St Mary Redcliffe A Year at Redcliffe Magazine 2022

Discipleship
Families and youth ministry
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But Mary treasured up all these things and
pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:19
Whilst recently reflecting on the gift of
ordination and pondering my role as
Families and Youth Minister, I had what I
describe as a Mary’s moment. If, back in
2003, when I first worshipped at St Mary
Redcliffe someone had said to me that one
day I would do ordination training here,
I would have replied: “never in a million
years”. I was so overwhelmed and addled on
my first visit, if it hadn’t been for my mum,
I don’t think I would have come back! But
I am very glad that I did. One of the things
I’ve discovered over the past few years is that
it is truly amazing what you can do when
you have the love of God in your heart and
the love of people by your side.
In Children’s Church we are truly blessed
to have such a dedicated and faithful team
who share their time and talents so freely
and generously. Once again, it has been a
real joy to minister alongside them. Indeed,
one of the greatest pleasures of my role is
ministering with the people - you.
What has gone well?
An evaluation of the year.
Adapting our ministry to the changes
brought by coronavirus as we transitioned
to and from life under restriction caused us
to reflect and evaluate the things we do. Our
use of space had been one of the greatest
transformations, and the opportunity to
continue Earth Church and Online Church
as well as reinstating indoor activities has
been truly wonderful, not least as it has
enabled us to cater for more needs. Born out
of the pandemic, Earth Church had been a
great success. However, we were aware that
being outside did not appeal to all children.
Whilst the Undercroft had served us well
with our Children’s Church in the past,
with more space, an accessible entrance,
and internal toilets, Faithspace overcame
many of the challenges we had previously
faced. All has not been perfect however,
for the walk to Faithspace impacts greatly
on the time we have together. Initially, I
found this quite difficult to plan. However,
my reflections took me back to my role as a
languages teacher when I taught 30 minutes
lessons. As a result, we have reverted to
some previous teaching methods which
have been well-received.
Whilst Children’s Church has continued
to thrive with increasing numbers, I am
always conscious of those on the fringes
of our ministry who can sometimes get
overshadowed – not least Toddler Church
and especially Youth Church. I think the
downside of any flourishing community is
that it can mask those who are disadvantaged,
and as a result they become truly
disadvantaged. In my personal reflections,
I always ask myself: Are we truly serving all
God’s people? Toddler Church has grown
steadily since it first began and has provided
a bridge between the local community and
church. A significant point was this year’s
Good Friday which welcomed many of our
Toddler Church families.
Whilst I have often heard it said that some
people won’t step inside church (and various
reasons are given) my own view is that the
church welcomes everyone – and everyone
might just come if we, as faithful servants of
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