Church Growth Fund Helps Launch ALT in Mountain and Marsh Ministry Area
A fresh and innovative expression of worship is taking root in the Mountain and Marsh Ministry Area, thanks to a Tier 1 grant from the Church Growth Fund.
ALT, a new Sunday-evening gathering, is reimagining what church can look like for people of all ages and backgrounds.
Church - But Not As You Know It
ALT offers a relaxed, welcoming environment designed to help people explore faith in an accessible and engaging way.
- Doors open at 6.30pm with a bar-style refreshments area, where people can chat freely and connect over a drink.
- Worship starts at 7.00pm, with dimmed lights, contemporary music, and a focus on worship and prayer.
- The evening ends with a free BBQ at 8.00pm, giving everyone the chance to share food, build friendships, and strengthen community.
This structure makes ALT Church less like a formal service and more like a welcoming gathering.
“A massive encouragement for us”
The Revd Ross Maidment, Mountain and Marsh Ministry Area Leader, describes the impact of ALT’s launch:
“We launched at Pentecost last year, and we welcomed 75 people through the doors, which was a massive encouragement for us here.”
He explains that support from the Church Growth Fund was essential in bringing the vision to life:
“We unpacked our vision and what we wanted to spend the money on. For us, it was much of the equipment you see around us. At the moment we still have to hire the lighting, but the screens, which are so important for communicating the words we sing and for helping people join in, were paid for by the Church Growth Fund.”