<strong>Students and young adults to be reached as part of £9 million funding package for mission</strong>Tens of thousands of students and young people who may never have been to church before are to be reached by the Church of England with the message of the Christian faith as part of a £9 million funding programme for mission projects across the country, it was announced today.Church of England parishes are to form new congregations aimed at reaching young adults and students in Leeds and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, Blackburn in Lancashire and coastal areas of Paignton in Devon and Brighton and Hove in east Sussex.A series of grants to help fund the projects has been awarded as part of the Church of England’s programme of Renewal and Reform.The Church of England’s National Youth Evangelism Officer, Jimmy Dale, welcomed the investment in work with students and young people. He said: “It is so exciting to see the church engaging with students and young people in a way that historically, we have often fallen short. Young people – the ‘Generation Z’ of 11 to 25 year olds - have faced enormous challenges as a result of the pandemic, not just socially and financially but educationally and with regards to mental health. The message of the good news of Jesus Christ offers this generation a real beacon of hope.”A grant of £1.5 million has been awarded to the Diocese of Leeds to help expand its outreach to students with a new Sunday afternoon church based in the student area of Hyde Park in Leeds and aimed at those who have never been to church before.Church@HydeParkCorner, centred on St Augustine’s Church, will expand its reach through social media and activities and events for students studying at universities in the city.In Huddersfield, ‘Holy Trinity at 6’ will be formed on Sunday evenings at Holy Trinity Church in the town, building on links with Huddersfield University to reach students and other young adults, the majority of whom have no previous experience of church attendance.A grant of £3.5 million has been made to the Diocese of Blackburn to develop St Luke’s Blackburn and St John’s Blackpool as centres of mission and support to other churches in the diocese. St Luke’s will work with young people and promote youth ministry across the diocese while St John’s Church will have a strong focus on social outreach.The Diocese of Exeter has been awarded £1.5 million for outreach work along the English Riviera area of Devon, including the new Bay Church, which will be based at St Andrew’s in Paignton. There are plans for a new youth congregation and at least three more family and youth based congregations throughout Torbay.In Chichester Diocese, a £2.5 million grant has been awarded to All Saints Hove to create a centre for mission, and to St Peter’s Brighton, to develop four new church congregations. These churches will help support the work of churches across the city, through leadership development, social action and youth and children's ministry. Funding has also been awarded for work based at St Paul’s Church, Slough, supporting social outreach, training of lay ministers and intercultural work in the Oxford Diocese.
At the moment we are in the few days between Ascension Day and Pentecost (or ‘Thy-Kingdom-Come-tide you could call it). I found myself preaching on waiting at my church. My family helpfully thought it was hilarious that I should be speaking on such a topic as I am not known as the most patient in my household. Given how many times I have hit ‘refresh’ on the government’s multi-purpose community facility guidance web page this week, they may have a point.But I had to remind myself of what I said to others last Sunday – waiting isn’t supposed to be a passive thing. Whilst the disciples waited for the spirit to come they gathered, they prayed and they even chose a new disciple. They got on with things. Waiting was active – not about making ourselves busy, but rather preparing for the future. How apt!So can I challenge you to wait well this week? One of the lessons from the ‘BigPCC Away Days’ over the last month and our recent series of conversations with parishes is that we all need help to wait well – preparing to re-open by taking time to reflect on what should not be restarting to give space to the new things we want to keep going. Taking time to read guidance and attend webinars that will encourage and inform.Waiting isn’t just about hitting refresh on the web browser. But perhaps hitting refresh on your soul. May your active waiting bring joy, and signs of the kingdom. Thy Kingdom Come, after all.
The Chapel of St Peter and St Paul, which was constructed in 1751, started offering online services during lockdown. Revd Pat Mann has seen her congregation increase from a regular 120 people to several hundred viewers online.Services use the Book of Common Prayer which remains a permanent feature of the Church of England's worship and is a key source for its doctrine. In recent months these traditional services have seen a large rise in attendance. The Greenwich congregation growth was confirmed when more than 600 people watched a Solemn Service of Choral Evensong on the evening before the funeral of HRH Prince Philip last month. “I try not to think about the numbers that might be watching,” she said. “It has been humbling knowing some of the people you are praying for, that may be many miles away or in another country, are watching and praying with you.”The stunning chapel was first built following designs by Sir Christopher Wren only to be later rebuilt in neoclassical style complete with nautical motifs. The Facebook image before the service goes out live is a picture of the whole chapel, while during the service the “the beauty and grandeur of our interior” is highlighted. Revd Pat Mann said: “We are blessed that we can show the beauty of our building. “We have a very fine ceiling and altar painting and share these with those watching as part of the broadcast.”Videos of services from the chapel are available on YouTube.
