A CHURCH in Worcester has received funding for a new 'resourcing church.'

The Church of England's Archbishops' Council has awarded funding to All Saints’ Church in Worcester, for it to develop their church buildings and employ additional team members to enable them to grow and become a resource for other churches in Worcester.

With the funding All Saints will also hope to further develop St Helen’s Church on the High Street. In 2002, All Saints was relaunched to provide an Anglican evangelical ministry which was missing in the City of Worcester and has since grown to nearly 400 members. The funding from the Church Commissioners will enable All Saints’ to develop and expand further.

The Bishop of Worcester, Dr John Inge said:

“We’re absolutely delighted that the Church Commissioners are supporting this new project. Research has shown how bringing resources into an area to fund intentional mission can have an impact much wider than the individual churches. Resourcing Churches have been very successful across the Church of England in bringing more people to faith and All Saints and Top Church are both an important part of the mix as to how we can better serve and reach those who are not currently part of any Christian community.”

The Revd Rich Johnson, Vicar of All Saints, said:

“All Saints is excited about becoming one of the resourcing churches in the diocese, which will allow us to further develop our commitment to both caring for the most vulnerable in our city and to offer a place where people of all backgrounds can explore faith.We look forward to being able to partner strategically with the Bishop and other churches to see renewal and growth across the region.”

A city resourcing church is a church which, working closely with the local bishop, resources mission across a city, by planting and revitalising churches, developing leaders and providing other resources for mission. All Saints will be launched as a resourcing church in the Autumn.