The Mustard Seed "Stepping Up" programme officially started in Middlesbrough and Hull on the 17th and 18th of September, with eleven people becoming community leaders. Programme Leader of Mustard Seed, Heather Black, writes;

Stepping Up has begun this week. It has felt like the end of a long journey, and at the same time, the beginning of a whole new adventure!

The end of a long journey that began over two years ago with careful listening to parishes. Clergy and lay people asking for the opportunity for ‘ordinary’ local people to be able to come together to learn and grow in mission in places where ‘life is tough.’

The beginning of a whole new adventure as eleven people came together in Hull and Middlesbrough to form the first Stepping Up learning communities. It has been a joy to begin to get to know each other, share our faith stories and explore how we want to grow through Stepping Up. Being together as a learning community from across churches seems very important, and although we may feel small and insignificant rather like the mustard seed there is faith and hope about what is going to grow in our lives and communities.

We will be meeting each week to learn and grow together as disciples of Jesus, growing confidence in sharing our own faith and developing mission in our local communities.


When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

Many local people who come to faith may see themselves as just ‘unschooled ordinary people.’ The Stepping Up programme is a movement of courageous ordinary people beginning in Hull and Middlesbrough in September and growing next year in our coastal communities.

We will be sharing Stepping Up stories over the coming weeks, so do follow us on social media and the Diocesan website.

www.dioceseofyork.org.uk/mustardseed

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