The Tolladine Mission in Worcester has been chosen as one of an initial group of 10 pathfinder projects funded by the Church Commissioners and Archbishops Council to ‘Develop Church Growth in Deprived Areas’. The mission hopes to do so in innovative ways which are capable of replication elsewhere.
One of the key concepts underpinning the Tolladine Mission is that it should include a group of people living closely together in the mission area, bound together by a common purpose and sharing a simple ‘rule of life’.
The mission is now inviting people to join this group.
The mission began as church initiative engaging especially with the young people of the area. (35 % of the populations are children or teenagers.) It ran a breakdancing session in place of evensong on Sundays, ran ‘Open the Book’ sessions in all the local primary schools and prayed with open church doors on Monday evenings; and the young people came and joined in – sometimes chaotically. A young congregation and a number of baptisms and confirmations followed. In the second phase it has been able to employ a Church Army missioner. Together with his family he lives in the heart of the area and is building relationships with the community through his presence there and through projects such as building a community garden. (This has provided an ‘out-of-school’ opportunity for youth in the area with learning and behavioural difficulties, giving them - perhaps for the first time - a real sense of achievement and hope.) In much that the mission does, it works closely with the local authority who has designated Tolladine an ‘Area of Highest Need’.
At the same time, the practical responses to the needs of the community have gone hand in hand with developing more accessible forms of worship and the strengthening of the spiritual growth of the existing church. The next phase of the mission involves growing the residential aspect. At present the missioner and a candidate for pioneer ministry live and work in the area. From this September, however, the mission has secured another three bedroomed house.
The mission is now looking for people to live in the house who are willing to be points of Christian witness within Tolladine, demonstrating in their lives and by their openness and hospitality the value and challenge of the Christian way of life. They will form and observe a simple ‘rule of life’, and eat and pray together.
- They should be people who are seeking to spend some time in urban mission – at least 9 months, but ideally from two to five years, so that there will be a balance of time spans.
- They may be men or women of any age from about 20 upwards who are prepared to live in a ‘house of sharing’.
- They should be able to relate to young people. They should probably have, or be willing to seek, at least part-time employment, but we are able to offer rent-free living in exchange for a willingness to dedicate some of their spare time to the mission.
The mission is supported by the Diocese of Worcester, the Church Mission Society, and the Church Army. It is managed by a support group which includes the incumbents of the three local parishes, Bishop Chris Mayfield and three lay members with relevant experience. It is financially secure for at least the next four years. It has links with Mucknell Abbey.
