The seven-year programme to revitalise the Christian presence in Stoke on Trent funded by up to £5.9m by the Church of England, announced on 5th November, has already made its first appointment.
Alex Wolvers, who currently works within the Mission and Education teams at Lichfield Diocese, will lead the work of ‘Encounter,’ one of two key appointments planned. Alex is local to Staffordshire and has lived in China and Sri Lanka, and says her experiences abroad especially in churches there, helped prepare her for this role.
‘Encounter’ aims is to ensure that there is a church with a flourishing children and families’ ministry within reach of every child and young person within the city of Stoke-on-Trent, providing them with the opportunity to encounter the church and Christian faith in a relevant way - an opportunity they may not have had before.
Nine locations have been chosen where there is a joint sense of calling between church and school to provide this opportunity. There are many families which have very minimal contact with churches and very little opportunity to hear the Church’s timeless message of hope and good news, which previous generations have encountered as a matter of course. The nine locations will work in their individual communities to enable the children and their families to engage with the church in a relevant way, seeking to nurture people in Christian faith and raise leaders that reflect the age and diversity of the communities they serve. There have already been discussions with local school, church and Multi Academy Trust leaders to lay the ground for this work.
Alex Wolvers, formerly a teacher, said: “As a teacher, I firmly believe that education is about bringing out of a child what is already there, not putting in something. I hope that this work will bring out of the communities of Stoke what is within them that will help build flourishing and growing communities of faith. The plan is to meet their needs: we are there to serve them.”
She continued: “Stoke is a place of great creativity and great heart and warmth. The challenges of exclusion and deprivation and the lack of purpose have partly obscured these qualities and fragmented the community. There is a wonderful opportunity with this work and its funding to start to build some of that back. We want to help rebuild hope in people’s lives.”
The Archdeacon of Stoke, The Venerable Dr Megan Smith, who is one of the architects of the bid said: “We knew from very early on that Alex had the vision for this work. The fact that she also knows the city and people of Stoke is a gift.”
St Luke’s, Hanley (church and school), St John’s, Trent Vale (church and school), Kingsland CofE School alongside the Bucknall Team Ministry and St Andrew’s Church and Holden Lane Primary School, Sneyd Green have been identified as the first phase of the nine locations. The work of Encounter will take place alongside the resourcing of a families and young people work based at All Saints Hanley which will be refurbished.