As we enter the Easter season we begin our Lectionary journey in the Book of Acts where, after the resurrection, the disciples of Jesus are praying, waiting and, as the Holy Spirit moves, going out into mission and seeing many come to faith. It is fitting, therefore, that in this season we open up our small grants programme for new congregations.
By ‘new congregation’ we mean a gathering that is just beginning (or will begin in the next six months) which is aimed at people who are not yet part of the church. New congregations gather people in a place (ideally in person but could be online). They include some form of worship, an opportunity for people to talk about or embody faith, and are committed to maintaining relationships between gatherings.
We have twenty grants of up to £500 to offer to small new congregations to help them get off the ground. Fill in the application form, which can be found here, and send it to jude.smith@leeds.anglican.org.
To support you as you apply we will hold drop in Zoom sessions for you to ask questions and you can ask us for further support in writing your application by emailing barnabas@leeds.anglican.org.
Zoom Sessions:
- Tuesday 8th April at 12.30pm: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86055582548?pwd=YTdnT3R5MC9wbk1ROFdOZFNEV1J0dz09
- Tuesday 8th April at 6pm: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84212882156?pwd=b1lZcGg5MG5vd2Nzc2tSRVZFZGhhZz09
Please send your application by 20th April. A small group of people will gather to make the decisions for this cycle on 23rd April. We will then contact you to let you know a grant is coming and also to arrange to hear your story. We know that when people hear about what others are doing it can help them to work out what to do. We would love to hear and share your story.