An update to the story of the Warham Trust in Winchester Diocese, featured on expressions: the dvd – 2: changing church in every place.
The Warham Trust was founded with the permission of Winchester Diocese in the early 1990s as a direct result of house groups and Alpha courses reaching people who did not feel that they 'belonged' to any particular church. The first part-time Missioner was appointed and Sunday services were held at Wootton St Lawrence, gathering many new Christians together from a wide geographical area.
Various midweek events were held, including further Alpha courses, Marriage and Parenting courses. The core group of Warham members continued to expand, and under the leadership of two further Missioners, numbers grew.
As members' faith deepened, so did their desire to serve in their local communities and churches. The decision to move Sunday services to the afternoon released many people to their local churches, whilst still having the opportunity to maintain relationships that had become so important.
In 2009 Malcolm Duncan was appointed as Chaplain and Warham Trust became the Warham Community Church. The Church seeks to serve communities for Christ by:
- enabling discipleship through teaching and training;
- connecting people who hold a shared vision;
- supporting mission as a lifestyle.
As a new leadership structure was introduced, Elders were recommended and recognised and a system for Church membership as 'Partners' was approved. In July 2010 the decision was made to stop Sunday meetings altogether and concentrate instead on providing an opportunity to bring friends along to midweek meetings held on a monthly basis in different locations within the area that Warham Partners live. Guest speakers are being invited who are known locally or nationally.
After an inspiring and invigorating time for the Warham Community Church, Malcolm Duncan left at the end of 2010 to pastor the Goldhill Baptist Church. The Elders decided that it was not a good time to appoint a new Chaplain whilst the Partners re-focus on the new Church mission, but will review this decision later.
Although there is some unhappiness at the ending of Sunday services, many Warham Partners are now focusing on supporting local churches, community activities and charities. Pastoral support increasingly comes through membership of small groups.
It's many years since every country estate had its own church. Now, Malshanger House, just West of Basingstoke, has opened the doors of its clubhouse for the Warham Trust, an Anglican fresh expression of church in rural England.
On Wednesday evenings, a daughter congregation meets in Padworth, where 40 to 50 people come together for worship and small groups. The more-than one-centre element is part of what makes Warham different.
Are people coming to faith through Messy Church? Do they really become members of the wider Church as a result? Revd Dr Jo White, Rector of All Saints’ Church, Wingerworth, tells how they responded to those questions through Messy Confirmations.
The comments just kept on coming… 'I want to get confirmed here, even though I live two hours away – I was brought up here and my family still live here, but above all these are the people who make me feel I belong.' 'I heard my brother's getting confirmed, so I'd love to do it with him.' 'This is the time for me and God. I do really want to come, I really feel 2011 needs to be a year when I reconnect with the church and my faith, too much has come between us of late.' 'I was confirmed as a kid, but I don't remember it, I wish I could do it with you.' 'Well I'm Catholic, but this is really my church now.'
At the rehearsal we realised that only one person knew what 'the peace' was. Things that church regulars take for granted, prayers that they know by heart, are unknown territory for most Messy Churchers and could easily divide the congregation in a service – which is exactly what we do NOT want in Messy Church.
We chose songs that we often have at Messy Church and included some simple new ones either with a tune already known or that we’d introduced at other services in recent weeks.
The taking of Communion was done kneeling or standing at the altar rail. We decided not to use sidespeople to indicate when to come up but to leave it open. In the event I (as the Rector) acted as maître d' in the sanctuary while the Bishop gave bread to everyone and two lay assistants gave the wine. In this way I was able to 'introduce' the Bishop to young children by name and tell him a little about those who were not taking Communion but had come up for a blessing, and just about everyone did come to the rail. His prayers of blessing were then made by name and were very specific for that person. The sight of him walking on his knees to give blessings at that rail to the many children squeezed alongside each other will stay with me for a long while.