The Bishop of Winchester and Bishop of Southampton recently visited Bournemouth, together with local clergy, to offer blessings and prayers in the town centre. It was the first time ‘Blessings to Go’ had taken place in the diocese.
Bishop Rhiannon introduced the idea after hearing about a scheme in another area. She said, “I wanted to go to where people are at and not just always expect people to come to us. So, we thought we would have a go at offering to bless people and to pray for them in the middle of some of our towns and cities. It’s lovely that Bishop Philip has come as well and some other clergy from the diocese.”
Bishop Philip added, “I think it’s good to get outside the walls of the church, to engage with people on the high street and to be aware of the great variety of people that we’re meeting in a place like Bournemouth; people from all across the world, a number of refugees, people on holiday, people who live in the town, and to make this offer to them. Not everyone wants to be prayed with, not everyone wants to receive a blessing, and I understand that. But I think it’s important for us in the church to be turned inside out and to, in many ways I think, make ourselves vulnerable to the local community and put ourselves where people are, where they go about their daily business and make the offer of Jesus’ love available to them in that place.”
With their specially created ‘Blessings to Go’ board, they set up a spot in the Lower Gardens and later in the main shopping area. The team also brought Bibles, booklets and crosses and some conversations were opened up.
The team met and prayed for people in the town including several who were new to the area and tourists from across the UK and across the world. Several people stopped to ask for prayers with concerns including world peace, and family and personal situations.
These included Cindy and Kym who were on holiday in Bournemouth from London. Cindy asked for prayers for her daughter. “It’s lovely to have had a prayer today and has made me quite emotional,” Cindy said. “A lot of people need help but not everyone wants to step into a church. This will help people see that the church cares and is not just in the walls of the building. We will remember this moment.”
Another person who stopped to ask for prayer was Steve who was struggling with arthritis. “It’s fantastic”, he said. “Every town and every community needs prayers, and we all need peace from our struggles.”
Joshua asked for prayers for a work situation. “I think this idea is great and a way to support the community. I’m a strong believer in the power of prayer.”
Bishop Philip and Bishop Rhiannon were supported by Revd Canon Nick Jepson-Biddle, vicar of Bournemouth Town Centre Parish, who said, “I think sometimes in a church like St Peter’s, we comfort ourselves that people come in and out all the time, which they do, but there is nothing like people seeing the church making an effort to be out and about within the community. Sometimes the conversations that come from that are very much easier than if you’re standing in church having them.
“I think there are a lot of people who feel voiceless and without agency and really don’t know where to turn if they did need something. So, I think someone approaching them and asking about their needs for prayer is very definitely a step in the right direction.”
Revd PJ Bromley who has recently been appointed minister at St Francis, Valley Park, also joined the blessings team. “It’s just an amazing opportunity to offer prayer and blessings to people in their everyday life for whatever they’re wanting and they’re needing and give people an opportunity to talk as well about what they want. We’ve had some inquisitive people. I spoke to someone who was Sikh who was really interested in the person of Jesus, and it was a great opportunity to chat with him and share the Jesus that we know and the difference he’s made in my life.”
Bishop Rhiannon added, “I hope that we can work out a pattern so that other clergy might also feel encouraged to go out and do something similar where they are, so that we can be a very visible presence in the towns and villages where we work and where we can offer to pray for people, because prayer unlocks things.”
Bishop Philip continued, “I think people could be doing it in their own parishes or on their own high streets. I think one of the things about this is it’s free, we’re not demanding anything of other people at all. We’re just saying, we’re here, God loves you, do you want to receive something of what he has for you.”
Whilst in Bournemouth, Bishop Philip and Bishop Rhiannon also conducted a licensing service in St Peter’s Church in the town centre. Revd Ed Haycock and Revd Lorraine Kingsley were licensed as assistant curates into the parish of Throop and St Andrew’s, Boscombe.
