Blessing beyond ourselves

Two years ago, at the rehearsal for my ordination as Deacon in Manchester Cathedral, I was told I had a phone call. It was from Archdeacon Jean Burgess asking me whether, as part of my curacy at St Peter’s, I’d be willing to help a smaller church in Bury by leading a service there twice a month and perhaps devoting a bit of time during the week to helping the church grow. 

Over the next few months as I settled into life at St Peter’s the details of the project continued to be murky, but all was eventually revealed and, in the late spring of 2023, I began leading morning prayer there once a month.

And soon after I was ordained priest last July, I began presiding at Holy Communion twice a month at St James’. This continued through to the end of August 2024, and at time of writing I am once again working full-time at St Peter’s. 

We enjoyed our time at St James’ immensely. We would say as a family that we made some friends for life there. The highlight was undoubtedly the privilege of leading a small congregation in worship. Preaching was also always a fun experience as I was bound to be interrupted mid-sermon and asked questions. We found the level of engagement encouraging.

Another highlight was leading an Alpha course last January and February at Cosalea, a restaurant on the Walshaw Road near St James’.

A lesson we learned was the importance of involving everyone in the church in mission and outreach, no matter how ill-equipped they might feel. Verena and I did some door-knocking around St James’—just introducing ourselves, letting people know we were there, and telling them about the church services. On reflection, we were probably trying to carry the mission of the church single-handed, and we think now that a slower approach, but one that involved more people from the congregation, might have been a better way to reach out to the community.

It also didn’t take into account the fact that several members of the congregation are deeply involved in their community and already represent Jesus and the church in the various ways they use their time. For me, a go-slower-to-go-faster approach to mission might have involved me in recognising that ongoing work and seeking to help those doing it, rather than focussing exclusively on my own individual efforts.

We did manage to start a mission-focussed prayer meeting, and it is our hope that this will continue in some form now that we have gone.

Overall, the experience at St James’ has highlighted how important, and yet how possible, it is for churches like St Peter’s to help smaller churches that are struggling numerically, or in interregnum, or both, as St James’ is, with people and resources. This is something we can do, and I expect we will be able to do more of in future.

Assisting other churches like this and in other ways can also help us to focus outwards as a church and enable us to see beyond the pressing needs of the present—and our own concerns as a congregation—to God’s bigger picture in Bury and beyond. This involvement in God’s wider mission to the world is an exciting privilege and one that I am confident will have a positive effect on us as a congregation and community going forward. 

The benefit for me personally, as a minister, has been that my view of ministry and mission, as I described above, as well as my practical experience, has been enriched. It is our hope and prayer that the good people of St James’ Woolfold also benefitted from having us with them, albeit for only just over a year, and we hope we can maintain our relationship with the church and congregation into the future, wherever it takes us.