Two new starters will shortly be joining our diocesan Transformation support hub. Sharon Boardman will be joining us as Transformation Project Manager, and Fiona Edlington as Parish, HR and Recruitment Adviser.
St John’s Greenlands in Redditch has a thriving New Worshipping Community for families and children called ‘Activity Church’ which runs at the same time as their traditional Sunday morning service, in the adjacent church hall.
The churches of St Stephen, St George and Claines in Worcester came together on Mothering Sunday for their first joint service, which also included the commissioning of their new Children, Youth and Families’ Minister, Heather Murphy.
An independent review of the Mission Accompaniers scheme has found that it effectively prepared churches for mission.
A learning community has been launched for Renewal and Resourcing Church leaders to support each other as they journey together on their missions to revitalise existing churches and grow the Kingdom.
Bishop Martin visited the church of St Peter and St Paul in Rock on Sunday to celebrate the creation of the Muddy Boots Mission Area. As part of the service, people from across the 26 churches in the area committed to praying and working together.
Matt Cook is the Children and Youth worker for Harvington Youth Project and has been in post seven months. St James the Great is part of the ARCH benefice and has a small congregation on Sundays, however they work together with the Baptist church as the steering group for Harvington’s thriving youth project.
Last Sunday, a new 75” TV screen was installed at St Peter’s Church in Martley, made possible thanks to a grant from the Kingdom People Fund.
Today, on Ash Wednesday, following a service to mark the start of Lent and the giving of Ashes at Church of the Ascension in Wall Heath, Mission Priest Sarah Roberts-Malpass and Curate Chris Smith, visited the nearby high street to offer ‘Ashes to go’ to passersby.
As more children, youth and families’ workers have been recruited in the diocese over the last few years, the diocesan Programme Lead for Children and Young People, Simon Hill, has created a Children, Youth and Families Ministry Network for paid workers.
Sarah Roberts-Malpass has been licensed as the Anglo-Catholic Mission Priest for Kingswinford and Wall Heath, one of our renewal parishes. Her role is funded by the national church and will be very outward focussed, taking the church into the local community.
A diocesan service entitled ‘A Coat of Many Colours’ was held for Racial Justice Sunday on 9 February, at St Anne’s Church in Bewdley. The service was planned by members of the Diocese of Worcester Racial Justice Forum.
On the last Saturday in January, teams from churches who are part of the Myriad learning community, and are hosting and developing New Worshipping Communities, met together for the next session. This group first met this time last year.
Claire Biggs started as New Worshipping Communities (NWC) Co-ordinator at St John’s in Halesowen in November 2024. This appointment will assist with our diocesan priority to create 100 New Worshipping Communities by 2030.
A new guide to New Worshipping Communities (NWCs) in the Diocese has been launched. It will support parishes who are looking to find creative ways of reaching people beyond our existing congregations as we look to reach our target of creating 100 NWCs by 2030.
As a paid Children and Families’ worker at Pershore Abbey (funded in part with a grant from the Healthier Churches Fund), Sam Andrews has been able to expand the Abbey’s work with children, families and schools in the local area.
St Andrew's Church in Malvern has a new worshipping community called ‘Early Birds’ aimed at families with young children. Recently, one of the parents that attends, shared her testimony on how Early Birds brought her on her own faith journey.
In 2023 we launched a seven-year transformation programme, assisted by funding from the national church, aiming to transform communities through churches that are growing in health and sustainability. The first data back from churches is showing encouraging signs of growth.
Last week, Holy Trinity in Malvern hosted a special festive ‘Messy Vintage’ service, with people coming to sing carols, create a Christmas card and enjoy refreshments together.
The Church of the Ascension in Wall Heath had been without a working clock since the Spring but thanks to the generosity of the local community and their incredible response to a Crowdfunding appeal, it has now been fixed!
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12th September 2025