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
I grew up in a Christian family. They said they were Christian and we were baptised but we never went to church. As I grew up, I grew away from that belief. By about nine years old Christianity seemed uncool and I became a firm unbeliever - firmly an atheist. The only one in the family who had real faith was my grandad. I used to talk about it with him and remember he had a saying “For every creation there has to be a creator”. I thought he had a point. I started to think about the origin of life and considering things like gravity and the heat from the sun realising that if they were very slightly different, the figures changed a bit, then life wouldn’t exist. I always felt like I was looking for something and that there was something about life which I couldn’t quite figure out. But as far as God went, I didn’t think about that until my mid twenties. I had long term mental health problems with depression and anxiety and that affected my journey towards faith too. I was firmly agnostic at that time but slowly moving towards a belief in God and Christianity. One Christmas I felt the need to take the religious aspect of Christmas more seriously. I felt the need to pray and my mindset changed. I started to see things with such a different perspective. I thought of myself as “born again” in as much as I was purely and simply learning everything again. As Christians we have Jesus as a role model for how we should be. I truly believe that Hope is Key and Faith is Key. Hope that things can get better and that faith pushes people to be better. The Bible is full of examples of hope and faith like the disciples for example. We all have the potential to be better and to be the source of joy, happiness and love. I never had the intention to come to church. I was happy just having my personal relationship with God. But on my twenty sixth birthday I had the day off work unusually for my birthday. I felt the need to go to church and sit and pray, even for a few minutes, and on a day which was all about me, I wanted to give a part of it to God. It was a Friday and the church isn’t normally open on Fridays but for some reason that day it was. I met Father David in there and spoke to him and he encouraged me to come to the Sunday service. I think my old mindset would have thought that the church was open that day through luck or chance but I believe something has intervened and God is looking out for me and made sure the church was open when I went along that day and if people open their heart to him, they will see that he’s looking out for them too. If he can do it for me, he can do it for everybody. The church itself is beautiful and being a history nerd, I have always loved old buildings like this. I was made to feel very welcome when I started coming to the Sunday services. For a long time, I was the kid who sat on his own at the back - I still am really! - but I’m now trying to get involved more. I’m getting confirmed soon and I’m really excited about that. It’s something I really believe in. I stand with this church specifically just because of how much it’s given me in the 6 months I’ve been going. I feel like the love I have been shown is something like no other and I’m grateful every day to God and everyone else here for that. If you’d told twenty one year old me that at twenty six I’d be coming to church I would have laughed. I didn’t come to church having any expectations. I didn’t investigate different denominations at all. It doesn’t particularly matter to me about denomination - what really matters is that we do our best to uphold the principles of Christianity as best we can and we try to be a little bit better each and every day. In my experience the Christians here live by that. That is why I love the study groups and activities like watching The Chosen TV show together the most: you get really involved in the religious process and the actual history and discussion points and interpretations and that is so important because not only does it spark debate, which I think is healthy, but it creates a dialogue. A lot of questions I have had have been handled respectfully and I have felt heard. Everyone gets heard. These activities are the best bits of this church community specifically and it reminds me of my days at uni when we would discuss issues like this. Christianity in general is about people coming together and when they come together, they want to find out about each other. What better way for the church to do that and ask, “What does this mean to you?” When we finished the interview, Stephen told me he felt that God had intervened pushing me to ask him for this interview. I think that is true. Stephen had felt that he needed to talk about his faith and I then approached him to do this having had a feeling he would be right for it. It’s amazing how God works, even in the simplest ways, sometimes.
Moments of Inspiration Jehovah NissiWhen the clouds hung dark o'er Israel, and the fierce Philistine host, Breathing threats and slaughter, sought her undefended coast.Then how precious to the faithful this eternal truth they knew, There is no restraint to God to save by many or by few!" When Benadad compasses Aphek, and the followers of the Lord, Like two little flocks of kids, stood pent within that heathen horde;When at morn the blood of Syrians moistened all the plain like dew, " There was no restraint to God to save by many or by few". This poem was written about the battle against Amalek. It went on all day. Moses went upon the hill overlooking the battle. When Moses lifted up his arms the battle went Israel’s way but when his arms fell the battle went the other way. So, Aaron and Hur kept up the arms of Moses till the going down of the sun and Israel prevailed against Amalek. After the victory Moses built an alter to the Lord and called it Jehovah Nissi (The Lord is our banner), and the Lord swore he would have war with Amalek from generation to generation. Exodus 17 vs 8: 16. The story and short history of Rahab I think that most of us are familiar with the story of Rahab. How she was a prostitute and a Gentile, living in Jericho. Joshua sent out men to spy out the land. Rahab protected and hid them, and she knew that God would give the victory to Israel. In return she asked for the safety of her family. Which was granted. She lowered the spies from a window in the wall and sent pursuers on a false trail. Not so well known is that she believed in God and converted to Judaism and married Salmon, they had a son named Boaz who married Ruth they bore Obed the father of Jesse, Jesse was the father of King David. In Matthew’s Gospel, Rahab is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. This shows that God can use individuals from various and sinful backgrounds and circumstances to play important roles in his larger plan. Rahab’s story is one of redemption and trust.
