Day: 26 August 2009

New website launched

Welcome to the new Fresh Expressions website!

This new site has been launched after a series of consultations and a major survey and we hope it will continue to be the first stop for anyone wanting to find out about the Fresh Expressions initiative and how they might be involved.

The new site is focussed around telling stories of fresh expressions which will give good examples of new forms of church and provide inspiration and share good practice. You can search the stories by location or by keyword or you can simply browse.

We've also updated the back end of the site to allow us to integrate more audio and video material and improve the layout and navigation. We've got a new media section and an area with ways you can get involved.

You'll also still find lots of information about us as an organistion, about our training and events and our resources – purchasable from our improved shop.

We do still need your feedback in order to continue to improve the site so please do contact us with your thoughts.

Church on Tap

One Canadian congregation realised it was failing to reach those who found conventional church off-putting. Rob Hurkmans explains how Church on Tap came into being.

Who says you have to do church in a church? The Parish of St. James and St. Brendan in Port Colborne, Ontario (Diocese of Niagara, Anglican Church of Canada) found the perfect place to start a new church community: the local pub. In this relaxed setting on the last Sunday of every month, the Canalside Pub and Eatery becomes the venue for Church On Tap. The format of the service is casual, the music is contemporary (or even 'secular'), and the waitresses serve drinks and food throughout the night – but in the midst of it all people are building community, exploring their faith, and learning about God.

Instead of watching sports on the big screen, members of Church On Tap engage with Christian themes through videos or guest speakers. There is plenty of opportunity for small group discussion, as well as sharing amongst the larger group. As you might imagine, many of the traditional barriers people encounter in churches, are non-existent in a pub. Also, the informal setting seems to enable people to share more freely with others in discussion.

 

Some have objected to the notion of holding church in a pub, but wasn't Jesus often accused of hanging out in the wrong places with the wrong people? Wasn't he called a glutton and drunkard? The mission of Church On Tap is not to reach the 'already churched' but to provide a place of prayer, worship, community, and discussion for those who may never step foot inside a traditional church building. So, for 'Faith, Friends, and Froth! – it's Church On Tap!'  Cheers!