We are committed to a vision of ‘Transforming Church, Transforming Lives’ across our diocese. This is focused on three key areas – Growing disciples, Growing diversity and Growing community. There are already many great examples of our parishes and schools working in these areas, and over the next few weeks we are proud to share some of those stories with you.
Connections has been 11 years in the making.
It’s a seniors' group offering a safe a welcoming space for people to meet over coffee and cakes, run by Holy Trinity, Claygate.
Pippa Cramer, the church’s Pastoral Care and Seniors Minister, says the weekly group fits perfectly with the diocesan strategies of Growing Community and Growing Disciples.
“So often, this very special generation can be overlooked and forgotten,” says Pippa. “Connections offers the group the chance to connect with each other and with the church and provides us with the opportunity to demonstrate and share the love of Jesus.”
For 90 minutes every Tuesday morning Holy Trinity is transformed into a cafe. Connections offers a constantly changing range of activities which include everything from mini hand massages to craft activities as well as special interest tables put together by local guests and a regular ‘Thought for the Day’.
“The goal is for our older friends to experience Jesus’ love through friendships. Several characteristics make this work,” she says. “Firstly welcome, this is key. Listening, this starts where the person is. Generosity, this speaks of God’s amazing grace to us and finally prayer, which underpins every aspect.”
Connections at Holy Trinity has grown over the years to become one of the largest church-based groups for seniors in the whole of the UK.
It has spawned two important spin-offs.
Hymns We Love is a gentle evangelistic series that has been developed through Connections. Well-loved hymns are used to reach older members of the community, which help share key aspects of the Christian faith. “It’s a way of engaging with them in an exciting and acceptable way and has proved to be extremely popular,” says Pippa. A new Hymns We Love book will be published next year.
Hymns We love was also the cornerstone for the Daily Hope - a phone line set up during the pandemic, but which is still operating. “It’s a wonderful resource for those who still find themselves housebound or isolated,” she says.
Pippa’s big dream for the future is, “For hundreds of thousands of older people to discover how much our wonderful, amazing God loves them, for them to hear the Gospel and for more and more churches to catch the Connections vision.
To find out more about our vision, visit our Transforming Church Transforming Lives page or check out our Transforming Church Transforming Lives playlist on YouTube, which also includes a couple of video interviews with Pippa.