Church21 Follow Up Day

Over 80 people gathered in All Hallows College on Saturday 19th June for the Church21 Follow up day. The aim of the day was to give participants the motivation to keep moving ahead and also to share some of the progress that has been made already, whether big or small.

Rev Adrian Wilkinson, rector of Douglas Parish, from the first Church21 programme, shared about life after Church21 and how they’ve been able to continue journeying forward – the steps the parish has taken and achieved, the set backs and the lasting effect of Church21.

Parishes brought along their ‘road signs’ sharing their thoughts on where they are on their journey and the steps it has taken to get there. This exercise created a great buzz and lots of discussion between parishes. It was a chance to share ideas, swap resources and encourage each other. It was also an opportunity to share something of their journey with each other, in a spirit of encouragement rather than competition. But above all, an opportunity to come together to continue to discern the way ahead with God.

Some consideration was given on how to overcome obstacles that can block a parish’s spiritual development including exercises to encourage continuing motivation within parishes. Finally, some resource ideas were shared varying from websites to books to conferences. The day finished up with time for fellowship and chat over lunch.

Here are some of the participant’s comments:

It was so helpful to exchange views and ideas with other parishes.

Encouraging discovering many others faced similar issues and were only taking small steps.

This programme has lit a candle in our parishes, we pray God will enable us to keep it burning brightly.

Church21 has brought me back to church by getting involved, I feel more a part of the church and want to face the challenges.

Posted on 19 Jun 10

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