One of our Harrogate area churches has been able to support people with diverse needs with a new congregation, thanks in part to a grant from the diocese.
One of the ways the ways that the Barnabas programme has been able to help churches is by offering small grants of £500 to make it easier to start a new congregation.
Some churches have found that what is ‘usually’ done is simply not able to reach certain people who are interested in what it means to be a Christian.
Starting something new is a good way to reach new people, and often it will grow and develop its own teams to lead it.
Kairos Church in Harrogate faced this issue, as they recognised that gathered worship, with all its vibrancy and noise, was too overwhelming for some of their families with diverse needs.
Aided and encouraged by a £500 grant from Barnabas, some volunteers within the church set up ‘Relaxed Church’.
This gathering is a creative, child-led expression of church using interactive activity stations enabling everyone to connect with God at their own pace.
Numbers are limited to keep this accessible to those who’d find busier spaces more challenging.
Over the last few months Relaxed Church has become an important part of the church’s family worship, to the extent that the team, including some of the parents, have decided to multiply the congregation by launching further new options.
This means they can keep the same relaxed feel whilst offering worship for more people.
Kairos’ Pioneer Minster, the Revd Ben Askew, said: "Relaxed Church is helping us learn how to connect with and grow disciples among a group of people who find our larger gatherings challenging.
“We’re very grateful for the small grant from Barnabas and for our team who have worked hard to get it started and are thinking hard about how to make it accessible to more families while keeping the gentle, relaxed culture in place."
The diocese is pleased to be able to offer more of these small grants, with a new round open.
There is a simple application form to complete to apply for a church.
Decisions on applications will be made in late March, so the deadline for applications is Tuesday, March 18.
Please find a link to the form here.