Another Christmas interrupted by Covid did little to stop our churches and fresh expressions from sharing the Good News with their communities over the festive period. It never fails to make us smile at the new and innovative ways Christians within our diocese find to engage with one another, no matter the restrictions in place.
We often think about how best to use our church buildings; but how about putting some thought into how we use the outside spaces that surround them? Covid restrictions and trying to be Covid-responsible led to churches in one of our parishes coming up with new and engaging ways to use their outside space for mission in their community. St Nicholas and St Hugh, in the Parish of the Transfiguration, Little Bowden, have made the most of their outside space in some of the most difficult times during the last two years.
Last weekend saw the first Bishop's Big Conversation weekend since 2019. Due to the pandemic planned weekends have been unable to go ahead so it was with a sense of great joy that the postponed weekend at St Christopher's, Saffron Lane was finally able to take place.
Quite a few of our churches across the Diocese of Leicester have been taking advantage of the last days of summer sun to hold services and gatherings outdoors in recent weeks. As a safer approach to getting together once again in bigger groups, the fresh air and clement weather has been quite the tonic for sharing the word of God with church congregations and the wider community. Over in Thurnby, St Luke's Church brought together more than 125 people in an open air Sunday service on Manor Park earlier this month.
The last eighteen months haven't been easy for any of our churches. We've faced new challenges and learnt new skills, and now many of us are far more adept at Zoom or taking church online than we'd ever have thought we would be. Most of us have found that it's been hard enough to sustain what already exists, so imagine what it must be like to try and launch a brand new church during a pandemic. That's what The Beacon in Hinckley have done.
Christians tell us how their faith impacts their work in the NHS
The sun shone upon the people of Syston, as they came together in fellowship and prayer, during an ecumenical Songs of Praise in the Park service, recently. A ukulele band brought an upbeat, gospel flavour to the gathering, which saw more than 70 people sit outside among the flowers in the town's Central Park Sundial Garden.
It might have seemed a little unorthodox, gathering in the village carpark - surrounded by the sights and sounds of a make-shift building site - but it is was within the reality that God is ever present that set the inaugural Fleckney Walking Church on its way, earlier this month.
As the world tentatively opens up, we made a covid-safe call in on St Mary Magdalen Church in Knighton, to see where God was at work… Set against the backdrop of St Mary's Church and in the warmth of God's creation on this particularly sunny Wednesday morning, a group of locals have come together in faith, fellowship and the love of French pastries.
A church in Shepshed has seen a project to create a community library in its building finally come to fruition, after more than 18 months in the making. A team of like-minded church members and an ordinand helped bring the library to life at St Botolph's Church, with the support and inspiration from the wider community in the Charnwood town.
