Stories from Our Churches – Faith in Action, Communities Together
At the heart of Mersey Synod are our churches, each with its own unique story, united by a shared commitment to faith, compassion and serving others.
Across our communities, faith is lived out in countless ways. From supporting those facing difficult times and creating welcoming spaces for friendship and fellowship, to celebrating life's special moments and bringing people together, our churches continue to share God's love through everyday actions.
Stories from Our Churches offers a glimpse into the life of our congregations, celebrating the people, experiences and acts of kindness that reflect Christian faith in action.
These stories remind us that church is more than a building or a Sunday service. It is about belonging, building relationships, offering hope and making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Through faith, friendship and service, our churches continue to create places where everyone can feel welcomed, valued and connected.
05/09/2026
Port Sunlights Teddy Bears Picnic The Teddy Bears’ Picnic was a wonderful opportunity for children, families and the wider community to come together for a relaxed and enjoyable day of fun, friendship and fellowship.
Families were invited to bring along their favourite teddy bears and enjoy time together, with activities designed to help children and adults connect with one another in a friendly and welcoming environment. Events such as the Teddy Bears’ Picnic are an important part of the Church’s presence within its local community, creating accessible opportunities for families to engage with the church and build relationships with others.
20/09/2026
Port Sunlight Founders DayChrist Church recently celebrated Founder’s Day, continuing a tradition that began following the death of Lord Leverhulme in 1925. The annual service remembers William Hesketh Lever, who founded Port Sunlight in 1888 with a vision of creating a community where people and families could flourish.
This year’s service reflected on that legacy through the lens of living faith – recognising that faith is not only something we practise in church, but something we demonstrate through community, compassion and service to others.
03/10/2026
Ladies Day at St Davids Eastham ChurchOn Saturday 3rd October, St David’s Church in Eastham hosted Ladies Day 2026, bringing women together for a day of praise, worship and fellowship.
This year's theme, ‘Seasons of Faith’, offered an opportunity to reflect on our individual faith journeys, celebrate God's presence through life's changing seasons and enjoy time together in a welcoming and supportive environment.
The event also encouraged generosity, with attendees invited to bring donations for the local Foodbank, helping to support those in need within the community.
A wonderful opportunity to come together in faith, friendship and worship, reminding us of the importance of supporting one another throughout every season of life.
03/08/2026
Bethesda Church Groundbreaking CeremonyAfter six years in the making, Bethesda Church in Runcorn celebrated the ground-breaking ceremony for its new church building.
As part of this significant moment, a Bible was placed within the foundations of the new building, symbolizing God’s Word being at the very foundation of the church and everything that will take place there.
For the congregation, the ceremony marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter after years of planning, prayer and perseverance, and was a powerful reminder of faith, patience and God’s timing.
12/09/2026
Elmswood Church Community Clean UpMembers of Emmanuel Church recently took their faith out into the community with a local litter-picking day, helping to care for and improve the area around them.
It was a simple but meaningful example of Living Faith in action – giving time, working together and showing care for both our neighbours and the environment we share. Small acts of service can make a real difference and are a wonderful way of putting faith into practice.
01/09/2026
Emmanuel Church Community GardenAt Emmanuel Church, the opening of the new community garden celebrated a space created for the whole community. A place to grow vegetables, meet others, share skills and support wellbeing, the garden is a reminder that faith can flourish when we invest in both people and the places we share.
From building a church, to sharing a picnic, to planting a garden, Living Faith can take many forms. Each of these stories reminds us that our faith is not confined to our church buildings – it is lived through our relationships, our hospitality and the ways we serve and care for the communities around us.
Community in Action: From Knitting for Ukraine to Fun and Friendship at Home
At Macclesfield & Bollington URC, the church family has been busy spreading joy both near and far through two heartwarming initiatives.
Fellowship, fun, and faith under the sun for St David’s URC Eastham
This summer, members and friends of St David’s United Reformed Church, Eastham came together for their much-loved annual Church Family Camp, a week filled with fellowship, fun, and faith under the sun.
URC Vicars Cross Marks 60 Years at the Heart of the Community
The United Reformed Church in Vicars Cross recently celebrated a major milestone, marking 60 years since its founding in the community. On the weekend of 28th–29th June, 2025, the church opened its doors and gardens to welcome the entire Vicars Cross community. The celebrations showcased the many ways in which God has been at work in the life of the church over the past six decades. The Lord Mayor of Chester, Clir Sherin Akhtar and Clir Elizabeth MacGlashen also attended along with local Parish Councillors.
Wings of the Sky: A Sanctuary Seeking Initiative by The Plum Project
The Plum Project, an initiative of the Uniting Church in Garden Lane, played a vital role in Wings of the Sky, a creative arts production rooted in the Sanctuary Seeking movement. The project was designed to involve local people seeking sanctuary through participatory arts and culminated in a moving performance at Chester Cathedral as a prelude to Refugee Week. Funding for Plum’s contribution to Wings of the Sky came from a combination of sources: Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWACC), the Mersey Synod Mission Grant, and individual donations.
