St. Wulstan’s Church, which is at the heart of the Warndon estate in Worcester, has undergone a transformation since the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the leadership of Sarah Northall, who became Vicar in 2019, the church has evolved into a thriving, inter-generational community that serves the diverse needs of the estate. There has not only been growth in the spiritual sense but also in nurturing a generous and inclusive spirit that honours the church’ roots whilst also embracing the future.
St. Wulstan’s was established thanks to the energy and vision of a group of young mothers living on the Warndon estate in the 1950s. They wanted a church that would meet their needs as families with young children, so they petitioned the then Bishop of Worcester, leading to the church building opening in 1963.
When the pandemic struck, Sarah, along with the congregation, took a step back to reflect on what the church community needed to continue thriving in a post-COVID world. It was an opportunity to have a reset – deciding what to keep, what to change, and what to leave behind.
The vision that emerged from these conversations is now displayed prominently around the church. Its principles include “Listening to people both inside and outside the church,” “A community that celebrates diversity”, “Relating our church life to everyday life within our community” and “A community that reaches out to the whole estate.”
Focusing on this last principal and drawing inspiration from the church’s original mission, Sarah introduced a free ‘Mainly Music’ service on Wednesday mornings. This initiative, which began as soon as the church was allowed to reopen after lockdown, provides somewhere for young families to connect and play, in a supportive and welcoming environment.
Mainly Music is designed to be a gentle introduction to spirituality. The service focuses on blessing one another, using accessible language that anyone can relate to.
“Everyone is blessed with bubbles,” Sarah says with a smile, illustrating the light-hearted and welcoming nature of the service. Sarah is very pleased that she is also regularly blessed with bubbles as the parents are happy to reciprocate.
The emphasis on blessing permeates all aspects of church life. Sarah believes in a culture where members of the congregation contribute what they can to support one another. Inspired by the spirit of Harvest Festival all year round, the church encourages parishioners to “bring a can” to church each week, tempered with the message that if they can’t contribute one week, that’s ok, and if they’re really struggling, they should ask for help. These donations also help the wider community as any surplus food is dropped off to the nearest school, which is an Oasis Academy and community hub, helping families in need.
St. Wulstan’s has become a key partner in fact in supporting local services. Sarah recognised that the building is the church’s most valuable asset and that she could be generous in another way - with its use. It is now being used for free by a variety of local community organisations most afternoons and evenings, such as Healthy Worcestershire. On another night it is used for free by the local Scouts group for Beavers and Cubs meetings. All that Sarah has asked for in return is that they make decorations for the church hall and help out at some of the larger services such as Remembrance Sunday, and the Christingle and Easter services, which are very well attended. These services create opportunities for everyone associated with the church to come together as one.
St Wulstan’s now has a reputation for being both an intergenerational and a family-friendly church, as is also evident from the practical changes Sarah has made to the site. Clearing wasteland and the storage containers that were originally positioned next to the church, Sarah has introduced a family play and picnic area, with donated play equipment. Living on site, she has had an area at the foot of her own garden cleared, and furniture made from repurposed wood installed. This is now St Wulstan’s ‘wild place’ which in the future they hope to use for outdoor services such as Forest Church.
The church also received £10,000 from the National Lottery Communities Fund. With this funding, the church is collaborating with community engagement practitioners to create an enriched experience for neurodiverse families with young children.
Sarah has also just recently started doing a community mile initiative once a week. Choosing a flat route that is suitable for both prams and wheelchairs users, they are encouraging anyone from the local community to join in with walking a circular route, starting and finishing at the church.
Sarah has more funding in place and more plans to further serve the families on the estate and the wider community in the coming months. She is pleased with how the momentum has built up saying: “I’m a big believer that if you start doing the right things, the right people will notice and want to come along and play too.”
After 5 years as vicar, Sarah is very proud of the church St. Wulstan’s has become; as well as being a place of worship, it is a place of hospitality, partnership, and blessing, for the whole community too.
