FAITH IN THE COMMUNITY: Come and join us at new ‘Barn Church’
We don’t actually meet in a barn. The idea was that we met somewhere neutral that wasn’t a traditional church, and we discovered that Soberton and Newtown guide hut, next to the recreation ground in Soberton, was the perfect place.
We start at 9.30am each Sunday morning with coffee and pastries, and then the hour-long service itself kicks off at 10am. It includes worship, discussion, prayer and family-friendly activities. There’s no formal sermon – the idea is that children and adults discuss what they're learning together.
We gathered together a team over the summer, ran an Alpha Course, and then launched in September. It’s designed to appeal to those across the Meon Valley – from villages such as Soberton, Newtown, Hambledon, Swanmore, Droxford, Exton and Meonstoke. And so many people came to the first service that we ended up taking all the chairs outside.
Among our regulars are parents who would love their children to be part of something spiritual, but don’t fancy a more traditional church service.
The main teaching comes from relaxed discussion with others, which includes adults and children talking together. It’s based on the Bible, but no prior knowledge of the Bible or the Christian faith is assumed. And members of the team are available to pray with individuals afterwards, if they’d like it.
The worship is designed to be contemporary, but stripped back – just one person with a keyboard or guitar, rather than a big worship band.
It’s founded on how the Church originally met, shortly after Jesus’s death and resurrection, when his disciples were setting up small communities of believers. So we are eating together, sharing worship and learning from the Bible, as we aim to make Jesus known across the Meon Valley.
We are holding regular Alpha Courses, bring-and-share brunches, as well as a Light Party at the end of October.
All of this feels like what I was called to do when I was ordained as a clergy person in 2022. I live in this area and wanted to see something slightly different that would appeal to those that the Church hasn’t always been great at reaching.
You’re welcome to join us – wherever you live. And you can find out more on our website, which is: barnchurch.uk.
by the Rev Emma Andersen, leader, Barn Church
BARN CHURCH, Soberton and Newtown guide hut, Soberton Recreation Ground, Heath Road, S032 3QH