EMPOWER AND EQUIP OUR CHURCHES
Together for Change acts as a catalyst to start new Church-led community projects, nurture them to sustainability and release them to be led by the local parish or deanery.
TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER WARWICK
Transforming Communities Together Warwick (TCTW) partnered with the Anglican Churches of Warwick and Together for Change to address local needs, improve lives, and transform communities in the Warwick area. Supported by the King Henry VIII Endowed Trust, which supports residents of the CV34 postcode, the project focuses on several key initiatives. These include establishing a network of warm hubs, tackling food poverty, offering a Youth Bus to provide a safe space for young people in the absence of other youth services and organising fun activities to support children and families.
In 2023, management of TCTW was released from TFC to a new charity serving Warwick. David Brown, Vicar of Budbrook Warwick and former Trustee for Together for Change said:
"Through TCTW, TFC have provided a way for our Warwick churches to look outward to support their local communities and this has had a significant impact that is beyond the project itself. This role as catalyst which has taken shape in Warwick, should be celebrated as a successful project that can be duplicated elsewhere is the Diocese and beyond"
Revd. David Brown
To find out more information about the work of Transforming Communities Together Warwick, visit their website at: www.tctwarwick.co.uk
FRESH START
Fresh Start is an initiative pioneered by Together for Change to “welcome the stranger’’, mobilising volunteers from churches across Coventry to befriend and provide practical support to asylum seekers and refugees to begin life anew. We welcomed new arrivals to this country by offering friendship, and helping them overcome exclusion and isolation due to lack of English language skills and cultural differences. This project was primarily hosted by St Peter’s Hillfields, a church with a strong legacy of welcoming all, especially newcomers and those in need. This partnership has enabled TFC to transfer the management of Fresh Start to the church.
Initiatives run through our Fresh Start project have included:
ESOL CLASSES
We introduced English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes in several parishes in the Diocese to offer essential support to individuals for whom English is a second language. These classes not only enhance conversational language skills but also provide a welcoming space for people from diverse cultures to connect, form relationships, and feel integrated into the community.
The ESOL classes are currently held at St Peter’s, Hillfields. To find out more information about these classes, please visit: www.stpetershillfields.org
FOOTBALL
In partnership with St Marks Coventry, and the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, TFC launched an FA-registered football team that competes in the Coventry Church League. The team is made up of both church attendees and newly-arrived refugees and asylum seekers. This football team has proven to be an excellent way for a diverse group of individuals to connect, build relationships, and strengthen a sense of community.
The football team is currently run through St Marks Coventry. To enquire about the football team, please visit: https://www.stmarkscoventry.org/connect-groups
MULTI-LINGUAL CHURCH COMMUNITY
Together for Change collaborated with YWAM Coventry and St Peter’s, Hillfields, to host a multi-lingual church service, making worship and faith exploration inclusive and welcoming to everyone. This initiative grew into a vibrant weekly gathering, attracting a diverse congregation from various backgrounds. The multi-lingual service has now merged with the St Peter’s congregation, who have adapted their Sunday Morning Worship by offering live translation through an app and providing service booklets in multiple languages.
