For the city: Renew Wellbeing Café in Sheffield

INSPIRED BY THE RENEW WELLBEING initiative, St Thomas Crookes (STC) in Sheffield has embraced the opportunity to create a welcoming, pressure-free space where individuals can find solace and companionship.

Alannah Barr is the Wellbeing and Pastoral lead for the church of St Thomas Crookes (STC) in Sheffield, an Anglican-Baptist partnership with a mission to be “For The City”.

The vicar, Rev Tom Finnemore, has been in post a few years now and is passionate about finding ways to serve the local community, to reach those who are lost, those who are broken, lonely or who feel on the edge.

“What would it be like to see our city flourishing?”

STC and Renew

Pastoral wellbeing is part of Alannah’s role, and her passion is to create a culture which is not just responsive to events, but positively proactive. “What are we doing,” she asks, “to help wellbeing?”

Attending a diocesan retreat a year ago, Alannah came across Ruth Rice, director of Renew Wellbeing, demonstrating what a Renew Wellbeing Café might be like. She found it inspirational, and when the Disability Project presented the opportunity for free training and support from Renew to set up a space, STC seized the chance with open arms.

A Renew Wellbeing afternoon offers a café-style space within the church where visitors will never feel any kind of hidden agenda or pressure. People can just turn up as they are, knowing it’s ok not to be ok, and to be their authentic selves. There’s contemplative prayer in the guided prayer space at the end of the session, which some join in with, and some don’t, as they choose.

STC is busy spreading the word to local GP surgeries. “We sent a flier with a cover letter, explaining who we are and what Renew is about, and how we’d be happy to work with them, to be somewhere they can point people”. They’ve also contacted a nearby funeral service. Because there are many situations where people might be hurting, grieving, anxiously waiting for medical care: a Renew centre could be the perfect place for them to come, share a quiet hobby, have refreshments, be in community with other people.

The first meeting

Alannah set up the first meeting for mid-November 2024 with some trepidation. What if no-one came? But she was encouraged by Ruth’s guidance that it often takes a while for momentum to get going, for word to spread, and for the local community and social prescribers to get to know this as a safe space. And even if no one comes, says Ruth, use the space for yourself, as a team, to care for your own wellbeing.

However, the team was delighted that even the very first meeting was attended by 3 visitors, including some church members and someone who had been walking past, seen a sandwich-board outside advertising the space, and just decided to pop in and see. That lady loved the session so much that she then came back every week, engaging positively with the sessions, and full of questions for the team, whether about life, retirement, their faith, or loneliness. She’s now even finding out more about getting involved with other weekday activities in church.

“I just saw it and I walked in,” she said.

Another lady came in to feed her young baby after dropping off her toddler at the nursery next door, rested a bit with a cup of tea and chatting with the team. “There is such a mix of people who come,” Alannah tells me. “It makes you think of the body of Christ, really.”

One lady who started attending decided to give the guided prayer a go for the first time one week. Her comment afterwards was an almost surprised, “That was really nice, I liked that!”

Starting in a winter’s month just before Christmas means that the Renew Space has been slow in growing in numbers, as people are reluctant to be out and about, and otherwise busy with the festive season. Despite this, there’s been a consistent attendance of 3 or 4 people each week, including new attendees every now and then.

As spring arrives, and with the new information going to the local doctors’ surgeries and other community groups, the team feel that word will spread and more of those who feel on the edge, or broken or lost, can find their way to enjoying this safe space. Alannah sees people practically breathe a sigh of relief as they come in.

Small beginnings

In Zechariah chapter 4, we hear the challenge, “Who dares despise the day of small things?”

In that context, Zerubabbel had done nothing more than lay the foundation of the new temple, a very small beginning. But the prophet Zechariah assures us,

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

The hope and prayer of the Renew Wellbeing team at STC is that this Wednesday afternoon space will become a haven, a shelter and support for the whole community.

Could your church host a Renew Wellbeing space? Find out more about being part of this amazing movement growing across the Church of England.