Are there any talented young artists/ musicians/ creatives in your family? St. Paul’s Church is introducing a new Young Artist in Residence scheme.- Applicants must be aged 14 - 17 year olds on 1 September 2024 (the project start date).- To be eligible, applicants must live in an SR2 postcode area.- Residencies last up to 4 months.- Applicants must have permission from their parent/ guardian to participate.Interested? Send us an email on or before 5 August 2024, and we will arrange an informal chat: stpauls.air@gmail.com
Are you interested in arts, crafting or have an artistic hobby?Could you be our next applicant for our 18+ Artist in Residence programme.You must be 18+ and live in the SR2 postcode area to apply.No qualifications or experience needed.If you want to apply, please send us an email at stpauls.air@gmail.com by the 5th August 2024, to express your interest. You will then be invited to an informal chat to introduce your ideas and any examples of your work.Crafters, photographers, writers, painters, printmakers, musicians and more are all very welcome to apply.Email: stpauls.air@gmail.com to apply or ask questions Under 18? For the first time we are running a Young Artist in Residence scheme for 14 - 17 year olds. (See separate post)
In recent years church attendance has dropped from over a million members of the worshipping community in pre pandemic times to around 150,000 fewer in 2022. For the first time there are also more people reporting that they have no religious beliefs than those who do. Is there a crisis in church attendance? And if so, what can we do to remedy it? One popular way to get people into church is to advertise. Not just by traditional methods in newspapers and online but through engaging with social media and organising events like exhibitions and concerts to get the wider community into church so it feels familiar and welcoming. Photos showing people looking happy and enjoying activities in church can foster a sense of community which will help people make the first move to attend a service. Fetes are often a popular event in most communities so opening the doors to local people to buy locally made goods and engage in fun activities will encourage those who would never normally venture through the doors to come in and have a look around. Just putting up weekly posts in community groups or on local Facebook groups about what is on that week can make it easier for people to pick a suitable service and time. Many more people than just regular churchgoers or Christians will also watch sermons and services put on social media. These became commonplace with the restrictions on in person services during Covid but had a knock in effect of reaching those who would not normally get to listen to them. Church should be a welcoming space and having people greeting people as they walk in and also talking to new attendees after services, if they wish to do so, can make people more likely to return. The opportunity to have refreshments and socialise after services can make the environment less daunting and focuses on building relationships within the congregation. Open day events which invite people new to church to attend and learn about what happens in church, in a laidback social manner, can be much less daunting than walking in alone on a Sunday morning. Some churches offer mentors or befrienders for those who are new to church to accompany them if they want and explain what is going on. Emphasising that all are welcome is also vitally important. Providing accessible services for any disabled individuals, either in church or online, for instance with subtitles, is paramount. Those who do not speak or read English well may need some extra considerations. Some members of the community may feel nervous about attending for fear of being judged and not accepted. Treating people fairly and not discriminating on the basis of their gender, age, sexual orientation and disability is paramount in attracting people in to church and not driving them away if they do take the plunge to attend. Making spaces family friendly makes it easier for those caring for younger children to attend. Child friendly spaces with appropriate engaging toys in an age appropriate space or Sunday school for older children are common resources used. Breastfeeding should be welcomed and adequate facilities for baby changing are often needed by those looking after infants. People will be put off by the prospect of having to keep their young children entertained, fairly quiet and 38 relatively still during a whole hour. As distracting as young children may be it is better that they are there distracting a little than being kept away. If babies and young children are not welcomed with open arms then parents will also find it hard to attend. Focusing some activities on younger people will help to attract young people into church. Youth groups involving games and outside activities as well as Bible study will be more attractive to younger members of the church community. Not everyone will want to or be able to attend the weekly services so offering other activities such as Bible study can allow people wanting to still engage to be able to. Offering informal opportunities to discuss religious topics can attract those who do not like the formal nature of services. Some may prefer smaller groups and quieter spaces or the chance to ask questions which cannot be answered in the usual services. Collaborating with local businesses and community organisations can help increase awareness of the church. Partnering with them on local fundraising events and sharing resources will benefit everyone and open up the church and its work to many other people within the local community. Recruiting guest speakers can attract new members too and engage existing members. Speakers can add another layer with fresh ideas, insights and perspectives. Topics which the congregation is interested in are important but bear in mind it will be good to attract new people too. Always ask for feedback. If you want to improve you need to be able to hear, and act on, feedback both positive and negative. A suggestions box or feedback forms can create effective feedback systems. This should be emphasised to new attendees so you can see what you could be doing better to make people feel more welcomed. Some key questions would help focus their answers. Hopefully you will get positive feedback and realise you are helping to grow the church community.
Back in early March a small group of parishioners took a trip to Bishop Auckland. We went to the Mining art gallery which was full of artworks of mining history with many painted by miners themselves. Some of the images were extremely powerful and moving. The museum had some history of mining in the North East which was interesting to both those who were born and raised in the area during the mining era and those of us who are from a quite different part of the country. We also visited the newly opened Faith museum located in Auckland castle. This was a comprehensive tour through the history of faith in the UK going back thousands of years to 6,000 years ago. Four gallery spaces over two floors house temporary exhibitions. There were some beautiful artefacts with jewellery and objects of religious significance. Over 250 objects from around the country are showcased in the museum. Some of it was really rather unusual especially a necklace for a baby. We walked through the museum moving through the years of religious history. There was a hauntingly beautiful blue iris on a screen in one room. You could immerse yourself in the image and sounds. My personal favourite part was the collection of paintings by Robert Wagner depicting Biblical scenes with some modern settings. The road to Damascus was contemporary and desolate and the image of Jesus writing in the dirt during the stoning of a woman was extremely powerful - extra moving as in many ways times haven’t changed. The last corridor contained some facts about religious faith today. A piece by Khadija Saye who died in the Grenfell Tower fire left me feeling really quite hollow. Everyone seemed to enjoy the trip. I would personally like to go back when the weather has improved and explore the castle grounds which are being renovated at the moment. There is so much there to enjoy and discover. A video of the Eidolon by Mat Collishaw can be seen on our church YouTube channel. https://youtube.com/@StPaulsChurchRyhope
