ASHBOURNE’S Methodist Church is latching onto a national campaign to encourage people back to church by staging an event on Sunday.
Following the success of last year’s largest ever ecumenical evangelism event in Britain, organisers of Back to Church hope more than a million people will be coaxed back to their local church.
The Methodist Church in Church Street will hold the event from 10.30am to coincide with its harvest festival and members have been encouraged to invite someone they know to come back to church.
Ashbourne’s Methodist Minister, Rev Tim Morris, said: “Any Sunday is a Sunday to come back to Church. Coming back, or coming for the first time, can seem a daunting experience.
“Hopefully coming on Harvest Sunday will be like coming back to something familiar and within many people’s experience.
“What a great day to come and see what church is like today, and celebrate and give thanks to God for the harvest.” Andrew Carter, Evangelism Network development officer for the Methodist Church of Great Britain, said: “Back to Church Sunday is a wonderful opportunity for many people to re-experience or experience for the first time what church is all about.
“Invitations are being sent by Methodist Churches to many people within their communities, inviting them to creative and exciting services.
“The vision for the Methodist Church is that in the future every Methodist Church will engage with and invite people on Back to Church Sunday.” The project is a joint initiative of the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Salvation Army, the Church in Wales, Churches Together in Scotland and Elim Pentecostal Churches, as well as churches in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Canada and continental Europe.
A similar event was held at St Oswald’s Church on Sunday, September 26.
