On 12th October 2019 56 people from across Devon gathered at the Teign Valley Community Hall to share ideas and experience and create new ideas for rural worship under five headings:
- Traditional Farming Festivals
- Traditional Christian Festivals
- Spirituality and Prayer events
- Blessing the Community
- Connecting with special "National Days"
We also had one group looking at rural worship in the round.
We also had a presentation from the Farming Community Network which included information about their hugely valuable work in supporting our farming families and workers, and also about the worship events they lead around Devon for Plough Sunday and Lammas Day and various Christmas services at the livestock markets. You can download the presentation here.
You can find the summary of the common themes and ideas from the workshop, the individual voice recordings of the feedback from the small groups, the notes from the individual group facilitators and the ideas from the flip charts all together below. Still to be added is our "Calendar of Seasonal Worship" which at the time of writing needs a bit more work before publishing.
For resources under each heading of worship ideas and order of service examples, please refer to the individual folders in this section - links below.
And in conclusion - let’s celebrate and thank God
… for the great diversity, enthusiasm and creativity that is happening right now in so many of our wonderful rural parishes. When we get downhearted with some of the struggles of rural mission and ministry, this day has shown how special rural worship is and can be – what amazing resources we have in our buildings, in nature and in our people. How good God is in bringing new life in so many ways. What a few people with a great idea and prayer can achieve. How many people in our communities are already engaging in the worshipping life of our churches - but just perhaps not on a Sunday. It has been suggested in other fora that perhaps a series of “specials” is one of the ways forward in rural worship – we need our regular worship to sustain and support us in our personal journeys of faith and to develop the life of the church – but perhaps today has given us something to think about the balance of regular and “special” community based worship.
A Calendar of Rural Worship - COMING SOON!
Farming Festivals
Farming Festivals Group 1 Audio Feedback - Joanne Jones
Farming Festivals Group 1 Written Feedback - Joanne Jones
Farming Festivals Group 2 Audio Feedback - Colin Smallacombe
Farming Festivals Group 2 Written Feedback - Colin Smallacombe
Farming Festivals Group 3 Audio Feedback - Susanna Metz
Christian Festivals
Christian Festivals Group Audio Feedback - Jane Frost
Christian Festivals Group Written Feedback - Jane Frost
Spirituality and Prayer Events
Spirituality Group 1 Audio Feedback - Ruth Frampton
Spirituality Group 1 Written Feedback - Ruth Frampton
Spirituality Group 2 Audio Feedback - Sue Lockwood
Spirituality Group 2 Written Feedback - Sue Lockwood
Blessing the Community
Blessing the Community Group Audio Feedback - Penny Dobbin
Blessing the Community Group Written Feedback - Penny Dobbin
Connecting with Special Days
Connecting with Special Days Group Audio Feedback - Chris Keppie
Resources special days to be added
Worship and the Rural Church - Special Group
Audio Feedback - Sarah Cracknell
Final Q and A - Audio - Jon Curtis
For all Resources - please also check the Germinate website which includes a wealth of rural worship resources
Please also continue to send in your ideas and service booklets by email - they will all be valued and appreciated - and remember no idea is too small if someone else hasn't got it. email to info@devonchurchesruralforum.org.uk