Peterborough Diocese is pleased to launch four new worshipping communities as part of the Church of England’s vision of becoming younger and more diverse.
The new communities will be part of the Flourish network which looks to establish partnerships between schools and their local churches aiming to engage a large number of children, young people and their families.
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The Peterborough Diocese Flourish Team which includes representatives from the schools and their parishes, and our Directors of Education, Children & Youth and Mission. |
Pete White, Director of Children and Youth for the Diocese said, ‘‘We are excited to be one of 12 diocese chosen to be part of this exciting new initiative. Our Diocese has been working hard to strengthen connections between church, school and home as part of ‘Growing Faith’ and this is a natural next step for us.’
The new worshipping communities will be based in William Law CE Primary School in Werrington, Hartwell Church of England Primary School, Pytchley Endowed CE Primary School and Malcolm Arnold Academy, a secondary school in the centre of Northampton. Each location has a different plan to develop a new intergenerational worshipping community based in the school which includes outdoor church, creating a spiritual hub, after-school worship and crafts and café church with eucharist.
Bishop Debbie said, ‘we welcome this opportunity to be part of a new thriving network of worshipping communities across the country. Church is about people, not buildings, and we need to do as Jesus did and meet people where they are to help them to grow in faith’.
Andy Wolfe, Executive Director of Education for the Church of England, overseeing the national pilot programme, said, “The Church of England has a great opportunity to imagine new ways for children, young people, and their families to grow in faith through deepened strategic partnerships between schools, colleges, and their local churches. The FLOURISH pilot will help us learn more about this opportunity and open up the chance for churches, schools, colleges, and their Dioceses to explore this on a larger scale in the future.”
Debbie Clinton, The Church of England’s Co-Director of Vision & Strategy, added, “Becoming a church that is younger and more diverse requires us to think in new ways and imagine new possibilities to ensure there is a flourishing worshipping community within reach of every child in the country. FLOURISH offers a highly creative and innovative way of connecting with large numbers of children, young people, and their families by locating these worshipping communities in educational settings, while grounding them in strategic partnerships with local churches.”
The Peterborough diocesan pilot programme will be overseen by a team comprising the Directors of Children & Youth, Mission, Vocations, and Education and a governing board chaired by Bishop Debbie. A key part of the project will be the involvement of children and young people as leaders and in decision-making as part of the partnership between school and church community. Our hope is for the pilot to develop models of practice that can be copied elsewhere as we seek to be a younger and more diverse church.