young people, the huge shortage of affordable housing, the massive rise in the cost of university education and all the many ways in which the hard pressed citizen is being expected to pay for the reckless and irresponsible behaviour of financial institutions, over whom our elected representatives appear to have no power.

We hope this will be the first of many conversations, not only with the Church, but also with the people of the city and all the other organisations in the city that represent their interests.