St John Stone's Roman Catholic Parish Woodvale, Southport

For many years, the various churches of Christian denominations have been collaborating in the Ainsdale area of Merseyside, which includes our parishes of St John Stone and Sacred Heart.

Along with St John Stone’s, membership consists of the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, Church of England, United Reform Church and the Plymouth Brethren. All the churches play their full part in the well-organised programme drawn up each year. Sensitivities are respected and services rotate in the different centres.

The Fraternal (ministers only) meet monthly for lunch, meeting and prayer. They appoint a sub-committee to represent the ministers on the main committee, along with two lay representatives from each church, which meets every quarter. It is here that much of the organisation is done. The activities that they plan together are:

• A New year event
• Church Unity week services of prayer, each evening of the week in a different church.
• Lenten talks, under a general heading, each church having a session for which they are responsible.
• Easter Sunday Service on Ainsdale Beach.
• Christian Aid collection from door to door during Christian Aid Week
• A service in a tent during the Ainsdale Annual Horticultural Show
• A healing service
• Remembrance Sunday service
• Advent Services - a church service rotating each year and a Carol service for the combined schools of Ainsdale - for the past few years this has been held at St John Stone’s Church

At the Ainsdale Show on the first Saturday of July, the Churches Together had tent space, which they use for church promotion, craft events, etc. for children. The following Sunday they have an Ecumenical service in one of the big tents. This is a relatively recent addition and is still struggling to take root. It touches the delicate question of whether the people would forego their Sunday Church service (or Mass!) in order to take part, or simply attend both.

In January 2004 the Churches Together covenant was convened at a special service held at St John Stone’s were representatives of the participating churches signed a covenant.

We, the people of Christ’s Church holding to the Trinitarian faith, covenant together to advance the unity of Christ’s Church in Ainsdale. We thank God for the cooperation of recent years and, while acknowledging the need for greater unity in Christ, we pledge ourselves to develop further in the following ways:

1. While being sensitive to each other’s traditions, to continue to grow together in shared worship, fellowship and prayer.
2. To encourage each church to initiate or develop groups for Bible Study that will be open to members of all the covenanting churches.
3. To cooperate in public Christian witness and to find ways together of sharing our faith with others, where necessary seeking the help and support of Christian churches outside Ainsdale.
4. To cooperate fully in Christian work for people in need, as exemplified by the Ainsdale Care Scheme.
5. To share our vision and faith in outreach to others through the work of the churches Together in Ainsdale and through the Ainsdale Ministers’ Fellowship.
6. To exchange information about the activities of our churches with a view to increased collaboration in the shared use of buildings, equipment, personnel, training and leadership.
7. To review prayerfully our progress in achieving our objectives each year and to review the Covenant and Constitution within a period of five years in consultation with the Regional Sponsoring Body.

The Covenant was signed by a representative of each church and also by representatives of the regional sponsoring body, one of whom is the Archbishop of Liverpool, Patrick Kelly.

Over the years a genuine spirit of friendship and mutual respect has been built up, long may this continue to grow.