CEO of Germinate announced as expert speaker for Diocesan Rural Day

Based at the Arthur Rank Centre in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, Germinate is an independent ecumenical charity that helps UK rural communities flourish by inspiring, encouraging and equipping local churches.

The Rural Ministry and Mission day, funded by Rural Hope, will take place on Saturday 14 September at Kingston Maurward College near Dorchester. The Day will target both those benefices who are already keen to be involved with ministry and mission initiatives and those who have a heart for mission but have not yet made a real start. It aims to be both a celebration of rural ministry and an outreach opportunity.

Dr Jill Hopkinson, Rural Ministry Tutor at Sarum College, will chair the panel of rural experts who will answer questions from the floor. The panel will also include the Revd Dr Mark Betson, the Church of England’s National Rural Officer, will deliver a keynote talk on what makes successful rural ministry and mission.

Claire said:

"Germinate does this in three distinct but overlapping ways: Church Life, supporting congregations with resources for worship, discipleship and the maintenance and creative use of buildings; Mission, helping communities flourish by equipping rural churches to identify and meet local physical, social and spiritual needs; and Training, developing leaders and church members through training programmes, events, conferences and learning communities.

"I am excited by the direction Germinate has taken over recent years and am aiming to continue and extend that trajectory. There is a wide diversity of rural contexts so, in terms of communicating the Gospel, one size does not fit all. Germinate is ideally placed to encourage the sharing of ideas and to enable the peer support necessary to allow risk and failure as well as success."

The expert Speaker session will be followed by workshops on rural ministry and mission topics such as ‘Worship through schools’ (emphasis on Prayer Spaces and similar ideas) and ‘Church is not just for Sundays’ (tried and tested ideas for rural fresh expressions).

During the day, there will be taster sessions for the Rural Hope training courses THRIVE and a chance to visit the Rural Hope Marketplace, where there will be stalls set out on a range of subjects, from Farming Community Network, Germinate and ‘THRIVE’ to the Sarum College Bookshop. Those attending will also be invited to take part in Rural Hope ‘speed-dating’, with quick stop showcases that provide small bites of ideas for ministry and mission in action and cover such themes as 'Rural Chaplaincy', 'Rural Alpha' and 'Eco Church'.

The day is open to both lay and ordained from rural benefices.

Sarah Keen, Rural Hope Project Manager said: "The aim is to make the Day as interactive as possible and give participants the opportunity to gain as much information as they can in a lively manner. The afternoon, in particular, will put them in the driving seat in choosing what they want to learn about.

Funded by Rural Hope and held at on Saturday 14 September at Kingston Maurward College near Dorchester, the Day will target both those benefices who are already keen to be involved with ministry and mission initiatives and those who have a heart for mission but have not yet made a real start. Thus, it will be both a celebration of rural ministry and an outreach opportunity.

Claire was previously Rector of the villages of Ludgershall and Faberstown in this diocese, and is currently studying for a Professional Doctorate at the Centre for Rural Ministry Studies at the University of Warwick.

For more information on the day please contact Clare Phillips at clare.phillips@salisbury.anglican.org.