There has been a worshipping community in the ancient village of East Wickham since the 12th Century, when a chapel of ease was erected on the pilgrim route from London to Canterbury. East Wickham was established as a separate parish in the 19th Century, and the current church building celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2023. Now serving an urban population of 14,500, the parish welcomed Revd Yunghee Koh as its new Vicar in 2024 and St Michael’s Church describes itself as a community of faith ‘growing together in faith, hope and love.’
Like many churches, there are lots of challenges. Yunghee has been able to work with the wardens to get the church roof repaired and improve processes for letting the hall. Thanks to a diocesan grant, they’ve also installed a new sound system – difficult and necessary practical jobs, in service of a bigger vision: helping people to find a place of belonging at St Michael’s.
“It is such a joy to see people excited about things, isn’t it?” says Yunghee. “We have created a social area at the back of the church. People love it, and after the service they stay longer to chat over coffee and tea. It has been a wonderful addition, helping people connect with one another and feel that they truly belong in the community.”
Yunghee’s also been working to grow relationships with the local schools and nurture children’s discipleship. Their new Sunday school, St Michael’s Sparks, is growing, as are the numbers of both children and adults being baptised and getting confirmed each year. The congregation is also seeing growth, with attendance at their main Sunday service almost doubling.
St Michael’s is a ‘net-receiver’ from the Parish Support Fund (PSF), meaning that contributions from other parishes directly contribute towards their ministry. As a small and relatively poor parish, they might not otherwise be able to afford the ministry of a stipendiary priest, but contributions to the PSF from more well-off parishes mean St Michael’s can have the ministry of a full-time priest, as well as continue to benefit from diocesan services and support – from safeguarding to property and HR advice.
Despite being a net receiver of the PSF, St Michaels’ remains committed to paying what they can towards the Fund and growing their financial giving each year, having managed to increase their pledge by 3% this year and 5% next year. “We are really aware of how much we benefit from the PSF and how much we need each other,” adds Yunghee, “and so I’m really trying to encourage people to give back what they can.”
