A course helping mission-minded churchgoers introduce faith to their community groups has been heralded a success after more than 60 people attended the first session.

In West Wivelshire a pilot of the course, called Greenhouse, takes place three times throughout the year, and people are already said to be putting what they are learning into practice.

Soul Space, an initiative born through Greenhouse, has seen parishioners offering an optional Christian reflective space during the community groups they run.

Lindsey Morgan Lundie, Diocese of Truro’s Pioneer Network Facilitator, explained: “Sometimes people don’t know how to make the move from being a community group to including faith.  Soul Space, developed by Micheal Moynagh, offers the idea of creating a short reflective space which is very comfortable and flexible.

“The whole point of Soul Space is to create opportunity for faith to be shared in a really gentle way with no pressure.”

A prayer treeLyndsey said Revd Ben Morgan Lundie had used the idea at the end of a community lunch where in the past, the Christian input was from loving people through serving.

She explained: “At the end of the meal he said, ‘I am going to go to this side of the room and do a reflection for 10 minutes, if you would like to join me’. The first time seven people joined him and the next time he had six – some were the same, but there were different people too.”

The Soul Space resource has also been trialled in a toddler group, a women’s group and been part of a rural lay lead service.

Linda Myles, who organises a community breakfast, used ideas from Greenhouse including creating a small space with a prayer tree for people to use.

Linda said: “Greenhouse is really helping me to think out of the box and try different types of church.

“I look forward to hearing how to continue, and if you want to change how things are done or want to know more, go to a Greenhouse event. I can guarantee you will be really inspired. I already have a few more ideas that are percolating away.”

More information about the national Greenhouse initiative: https://www.churchofengland.org/about/fresh-expressions/what-greenhouse

 

Linda’s Experience of Greenhouse:

“We started the big breakfast at our church as a fundraiser for Christian Aid in 2017. It was well attended by some church members and a few non church attendees. So I decided with a few helpers, and the blessing of the Parochial Church Council (PCC), to continue doing it monthly. We decided some of the money raised would be sent to CMS to support a family working in Tanzania who we had met and had links with Cornwall.People sat round a table

“It was never my intention for it to be a fundraising event but rather an opportunity to feed and talk to people, to get to know them and, if the opportunity arose, speak to them about God and why we had a faith.

“We have a faithful following of breakfast eaters and helpers who we are now really getting to know, and we are becoming more confident in sharing our beliefs and demonstrating Gods love.

“They in turn are sharing things bringing them joy or troubling them.

“We have couples, singles, elderly and families (children eat for free) coming.

“Most Saturdays we feed between 35 and 45 people. Some just come, eat and leave while others stay for a couple of hours.

“For some time, I felt God nudging me to do something but I wasn’t sure what.

“Then I had the opportunity to attend a Greenhouse/Soul Space event in Liskeard. It was advertised in the diocese newsletter and my curiosity was piqued. I found this an amazing experience.

“After listening to the speakers about how much you could change the way church was done, I left feeling really excited. I wanted to see how I could try this out. After all Jesus didn’t wait for people to go to him, he went to them.

“I began to realise our big breakfast is church, but with bacon and eggs.

“I decided to go a step further, and at the next breakfast set up a small space with a prayer tree, cards and pens. As it happened to coincide with Mothering Sunday, we had little bunches of daffodils to give to our breakfasters.

“I wasn’t sure how it would be received but was greatly moved by the people who quietly went to have a look, and some even wrote a little card to pop on the tree.

“We have had a space every month since.

“I must also mention, none of this would be possible without my amazing group of volunteers – some of whom don’t attend church but make coffee, cook breakfasts, serve and talk to our guests and of course man the dishwasher all with a smile.

“I really feel on these Saturdays it’s church, but not as we know it. The love and fellowship in the room is amazing. These breakfast folk may not be going to church on a Sunday (yet), but if I can share my faith on not what I am, or shall be, or feel or know, but what Christ has done and what he is doing now for me.

“I love the people I meet on breakfast days because Jesus loves me and that is what lifts me up.

“Next year it will be our tenth anniversary, and I hope we can continue to show love to the people of our town.

“I must mention my amazing friend Judith who supports and encourages me and everyone she meets she has been with me on this amazing journey.

“Greenhouse is really helping me to think out of the box and try different types of church.

“I look forward to hearing how to continue.

“If you want to change how things are done, or want to know more, go to a Greenhouse event. I can guarantee you will be really inspired.

“I already have a few more ideas that are percolating away.