Feature: Community Brew boosts community engagement at Peasley Cross URC

Caption: Peasley Cross URC Community Brew - the community and church members in conversation

Once a month, Peasley Cross URC welcome the local community and church members to grab a brew and spend time with friends. This is just one event the church hosts as part of several community and special interest groups.

It’s full of positive conversation and laughter, alongside what purpose churches now have in the community and how we talk about faith. For this particular event, a special shortbread had been brought following the church minister’s recent trip to Iona, which goes down a treat on a sunny day. But, shortbread aside, why are events like this important for church and community relationships?

“It’s about people from the community knowing they are invited and that our door is open,” Revd Allison Claxton, Minister for Peasley Cross URC says. “It doesn’t have to include being part of a formal church service. We see old friends coming together and new friendships forming over brews and biscuits, a variety of talk that shows faith is not about formal language but just getting together, swapping stories and listening to each other.”

Different people tell their stories on how and why they became involved with Peasley Cross URC. Margaret’s first interaction with the church was when she had a young child and baby, and it offered trips out and a Sunday school option. Today Peasley Cross still has successful activities for children, including Messy Church. Some of those at the event talked about what the groups meant to them.

“It’s all about relationship building,” Margaret comments. “When someone comes to an event like the community brew and finds it friendly and welcoming, they might tell a friend who then comes to try it out and sees other things we do like trips out to the theatre, flower arranging, knit and natter and art groups.”

Denise also refers to this and has just returned from a holiday with two others involved in the church, showing the closeness of the group members.

“It’s the inclusion for me and the fact that you don’t have to be lonely,” Diane offers.

 The discussion turned to ways that the church could get more young people along to events.

“Youth clubs/ groups and games gets younger people involved,” Linda says.

“And making events happen online for them,” adds Diane.

As the community brew draws to a close, there are talks of other groups and activities happening in the week, and you can feel how much everyone cares about their local community and the ways in which the church can support it.

For more information on community groups and special interest activities at Peasley Cross, please visit Community | Peasley Cross United Reformed Church (peasleycrossurc.org.uk)