When The Revd George Watkinson was asked to come and lead the revitalisation of Pirbright and Wyke two years ago, the immediate challenge he faced was the inconspicuous location of St Michael’s Church. Tucked away at the end of a country lane, the picturesque church is surrounded by farmland but with limited footfall apart from the odd ramblers and dog walkers. This led to George’s brainchild, ‘Church on the Green’. One Sunday each month, the church relocates to Lord Pirbright’s Hall which is smack bang in the middle of Pirbright’s village green. The contemporary and informal family service attracts around 130 people from the village, many of whom do not normally come to church.
George said: “I was looking for fresh ways to engage the many young families we have in the village who are looking for something to do on a Sunday. In the run up to Church on the Green, I also run an assembly in the local community school to encourage children and their parents to join.
“The focus is then getting newcomers to explore faith deeper, which is why we run regular Alpha courses and invite them to our Connect Groups (home groups).”
Tapping into a popular family pursuit, George and the team have also just launched a Sunday morning park run – The Parish Dash – which attracted almost 30 people for the inaugural race on Sunday. The event is from 9-10am, with runners then offered post-race coffee and pastries at Pirbright Hall and an invitation to join the church service just after 10am.
The church also runs a coffee morning just outside Pirbright Village School, as another way to engage local families. They are hoping to make this a weekly fixture.
George describes how church planting is his passion and calling. His experience includes planting a church in the townships of Cape Town, a world away from the green tranquillity of Pirbright. He then went on to lead in city centre churches back in the UK, with large but transient congregations. He described how rural ministry can often be overlooked, as many younger preachers will want to go somewhere that is exciting and full of young people and students. Despite his more urban experience, he had a strong sense that Pirbright was where he needed to be and that, ‘God gave him the Holy Spirit to see the potential for a thriving church.’
He said that, without revitalisation, including the timely support from the Diocese’s Mission Enabler Team, the parish was facing church closures. Now things are much healthier, with a growing congregation and a 250% increase in church giving.
George is ably supported by curates Revd Joanna Day and Revd Alex Day at St Mark’s, Wyke. The church has similar location limitations, set on the side of the road between Pirbright and Normandy and away from a village centre. At the outset of the revitalisation project, the team faced some resistance from members who were less keen on the changes. He describes how his ministry team bring different gifts from his own, having come from more traditional church backgrounds. This has led to a church service timetable to appeal to all. Across the two churches, people have the option to attend contemporary charismatic services and traditional, reflective services where the clergy are fully-robed.
“Having this slightly complicated church service timetable is also a way of getting The Church on the Green lot to come to a service at the church. They are looking for something lively and contemporary, and, for the traditional lot, we give them a proper traditional service – no halfway house”, George said.
Bringing forward the big changes that were needed to keep a rural parish like Pirbright viable, has presented its challenges. George said that the villagers can feel a strong sense of ownership of a church, even if they don’t attend. While that can be positive, it can also lead to some being resistant to new ideas and new ways of doing things.
The positives of leading a village parish, as George see them, are being able to make easier connections with a settled population, through the local schools, through community activities, and through striking up conversations with people in the village’s two local pubs and at the Village Fair.
“People won’t listen to what you have to say unless they have a relationship with you. Something I’m keen to explore soon is a ‘Question Time with the Vicar’ event at the local White Hart pub”, he said.
The church is much more embedded in the local community than it previously was. Last Christmas, the Nativity was attended by 80 children, and the Church on the Green services have proved a monthly staple for many in the village.
George is confident that he and the team have laid strong foundations for the parish to continue to thrive. “Our congregation has doubled in size, but I’d love to see packed churches, and I want to focus on building up more lay people to help serve and enact that vision.”
He concluded that he is coming across more people than ever who feel that something is missing in their lives, that the Government has failed them, and that the world isn’t offering them anything to fill the void that only God can.
He said: “We are showing them that church has something to say on these issues. For people who grew up not going to church, it is an alien concept. We can’t just expect them to wander into our church. We need to go out and give them a reason to come.”