Consider the imagery around your church - can you make it more diverse? People will feel more comfortable if they see people like them up front, on the noticeboards, in artwork etc. The UKME Chapter are available as free guest preachers. The Revd Talisker MacLeod, rector in the Benefice of Cherbury with Gainfield, lead a session on seasons of ministry, encouraging those present to consider what season they and their churches are in. Drawing inspiration from tending a garden, Talisker says; Although in Save the Parish we are aware of all the burdens that are placed on village churches and those who struggle to keep them going, this book is not one to set a parish up to feel inadequate and burden them with yet more guilt but to stimulate discussion and to give a positive vision of the hundreds of works of the kingdom that are being created up and down the land in our parishes. Village churches are necessarily small, but as the Bishop of Exeter writes in the introduction, ‘a small church is not a failed church, any more than a satsuma is a failed orange’ (p. 2).

The Revd Margot Hodson, associate vicar of the Shill Valley and Broadshire Benefice, also led some of the day's six sessions. Considering models of leadership, Margot shared some of her personal experience in a previous benefice, and encouraged conversation on Rothauge's examples of family-focused, pastor-focused and network-focused church leadership.Do we follow up enough on baptisms? For example, could we offer a social bringing each year’s cohorts together again? Whatever we assume about the reasons families come for baptism, they still came and that’s brilliant! Another suggestion was a card on the first anniversary, or inviting the families along to prepare and to follow up together so they build their own community. Give postcards or flyers inviting families to the ‘next thing’, whatever that is, at their baptism and remember relationship is key. It takes at least six personal invitations to get someone to come to a social in a church building! We can push more than we think we can. Devised, and primarily written, by people from the diocese of Exeter, the ten chapters help churches see the great assets they have and find how to make the most of them. The opening chapter suggests all sorts of ways of extending a warm welcome – based on the idea of making your church as welcoming as your home whilst at the same time being honest that a church that wants to grow may very well need to change. In ten short chapters, by a variety of authors with a range of experience, Anglican and ecumenical, it covers ten significant areas. They include extending a warm welcome, caring for God’s acre, cultivating festivals, reaching the isolated, and communicating effectively. Each chapter begins by flagging up three key learning objectives and provides a brief overview of the subject, a selection of case studies, and a collection of “Great Resources”, giving further depth and inspiration.

Sandra adds, “This book pulls together really practical, simple ideas with case studies and stories from a range of contexts, including from our own Diocese. This is one of those books that every village church should have on their bookshelves, and I’m sure one that will be referred to many times. It’s attractive to look at, easy to dip into – definitely worth investing in.” Canon Dr John Rees, the former registrar for the Diocese of Oxford,shares his thoughts on a new book,How Village Churches Thrive: A Practical Guide, from the Rt Revd Robert Atwell, Gill Ambrose and Helen Bent. The best part of 200 copies were sent out free of charge, and 60 people signed up for the six online evenings sessions. Evenings were chaired by Bishop Gavin, and each time there was an expert present to offer insights into the topic being considered."It's important to not let things look neglected - above all, this is a place of worship, and people may get upset if a wilded area is distracting when they come to pay respects to a lost loved one. There's lots that you can do to benefit wildlife without disrupting ground level though – consider bird and bat boxes etc. Should/could I get the community involved? How much time should I allow for community discussion?

Moving on to look at 2023 and beyond, this year's rural lecture will be given by the Professor Alistair Murdoch of Reading University, and all are welcome to attend. The lecture will be hosted online from 7.30pm on Wednesday 31 May. The book also features several practical case studies from across the country, including one from Greenway Benefice in Shurdington, Gloucester. Relationship is the number one thing that makes the difference – but we all know that that’s messy and time consuming and doesn’t always get us anywhere.”Sometimes we say everyone's welcome, but our building says something different. Whether it's good access to the toilet, installing wheelchair ramps or much bigger work, Disability Advisor Katie Tupling can help.

Sandra Millar, Interim Director of Mission & Ministry at the Diocese of Gloucester, contributed to the ‘Making the most of life events’ section of the book. She explains, “I was delighted to be asked to contribute to this new resource for village churches. Our village churches have an amazing reach into communities, and a few simple steps can help them not just survive but thrive.” Above all, the situations described in the case studies all remind us of people we recognise in our own congregations. These are the people who faithfully welcome regulars and newcomers, who live their lives embedded in their communities and whose commitment has something to do with the God who made them. People were invited to attend for as many sessions as they liked, with some 'Zooming in' for themes of particular interest in their local context, and others forming a core group of regulars, building on their shared knowledge and creativity month by month. It’s important to focus on families, says research from Sarah Holmes at Liverpool Hope University, not just children. Very often we forget about the parents, who can leave feeling judged or even excluded. For example, families that arrive late can feel like everyone’s frowning at them, especially in a small rural congregation. Congratulating families on getting everyone out the door can make a difference!The Church of England has launched a 10-point strategy to help its thousands of rural churches survive and thrive. What an intriguing title! Is it simply a contradiction in terms? A nostalgic look through the rear-view mirror? No more than whistling in the dark? Or, as the Bishop of Exeter suggests, a vital reminder that ‘small churches are not failed large churches’? Thisinspiring handbook forms an integral part of a series of events for small and rural churches in the Diocese of Oxford this autumn, and parishes attending will receive a free copy. Find out more here, and read John's review below.