Churches in Appleby and the surrounding areas are setting out on a new journey, beginning to prepare the way to work even more closely together in an innovative ‘Mission Community’.
Led by the Anglican and Methodist churches and following a path set out by their leaders in Cumbria, Bishop James Newcome and Rev Richard Teal, the ‘Heart of Westmorland Mission Community’ has recently been established and the next step is to work out how this closer cooperation and outreach can best be achieved.
Three workshops are planned to do this, the first on Saturday 9 February from 9.30 to 4.30pm in the Hub in Chapel Street, Appleby.
Rev Stewart Fyfe, Rural Dean of Appleby and Chair of the Mission Community Council commented: “This is an exciting time for Christians in this part of the Eden Valley. We believe there is a real opportunity to work together and reach out to a wide range of local people to join with us on our journey. To many people different denominations are becoming irrelevant. What matters is working together with a common purpose, to worship, pray and support our community in a very wide range of ways”
Rev Stephen Radford, Circuit Superintendent Minister in the Methodist Church in the area added: “We welcome anyone, whether an active Christian locally or not, who feel they might like to influence the way our Mission Community comes together to this first workshop at the Hub.
“There is no prescriptive formula for Mission Communities – it is very important that they fit into the local landscape, so each one will be different. To book a place on the workshop visit www.eventbrite.com and search for ‘Moving Forward Workshop’ or tel 07741327318 or 017683 53102.”
