Even in these times, there are ways to encourage and engage visitors as part of your mission of welcome, hospitality and deepening faith journey from visitor to pilgrim. Emily Allen (right), Church Buildings Missioner, offers some ideas. ExploreChurches, by the National Churches Trust, have developed a new initiative to encourage church tourism through creating experiences. Why not take a look at their website and upload what you’re doing? Or instead use these days to learn more, such as joining their webinar on….
Whether your church building is open or not, here are five ideas:
- Be a House of Prayer by creatively and sensitively using the churchyard as a prayer walk or temporary prayer station
- Use part of your church noticeboard as a changing prayer station
- Develop and promote a cycle or walking trail between a few nearby churches. Here’s one already produced, Towers and Spires cycle trail, URL TBC.
- Promote the Two Saints Way , a pilgrim route crossing parts of our Diocese
- Upload your visitor experience ideas to the Explore Churches website