rural ministry


Photo courtesy of Heather Lowther (ENPA)


Working ecumenically on Exmoor gets the change


E


xmoor National Park is a wild and popular tourist area. In the south, with more sheep than people, is the small town of Dulverton. It is served by grouped Anglican parishes, a Catholic and a Congregational church in the town, and two Methodist chapels on the moor’s edge. The southern part of Exmoor has at least four caravan sites (each with 2000 plus caravans per year), various campsites, two self- catering residential centres, a youth hostel, and umpteen B&Bs, spread over many square miles. How do we tell visitors where we are?


The National Park’s annual visitor magazine lists on its information page banks, doctors, harbourmasters and suchlike. Its reluctance to find space for churches prompted every church to write simultaneously to the public relations officer. Space was graciously made available, and now each September the magazine is sent the latest list of church contacts.


A combined church approach works well, as our experience demonstrates. One church offering information may be rebuffed; a


Tips for agricultural shows


Ideas for the Churches’ stand that involve show visitors in the spiritual agenda are always welcome.


For the Royal Show and the Town and Country Festival held at Stoneleigh Park, the Churches’ Pavilion Committee produced attractive bookmarks reflecting a specific theme such as “Fishers of Men” or “I am the Way”


At the Royal Show in 2004, visitors were encouraged to write a prayer or a subject for prayer on a fish shaped card and put it into a net, with the assurance that these


prayers would be offered at early morning and lunchtime services. Over 20 such requests were “netted” each day at the Royal Show. When cards featuring a shoe, which could be lodged in a tray of sand, were used at the Town and Country Festival, this rose to 40. The prayers offered were many and varied and included thanksgiving.


It is evidence that many people are eager to pray or to ask Christians to pray with and for them. And this doesn’t only apply at agricultural shows! n


Jenny Carpenter www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk 19


united leaflet is welcomed as a public service! Our bookmark-style card lists all churches and contact numbers, with regular service times where possible. It is distributed to hotels, information centres, churches and caravan sites annually, while each of the National Park’s information centres is given a more detailed and regularly updated information card. n


Revd Robert Miller St Stanislaus, Dulverton, Somerset


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