30 July 2024
“We took the story of the banquet in which Jesus says there's always room for more people. One of the ways to make it a reality is to build a huge picnic table in the car park, our Gospel table. On Sunday morning, for example, food that would be thrown away from the supermarket is put on the table. People either from church family or from the community walking past us help themselves to the food,” explains Revd Mark Dunn-Wilson, minister of the Truro Circuit.
In the heart of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Methodist District, Truro Methodist Church’s inclusive journey started during the pandemic, when the team looked for solutions to reconcile being a church in a city centre, helping the community and abiding by government rules. The gospel table is a visual aid for the Truro community and passers-by that the church is here and open to everyone.
The church is fully accessible with ramps, a good sound system and big screens. “Our attendants in wheelchairs choose where they wish to sit and the chairs are removed to accommodate them,” adds Mark. Worship is also streamed to reach out to people who cannot physically get to a building on a Sunday. This started before the pandemic and they have online attendees from all over the world. “When they come to Cornwall on holidays, they join us on Sundays which is lovely.”
Joining the Inclusive Church network was a big step to flagship to the community that Truro Methodist Church welcomes change and people just as they are. For the first time in 2023, church members even participated in the Cornwall Pride. “We had a barbecue running throughout the morning, gave away food and had some wonderful conversations. We're now talking about a drop-in centre for folk, which is exciting,” remembers Mark.
Over time, the team developed a well-being mission strategy, taking the five principles of healthy living from mind the mental health charity, and turning them into a mission framework. They aim to enable everybody to be included. Amongst the activities they offer are food bank, counselling, NHS clinics and cooking on budget sessions to name but a few.
Truro Methodist Church is a Grade II listed building with a sanctuary, a Sunday school and many small rooms at the back. Their big project is to build a community hub to make room for everybody notably in building a community café – it is currently in the entrance hall and has to shut down whenever there is an activity in the sanctuary.
“The building does not serve our current needs, we have to turn groups and organizations away. Building the community hub would increase our community space by 110%, by only increasing the footprint by about 10%. It would also be more user-friendly,” says Mark.
Unfortunately, between Brexit and COVID, costs have gone through the roof and, despite being supported by their circuit, district and the Benefact Trust, the project is currently lacking funding to start. “The total cost at the moment is about four and a half million pounds. It will happen in phases, starting with the community café but we still need about another million before it can be started. We are actively applying to grants and raising money to make that project happen,” concludes Patrick Reynolds, District Property Officer.