Leading up to Easter 2007, many of us from the Twyford Area LEP attended the “Equipping your Church in a Spiritual Age” course at St. Mary’s Church. Over a couple of Saturdays and a few evenings, we were encouraged to start to think about what we can do, both as individuals and as churches to be relevant to the growing numbers of “spiritual searchers” we find around us.

Through this course, a number of groups started to think about different ways we could make ourselves more attractive and accessible to those searching for spiritual answers to life’s great questions. Perhaps surprisingly, some of the ideas we came up with didn’t sound particularly “spiritual”.

If we want to share our own spiritual journey with others and tell them how we believe that the Church can offer them some direction in their own journeys, we must first walk with them, listen to them, and understand them. This is not so much about inviting people to church, but sharing our lives with them as they share theirs with us.

There were a number of things that happened as a result of the course:

1. We launched a couple of projects:
   • Nick and Debs Proctor headed up a team which organised a stall at the Twyford Donkey Derby giving out free strawberries and cream. With the help of many people from across all Twyford’s churches, the event was a great success. Over 500 portions of strawberries and cream were given away, and £127 was collected to help fund the rebuilding of the Scout’s HQ. People were naturally curious and wanted to know why we were doing what we were – so it was a fantastic opportunity to start conversations. It made an impact, and people were still talking about it the next week.
   • Paul Minton led a cooperative to open up the Millennium Gardens to wider audience. His team identified the gardens as a powerful local sacred site, but one that not many people knew about it. Thanks to the cooperation of John Marsh (the Parish Clerk), and the Councillors, a couple of signs will be erected at the Church entrance and near the Church porch. Now Paul is starting to think about how the corresponding area in St. Mary’s graveyard could be improved – so watch this space for further developments!
2. We decided we needed a “Publicity Officer” to make sure that people outside Church get to hear about what’s happening and what we’re doing. Pauline Humphreys volunteered herself for this role, and is doing a great job at making sure we are visible to our local community.
3. We decided we needed a “Project Manager” to coordinate all the immediate activities that have resulted from the course, and to help direct, plan and manage how we carry forwards the enthusiasm and vision that came out of it. In June 2007, Paul Burton was appointed to this role.

So, what happens next?

That is why we launched “engage!” - a project to carry forwards what was started from the “Equipping Your Church in a Spiritual Age” course.

engage! is all about equipping us as individuals and as churches to engage with those around us. To provide opportunities for us to listen to, walk with and share with others our own spiritual journey. To share God’s Life with those around us.

The engage! website is the place to go to find out what’s going on under the engage! banner, and how you can get involved. It will also be a useful resource for anyone involved in running an engage! project.

The most important part of engage! is you! If you want to get involved, if you’ve got ideas of something we can do, or if you are already doing something that you’d love others to get involved with, then please do get in touch with me at PaulB@engage-twyford.net. I’d love to hear from you, and help you to be part of engage!