At St George’s Church, Little Chalfont, a new congregation for non-church-going families welcomes 30-50 people each month.
One Sunday a month, the church hosts a service at 4 pm, All in @ 4, welcoming 30-50 people from local families. The outreach ministry welcomes mainly non church going families and many are from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. The group has been running for just over a year and they are now seeing some of the families start to join regular Sunday morning worship too.
All in @ 4 services are a mix of worshipping together through activities with bible stories, games and crafts. Each service finishes with the families gathering together for a free hot meal, all organised and provided by a team of dedicated volunteers.
The congregation has grown thanks to the long-term community and pastoral work of the volunteer team running the church’s Oasis Café and Family Food Hub.. The café offers a welcoming space for local people and has enabled the church to get alongside families, provide pastoral support and build strong relationships with them.
The Revd David Whale, Rector of the Chenies benefice, shares more about the development of the new congregation:
“It’s a real encouragement to have so many families joining the service. Living our Christian faith through offering loving service to our local community and showing the church is there to support them, demonstrates the value of persevering. Even when we don’t think it's bearing fruit, God is still working and growing the seeds of faith.”
“Several parents were part of the youth and children’s ministry at the church over 25 years ago and now have their own children and are reengaging with church. Some of the mums coming along to the café started asking questions about faith and we were able to run a bible study with them. It shows the importance and value of faith influence in early childhood, and we hope this legacy continues for the young children now into their adulthood too.”
As a small village church, relying on volunteers and donations, the church secured a grant from the Development Fund enabling them to purchase resources for crafts and activities for the family services.