On the south coast, Brighton’s Citygate Church operates over three sites, each with its own set of needs and opportunities. Gwyn Davies, one of the church leaders, gives an overview of their work in the housing estates of Hollingdean and Hollingbury.
On the south coast, Brighton’s Citygate Church operates over three sites, each with its own set of needs and opportunities. Gwyn Davies, one of the church leaders, gives an overview of their work in the housing estates of Hollingdean and Hollingbury.
“Hollingdean used to be a working-class area, but much of Brighton has become gentrified and now it’s a mix of younger middle class incomers and older inhabitants. There’s a blend of student and family housing. Many of the elderly can’t access services and resources in town, so they can feel cut off. Church Growth Trust’s building (gospel hall and flat above which was rebuilt in 2008), @The-Dip, is a great little space at the heart of the community and many residents feel connected to it. We rent it out to community groups such as Weight Watchers, NCT, adult education and a local Downs Syndrome group. We also offer a café for Hollingdean’s bi-annual festival. We run a Taize service once a week, 24-7 prayer annually and hold youth group and our monthly prayer meetings there.”
Citygate’s second location is in Hollingbury, an area where many church members live. “The site was occupied by a Methodist church which had an incredible spiritual heritage. They used to run a Sunday school attended by over 400 children. Four years ago, the ageing congregation was dwindling. We looked at buying the building, but it didn’t work out. However it was sold to a nursery and we now rent the space from them at the weekend when it’s not in use. We run Messy Church monthly which is attracting lots of local families who don’t normally go to church. Hollingbury was quite deprived, but like Hollingdean, it’s now a mixed demographic. Brighton has become so expensive that families can’t afford to live in the town centre so they all move outwards. That’s where we come in, offering a warm welcome and engaging activities. It’s not what we originally envisaged, but it really works with the community.”
Andy Au is also an Elder, based at Citygate’s third location, Brighthelm. Unlike Hollingdean and Hollingbury, Brighthelm is in the busy town centre. “We are at the Brighthelm Community Centre on the main drag from the station to the sea,” Andy explains. “A recent study showed that there is a footfall of 8 million a year down our street! We’re located between the busy North and South Laines shopping area. 50 yards away there’s a house for people who are on the margins of society. They’re mostly recovering from alcohol and drug abuse. We also have Brighthelm Gardens just round the corner where people come to drink, smoke weed, sleep and so on. There are huge needs in this community.”
The Brighthelm Centre is owned by the local URC church. The elderly congregation were looking for another local church to take on the mantle of their community outreach which was where Citygate came in. Brighhelm’s urban location means that other community projects attract visitors to the town. “Brighton is a very intellectual place,” says Andy. “Barriers go straight up if you mention Jesus.
“We run a creative project called Oasis which incorporates Movement Worship and ribbon worship with drumming and percussion. We’ve found that a nonverbal dynamic of prayer and worship really draws people in. Drumming and movement bypasses the intellectual and verbal block when we speak to them about Christ or the church.”
This type of community outreach may be unconventional but it certainly succeeds in attracting both residents and visitors to the town. “We get hen parties dropping in on their way to a bar, or weekenders coming through on their way to the beach then spending a couple of hours with us. We feel that we’re sowing seeds. There isn’t that sense of whipping yourself up to ‘do’ evangelism. We are who we are with our God-given creativity and people sense that.”
Whether working with families, those on the margins of society or weekend hedonists, the Citygate congregation are taking the gifts He has put in their lives, demonstrating the love of God and making Him relevant for their community.
Church Growth Trust are delighted to be able to continue to partner with these three churches and to watch as they model love and compassion to those around them.
“When we arrived four years ago, we asked ourselves ‘how do we reach out to this community?’ I set up the Chaplaincy which is there to help the Centre’s staff to signpost people to support if they’ve got issues. We run a monthly drop-in lunch café where we offer a home cooked three course meal for 75p. We get a lot of rough sleepers coming in, but the café is for anyone who wants it. Customers can sit in the warm, be fed, chatted to and welcomed. We’re trying to lift people’s spirits.”
