Diocese of Chichester

Ruth Bushyager, Bishop of Horsham, said: “We are delighted at the news of our successful application for Strategic Development Funding. This money will be used to revitalise and strengthen the mission and ministry of a number of churches in Brighton and Hove as we work and pray for the growth of the Kingdom of God in this vibrant and creative city.”

Working with churches across the two deaneries, the money will be used to fund initiatives to encourage and stimulate further church growth - growth in numbers of new Christians, in depth of discipleship, and in impacting the transformation of the city.

To achieve this, the projects centre around accelerating the development of two resource churches from different traditions: All Saints Hove (modern catholic) and St Peter’s Brighton (charismatic evangelical). Through partnership with other parishes, both churches will focus on the further development of:

• Outreach to children and young people
• Evangelistic and catechetical courses
• Leadership training
• Social justice and serving the marginalised

This project will see All Saints Hove grow and help others to grow, through becoming a centre for developing confident leaders in mission and seconding teams of apostolic workers to other catholic parishes across the city. Father Ryan Green, vicar of All Saints, said: “This investment will enable All Saints to come into new and creative partnerships with other parishes in Brighton and Hove as we join in God’s inclusive embrace of the diversity of people who are part of this colourful and challenging city. It will help us as we generate new projects that challenge and disrupt the injustices and inequalities that are all around us.”

St Peter’s in central Brighton is one of the largest churches in the Church of England and has a track record of growth, which includes five successful previous church partnerships and an exceptionally strong pipeline of young vocations. Vicar Archie Coates said: “We are delighted about the opportunity this funding will give the church across Brighton and Hove, and in particular my prayer is for an increase in the number of young people putting their faith in Jesus, and more missional partnerships that will be a springboard to transform our city with the love of Jesus.”

With the combination of strategic investment in both evangelical and catholic traditions, the impact will be widespread across the spectrum of the Anglican churches in the deaneries of Brighton and Hove, which is the only urban area in the diocese that meets the criteria for SDF funding. Over the coming year, more details and updates on the project will be provided, so watch this space.

Please pray that:

Through this project, more people will discover the glorious grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the fullness of life found in Him

Our different traditions continue to be a source of inspiration, creativity and fruitful collaboration in all our missional endeavours.

Listen to Bishop Ruth on BBC Radio Sussex talking about the project here