CRCW - Vicky Longbone
Vicky accepted a call to Derby A2C Project (Ashbourne Rd to Central) in 2017. Vicky says: "Finishing college and starting the ministry of Church Related Community Work is quite a big transition! Being called to the Derby A2C project has been a blessing, not only do we share the same vision for ministry, but as a family we have been supported through the transition by both churches (Ashbourne Road Church and Central URC).”
Vicky continues: “It's early days, but Derby has some real areas of deprivation and plenty of opportunities to work with other organisations to bring equality and justice to those in need. As we start to discern where the Spirit is calling us to take action, we hold onto the belief that God's love is for all and is not only found inside the church walls, but often on the streets."
Before Vicky was called to the project, Ashbourne Road Church began looking at ‘Fresh Expressions’. This led the church to carry out a community survey to identify local needs and where the church could respond and leading to a ‘Community Outreach Group’ forming.
From the survey and the group, the following developed: Open House, an additional outreach Lunch Club, CAMEO and, for a period, a series of open resident’s meetings for issues related to the University’s impact. Ashbourne Rd Church offers a night shelter for homeless people offering a hot meal, social time, a bed for the night and a packed breakfast. It also hosts Chinese Church fellowship, which used to reside at Central URC.
Central has a small but thriving Junior church with children from 3 to 13 years and around 7 to 10 children attend regularly. Current activities include: Tuesday Tots for pre-school children, Central Operatic rehearsals, 3Fs – an active group for the elderly and disabled, the Fitness, Fellowship and Fun Group (3Fs) which currently has one session a week, for gentle chair exercise, fellowship and a lunch, Bereaved parents’ group, Christian Aid coffee morning (weekly) Friday prayers (3rd of each month) and is used as a base for Street Pastors on Friday and Saturday evenings. The building is also used by regularly by various other groups.
Aims for the future:
* Identify community need – prioritise – and see how these prioritised needs can be met.
* Resources – taking account of priorities identified in church and elsewhere, look to develop those that exist and introduce new (where possible).
* Creation and development of a sustainable form of ministry that will engage with the prioritised needs.
