An exciting new partnership for 2025, between the Diocese and iSingPOP, was launched at a breakfast event at St Wulstan’s Worcester on Thursday 6 February.
The partnership will involve a pilot project to support seven churches across the Diocese in their work with children and young people. Churches have been chosen to maximise the learning as to how this partnership could work long term in different contexts, with Kirsty Pierson from iSingPOP seconded to work mainly with the Diocese. The pilot will be reviewed in the Autumn term and hopefully extended, subject to external funding being secured.
iSingPOP’s mission is to create joyful collective worship experiences with school children, who are taught upbeat value driven songs in school and then perform at a ‘main event’ at the local church.
Introducing herself at the launch, Kirsty Pierson said: "My role in this pilot is to look at how iSing Pop resources can be used strategically to help build-up and support children and families work within churches in the Worcester Diocese. This year I will be working closely with seven parishes, and I plan to help those churches make the most of the excitement that comes from an iSingPOP Main Event Concert.” She added: “It’ll be part of my role to ensure there is an upcoming family-friendly service or event that we then invite the families attending the concert to. We really hope that this will lead to further engagement from local children and families in each of the seven parishes.”
Director of iSingPOP Miz Porter said: “Taking part in an ISingPOP main event, changes how the children feel about the church building because they’ve seen if filled with such energy, and that just ripples on and on.”
Children and Young People Lead, Simon Hill, explained how this relates to our diocesan vision:
“Children and young people’s ministries are one of our diocesan core priorities. We want to do all we can to make sure we can serve our children, young people and their families to the best of our ability so more come to faith and can experience ‘life in all its fullness’. This aligns with the national church’s mission too.”
“We are continuing to support parishes with recruiting paid children and young people’s workers and this new partnership with iSingPOP fits into that, especially places where bringing in a paid worker isn’t an option but there are good missional opportunities.”
St John’s Church in Kidderminster were the first to host a main event with support from Kirsty in January. Following this they hosted their first intergenerational ‘Pop-up church’ on the 16th of February. There were just under 70 people in attendance and over 35 were children. Kirsty said: “There was such a warm atmosphere, and we had lots of positive feedback which is certainly an encouragement.”
Holy Trinity and St Matthew in Ronkswood have already been working with iSingPOP for about six months. Rob Farmer from Ronkswood shared how their main event has developed into an ISingPOP inspired After School Club and New Worshipping Community.
Rob said: “The main event we held was electric! There wasn’t a dry-eye in the house, it was amazing and the children were so engaged! For us it has been a Springboard to launch our other children’s groups including our After School Club run by our Children and Young People Worker Debra Hill.”
“Twenty children are signed up to the hour long After School Club which uses ISingPOP songs, along with teaching, a game, and a craft. Out of this has also grown a New Worshipping Community called ‘Matty’s’ which takes place monthly on a Sunday afternoon. There is a core of five families that attend this currently, but we know there are more children that want to come along.”
He added: “Previously we had no children at all, so working with iSingPOP has been truly transformational for us!”
Kirsty Pierson and Simon Hill would love to hear from anyone interested in learning more about how the iSingPOP Resources can help them in their church community. Please contact Kirsty via: Kirsty.pierson@iSingPOP.com
