I often walk past a rather sad-looking church building in London. It’s on a prominent corner with lots of passers-by. But the stone-work is grimy and the notice-board never changes. I’ve never seen anybody at all go in or out.

Recently, last time I passed it, there’s been a large bright new plastic banner above the notice-board, saying: ‘Sunday School this Sunday at 10:00am’, and, even better, a picture of an excited child.

This year I believe that God is calling us to focus on the children and young people's work of our diocese, and to plan boldly.

It continues to concern me that in some parishes I visit the young are so few. This should not be.

‘Let the children come unto me,’ said the Lord, and England needs its young people to be brought up to know Jesus and his love. 

We may be a post-Christian society but equally we are a post-atheist society. Religion of all sorts is everywhere. Church schools have never been more popular. Uniformed organisations like Scouts and Guides, and Boys and Girls Brigades meet a crucial need. Parents long for their children to be brought up with right values and good foundations for life.

Last year, for the first time, the diocese organised a Christian tent at the V Festival - a large rock festival near Telford. And we were amazed at the hundreds of young people who wanted to come in and try different ways of praying and to ask deep questions about faith and about God.
I believe the rather neglected-looking church building that I mentioned at the start will attract young parents and their children with its bright new banner. The question for the elderly congregation inside is: ‘Will they come again?’

A young woman told me how on moving to a new area away from this diocese she started prospecting for a church for a christening. She tried five different churches and nobody spoke to her in any of them; nobody helped her with the heavy buggy up and down the steps; crucially there was no crèche in any of these five churches and no sermon that she thought would interest her young husband.

So there is work for us all to do if we claim to be the Church for England! 

How do we respond when strangers appear? How welcome do we make people feel? 

When God welcomes us he does it with open arms and accepts us as we are. When we welcome new people do we welcome them as they are or do we expect them first to become like us?

Is that screaming child at the back of church a nuisance or a blessing? 

As a diocese, we are going to be considering what kind of central support we should be giving to the parishes and their youth work over the next few years. Our schools and specially our church schools will of course play a central part in this. But interesting strategic questions face us.

Do we, for instance, need a youth and children's missioner working across the diocese? Or should we appoint a youth officer and trainer for each Area. Or should we ask gifted people to start youth congregations in different places and use them to inspire and train others?

It is great news, for instance, that West Bromwich Deanery are advertising such a post this very week.
I’d be grateful for some concerted prayer, perhaps on Ash Wednesday again.

It was really good to see so many churches responding to the challenge to organise concerted prayer for growth last Ash Wednesday. For instance, a church in the Staffordshire Moorlands kept their building open all day with a rota of people offering a continuous chain of prayer.

I hope that PCCs everywhere will pray and think about what steps to take to fill our churches with children again, to disciple children in the community through midweek activities and worship and to reconnect the young people of England with Jesus Christ and with his Gospel which first formed our nation.