Watch our Parish Support Fund film at St Francis Selsdon, Monks Hill
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“One of our mottos is that healing can be found in a loving community. ”
Revd Peter Wyatt
“It’s a gentle healing wave – everyone who meets someone new can share that little bit of joy and love on”
Sam Pearson, Community Worker
In our second Parish Support Fund film, we visited Revd Peter Wyatt at St Francis Selsdon to find out how the church and local area has changed since they started focussing on community work around six years ago. Starting small by offering a breakfast, the church now runs a large free community lunch, a Men’s Shed and a food pantry to support, welcome and bless the local community. Around 40 to 50 people use the food pantry each week, helping them to manage their household bills and to access support. Recently the Men’s Shed, which supports and connects men with mental health issues to use/learn practical skills, built raised beds which members of the food pantry planted and which are watered by harvesting rain from the church hall roof.
The focus on serving the community first has had an immense impact, Peter says, giving the congregation and volunteers a project to work on as well as leading to more people coming to church on Sundays. He recommends churches that want to do more community work should start small – asking “can we offer teas and maybe cake after a service?” He also recommends applying for grants like the Lottery’s Awards for All scheme.
During our visit, Revd Peter talked with us about the Parish Support Fund.
“We know it costs a lot more to keep this church running than we are able to afford ourselves. All the good work that’s being done here, all the lives and the healing that is happening to individuals in this community, and the growing congregation too – that’s down to the churches that pay larger Parish Shares, and we’re very grateful for that, thank you.”
We will be sharing new parish stories as part of this year’s PSF campaign on our website and social media.
