Throughout the year churches open their doors to provide hospitality, refreshments and welcome to those in their parish. During the winter months these coffee mornings and drop-ins can be a vital point of connection and support.
Since 2005 many of these opportunities to gather have been registered with the Warm Welcome Spaces scheme, which has become a network of over 4000 locations where people can go for free to meet others, relax and find warmth.
Warm Welcome Spaces hope to boost wellbeing, be an antidote to social challenges like isolation and to simply offer a physically warm place for the 14.4 million people living in poverty in the UK.
This January is the first Warm Welcome Week, a campaign intended to promote the need for these spaces, and to celebrate the work already being done. The campaign starts on 20 January, what has become known at Blue Monday - the day studies suggest people are most likely to feel depressed due to factors like cold weather and financial pressure.
Thorpe Acre Church is one of many churches in our diocese who run a Warm Welcome Space. Theirs is a coffee morning run each Friday in partnership with Thorpe Acre Community Association where they serve affordable soup and cakes. The group of regular attendees is made up of some church members but also attracts many from the wider community. Chris Milner, a member of the Warm Spaces team at Thorpe Acre Church believes the benefits go much further than physical warmth and food, “Warm Spaces matter to these people. Not only does it get them out of the house, but it also gives them conversation and fellowship with others. Many new friendships have been made since we began.” The group at Thorpe Acre has led to other seasonal events, such as holiday children’s activities, and some people attending their Warm Space have begun to attend other church organised events.
St Mary’s Lutterworth have had a similar experience. Since opening their Churchgate Community Centre, they have been able to open their café space to the public five days a week, as well as hosting a toddler group, Foodbank, free lunches, and special events like a Christmas Day meal. Ben Horrex, Associate Pastor at St Mary’s Lutterworth sees this as a key part of the church’s ministry. “By opening regularly and not requiring any payment, we’ve been able to show our care for our community with a Warm Space and refreshments. We’ve been able to get to know local residents better, offer pastoral care, signpost them to support services, and talk through deeper topics and questions of faith.”
Establishing this kind of warm, welcoming community space can take a lot of time and perseverance, as Revd Laura Jackson and the team at St Christopher’s Elliston have found. A small group began meeting faithfully each Monday morning 6 years ago and are now starting to see exciting fruit.
Reflecting on seeing this ministry develop, Revd Laura shares, “We travelled light into this venture with no big agenda, we just prayed and opened our space. Hospitable listening enabled us to hear the need and respond. In doing that relationships and trust have been formed and now those who come have created community. You know that’s happened when people start bringing cakes and biscuits to share, joining some of the social events run by the church and offering to help.” As their Warm Space has developed, they’ve introduced toys and crafts to meet the needs of families, celebrated Christmas together, and invited a council community worker to come and offer advice and resources to the group.
Revd Laura sees the Gospel being lived out through St Christopher’s Coffee Morning, “Ancient Hebrew life and Jesus’ ministry placed great emphasis on relationships and community. Spirituality was not something abstract, theoretical and academic to be contemplated; it was something to be experienced, embraced and worked with. Gently, lovingly and patiently, we’re being present and adding a spiritual dimension to our ministry of hospitality. So be encouraged in the simplicity of these things - open up a space and let the adventure begin!”
If your church provides a warm, welcome space, why not help people know it's available by registering at www.warmwelcome.uk/spaces
Find out more about Warm Welcome Week (20 -26 Jan) at www.warmwelcome.uk/warm-welcome-week