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evident from people’s feedback during his church visits, each
congregation also recognised different aspects and connections

they can build on to engage with local children, young people and
families.

During discussions, a lot of conversations were initially focused on
what was taking place on a Sunday morning. After reflecting on the
purpose of the Church and how that should be expressed,
people’s discussions shifted to considering the time and energy
that was put in throughout the week, with less emphasis on a
Sunday service. Since each congregation’s setting is different, any
suggested action points related to the congregation’s particular
context.

By the end of the morning two themes arose in how The Wave
could support local congregations. One was to help congregations
develop existing connections with groups of children and young
people that are linked to a congregation’s premises. The second
was to help shape people’s understanding of youth culture and the
challenges young people face so that they can have a more
informed perception of young people, and therefore are better able
to connect with them.

For more information and regular updates on what The Wave does
within the local community, please contact Berno at
berno@waveministry.ork.uk. Berno produces a monthly prayer
letter of the work The Wave does and what people can pray for.
The Wave will also be hosting an event on 14 October and is open
to anyone interested in how we can address the current situation
regarding the diminishing numbers of children, young people and
families in our congregations..

The Wave is an ecumenical project that developed out of Churches
Together Swanage and has been in operation since January 2015 to
engage with children and young people in the Swanage area. As an
ecumenical project, activities take place during the week apart from
Sundays. Local congregations and denominations make a variety of
contributions towards the project including financial support, use of
facilities and staff. Two Youth Ministers (Berno Vierbergen and Richard
Docherty) are seconded to The Wave and a Schools Worker
(Hannah Fenton-Lane) is employed by The Wave.

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