Our aims
- To be a support & resource for Christian communities, on rural issues, ministry, & mission
- To encourage the rural church to engage in community challenges such as education, healthcare, affordable housing, transport, isolation & poverty
- To share good practice in being rural church
- To provide a Christian presence at rural events (church tent at Royal Bath & West Show) & provide chaplaincy at livestock markets
- To work with schools & parishes to create better understanding of food production
- To offer advice & resources for linked worship /assembly material
Our offering
- We hold an annual Rural Forum for rural clergy and lay leaders to come together, offering key note speakers and the opportunity to share experiences and learn from each other.
- Advice & resources for developing seasonal services that reach out into the community
- Informed speakers for services & social events
- Facilitating links between schools & farms to create better understanding of food production & environmental stewardship
- Study materials for Lent/house groups & parish days, which are both scriptural & contextual
- Pastoral care for the farming community
- Periodic briefings (some suitable for publication in parish magazines) on farming, rural enterprise, rural transport, housing, rural poverty, food justice, & environmental issues
Our actions
- Hands-on, practical support to Somerset Levels flood-affected farmers & communities
- Open farm school days & assemblies for primary age children & their teachers
- Help with seasonal worship – Plough Sunday, Rogation, Lammas & Harvest
- Outreach to farming community – farmers’ suppers, chaplaincy via markets & pastoral visits
- Public seminar on food & faith topics
Who to contact
Rob Walrond, Rural Life Adviser