Photo: L - R: Rev'd Christine Cattenach, Rev'd Laura Hewitt
Ross & Archenfield Deanery is shaped like a heart at the southern tip of the diocese. It is deeply rural, bordered by Wales and the Forest of Dean, yet reaching up to the South Wye Rural Parishes just south of Hereford. “I am here with a heart for mission, but like most of the diocese, the geography in this deanery is a challenge. You could spend your whole day in the car getting round to see everyone,” laughs Rev’d Laura Hewitt, the Rural Church Missioner and Rector of StowCaple Benefice, appointed in March of this year. “There are a LOT of churches and a perception that there are never enough clergy. I came recently from a church in Barnet that was considered a thriving church, with a larger congregation. If we pulled all the people together from just the churches in my own benefice of StowCaple, we would easily overflow that church.
“So the growth I’m looking to help build across the deanery has to start with growth in discipleship; this leads to growth in numbers, and deep faith. Just in this benefice alone, I’ve found so many people – farming families with young children, young people, older people – attending life events, festival services and community events, telling me quite openly that they have a faith and heart for God, but they are not attending church regularly or at all.
“In the Missioner part of my role, I’m listening, working with the deanery to define the role, and getting to know each part of the deanery. There are some deanery-wide projects that are bearing fruit already, like a Pilgrimage project, and I will be leading a lay worship leaders course next year, but in terms of discipleship across the deanery, the testing ground for what works is my own benefice. Here in these seven parishes I can try things out, see what works and learn how it might translate to other contexts. It’s all about relationships, talking to about the people, it is not about inflicting programmes on them that they don’t want or aren’t right for their context.
It is a reminder to me of St Paul who got to know the people and then used their ‘unknown God’ to preach to the Greeks – you need to understand the locals. You also need to be prayerful and identify what God is already doing; having enabled growth in my previous roles, I know some of this work is helpful and can be adapted, but it is important to always remember every context is different. I believe that where there is a spark of faith you can get a flame, and change is possible with very little resources, and I have seen this in practice.”
Rev’d Laura has a recently ordained curate Rev’d Christine Cattanach, previously an Intergenerational Missioner in both Ross-on-Wye and Bartestree Cross. Rev’d Christine has been involved with building the new family service and developing relationships with Baptism families. She agrees, “You might look at the numbers in a specific church on a Sunday, and think ‘It’s quite sparse, that there are not many sticks to rub together to ignite a real missional flame.’ But church is not just about Sunday. Whenever we gather together with the Holy Spirit, we’re ‘doing church’.”
“In the Benefice,” Rev’d Laura says, “we are seeing people embrace Celtic Worship in How Caple, and there is a new bible study in Peterstow, a new family service in Bridstow and a new evening service at the Village Hall called Sanctuary, where people talk about their faith journey and particularly the role of the Holy Spirit and how we encounter Jesus. This is a contemporary worship service, which includes an opportunity to be prayed with. We have also started a Healing Service at Sellack, every fifth Sunday. There are some amazing stories of faith being shared in all these contexts and already new people are attending services, and others returning to church. We believe there is support across the benefice for an Alpha course, so we’re starting that in the New Year, and the schools are very interested in faith conversations: we’re launching Open the Book in King’s Caple this week!” Rev’d Laura is also a Governor at Bridstow CofE Primary School and this is a key link to the growth of the family service at that Church.
Rev’d Laura adds, “We’re seeing where God is already working – in some of the older members of our congregations or our farming families, for instance – and harnessing that energy to do new things that resonate with them. In Foy the congregation has supported becoming a festival church because they think that with fewer services they will actually get more people attending, a critical mass if you like, that will inject new life into the church, as well as being more manageable for the people looking after it. And being part of the new deanery Pilgrimage route will bring new energy to that community. In Sollershope and some of the other churches, we’re thinking about becoming a place for retreats, for quiet days, spiritual experiences that attract young people and use the beauty and quietness of the place to the glory of God.
“It’s very context-specific and it’s a negotiation; through dialogue we’re finding things together that may be more fruitful for everyone in terms of the Holy Spirit. My job is permission-giving in a sense, releasing the people, not stopping them from doing the things they already love, like social events, but seeing how we can harness that energy to kindle the flame of faith. I’ve gone back to the basics – belong, believe, behave – in that order. If we create opportunities for people to come together, to deepen the faith which they clearly have and which they’re not afraid to talk about, we will start to see our churches and services having more relevance in people’s lives and discipleship will grow. As we do that here in the benefice, we can go to other benefices and other contexts across the deanery and show, not just tell, what works.
"I have also been able to introduce other Diocese initiatives, such as working with the Leading Church into Growth Team and I will be involved with the Learning Communities. I am part of the team initiating a Diocese Renewal Team, which will be aimed at Leaders praying for renewal in the Diocese, and hopefully eventually lead to some events that will encourage people to engage more with faith and the Holy Spirit in a wider way. I have also been able to have many conversations with people in the Diocese and Deanery and there are many opportunities to re-envisage being the Church today and help people to engage with the Good News of Jesus Christ. It was a privilege to spend time with ‘Wye Brooks’ Benefice in vacancy and just walk alongside them as we thought about the parish profile and how they could be missional during a vacancy. They are a brilliant benefice with so much to offer. All of this reminds me that Jesus will build his church, and one thing is very clear: Faith is very much alive in the rural parishes!”
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