Pioneer Stories

Ocean Church is a pioneering venture that reimagines faith as an adventure. Situated along the Dorset coast, we embrace the outdoors—paddleboarding on rivers, hiking the southwest coastal path, and swimming in the sea—to encounter the divine in nature. This approach offers a fresh, embodied experience of spirituality, especially for those who may feel disconnected from traditional church settings.

Our activities include paddleboarding sessions with silent reflection, walking pilgrimages, and small group gatherings centered on themes like hope, faith, and adventure. We also manage a watersports library, providing affordable equipment access to make outdoor experiences inclusive. Additionally, we're developing resources, such as a "field guide," to empower others to join or replicate the Ocean Church model, fostering a network of adventurers living out their faith in creative ways.

The joy in this journey comes from witnessing individuals connect with God in new and profound ways, whether through the tranquility of waiting for a wave or the shared experience of a river paddle. However, challenges exist, including balancing creativity with practical concerns like safety, funding, and encouraging active participation.
What excites me most is the potential for Ocean Church to evolve into a broader movement, inspiring others to embark on their own spiritual adventures and cultivate a vibrant, adventurous faith community.

Ocean Church 2 How You Can Pray for Me:

Clarity and Vision: Seek wisdom as we discern the future steps for Ocean Church and how to best support and expand this movement.
Community Engagement: Pray for open hearts and opportunities to connect with those seeking unconventional expressions of faith.
Resources and Support: Ask for financial sustainability and for partners who resonate with our vision to join us.
Safety and Logistics: Pray for the well-being of participants during activities and effective planning for upcoming events.

For more information, please visit our website at oceanchurch.co.uk

Stow Missional Listener: Joy Dimond

Getting Connected Moreton and The Baptist Church building continues to develop as a community space.
The regular events, which have started since Missional Listening commenced, include a weekly drop in cafe, a foodbank, a dementia cafe, a venue for the WI and more recently a six week 'Getting Connected' course run by Gloucestershire Adult Education, (see pictures attached).
The aim of the course is to increase the confidence of the participants in using their digital devices to access services that they might otherwise not have access to. Increasingly services are on-line and we have a high proportion, (double the national average), of over 65's that are disadvantaged by this.
Following on from the success of the initial course another 6-week course will be starting in January.

Early 2025 will also see the start of a support group, in the Church Hall, for parents of children with Special Educational Needs.

Stow has been lacking in local support groups, by listening to the community needs and connecting locally we have met some of the needs. I am praying for more opportunities to arise.

The new year will welcome an opening up of the Church building to give more room for community events. We were granted planning permission to reimagine the sanctuary area and now have sufficient funds to begin the work, since moving here I have felt God saying that the church should be a welcoming place for the community of Stow. I look forward to seeing what He will bring as we make more room.

Getting Connected Moreton and As a (small) congregation we continue to meet once a month for a cafe style afternoon service in the Church Hall. We worship, pray and reflect together as a group. I am exploring the possibility of starting a ‘Walking Church’ one Sunday afternoon a month in the Spring.

Out in the community I continue to serve as a School Governor, a mentor in the school and more recently as a charity trustee to our local nursery school.
The school regularly visits the Church Building; pupils come to sing to visitors at the Dementia Cafe; they visit to see the Baptistry when learning about believers' baptism; they hold their annual Carol Concert at the Church with all the pupils and nursery school children, and also visit the Community Cafe from time to time.