The PCC of All Saints and St Saviour, Weston-Super-Mare, recently enjoyed a session with Deanery and Parish Development Adviser, Claire Horton, as part of their Lent exploration Growing Good.
They spent time mapping the community and looking at where connections are/or could be made beyond the church building; how the church building is used for community engagement, as well as reviewing their online presence.
Reflecting on the session, the Revd Brendan Clover says, “We are concerned to identify areas of outreach and mission in the parish, and where the church can serve the local community. We already meet the needs of various community groups, hosting them in our halls, and we have a committed number of people supporting musical events at All Saints. But in a Magnificat parish there are needs often below the surface of things and that’s where we want to focus.’
The next steps the benefice is considering, following this particular session, include a prayer walk and creating a benefice prayer for the community.
Claire explains, “Presence is the first of six Growing Good sessions, at the end of which the PCC will be bringing all their conversations and insights together for the last session to look at what they can do to build on connections in the community, deepen discipleship and grow the church. The exploration will continue beyond Lent and they will be communicating with and encouraging the wider congregation.”
Although Claire helped with the first session, the benefice will now take the initiative forward. Growing good is designed to be a ‘ready to go’ and easy to use resource, without the need of flip charts or any other special equipment!
Find out more on the Growing Good website.