Church community awarded major grant

It's to help increase the number of young people who attend church in Exeter

A grant of £1.3m has been awarded to a new student church community in Exeter.

The city has around 30,000 students, but research by the Diocese of Exeter revealed that only around 350 regularly attend some form of Christian worship.

The initiative will be based at St Matthew's Church, close to the university's St Luke's campus - and will open its doors in time for Freshers' Week in September. It aims to grow weekly attendance to more than 400 young people within five years, the majority of whom are unlikely to have attended church regularly in the past.

Reverend Ed Hodges and his wife Jess are leading the project. Both studied in the city. He said the church’s vision was to be “a beating heart for Exeter ...creating a sense of belonging and equipping people to lead extraordinary Christian lives.”

“Our aim is to reach a generation who might otherwise never come to church, and that means making church accessible and relevant and welcoming,” he said.

The Bishop of Exeter, Rt Rev’d Robert Atwell, said: “I am thrilled with the success of our bid to enhance our engagement with Exeter’s massive and burgeoning student community.

“We have an outstanding university in Exeter, which needs to be matched by vibrant and innovative Christian outreach to students as they search for meaning and purpose in their lives.

“The St Matthews project will complement the great work already being done by churches and other local organisations in Exeter.

“The new team will be working alongside them and I’m hugely excited.”

The grant from the Church of England’s Strategic Development Fund has been awarded to the Diocese of Exeter as part of its national Renewal and Reform programme, which aims to create a growing church for all people and for all places.