Diocesan Roadshows 2004
Stories of Faithfulness … by Stephen Regan
THE life of faithfulness isn’t easy in the England of the 21st century ... when so many have fallen away from faith ... when Christianity as a force in society has, according to some, been vanquished.
In some - though not all - places in the Diocese of Chester, our own parishes feel small and marginalised. No longer the hub of their communities.
And yet some of our parishes do feel that, with God’s help, they are growing stronger. They are, in fact, doing marvellous, inspiring work.
Strong ministry and mission in the parishes can still touch and warm people’s lives ... reconnect them to God.
In faith, we are achieving some amazing results across the Diocese. In Runcorn, a town centre parish has reached out to its community and revitalised the impoverished Old Town area. The Open Door Project, in which Marion Hayes is active, has drawn members of the local community right into parish life.
Since 2000, when All Saints had a small, elderly congregation, to now, when each Monday the church becomes the hub of the community. It has been quite a transformation...
Parents from the nearby school come along and enjoy a breakfast after the weekly assembly; there’s a thriving mums-and-tots group; a food co-op bringing fresh fruit and vegetables for sale; a drop-in lunch; and an after-school club plus bible studies and bible stories, games and fun prizes. Some 45 kids regularly attend and they love it.
In Hyde one of our few parishes with a sizeable number of Muslim residents, St George’s has revitalised its worship programme and started Alpha courses. There are two very gifted curates now serving that parish. There are summer holiday camps and hip hop nights and youth events. There’s been a ‘meet your neighbour’ event organised jointly by the church and Hyde Mosque. The next big thing is a development of the church building.
Hyde scores highly in any index of social deprivation. But parishes there are firing on all cylinders. There is a parish nurse project and much input to urban regeneration by local churches. And the Diocesan Counselling Service is to appoint a counsellor for Hyde.
In Rock Ferry, Wirral, St Peter’s is looking after the needs of men, who can feel marginalised in a church culture that can seem somewhat feminised these days. There is also much going in with youth work and the building of social cohesion in this deprived area.
Says the vicar, the Revd Peter Froggatt: “Our chief goal is to bring the gospel message to people and to introduce them to Christ. We are working at being a stronger parish community, we have ups and downs, and we haven’t got it sorted. But we are encouraged to care for each other more and trust each other more.”
In all sorts of radical ways people in our parishes are baffling to build the kingdom, but it is also important to hear from the front line, from the priests, ministers, vicars who provide leadership. One priest, who went into ordained ministry after a career in industry, said: “I do not believe that one can be effective in ministry without the empowering of God’s Holy Spirit. Ministry is like walking on water, utterly impossible on your own, yet a powerful witness to the power of God when entered into in faith and trust. l’ni concerned that we do not ‘over professionalise’ the ministry, putting our trust in training at the expense of our relying on the Spirit of God and the guidance of Jesus.”
“I feel I am on a sinking ship”, said another vicar, listing the problems . . . ageing congregations the laity aren’t reading the Bible or any Christian literature... attendances are poor sacramental religion here is very weak. But there were, he said, very uplifting aspects to his job…“Being with the sick, the weak, the handicapped puts life in perspective. They encourage faith, trust, prayerfulness, Godliness.” That same priest reported generally good support from his parishioners.
A vicar of a rural parish tells us: “Communication is a constant battle with church attendance patterns meaning that people no longer come every week, or even every other week. Keeping things in the notices for so many weeks to ensure that everyone has been told actually means that people stop reading them because they are always the same.”
Being a leader in parish community - a vicar, a NSM, the curate, a churchwarden - can be perplexing for whoever is doing the job, such are the expectations among the people in the pews. Almost all the priests who spoke to me, and told me about how they felt, reported good support among parishioners, though of course in some cases the numbers of active parishioners is very small.
Supplementary to the leadership provided by stipendiary priests is the growing contribution of the Non Stipendiary Ministry ... people such as the Revd Canon Donald Marr, who is also the Diocesan Rural Officer.
The perception of rural Cheshire is that of an affluent society, the ‘gin and Jaguar belt’. But the reality is of thinly spread yet serious examples of poverty, deprivation and social problems in our country areas.
Rural ministry is active in combating the problems and in encouraging solidarity, community and economic development in rural areas.
The Revd Paul Smith, priest-in-charge at Shocklach by the Welsh border, is well aware of the poverty and isolation that affects a minority of people in his rural parish, which includes the village of Tilston, where some families placed there by social services now live. The parish has sponsored a youth club in the war memorial hall and a football club to help teenagers who feel the pressures of rural isolation so very keenly. And the parish is active in supporting community and traditional events, including the open air service for rush-bearing … and the fun of the rip-roaring Tilston Wakes.
Complementing the work of parishes, Ministers in Secular Employment—all of them non-stipendiary in our Diocese - are bringing God to the workplace and to the tea and coffee breaks of offices and factories. These ministers often act an informal pastor/counsellor - because they are more accessible and better known by many than the local parish-based priests.
From affluent Cheshire towns, to remote rural parishes, to urban priority areas, our Diocese is a diverse territory in which Christianity is practised daily with a good heart.
All ages are catered for. Let’s look at young people . . .Mark Montgomery, Diocesan Youth Officer, gives a typical example of how youth work can blossom: “One youth club, in the rural parish of Whitegate and Little Budworth, started with no regular meeting place, two leaders who hadn’t really done much youth work before, and the Incumbent who supported them all the way. The youth club is starting to grow, now into their second year they have support from the PCC, a regular meeting place and other people wanting to help with the group.” In the coming months a revamped youth work training programme is being rolled out across the Diocese.
Let us not forget nor marginalise older people. Currently, there is a vigorous campaign underway to raise awareness of the immense contribution to parish life that the over-50s can make.
And here’s another big success story ... St Chad’s in Romiley (near Stockport). This old Victorian backstreet church launched the Romiley Lifecentre two years ago. The £1/2 million not-for-profit project, housed in a handsome conversion of a former Co-op store, was created by St Chad’s to answer what was perceived to be a crucial need for support for relationships in modem society. The building was financed mainly by direct-giving by parishioners and friends. Income now covers running costs. An amazing mix of activities goes on there: counselling, Alpha courses, marriage and parenting courses, plus a self help group for depression people that can be a life-saver. The vicar of St Chad’s and director of the centre, the Revd Tim Barlow, says: “Our centre has become a genuine focus for the community. It has set Romiley buzzing.”
Building the good life and good community in Christian faith can be as hard in rural settings, and even in the affluent parts of our Diocese, as it can be out on tough city estates.
We may not all feel we have the strength to achieve great things. We may feel like a timid Timothy. We may feel as Christians that we are marginalised in society.
But we are part of Something Very Big. Christianity (the world’s largest religion) has made the most enormous historical contribution to the planet’s life and does so still.
In our own Diocese, your support in building stronger parish communities is truly appreciated and there is plenty of help available to you. So let us concentrate on the marathon task ahead of us.
Let us take heart from our faith and hope that when our time comes, we can all say, like St Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Stephen Regan, Diocesan Communications Director.
Stephen Regan