Church Growth Fund Helps Launch Berriew's "Arts Alive" Initiative

A dynamic new programme called Arts Alive has been launched in Berriew, offering a vibrant mix of creative and musical activities designed to engage the entire community, from babies to older adults. This successful initiative was made possible through funding secured from the Church Growth Fund.

Arts Alive aims to provide accessible, fun, and participatory arts events. The initiative kicked off its activities with a popular Crib Service, where attendees enthusiastically embraced instruments like djembe drums, shakers, and Boomwhackers.

The programme has quickly become a cornerstone of family engagement. Organisers wisely focused their efforts on Family Services and Summer activities, a streamlined approach that is successfully attracting new families and has notably increased participation from existing church families.

The musical instruments are a universal hit. During the September service, the joyful sound of Boomwhackers filled the air, with enough instruments for all 22 participants, ranging in age from 8 months to 90 years old.

The enthusiasm for the events was echoed by attendees. Sue, who has attended multiple Arts Alive events with her grandson, said: “They’ve been a lot of fun. We’ve really enjoyed them; there’s quite a lot of messy play. It’s brought a lot of different children, different people together.”

Arts Alive received a grant from the Church Growth Fund, a significant Church in Wales initiative dedicated to resourcing evangelism and growth through a £100 million investment over ten years.

The funding helped the programme acquire essential new equipment, including a screen, projector, laptop, and various instruments, which has fundamentally streamlined the setup of family services.

The Vicar of St Beuno’s Church, Paulette Gower, who runs the project, highlighted its purpose: “This is our Tier 1 project, and we wanted to try and grow the number of families who are part of our church community. It's very worthwhile and it's given us some exciting opportunities.”

Arts Alive proved its wide appeal during the summer months. The programme started August with a Teddy Bears’ Picnic followed by a successful Family Activity Morning.

Looking ahead, Mark, the Children’s Youth and Families worker, encouraged others to apply for funding: “If there's anybody out there who thinks they would love to do it, then apply to the Growth Fund. It's just a case of getting the vision, going for it and getting the team together.”

The consistently high turnout is a clear indicator that the community has embraced the new creative direction supported by the Church Growth Fund.