Fresh Expressions in Guildford Diocese

A 'fresh expression of church' has been called 'a way of describing the planting of new congregations or churches which are different in ethos and style from the church which planted them; because they are designed to reach a different group of people than those already attending the original church. The emphasis is on planting something which is appropriate to its context, rather than cloning something which works elsewhere'. (Graham Cray). They are, therefore, more than just bridge groups into an existing congreagtion.

The national Fresh Expressions initiative (www.freshexpressions.org.uk) adds that 'it will have the potential to become a mature expression of church shaped by the gospel and the enduring marks of the church and for its cultural context'.

Current fresh expressions in our Diocese include:

• Costa@5 Walton on Thames, 2nd Sundays 5-6pm
• Buzzword St Mary's Cuddington, Sundays 11am
• Meditation Group St Andrew's Box Hill, 1st & 3rd Monday 2.30pm
• Calvary Korean Church St Paul's Howell Hill, Sundays 1.30pm
• Alive@6 St Andrew's Cobham, Sundays 6pm
• Songs of Praise Christ Church Ottershaw, (at the Village Hall), Bi-monthly 2-3.30pm
• Café Church Holy Trinity Aldershot, Last Tuesdays 6.30pm
• Chapel Arts St Mary's Ash Vale, www.chapel.gutensite.com
• TASTE The Church on the Heath, Elvetham Heath, 4th Sunday 6.30-9.30pm
• Café Church The Church on the Heath, Elvetham Heath, 1st Sundays 7.15-9.30pm
• Jubilate Café Church Dunsfold & Hascombe, Alternate Sundays at 10.30am in Winn Hall, Dunsfold
  
• Rezurgence Fox and Pelican Grayshott Thursdays 8-9pm www.rezurgence.com
• Space to Be St Clare's Park Barn, 1st Tuesdays 7.30pm
• Create Christ Church Hall, Guildford, Sundays 6.30pm
• Songs of Praise All Saints Lightwater, 3rd Wednesdays 2-3pm
• Intergen St Saviour's Brookwood, 3rd Sundays 10.30am
• i-worship Worplesdon, 4th Sundays 9.15am
• Songs of Rage www.songsofrage.co.uk
• Penton Park Penton Park Caravan Park, Chertsey, held at Community Centre, 1st, 3rd & 4th Sundays 10am
• Café Church St Paul's Dorking, 1st Sundays

Work Related

• Work Out St Paul's Dorking, Monthly - Friday Lunchtime

Youth/Young Adults

• J Service All Saints New Haw, 1st Sundays 10am
• Worship Zone St Mary's Byfleet, Bi-monthly
• Re:route/Root Christ Church Woking, Sundays 5pm
• Sunday@7 (Young adults) Christ Church Woking, Sundays 7pm
• Liquid Shottermill

Children/Families

• Messy Church at St Mary's, Pixham Lane, Dorking
• Messy Church at Holy Trinity, Claygate 1st Thursday, 3rd Tuesday 3.30-5.30pm
• Messy Church at St Paul's, East Molesey, 2nd Tuesday from 3.30pm
• Messy Church at St Francis, Ewell (Ruxley), 3rd Sunday 11.30am
• Messy Church at St Mark's, Tattenham Corner, 1st Tuesday 3.30-5.45pm
• Messy Church at All Saints, New Haw, 2nd & 4th Sundays 11-12pm
• Messy Church at Christ Church, Ottershaw, 2nd Sunday 4-6pm
• Messy Church at St Mary Magdalen, Ripley, 1st Thursday 3.15pm
• Messy Church at St Saviour's, Brookwood 2nd Saturday
• Messy Church at St Michael's, Camberley, 3rd Thursday
• Messy Church at Leatherhead & Mickleham with Leatherhead Uniting Churches, 3rd Thursday 3.30-5.30pm
• Messy Church at Walton on Thames, Fridays termly
• Messy Church at Hersham, once a term after church
• Messy Church at St John's, Farncombe, quarterly
• Messy Church at St Nicolas', Guildford, occasional
• Messy Church at All Saints, Lightwater, quarterly
• Little Moles for parents/carers & toddlers at St Paul's & St Mary's, East Molesey, Tuesday 9.15-11.15am
• Kidzone at St Paul's & St Mary's, East Molesey, Tuesday 5.15-6.45pm
• Footsteps at St John's, Stoneleigh, Sunday 11.30-12 noon
• Kids Alive 325 at Heatherside, Camberley Thursday termly 3.15pm
• 30 minute Family Service at St Michael's, Camberley, Sunday 9.15am
• Ignite at St Andrew's, Oxshott, 2nd Sunday 4.30pm
• PGI Monday at St Peter's, Farnborough, 2 per month, Mondays 5pm
• Small Saints at Library Coffee Shop, Lightwater, 2nd Friday 10am
• 20:20 at St Saviour's, Brookwood, 1st Sunday 9.45am
• 20:20 at Ewhurst (Kids carers and seekers. Intergenerational) 1st Sunday
• Funzone at St Albans, Wood Street, Tuesdays term time 4pm

Services in Language other than English

• Korean Church Howell Hill, Sundays 1.30pm
• Farnborough Deaf Church Church of the Good Shepherd, Farnborough, 3rd Sundays 4pm

In addition, signing is available at some services at St Peter's, Farnborough, St Saviour's, Guildford and St George's, Ashtead.

Not all fresh expressions are yet churches in their own right. We include below a number of initiatives that could be described as 'fresh expressions of worship', or 'alternative services'. This is because, often, such services can be the beginning of a process that leads to the establishment of a fresh expression of church. Potential is important. Also, here in Guildford Diocese, we want to encourage the use of all forms of outreach, so that by all means we might reach some. Sometimes, these will look like traditional church, and sometimes like something very different. What is important, is to review regularly what we are aiming to do. Services and activities that are bridge groups into existing church will follow a different strategy from those that lead on to a fresh expression of church. The goal, however, is the same: to produce mature disciples of Jesus Christ.

Alternative Services

• The 'Alternative' Service (Contemporary) - Holy Trinity Aldershot, Sundays 11.15am
• Contemporary Service - Busbridge Junior School, Sundays 10am
• Liquid Worship - All Saints, Lightwater, 1st Sundays 10.45am

A number of churches have a wide menu of different Sunday services, aiming to reach different groups in the population. Many churches do this in various ways, but obviously, larger churches set in substantial populations find it more possible to do this than others. Notable among them are:

St Georges and St Giles, Ashtead
St Peter's, Farnborough
Christ Church, Woking
St Saviour's, Guildford 

Holy Trinity, Claygate                                            

Bridge Groups

• Faith and Film St Mary's, East Molesey, Monthly
• Box Hill Care Group Headley with Box Hill, 2nd & 4th Tuesdays
• Spiritual Cinema St Andrew's Cobham, Monthly

Contact Local Mission Adviser Stephen Cox for more details:

Tel: 01483 790330
Email: stephen.cox@cofeguildford.org.uk

If you want to find out more about good practice in Fresh Expressions, or share ideas try www.sharetheguide.org

Other articles about Fresh Expressions ......

What are the differences between Emerging Church and an outreach ministry of a local church? Read more

An article on St Paul's Cafe Church Dorking, reporduced by kind permsision of Fresh Epxressions (www.freshexpressions.org.uk).  Article first published in Church of England Newspaper on 9 December, 2011.

Stephen Cox reviews "For the Parish"  Andrew Davison & Alison Milbank (SCM) Click here

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