ANGELA YOUNGMAN reports on a new outreach effort to reach those living on England’s largest island…
Norwich, UK
Plans have been unveiled to revitalise churches on the Isle of Wight as part of a major £2.7m Church of England project to grow and support the congregations with the aim of attracting new worshippers.
The island has more than 50 churches, mostly located in villages. Its population rises seasonally as this is a major tourist destination attracting thousands of visitors to its beaches, leisure facilities and festivals.
All Saints Church, Ryde, on the Isle of Wight. PICTURE: All Saints Church
Ryde, the largest town on the island, acts as the gateway to the island as it is the main harbour for ferry services to the mainland city of Portsmouth, with crossings taking just over an hour. Only around one per cent of the population of Ryde attend services regularly within Ryde and the intention is to increase this by attracting people who don’t go at the moment.
“We are led by the Parable of the Good Shepherd who searches out those that are lost.”
– Rev Heath Monaghan
“We are led by the Parable of the Good Shepherd who searches out those that are lost,” Rev Heath Monaghan said as he explained the initiative. “We feel that this is what God is telling us to do by revitalising the churches on this island. We have a vision of attracting 300 new worshippers. This will be a two-to-three year program and we will plant the concept into other existing churches on the island. ”
The Isle of Wight initiative originates in evangelistic work started with the launch of Alpha courses at Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, in London over a decade ago. So successful has Holy Trinity been in revitalising congregations that it was asked to send a group down to Brighton to work with a church focusing on providing services for 18 to 30-year-olds.
Known as the Harbour Church, it proved popular bringing in large numbers of young people and in due course was invited by the Bishop of Portsmouth to plant a similar church in Portsmouth – another busy student location.
Monaghan said he became involved “because I was looking for a church suitable for my young family.”
Rev Heath Monaghan of All Saints Church Ryde. PICTURE: Supplied
“I was serving as a curate on the Isle of Wight, and Portsmouth was just a mile away across the Solent. There was a group forming in Ryde that was sympathetic to the Harbour Church concept in Portsmouth and we felt that it could be introduced to Ryde. I spent a year as a curate working at the Portsmouth Harbour Church, gaining the background and knowledge of the concept. Now I am focusing on the Isle of Wight and am responsible for developing the church here. All Saints [in Ryde] will not be a Harbour Church, but a multi-generational church reflecting the needs of the people of the island.”‘
Monaghan added: “We want to continue all types of advocacy on the island, high church, liberal wing, evangelical; want to be a cheer leader to bring new people in. It is important to encourage existing congregations and attract new ones. We are starting with All Saints, a large Gothic church, and using the additional funding to provide new facilities such as heating, better audio visual, a coffee shop, welcome area that can be used by the community as well as the church. We will develop our youth ministry and build on existing congregations.”
Work has already begun on building the team needed to develop the new initiative. A new team vicar has been appointed to look after the existing congregations and by the New Year, there will also be a vicar focusing on contemporary congregations, a team rector focusing on family churches as well as an administrator dealing with day-to-day matters and funding applications. As soon as the team is in place, the focus on rebuilding congregations and attracting new people will begin.
“Our broader vision is attracting attention across the island,” Monaghan commented. “we will have a wider remit than the Harbour churches as we want to operate multi-generational churches. There will be an emphasis on the needs of young people, by providing different types of services and forms of workshops, and midweek discipleship groups.”
