Debra Hill has been working as Children, Families and Youth worker across five churches in the Worcester South East team with St Barnabas for just over a year, in a post that is in part financed by the Healthier Churches Fund. Debra has brought a lot of experience, ideas and energy to the role. Her innovative outreach has included Lego brick clubs, story sessions connecting tales to faith, and iSingPOP After School Clubs and New Worshipping Communities. Alongside this, Debra’s trust in God’s plans to grow the church and her infectious enthusiasm have united church communities and created inspiring spaces where families can connect and flourish.
Reflecting on her first year in the role Debra said: “I just love seeing young people get excited about Jesus! It’s wonderful that my job is a vehicle for that.“
“Without a doubt there are more families attending all five churches now compared with this time last year. I’m delighted these ministries have grown and I’ve really enjoyed seeing the families flourish. I feel my role is as much about pastoral care as it is about sharing the faith and finding fun ways to connect. Some parents in the groups I run have come to their own realisation of faith” she laughs. “That always gives me a buzz!”
Almost half of Debra’s time is allocated to St Martin’s church on London Road, Worcester. Debra said: “St Martin's have been so welcoming and even provided me with office space. I’ve started a kids club and a youth club there. We’re hoping to launch something else there in the New Year too. The Mainly music group has really thrived there, that’s been the biggest growth I’ve seen, and we have a great team to run it!”
“I enjoyed doing ‘Story time with the classics’ at Whittington Church in the school summer holidays with a lovely group of volunteers from the congregation there as well. It created a great opportunity for the church to reach new children and families and really brought the community together. I witnessed new friendships being forged in front of my eyes!” says Debra. “After reading the story I spoke for a few minutes making the link between each one and key messages about God. For example, with ‘The Tiger who came to tea’, I spoke about ‘how God tells us to be hospitable as he wants us to feed people and look after people’. It just created an opportunity for the children and parents to know something good about God to counteract some of the negativity out there.”
She adds “It’s really wonderful when you see some of the older children start to make these connections for themselves about God’s love and his influence on the world. I witnessed this at St Barnabas Church, when I supported Sarah Northall the vicar, with a Lego brick club and one of the creative tasks was to ‘create something that would make the world a better place’. One child made a sort of box and told us - ‘it’s a machine that makes hearts so that people can spread love’ – that was really beautiful!”
“My other major highlights of the year have been everything we’ve done with iSingPOP! The kids love it, and I get excited when they do. It’s just magical!
Debra has replicated iSingPOP inspired groups and services in more than one of the locations she works across after she experienced their upbeat worship songs in her very first week, working with Rob Farmer in Ronkswood. Together they started an iSingPOP After School Club with Perry Wood Primary School that was hugely successful and popular.
Debra said: “Each time we’d do three dances, a short ‘god slot’ talk of 2-3 minutes and then a craft. From that we grew a monthly New Worshipping Community for families called Matty’s, where it was actually the children nagging their parents to bring them, so when there came the opportunity for iSingPOP to be brought into other places, I jumped at the chance!”
“We also launched an iSingPOP New Worshipping Community at St Barnabas Church and I’m hoping we might have more in other places soon too!”
“iSingPOP will be back in Perry Wood Primary School on the 9 December with a Christmas themed Mattys following on the 14 December at Ronkswood Community Centre so I’m looking forward to that!” Debra added.
“I’m a big believer in trying things and seeing if they work, and if they do, seeing if we can replicate that. Sometimes things don’t work that have worked elsewhere, but that’s not the church’s fault; it’s just a different context. I have complete trust in God’s plans to grow his church so if something doesn’t work, it’s just a case of trying something else.”
