A Future of Growth for Rainford URC
Rainford URC is seeing growth and community engagement improve since taking part in Leading Your Church into Growth and setting up a new task group.
Futures Group at Rainford URC emerged through the “Leading Your Church into Growth” project and it meets around every eight weeks to try to bring to fruition ideas that may eventually bring more people through our doors.
New initiatives have included The Chocolate Club, which is free hot chocolates or milkshakes handed out to the community on Thursday afternoons, while more opportunities have come from making more of existing community activities. Lots of young people come to the chocolate club as they are calling in on the way home from school.
Revd Cath Atkinson explained: “We are making more of what we do already. For example, our last Christmas service had a Victorian spin and a brass band with costumes, monologues and magicians. We also gave everyone a personal invite to Christmas service. This is about finding fun, engaging activities for our community and promoting who we are as a church.
“Over the summer have set up patterns for poppies to knit and crochet to help our church properly celebrate Remembrance Sunday.
“The Chocolate Club continues to thrive. Numbers attending remain encouraging and some young people are starting to stay and enjoy their drink inside the Church now – which is a big step forward.). A huge thank you to the great team of volunteers.
“There are exciting plans afoot for a film club on a regular basis – which will be ideal for an evening out with friends or family. And there’s more to come – both large and small. This group would be grateful for your prayers as they explore ways of opening our Church up to further service and community engagement.”
Revd Pete Brown commented: “The group is chaired by our minister and has many of the Elders on it, along with others who have a real heart to see Rainford URC engage more fully with the community we are sent to serve. We have to look at what at community needs. A church is about its presence in the community and being there. The demographic of our village is 61% over 65, so we have looked at activities and events to social isolation like warmer spaces coffee mornings.”
Rainford URC also has excellent ecumenical relationships in the village. The local churches come together for services and events like the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. An annual highlight is the Walking Day, which is a procession and a central feature of village life. People who have moved out of the village come back for the day, those of all faiths walk together at the front, and the Little Explorers Nursery that is based out of the URC hall take part.
To learn more about Rainford URC please visit: Rainford-urc (webnode.page) or Rainford United Reformed Church | Facebook
About Leading your Church into Growth
At Mersey URC, we think Leading your Church into Growth is perfect for our churches. It has a strong emphasis on numerical growth, but also addresses the challenge of spiritual growth (us growing closer to Christ), and missional growth (our churches growing in service to their communities). All of us are different, and each of us will have one of these areas to which we feel most drawn. A healthy church is one that keeps a good balance of all three.
Contact our Mersey Synod Missional Discipleship Enabler Stuart Radcliffe for more information or to sign up to Leading your Church into Growth: mde@urcmerseysynod.org.uk
Or visit:
Leading your Church into Growth — URC Mersey (urcmerseysynod.org.uk)