Sheringham Lighthouse Church has expanded its work in the community by developing close partnerships with a whole range of organisations.
Here at Cinnamon, we love funding great projects through our Micro-Grants, but we also love to provide ideas, resources and connections to help churches shape their initiatives.
As Ian Savory, Senior Pastor at Lighthouse Church Sheringham explains, “They helped us in the project planning and funding applications for CAP Life Skills as part of the Sheringham Shed project.”
The church of 135 adults, runs a whole range of activities from creative prayer spaces and pastoral work in schools to a community café and football team. In the last 12 months they’ve added a CAP Life Skills and Hope into Action to their list of community engagement projects.
Partnership in practice
What we love about initiatives like those being run by Lighthouse Church Sheringham is the way they wor closely with other organisations and local services to maximise their impact. During COVID, the church partnered with the local authority to provide packed lunches for school children, and individuals in need of emergency support.
“It was good to show how civic and church sectors can work together,” says Ian. “We also supported emergency needs particularly in rural areas that are often hidden communities.”
Addressing future challenges
In the next year, the church anticipates that they will be supporting around 1,180 individuals through their various initiatives, but they recognise there are fresh challenges on the horizon. The church is already responding with its CAP Life Skills course, but they want to do more.
“We will be looking at projects that address the issue of food and fuel poverty along with increasing debt,” explains Ian. Plans are already underway to develop wasteland near the church into a space for growing food as a means not only to feed the community but to boost well-being too.
Ongoing support
Of course, the church won’t be alone. As Ian says, “We appreciate the connections, ideas, and support that Cinnamon brings to our work with the local community. We will be looking at Cinnamon Recommended Projects and looking across the community of churches involved with Cinnamon for ideas and shared learning.”
It’s been a pleasure to journey with Sheringham Lighthouse Church this far and we can’t wait to see their ongoing development.
Kate Sharma
Kate has spent her career working in communications for a variety of UK and international charities. With a passion for words, Kate also contributes blogs, article and content for publications across the UK and beyond.
