2
8 THE BRIDGE... February 2010 Wallington Springfield Church Bryan Harris’s PARISH PROFILE N o t a benefits like buildings or staff, other than the Minister-in- Charge’s stipend. On Sunday mornings when over 200 people from babies to pensioners meet in a local secondary school, it’s for some very ‘Un-Common Worship’, lively, spontaneous and lay-led. Yet that worship retains a shape that is recognisably Anglican because Springfield Church remains rooted in the CofE, playing an active part in the Deanery and the Diocese, and deliberately avoiding ‘competition’ with surrounding parish churches. Being part of the Church of England is clearly important – to the congregation as well. I spoke to a lady who switched to Springfield from a charismatic free church and the sense of being part of something bigger than Springfield was a big factor in her decision. With 200 plus people worshipping every week, of whom around 45% are under 18 years of age, they are clearly doing something right, so what is it? There’s an air of professionalism about everything they do, with a staff team (both paid and voluntary) each concerned with a specific aspect of church life. They’ve thought carefully about young people for example. So there is a progressive system that begins on Sunday mornings with a crèche for the tinies; usually at 3 years of age the children go up into ‘Sparklers’ where teaching begins as well as fun, games,crafts and so on; ‘Roadrunners for 5-11 year olds takes the learning further with group worship, teaching, drama, quizzes and so on. And at each stage the youngsters are registered in and out so the church and their parents always know where they are. From school year 6 upwards there are youth activities on Sunday mornings meeting for prayer and (lively) worship and two evening cell groups for older teenagers and a monthly youth club. There is also a parent and toddler group one morning a week run by a group of Springfield’s parents for others outside the church – and a Christian club running weekly with the children at a local primary school and a Messy Church once a month on a Saturday including parents, several of whom have as a result become church members. Another key factor is a focus on ‘relationships’ - at many different levels. When I talked to people after Sunday worship, time and again that word came up. One lady told me how she and her family had been made to feel welcome on their first visit but even more importantly, were remembered by name when they came back a second time. Another talked about the support she’d received from other church members through an illness and a man talked about the suppor the had received following redundancy! Relationships are at the heart of the cell groups which are central to Springfield’s life – there members support and encourage each other but also drive the church’s social and community activities as part of a relationship with the community around them (including supporting a charity of their choice). And with no parochial area to generate baptisms, marriages, funerals - the family events which bring people into contact with ‘church’ – the cell groups are the vehicle for outreach, as members invite others to share their relationship. Relationships are also a major factor in Springfield’s high profile public events. At Christmas they took over a local cinema for showings of ‘Christmas Carol’ – and previously ’The Lion , the Witch and the Wardrobe’ - where everyone in the audience (around 500 people) was there by personal invitation from a church member. The same goes for the 550 plus people at ‘Feast in the Field’ the annual Summer extravaganza of food and music, sports, games and will apply to the talent and the audience for a ‘Springfield’s Got Talent’ show later this year. They run the largest Holiday Club in the area, with 250 children and no publicity, just personal invitations to friends and neighbours. For every event, the answer to the question ‘how do we involve people outside the church’, is invariably personal invitation. Will Cookson has been Minister-in-Charge for the past seven years. He said “Our greatest resource is our people and the relationships which they have with each other and with those in the community around them”. Will (left in the photo - top right - taken at the weekly meeting) leads a dedicated staff team including Angie Cookson (Cell Coordinator), Ann Nicholls (Pastoral Care), Sue Bosley (Children and Families Minister), Nigel Elderkin (Administrator) and Becca Watkins (Youth Pastor). But they are just the tip of the iceberg with many volunteers like Children’s Leader Chris White and Mary Bowen, who co-ordinates the very effective welcome team, playing their part. It’s a very active church so there’s plenty for everyone to do and a lot of effort is put into growing new leaders to share in the work. Already over Wallington Springfield Church If you get the opportunity to visit Wallington Springfield church be prepared to put aside your preconceptions of ‘church’ (and about charismatic worship) and to be incredibly encouraged about the future of our faith and the Church of England! Springfield is very different from the parish churches we usually profile. To begin with it isn’t a parish – legally it’s an ‘extra-parochial place’ within Holy Trinity & St Patrick parish, from which it sprang to life some 17 years ago. And it has no parish church building, there’s no vicarage and no geographic base. They pay parish share – but are entitled to few of the usual 80% of church members are doing something, I was told. Sunday is when the ‘building blocks’, the cell groups come together for worship – and normally help run the service. Morning Worship at 10.30 twice a month and Holy Communion twice a month (which obviously has to be more formal and ‘CofE’ ). There is also an evening service once a month held at St Paul’s Church on nearby Roundshaw. ‘Shape’ is important in worship, says Will Cookson, so every Morning Worship includes confession, readings, prayers, teaching and worship songs. The worship is lively and enthusiastic – and the enthusiasm is infectious! Whichever cell is on duty that week welcomes people, provides readers, pray-ers, and even makes the (real not instant) coffee afterwards. On the Sunday I was there, the service was led by a member of the congregation who will be ordained in July – in Canterbury Diocese – another lay person preached and Will Cookson had nothing to do other than to present a birthday bouquet to a ninety year old member of the congregation (below). People give generously, which is fortunate as apart from the obvious costs of running Sunday Club, youth work and the different outreach events, they have to pay for several part-time and full time staff members; the house Will lives in, ‘rent’ for the school (where they use the main hall and a growing number of classrooms) and the Springfield Centre, a converted shop off the High Street which serves as a Church Office; the location for a monthly Day of Prayer for community concerns and a ‘drop in’. In addition to a number of local community causes, they support people working in mission overseas and a school and community project in Kenya. They have given £2,000 to the Haiti Disaster Appeal from funds and followed it up with collections for specific organisations in the field like Tearfund. And what of the future? It seems that others want some of what Springfield has to offer. “We don’t want to become a mega-church – 150 people is manageable in a congregation, beyond that relationships can suffer,” said Will. “So imagine our delight when a local Vicar asked us to consider planting a congregation in her parish. The parish has a high number of children and schools where we can offer our experience and there are already a number of people within their congregation whose deep knowledge of the parish and its people will be key to a shared mission. We are looking at planting a café style church in the existing church building where the parish will also continue to offer more traditional worship.” “The Anglican Church is the church for the people of England – all of the people – dedicated to proclaiming the faith afresh to each generation. That’s what we are trying to do in our generation and this place – and in our new venture” said Will. From babies to teens are welcomed at the creche... sparklers... road runners... and youth worship The weekly team meeting
