Mission in Churchyards - resources now available to download
Resources are now available from the resource morning that took place at Ashburnham intended to help clergy, churchwardens and all who have care for churchyards to consider their wider purpose within the mission of the Church.
Videos from a resource morning to help churches make the most of their churchyards are now available. The free morning session, held at the beautiful Ashburnham Place in East Sussex was led by Gary Cregeen, Rural Officer for East Sussex. It attracted individuals from across the diocese and it was fully booked up in hours of the tickets being made available.
The event combined a keynote address from one of the country’s leading experts on churchyards, Revd Mark Betson with sessions from current parish clergy. Edward Dowler, Archdeacon of Hastings; Arwen Folkes, Rector of East Blatchington and Bishopstone, and Brendan Martin, Rector of Frant with Eridge. All have pioneered recent missional projects in their churchyards and were keen to share resources and reflection on what they have learned.
Gary, who is also Priest in charge at St Peter’s Ashburnham said: “The resource morning was intended to help clergy, churchwardens and all who have care for churchyards to consider their wider purpose within the mission of the Church.
“The feedback from the morning has been really positive – clearly ‘making churchyards a resource for the living as well as a resting place for the dead’ really connected with and engaged people.”
Five videos of the event have been produced and are now available for parishes to use.
“We are grateful to Richard Bickersteth, trustee of the Ashburnham Thanksgiving Trust, who has kindly produced this video resource to inform, inspire and encourage Parochial Church Council’s (PCC), small groups, and individuals to glean the benefits of what was an instructive and encouraging rural resource event. The format enables viewers to watch it either as a whole (perhaps as a resource morning) or in sections/sessions, as a series – it can be tailored to different contexts which, experience tells us, is really important. This resource will enable and inspire little, local and rural churches to consider how their churchyards, which can often be more accessible than our church buildings, can be a means of engaging with God and to enabling others to do the same.”
You can download all five of the Youtube videos here
Session 1 - Welcome and keynote with Revd Mark Betson - here
Session 2 - Education Initiatives in the Churchyard with Edward Dowler here
Session 3 - Stepping outside in faith with Revd Arwen Folkes here
Session 4- Creating a Forest Church with Revd Brendan Martin here
Session 5- Using Your Churchyard for Mission - Final comments here