For the first time, a day is being held to help churches across the Diocese of York to reach out to those in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
The ‘Multiply’ Workshop on Saturday 18 May is part of the Diocese of York’s ‘Reach’ initiative to help churches engage with those who are currently under-represented in church life. It comes after analysis of the age profile of church participation across the diocese showed that a much smaller percentage of adults in their 20s to 40s are involved in churches compared to the wider population.
The first ‘Multiply’ workshop will be held in York and will be led by the recently formed Diocese of York 20s to 40s team of Dr Ben Walker, the Revd Richard White and the Revd John Lee (pictured). It will offer an introduction to starting a New Worshipping Community (NWC) for anyone interested, lay or ordained.
“We will be sharing the 'Multiply' vision for NWCs reaching 20s, 30s and 40s across the Diocese of York and exploring how to discover a vision for a NWC in your parish, how to communicate that vision to others and how to begin building a team,” says Richard White.
“There will be plenty of opportunity for group work, practical tips on getting started and bespoke advice tailored to your particular church context.
“This day will also be a bit of an experiment, a chance get to know people with similar hopes, challenges and concerns in emerging NWCs, and a way of beginning to form a network of support in reaching 20s, 30s and 40s in the Diocese.”
New Website
Linked with the Multiply Day, later in May the team plan to launch a new website for all those interested in or involved in the initiative.
“The website will be the key linking place across the diocese”, says Richard. “It will have the stories of NWCs as they develop with an interactive map of where they are to find out more about them. It will have all the basic information around ‘what do you mean by a New Worshipping Community?’, ‘how do I get started?’ and it will have lots of resources, some written by ourselves and links to wider resources and help.”
Details
The first ever Multiply workshop day will take place at the Calvary Chapel, 1 Barbican Road, York YO10 5AA and places can be booked via Eventbrite - www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/multiply-workshop-tickets-59216308573
The day is free and runs from 10.30am until 4.15pm
Further workshops are being planned for Hull in September and then Middlesbrough early next year.