Our Biggest Year
In 2020 we planted a small Mustard Seed that just keeps on growing!
The parable of the mustard seed inspires us that even from very small beginnings, something amazing can grow!
"It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
Mark 4:31-32 NRSV
When we planted this small Mustard Seed in 2020, we had no idea what would grow. We began to invite people from our Low-Income Communities to come together in local learning communities, a place to grow in faith and in confidence for mission. Five years later, over 170 people have joined the Stepping Up programme and 2025 is our biggest year yet, with 46 people starting their Stepping Up journey. Like the parable of the Mustard Seed, the programme has grown from a tiny seed into a 'large tree' where many people from our Low-Income Communities have found a place to grow. People are discovering that God is calling them to serve in mission and they are doing things they never imagined possible.
At the end of the Stepping Up year people are stepping up in mission in their local communities. They are using their gifts, skills and experiences to work with others to ‘build nests’, using local resources to create spaces where people from the local community can find a place to belong. Building with local people and resources means these spaces are authentic to the local community. These ‘nests’ come in all shapes and sizes: toddler groups, community cafes, food pantries, youth groups, family activities, warm spaces, bereavement cafes, homeless meals and groups for people with different learning abilities. You can find out more about how all of this Mustard Seed mission is growing through the stories page of our website.