A new mission for small, ancient churches

Does your church building feel ‘prayed in’? Do you think about what you are doing for those visitors, tourists and pilgrims who come to see you but you don’t see them? Does your church reflect the concerns of your local community to those visiting?

Many of our ancient, small church buildings are tucked away in village communities. They often attract visitors, pilgrims and tourists during the week, outside service times. Pastoral and spiritual needs may surface at these times.

Our church buildings are hallowed places. Therefore, we don’t so much need to ‘re-claim’ them, but we do need to ask ourselves, ‘How can we use them more effectively outside our worship times to encourage visitors to engage with their deeper and more hidden needs?’ As well as giving information about finding local physical refreshment or other places of interest nearby, are we giving attention to help with prayer? Research tells us that visitors value above all else the opportunity for peace and quiet  and private prayer; they like to find  information about church services and the local community. They like the church to be well ordered and to have  flowers to look at. How does your own local church measure up?

The Quiet Spaces Still Places network is working at being more intentional about these things. Could your church join the network -  both to learn from others and to make a contribution from your own church’s experience?  If these reflections strike a chord, you may wish to find out more by visiting the Quiet Spaces Still Places pages on the website www.oxford.anglican.org. You will find there some useful ways of engaging the PCC and other groups in the issues; there are some concrete and realistic suggestions about what might be appropriate for your local church, and there is a growing section of material from churches saying what they are already doing. You can also add there your own examples by contacting spidir@oxford.anglican.org.

Come to a working conference which  will focus on small, probably ancient, churches seeking to develop mission to pilgrims, visitors and tourists. We shall together explore this learning how to harness the potential of the church building.
It will be held on Saturday 17th September, at Stoke Lyne Church, 10am–3pm. Bring a packed lunch, drinks are provided.

There will be two keynote addresses on the local church as a holy place and the Local Church as an image of the community.

An e-mail to spidir@oxford.anglican.org or phone 01993 810005 to let Barbara Doubtfire know of your interest will help catering and the design of the event. 
Please be in touch if you wish to know more but are unable to come.

The Revd Canon Barbara Doubtfire is the convenor of SPIDIR, the diocesan spiritual direction network.