Spotlight on community engagement
Why should churches engage with their local community and how can they effectively do it? These were the questions addressed by “Adventures in Community,” an event jointly hosted by Tearfund and New Wine in Willowfield Church on 15th November.
Clergy and parish workers listened as Revd Andrew Foster interviewed two rectors from the diocese about their experiences of making connections with those outside the church.
Canon David Brown has ministered in Knocknagoney for 20 years and witnessed the church’s increasing need to go to the people who no longer routinely connect with their local parish. “Despite what you might think, our experience is that people recognise they have great spiritual need and they want us to engage with them,” he said.
Willowfield’s Canon David McClay has re–orientated his inner–city parish around, “doing church for the outsider, or at the very least, doing church in a way that is always trying to be sensitive to where the outsiders are.”
The move from being ‘insider focused’ to ‘outsider focused’ whilst building on what is already good, has been a challenging process for the leaders and membership of Willowfield and Knocknagoney. Both rectors, however, shared encouraging stories of lives changed in their communities and the striking by–product of a decrease in the levels of vandalism within their parish boundaries.
After questions, Tim Magowan, Tearfund’s Northern Ireland Director, introduced seminars on some Tearfund resources that can help churches answer both the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ questions of community engagement.
‘
Just People?
‘ is a six–week interactive course that brings together accessible theology, reflection, inspiration and experience with practical exercises. It can help your church grapple with issues of justice and poverty and think practically about how you can respond effectively as an integral part of your mission. The course can be used in a small or larger group setting and costs £10. ‘Just People’ is also available in a
Youth Group
format and this edition is free of charge.
‘
Discovery
,’ addresses the ‘how’ and is a practical process designed to help local churches become a transforming influence within their community. Facilitated in Northern Ireland by Tearfund’s Diane Holt, Diane will train and mentor 2 or 3 individuals from your church who will in turn facilitate the six–step process of Discovery. The next facilitator training is planned for January 2012.
To find out more about these and other Tearfund resources visit
www.tearfund.org
. To contact the Northern Ireland office email
ir@tearfund.org
or telephone 028 90 682828.