Faith in the fields

“You used to be able to tell the farmers because they walked differently, they rolled. There were men that walked around the mountain seeing to the sheep, and they had special boots that had round shaped soles on them, they rolled across the hills as they walked. So different now, they sit on quadbikes with binoculars. But it’s still a lonely job,” says David Kenny, a retired farmer.

With around 20,000 people attending over the weekend, the Southern Agricultural Show on the Isle of Man is an important social event in the island’s calendar. It takes place in a breath-taking location with the Irish Sea on one side and the ridges of nearby mountains on the other.

Rural communities often have limited opportunities to get together, agricultural and county shows offer a chance for the farmers to meet and for them to share with the families, local charities, businesses, and school groups who also attend.

The Isle of Man Methodist District are regular attendees at Southern Agricultural show and bring with them their Bus of Blessings, packed with games and giveaways and a team of friendly volunteers to charm the visitors.

Janet Corlett, Methodist district chair on the Isle of Man, believes attending events like this is an important way to introduce the wider community to the church and to reestablish connections with the rural community. “It's really important we are here. There's a lot of rural loneliness and disconnect. It matters for people to see that we're out and about, we're interested, we're not scary, we're not asking for anything. We're just giving. The Methodist Church has always been the main Church for the farming community on the island, and I'm really keen that we engage with them because the pressures on farmers can be immense.”

Cat is one of the volunteers who has been working hard since the team arrived to set out the Methodist stall and chat with visitors. “It's been such a delight to meet with all the people who are here. They stop by for a chat, bringing their dogs for a drink from the bowl we have put out and bring their children to come and play our games. Some people are eager to talk about faith and what it means.”

Jill was one of those attending the show who stopped at the Bus of Blessing for a chat. “We moved to the island in July, it is so kind and friendly. We used to go to Stamford Methodist Church so it is great to find the Methodist Church here. It is helpful to have a chance to chat with people and to experience the friendly openness, knowing that we can find Church here.”

Jen Casson is the God for All Facilitator and Pastoral Assistant for the Methodist Church on the Island. “We are here as Christians who want to reach out and share God's love with everybody.

“Being a farming event, we have the theme of the Good Shepherd for our stall and one of our most popular activities is the Feed the Flock game where we have some tennis balls, and you're throwing them into the cardboard sheep which has been made to look like one of the famous Manx Loaghtan sheep. But the wonderful thing is that it's based on scripture, so that enables us to have a bit of fun, but engage in some deep conversations at the same time. We also have prayer squares, crocheted by the ladies at St John's Church here on the island to give away, these are really appreciated by the people who receive them.

“This is my third time doing this show, and every year, I just get a fuller and fuller heart for how warm and welcoming and how open to spirituality people are. It's just wonderful to be able to engage in those conversations.”