Last weekend, the 2nd Calling Young Disciples learning hub met together for the final time before being commissioned by Archdeacon Nikki to continue their journey to reach out to more children, young people and families.
The parishes of Gornal and Sedgley, St James’, Norton in Stourbridge and North Worcester, along with the Mission Enablers they worked with, have met together every six months over the last three years, to look at how they might work with children, young people and families, share ideas and evaluate how their plans have been going. The groups met virtually during the pandemic.
In the final session of the learning hub, those present looked back on what they had achieved during their time as part of the Calling Young Disciples Project, what the challenges have been and what their hopes, plans and dreams are for the next stage of their journey. They also made paper chains listing one thing that each participant was grateful to God for over the past three years.
To conclude the session, Archdeacon Nikki spoke to the group, reminding them of the background to the Calling Young Disciples project, which began in 2016 and the massive changes that have happened since then in ways we couldn’t have imagined. She said: “As you continue your journey, put your trust in God and answer his call to be Kingdom People, enabling others to know the love of Jesus. The last 18 months have been frustrating with growth stifled due to Covid-19, but you have huge potential to bring about change.”
Each of their group anointed their palms with oil using cotton buds, making the sign of the cross and Nikki prayed for both those present and their wider church communities.
See more pictures from the Hub on our Facebook page (click on the Facebook logo to go straight to the post):