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Cathedral to welcome people back to church
The congregation of Southwell Minster will be inviting people ‘back to church’ for the first time this year, as Nottinghamshire’s cathedral joins in the national initiative on Sunday, 27th September.
The Dean of Southwell, the Very Revd John Guille said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors this Sunday, some for the first time and others who may be giving church another try. Back to church Sunday has been having a significant impact across the country, as well as other parts of the world – we’re very happy to be joining with fellow churches in this initiative.”
The Bishop of Sherwood, the Rt Revd Tony Porter, helped mark the event this week, when he joined motorcyclists who drove through the Minster’s West doors to set off for Chetwynd Barracks in Nottingham, to hand out Back to Church invitations to soldiers.
Bishop Tony is a big supporter of the invitational event, which began in Manchester in 2004 and has now developed into a world-wide phenomenon. More than 100 churches across the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham will be taking part in Back to Church Sunday on September 27th, when church members are encouraged to invite friends and neighbours to give church another try.
Around 20,000 people returned to their local church for Back to Church Sunday last year, which saw members of congregations inviting friends who had stopped attending services. This year Churchgoers across the Church of England are set personally to invite up to half a million people to services on Back to Church Sunday making the event one of the largest co-ordinated evangelism events shared across the Church in recent history.
Every one of the Church’s 44 dioceses are taking part in the initiative this year, by encouraging churchgoers to invite someone they know who used to attend church to come back on a particular Sunday. Churches will focus on extending an even warmer welcome than usual on the day, supported by ‘Back to Church Sunday’ resources such as special red ‘welcome’ T-shirts and subsidised ‘party packs’ of fairly-traded catering products, produced in partnership with Traidcraft.
Up to 16,000 Church of England churches could be taking part, joining congregations from the Salvation Army, Churches Together in Scotland, the Church in Wales, Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed churches nationwide, Elim Pentecostal churches and Anglican churches in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Canada.
This will be the third year that the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham has taken part in the day.
Churches participating in Back to Church Sunday across the Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham are listed below:
Burton Joyce, Bulcote & Stoke Bardolph
Calverton, St Wilfred
Carrington, St John
Edwinstowe, St Mary's
Epperstone, Gonalston, Oxton & Woodborough Churches
Greasley, St Mary's
Kirkby in Ashfield, St Wilfred's
Lenton Abbey, St Barnabas
Linby, St Michaels w Papplewick, St James
Mansfield, St Mark's
Mansfield, St Peter & St Paul
New Cross Community Church
Radford, All Souls & St Peter's
Retford Team Ministry
Ruddington, St Peter's
Tuxford, Markham Clinton & Weston
Worksop, St John's
Beeston, St John’s
Bestwood Park Church
Bilborough, St Martin's
Chilwell, Christ Church
Cotgrave, All Saints
Eastwood, St Mary's
Edwalton
Everton, Mattersey, Clayworth & Gringley-on-the-Hill
Hucknall, St Peter & Paul
Inham Nook
Kirklington, St Swithins
Newark, St Leonard
Norton Cuckney, St Mary's & Holbeck, St Winifred's
Ollerton with Boughton
Ravenshead, St Peter
Rise Park
Southwell Minster
Sutton-in-Ashfield, St Mary
Toton, St Peter
Warsop & Sookholme
Westwood, St Mary's & Selston, St Helen's
Wollaton, St Leonard
Annesley w Newstead
Arnold, St. Mary
Awsworth, St Peter & Trowell, St Helen's
Bawtry, St Nicholas
Bestwood, St. Matthew w St Philip
Broxtowe, St Martha
Carlton-in-the-Willows, St Paul
Caythorpe, St Aidan
Colston Bassett
Sneinton, St Christopher's
Harworth, All Saints
Hucknall Team Ministry
Mansfield, St Lawrence
Porchester, St James
Skegby, St Andrew
Stanton Hill, All Saints
Teversal, St Katherine
Worksop, Christchurch
Worksop, St Anne's
Normanton & Sutton Bonnington
Bilborough, St Martin's
Newark, St Mary Magdalene
Wiverton Group
Basford, St Aidan's
Forest Town
Hucknall, St Mary
Gedling Road Church
Ashfield Methodist Circuit of Churches
Clipstone, All Saints
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