Over the last few years, the Connect Team have been involved in a number of “pilot” projects exploring how to develop relationships between parishes and secondary schools. School Connect is a hybrid of an in-school chaplaincy role, and parish based youth ministry.
The Illuminate Stroud project, part of The Door Youth Project received a grant from the Growing Faith Foundation to develop a learning hub for the model, enabling The Door to employ a chaplain in Archway School part-time, and to build a team across the Stroud churches.
As that project enters its second year of funding, the PCC of the Church of the Holy Spirit – which hosts an afterschool drop-in, have approved a reordering to remove several rows of pews so that the young people have more space to hang out, and to enable a Youth Alpha to begin.
In Bourton-on-the-Water, Amy Todd, North Deaneries Youth Connector, has been working alongside clergy from multiple parishes within the catchment of The Cotswold School to explore how a joined-up approach to youth ministry in and around the school can engage more young people in the Christian faith. Building on a Christian Union led by the local Baptist Church, Amy has been modelling to the the expanding team what a chaplaincy role in the school would look like, increasing the confidence and competence of the local clergy and lay leaders. Out in the parishes, churches have began to identify local youth who bus to the school, and explore with them what their needs are when they get back home at the end of the school day. Opening up church halls for homework clubs, tea and toast, and to provide a kind, open listening ear is in the pipeline as relationships flourish.
Amy has now shifted some of her focus to Bishop’s Cleeve, where, alongside Rev Ben Williams (Team Vicar), a new School Connect project is starting in Cleeve School. Following positive meetings with senior staff in the school at the end of the last academic year, Ben and Amy were invited to be part of the year 7 transition process – including a day in August with the new students, and then being ever present in the first week of the new term. They received a very warm welcome from pastoral, welfare, wellbeing, the leadership team, religion, and ethics departments. Amy then shared a brief intro on the role to the heads of the year and departments. This was met with smiles and much interest.
Over the summer the prayer team in local churches and the prayer team of teachers inside of school had been on a prayer mission for the success of the new chaplaincy work, and in particular for a dedicated Chaplaincy space so that students would know where to find Amy, Ben and the future School Connector. On day one, the team were rewarded with their own dedicated room.
School Chaplaincy isn’t just about supporting students, and following conversations with the head of staff wellbeing, a weekly “Cuppa with the Chaplain” is being established, offering an objective, caring listening service for any member of staff.
“In every school, there are quiet moments that shape young lives,” explains Rev Ben, “conversations held in corridors, support offered in times of crisis, and a steady presence that reminds students they are not alone. At the heart of these moments stands the school chaplain: a guiding figure of compassion, hope and unwavering care.”
Amy’s role as Youth Connector is to support Ben and the team from St Mary’s in establishing chaplaincy in the school for the long haul. Using her experiences and those in other pilots across the Diocese, she’s modelling what being a Christian presence in a non-church school means, and how to be that guiding figure. Part of the long term aspirations of Connect is that projects like these receive ongoing investment and support so that they can be maintained and grow into a significant ministry for the local church.
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