All Saints', Marple was the venue for a red hot Everday Faith deanery event on Monday 18 July.
Over 40 people from the deaneries of Chadkirk, Stockport, and Mottram braved the heat to learn more about how the local church can encourage people to live out their faith in everyday life.
Find and book on to your deanery event here
The evening began with coffee and conversation before the Revd Peter Froggatt welcomed everyone and opened in prayer.
Peter then led some discussions around "frontlines", those places in which God has placed each of us to do his work. This resulted in lots of group discussions, and feedback from the floor offered us an insight into the myriad opportunities God presents us with to share the love of Jesus in our everyday lives.
Church members sharing their "frontlines"
Archdeacon Michael Gilbertson, Chair of the Everday Faith initiative in the Diocese of Chester, provided further background, and Jonny Masters, Youth, Children's, and Families Adviser, shared eight different "shifts" that can encourage a culture of faith sharing in our communities.
For local parishioner, John Haslam, who worships at Holy Trinity, Stalybridge, one of his frontlines is delivering telephone directories to local houses. He says it proves to be a fantastic opportunity for conversation, he says: "It pays sometimes to introduce yourself and to talk about the Bible, you just need a bit of confidence and to know when to open your mouth and when not to!"
John Haslam from Holy Trinity, Stalybridge
He also sits on the committee for the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton. He says he is "the only Christian on the committee", something which came to the fore recently following the death of one of the committee members. John says he found himself having different types of conversations with the people he was working alongside whom he says were "grateful for me talking to them about my faith and my beliefs".
Everyday Faith resources can be found on the website here: Everyday faith - Resources - Diocese of Chester (anglican.org)
A diocesan video used at the event introduces different people from around our diocese that are working on their frontlines to share their faith. They include Paul Okenyemi who doesn't shy away from engaging in conversation about Jesus wherever he is; Ruth McKew who says she plucked up the courage to pray for her netball captain after she was injured; Chris Branch who puts her faith to practical use through a local swap shop; and the Revd Andrew Knight who is finding ways to recognise, rejoice and resource people in his church to live out their faith in the communities of Partington and Carrington.
Future Everyday Faith deanery events
17 March: Great Budworth and Middlewich - Watch a short review
26 April: Chester and Malpas
07 July: Birkenhead, Wallasey and Wirral North - Read a short review
18 July: Chadkirk, Stockport, and Mottram
06 September: Bowdon and Knutsford REGISTRATION OPEN
14 September: Nantwich and Congleton REGISTRATION OPEN
06 October: Frodsham and Wirral South REGISTRATION OPEN
17 October: Cheadle and Macclesfield REGISTRATION OPEN