Whitburn

Whitburn has a small faithful congregation that is friendly, caring and welcoming but attendance at worship is usually limited to less than 20. Sunday morning worship is generally traditional in format but we hold a cafe style service once a month. As part of a 3 church section the congregation takes an active part in monthly shared services as well as the quarterly circuit services.

A midweek monthly communion service is held that unites 2 of our local churches. The Boys' Brigade company is our outreach to boys in the area.

Service to our community involves hosting and helping a monthly ecumenical lunch club plus supporting both the local Food Bank and the Marsden school 'Holiday Hunger' project. We also host

and help the Happy Hub project run by South Tyneside Churches Together which aims to meet the needs of the housebound elderly.

It has been our tradition for many years to hold open air services both on Good Friday and on Remembrance Sunday which involve the whole community. During advent, we organise a local 'sheep trail quiz' and follow the knitted 'Mary & Joseph' as they progress around the local shops.

Another ecumenical outreach project is using the Bible Society's 'Open the Book' where we dramatise Bible stories to the children of our 2 local primary schools. In return the schools take the opportunity to visit the church to learn about the life of the church and the physical features of the building, as part of their school curriculum.

Looking to the future, we would like to plan a reflective away day within the section, plus expect to continue holding occasional coffee mornings aimed at supporting local and national charities. We also recognise the need to engage more fully with the local community in new and different ways.