THE Church in Wales has announced that it is spending £10 million on four projects for church growth. The funding is from a £100-million investment by the Church Growth Fund, described as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to resource confident and consistent evangelism throughout Wales”.
Its progenitor, the Evangelism Fund, has invested in several areas. Its grants include those to Hope Street, Wrexham, and Citizen Church, Cardiff, and the 140-mile Pererin pilgrim trail from Basingwerk Abbey to Bardsey Island.
The diocese of St Asaph is receiving £4.6 million to build on the establishment of mission-hub churches, defined as centres of excellence with a focus on outreach, in Welshpool, Mold, Penrhyn Bay, and Holywell. Six further hubs will be set up over the next six years, starting in Newtown, Prestatyn, and Wrexham.
A second award, of £1 million, will go into creating a team of pioneer missioners in rural areas. The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, said: “I’m excited to see the Church in Wales backing the good work we’re doing in St Asaph to renew and develop our church life. . . These initiatives underline and cement our commitment to serve the people of north-east and mid-Wales effectively.”
St Mary’s, Swansea — in the centre of Wales’s second city — will receive £2.8 million over five years in a project that designates it as the first minster church in the Church in Wales — a status intended to reflect its importance to the city.
The Vicar of St Mary’s, Canon Justin Davies, said that such a significant investment would enable new staff, both clergy and lay, to be employed, “increasing our ability to serve the city centre community, be they residents, workers, visitors, refugees, or the homeless”. The building will have new meeting rooms and offices, safe spaces for young people, and new worship facilities.
The fourth project is in the diocese of Monmouth, which receives more than £1 million for strenthening relationships with schools and church growth in the form of new worshipping communities through a schools-engagement pioneer (SEP) in East Monmouthshire, East Cardiff, Islwyn, and Abergavenny.
The Archdeacon of Monmouth, the Ven. Ian Rees, expressed his delight on Monday. “We’ve chosen four areas where we already have good relationships with schools, but where we could build on those to do so much more — places where lack of capacity has meant there is almost too much work to do to take these on to another stage,” he said.
“They’re also places where good lay people are already involved. We’ll be working primarily with church schools, who really want us to be a presence and want to develop further links with the Church. We’re expecting to work with people who have very little involvement with church at the moment, inviting them to good quality services and activities and trying to encourage them to explore a bit more.”
The Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Andrew John, described the funding as “a transformative step forward” in the Church’s mission to reach communities across Wales. “This significant investment will enable churches to grow, innovate, and become vibrant centres of faith,” he said.