COMMENT / Revd Nigel Genders, Chief Education Officer speaks about new guidance to Church schools on tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic (HBT) bullyin

By Revd Mike Haslam

Around 20 children attend an after-school ‘Choir Church’ mid-week at St George-in-the-East church in Shadwell, east London, where they take part in a choral Eucharist, sing hymns, and learn Mass settings and anthems dating back hundreds of years. 

In just a few years, a patch of once unused land in the middle of the Quarrendon estate in Aylesbury, Bucks, has been transformed into the beating heart of the community by the local church.

The number of children baptised at a London church has grown threefold after it introduced a new worshipping community for young families, using puppets and song to help tell Bible stories and talk about the Christian faith.

A music producer-turned-priest is using dance music to connect with people, spread the Christian message and attract the younger generations into church. 

When Revd Danny Driver became the parish vicar at Christ the Redeemer, Barnwell, he used sport ministry to build new bridges between the church and the community.

A youth project that has provided support in one of the country’s most deprived areas during the pandemic has marked almost five decades of success. 

Lichfield Cathedral helped 30 unemployed young people find work last year, by making six-month job placements available for 16 to 24-year-olds, as part of the Government’s Kickstart Scheme. 

St Leonard’s Church, Scawsby, in Doncaster launched ‘Messy Church’ before lockdown and within six months, a new church community was established – which continues to thrive today. More than 80 percent of those attending did not previously come to church on Sunday.