Faithful Generations will return next year in Saint John Baptist Church, Cirencester. After the positive feedback from this year’s gathering in Gloucester Cathedral, the upcoming event will keep the same mix of creativity, worship, and intergenerational connection, supported by the Connect team and volunteers from Cirencester Deanery.
“This next Faithful Generations is going to be very similar to the one we did at the Cathedral this year,” said Jo Wetherall, Senior Children and Families Connector, “but it’s going to also be very much contextual to Saint John Baptist Church – it’s being shaped by the team and the clergy there.”
Once again, the event will offer creative ways for families to explore faith together, including a likely return of the silent disco. Plans are also underway for a scavenger hunt, inviting people to explore the church building and discover what its features communicate about God’s character.
“Some of the activities are going to be based around using the space at Cirencester to explore the building, and the ways it tells us about who God is and God’s love,” Jo said.
The theme for the day will be ‘pass it on’, focusing on how God’s unconditional love is shared between generations and lived out through everyday acts of faithfulness and presence.
Worship will bookend the event, as it begins with an intergenerational communion service at noon and concludes with gathered worship at the end of the day.
Jo said: “I have had the opportunity to work more closely with congregations over the past few months, and it has made me reflect on what Faithful Generations means in different situations. Hearing people’s relationship stories in the ‘grandparent and grandchild’ context has helped me recognise the significance of the really beautiful things we can do for other generations, like providing that safe, open, non-judgmental space.
“A beautiful example came from St Mark’s, where the youth group made a badge for an older volunteer who turns up every week simply to support them. What mattered to the young people was his consistency and his willingness to keep showing up.
“It really highlights the importance of authentic relationships between generations.”
As planning continues for next year’s event in Cirencester, Jo hopes more churches will consider how they might explore Faithful Generations in their own context.
“I have been doing some smaller intergenerational services and activities with churches across the diocese,” Jo said. “It’s the same principles as the bigger event – we’re trying to make talking about God something that’s just normal. You could be walking your children or grandchildren to school and say, ‘I’d love to thank God for the sunshine’, or you could be trudging through the rain and remember that God is in that too. God is in the rain and the sunshine, and that’s what we want people to notice in their everyday lives.”
→ Event details and printable invitation
Churches interested in hosting a Faithful Generations event or exploring the Grandparenting for Faith Course (BRF) are welcome to get in touch to start a conversation about how to bring the event to their community. Email Jo Wetherall at ku.gr1775056290o.coi1775056290dsolg1775056290@llar1775056290ehtew1775056290j1775056290.
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