Learning together in West Winds
A new season of church planting in the Diocese of Down and Dromore began just over nine years ago under Bishop Harold and continues under Bishop David. There are now eight worshipping congregations and one outreach to children and youth across the diocese. We hear below from Revd Stephen Doherty, leader of one of our newest church plants, West Winds Community Church in Newtownards.
After starting our regular Sunday services in a football field, West Winds Community Church moved into the Community Centre last September and around 30 come along on a weekly basis. We discovered there was a real hunger and appetite for understanding God’s Word, and we wanted to help people connect it to their daily lives.
The obvious next step was to start a Bible study, but we knew it would have to be very accessible, so we turned to the Immerse resource. It removes a lot of the barriers which make Bible reading difficult and offers a different kind of community interaction. It’s less like a Bible study and more like a book club and has worked really well in our context.
We have two groups running – one with 14 people following Immerse and another small group DEEPER which is currently studying Hebrews, both groups meeting on a Thursday night. We don’t ‘keep with the programme’ and take it at the group’s pace, stopping to answer questions and occasionally taking a left turn into the issues of the day, but that’s okay!
The group is a safe place where people can speak openly and honestly without judgement. There are no taboo areas and no such thing as a stupid question.
Work among women and girls
We launched the Hen Shed in October 2021 as a space where women from the estate would be comfortable and could improve their self–esteem and mental health. We focus on sharing skills and learning new ones such as crochet, knitting, art and woodwork. It’s been a great success and each week we host 25–30 women aged from 20–70 in the council’s Community Centre. Our vision is to increase capacity to 100 women per week by offering 3 sessions, each with a different focus.
In response to a lack of opportunities for young girls, a Girl’s Group started in November 2021. This group meets weekly in a small youth facility and is at capacity with 12 young girls (Years 7–10). We build relationships by providing a meal, activities (craft, beauty and games), and conversation. A highlight was when the girls engaged with a local graffiti artist to discuss how they felt about their community and to create and design their very own graffiti boards. Later this year we plan to move the Girl’s Group to the Community Centre to increase capacity and expand the range of activities we can offer.
Revd Stephen DohertyChurch Plant Leader
West Winds church plant is in Newtownards