What does it mean to plant a church in a place where many people don’t ‘do’ church at all? The Revd Sally Willett reflects on how she and her husband Andrew – also a United Reformed Church minister – tackle that question at West Thamesmead in South London.
‘West Thamesmead, like many original new-build housing developments, had a focus on building houses and flats – with not so much thought about community venues where people moving into the area could come together. This has been a real challenge in trying to engage with a community that is difficult to find and we have been working alongside the local housing association and councillors with this. Our call, it seemed in part initially, was to help grow a community so we had a people to share the Gospel with. Our aim wasn’t to get people from any other church, we wanted to reach those you wouldn’t normally reach.