An opportunity for us to share God’s word: Christ Church Haydock’s Junior Youth Club’s Synod Mission Grant
Christ Church Haydock URC’s Junior Youth Club is open to all primary school age children in the community and is growing by the week with nearly 70 members. Children start off by listening to a short talk based around God’s word before choosing from a range of activities: football, table tennis, board games or crafts. Throughout the year, the Church also holds a number of ‘family night’ events which again provide the opportunity for to share God’s word, not only with the children, but with their parents too.
Seacombe URC’s Mission to be a social and spiritual hub within the community
Seacombe URC has always been there for its community and is now rebuilding and redeveloping to continue meeting the needs of its neighbours. The old church building is being repurposed into a multi-functional building suitable for use as a community resource as well as a worshipping church. It is hoped to be completed in 2026 and has been assisted with funding from Mersey Synod Large Project Scheme. But why and how did the church come to develop this project? What does it mean for the community in Seacombe – spiritually and socially?
Serpentine Road Family Church responds to ‘need by loving service’ with Synod Mission Fund Grant
Sometimes it is the simple changes that can make a difference to mission. This is proven through Serpentine Road Family Church’s use of a Synod Mission Fund Grant to purchase new tables and chairs. This assisted the Church in providing a comfortable and presentable offering for the many groups that use their facilities.
Synod Mission Fund brings more people into St Andrew's URC Meols
St Andrew's URC Meols has made use of the Synod Mission Fund to host successful events bringing more people into the church.
St. David’s URC Eastham deliver Ecumenical Day of creative Worship and Praise using Synod Mission Grant
Ladies Day at St. David’s URC Eastham brought in women at all stages of Christian faith to a day of creative worship where they could relax, enjoy and participate in each other’s company. They left with a renewed sense of love, hope and mission as they shared the Good News with others, responding to human need by loving service. A day of creative worship and praise.
Chester Road URC creates Community Garden for Missional Opportunities
Chester Road URC has created a church community garden, with missional opportunities including connecting people to the church and providing outreach to the wider community in Whitby, Ellesmere Port. The Church used a Synod Mission Grant to purchase materials and tools and to cover some ongoing costs once the garden is established.
Snapshots Holiday Club at Allerton URC shares the message of God’s love
‘Snapshots’ Holiday Club, which took place at Allerton URC this summer using a Synod Mission Grant, proved to be a successful demonstration of church love at its best, with so many people giving their time freely to make it happen and doing so with such goodwill. Fifty children took part across the week.
Fun and Friendship Day at Macclesfield & Bollington URC
A Fun and Friendship Day, recently held at Macclesfield & Bollington URC and supported by a Mersey Synod Mission Grant, met mission outcomes and proved a successful and busy event. Mission outcomes included “Tending” and “Teaching”, as many non- members of the church experienced God’s liberating love outside of a church service.
Talking Faith with Young People: Ramsey Methodist and URC use Mission Fund for School and Community Projects
A Mersey Synod Mission Fund Small Grant for Ramsey Methodist and United Reformed Church (RMURC), with Scripture Union Ministries Trust (SUMT) is helping young people to understand that faith is within their reach.
Warm Welcome Hub Supporting the Community at Elmwood Avenue URC
A Warm Space has helped to unite the community at Elmwood Avenue URC, reducing isolation and bringing people together for conversation and activities.
Plum Project gets creative with children’s holiday club at Uniting Church in Garden Lane
The Uniting Church in Garden Lane recently ran a creative After School Club during Lent through its Plum Project with twenty children from Bluecoat CE Primary School. They created a song and performance based on the theme of ‘Hope’.
Mission Grant for Malpas Community Church looks at Alternative Forms of Worship
Malpas Community Church used a recent Synod Mission Grant to set up and run alternative forms of worship. This included Café Church, Folk and Food, Christmas themed music sessions and a Lent Celebration – which featured pancakes, preaching and music.
Allerton URC goes Wild with Synod Mission Fund
A holiday club for 5 – 11 year-olds proved so successful for Allerton URC last year using a Small Mission Grant from Synod, that it is running again this summer (2024). Up to forty children attended daily. The title of the club reflected the ecological themes of the week, with a different theme each day.
Christ Church Haydock URC use grant to share God’s message through Messy Church
Christ Church Haydock URC has received a Mersey Synod Mission Fund Small grant to share God’s message through their Messy Church group. The church opens this to all families from the local community (primarily non-church families) to come along, spend quality time with each other doing crafts and activities, eating hot food together whilst listening to the Word of God. All of the sessions are based on a gospel theme.
Caradoc mission grant serves Seaforth through community choir development
Caradoc Mission Community Church has been awarded a £2,500 mission grant for their community choir.
Leading your Church into Growth
At Mersey URC, we think Leading your Church into Growth is perfect for our churches.