Bless Greystones

George Bingham-Davis

Whether it’s making well-being parcels for local schools, or litter-picking on local streets, the congregation at St Gabriel’s church in Greystones are truly blessing their community. We went to get the story behind their most recent programme, appropriately named ‘Bless Greystones’.

It was a busy Sunday morning when I arrived at St Gabriel’s. The church regulars are ready and waiting. Families chat excitedly, itching to get started. The organising team have clipboards in hand. The team here are all part of the Bless Greystones initiative, a plan to renew love, hope and faith in the community. Fueled by the love and hope that Jesus gives, the church family are serving Greystones in practical ways, by helping out wherever they can.

“The whole thing started because we saw how people were being affected by Covid,” church leader Alistair told us. “Even just coming out of lockdown, we knew that people had been hit hard by the isolation. People needed to know that they were not alone, and you can’t just expect people to know they can come to church for that, you’ve got to be prepared to go out to show them that they are loved.”

So the motivation is simple and clear, but the name, Alistair informed us, was just as important when it came to sending the right message.

“When coming up with a name for this scheme, we chose to use the word ‘Bless’ over other relevant words like ‘love’ or hope’. Those were implicit in our message, but we felt that ‘bless’ was the key word because it tied back to God’s message to Abraham: ‘I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.’ (Genesis, 12:2, NIV)”

Abraham was invited to have faith in God and “be a blessing” in a time of strife, and now St Gabriel’s hopes to do the same for Greystones, sharing God’s blessing through their love for their community.

Alongside the family - and school staff - care packages they prepared back in January, Bless Greystones have been collaborating with many organisations around Greystones, Alistair tells me.

“We’ve been helping to support a number of local groups and practices, like Greystones Medical Centre and Bingham Park Community Group. We’ve sent out volunteers to help with things like delivering supplies to vulnerable people, gardening, and putting on Covid-safe outdoor events for young families,” adds Alistair’s wife Catherine, who coordinates Bless Greystones.

I’m chatting with her while she hands a young family hot chocolates in Bingham Park after a morning of litter-picking. “The seeds we’re hoping to sow are to let the community know that we - and through us God - are there for them.”

Bless Greystones’ efforts have certainly been paying off. Many of the people we spoke to were newcomers to St Gabriel’s, who had joined the church since the easing of lockdown. “We’ve really loved what Bless Greystones is doing.” One of the new additions told us. “We came as a family, because we wanted our kids to see what mission can look like in your community, you know? It’s not necessarily something you have to go to another country half-way across the world to do: it happens everywhere.”

And it’s not just new faces that Bless Greystone and St Gabriel’s are welcoming in. They’ve recently been nominated for a national award!

Ecclesiastical Insurance’s ‘Good News’ competition celebrates stories of hope and ingenuity in trying times. This contest promotes and celebrates the efforts that churches have made to serve their communities, and the entry from Bless Greystones took the regional title for the North. This won them a grant of £1,500 to spend on further community projects, and qualifies them for the national competition, at which an additional £6,000 grant is on offer. 

Bless Greystones are by no means resting on their laurels, though, and new community projects are frequently being planned. “A member of our congregation recently set up a ‘Cuppa and Cake’ event for people living alone or seeking company and new friendships. This event runs every Friday from 2-3pm in our church hall, and is a great opportunity for anyone who struggles with loneliness or just needs a listening ear. We’re also exploring the idea of a community zero-waste shop.”

Catherine tells us “We’ve set no boundaries for what we’re willing to do for our community. More than anything, we want people to experience the transforming love of Jesus and come to know him. So as long as we continue to show that love in action to those around us, the sky’s the limit really!”