More than 50 people gathered for a day conference in Wells to hear and learn about mission and ministry in new housing. Clergy, lay leaders, deanery and diocesan leadership from across the diocese of Bath and Wells who have new housing developments in their area of responsibility and ministry came together to share ideas and to listen to the experience of other groups from across the country.
Keynote speaker, Penny Marsh from the National New Housing Hub, has been pioneering in new housing areas since her ordination 20 years ago. She shared her experience and spoke about her role as a mission enabler in the Ebbsfleet Garden City in Kent, a new town with 15,000 new homes.
Emma Critchley from St. Albans Diocese has shaped the St Albans response to large-scale housing developments over the past 9 years through the specialist work of the Development Plans Monitoring Group, seeking an appropriate missional strategy for each site, identifying the resources that will be needed and promoting planning at diocesan and deanery levels. The group were also joined by Sarah Bagnall, a warden from a small Hertfordshire parish which is in the middle of 7 large housing estates with several thousand homes.
Bishop Michael welcomed all those attending the conference who share an interested in this important ministry. Richard Priestly New Christian Communities Development Lead in Bath and Wells said of the conference, “It was an inspiring day. Experiences were shared from distant places and our own deaneries. We heard about the need to be proactive in engaging with developers and council planners who are seeking to create new communities, which is one thing the church does well. We heard about places where Christians have gathered to pray and serve these new communities and where we are already seeing new worshipping communities growing.”
One delegate who asked whether it is too late to start in those places where houses have already been built was given the resounding answer, “It’s never too late to start. There is always something we can do to help established these new communities.”
In the afternoon conversation focused on strategy at local, deanery and diocesan level along with working in large developments of over 800 homes and medium sized ones that can still have a big impact on an existing parish. Deaneries were encouraged to form a sub group for those thinking about this ministry, to pray and explore possibilities going forward.