Like so many other churches in England, St Lawrence Church in Hungerford has a canal running through the parish. A canal which is used by many boaters enjoying the beauty of the Kennet and Avon canal together with a towpath used by locals not only for leisure but as a shortcut to the shops.
St Lawrence’s church, under the leadership of their Vicar, Rev Mike Saunders, sees this as being a major opportunity for mission in the town and the waterways. Working with Waterways Chaplaincy, Mike has enabled the towpath to be improved, bridges repainted and boaters welcomed into their lively church. This has raised the profile of St Lawrence’s church in the town and has also been a means of welcoming waterways communities into the fellowship of the church.
To celebrate and advance this mission, St Lawrence’s Church and Waterways Chaplaincy signed a ‘Partners in Mission’ agreement at a Holy Communion Service on Sunday 23 August. It is hoped that this will be the first of many churches formally committing to work with Waterways Chaplaincy to reach out into their settled and travelling communities.
If your church would like to know more about becoming a Partner in Mission with Waterways Chaplaincy click this link https://www.waterwayschaplaincy.org.uk/partners-in-mission/