Vision Archives - St Stephens

5 June 2026

SANCTUARY, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Sanctuary in St Stephen’s and Norwich go back a long way, and the idea of places being a refuge goes right back to the time before the Israelites settled in the land of Canaan, when God spoke to them through Moses, telling them to designate certain cities as places of refuge. “These six cities shall be refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them…” Numbers 35:15

From the late twelfth century till 1623, felons were able to seek refuge in a church for up to forty days, at which point they had to either stand trial or leave the realm. If they chose the latter, they had to walk to the nearest port, wearing a simple white shift and carrying a cross – exiled, never to return. Churches continued to be places of sanctuary until Henry VIII sought to abolish the practice in 1540; however, eight towns were named where refuge could still be gained, and Norwich remained a city of sanctuary. During those times, St Stephen’s would have had many ‘felons’ living in the building, which rarely happens now….

Once again, Norwich is a City of Sanctuary and part of a national movement which seeks to build a culture of welcome for people seeking sanctuary, many of whom have lost their home, fled persecution, and now seek safety here. In recent times, there have been occasions when we have ‘housed’ a homeless person, and many of our café users find St Stephen’s a place to stop, feel safe, take a breath, and maybe meet friends or make new ones. The café was intended to offer sanctuary as well as refreshment. Looking to the future and ways to extend this work, we are applying to join the Norwich Sanctuary movement, which creates a network of charities working together to support refugees and asylum seekers. There is a faith stream that we would be part of, able to share ideas, learn from others, and work jointly.

Next, anyone who is interested in sharing ideas and experiences, we plan to have lunch together one Sunday. Date to be arranged. We would welcome your support!

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Matt 25v35

16 May 2026

VISION FOR GROWTH

I am excited to share with you some of what we talked about at the vision for growth meeting on Saturday morning.

Growth happens in many ways: it can be numerical, or about growing in maturity or even because of challenges and changes which stretch us. Nevertheless, healthy organisms grow, and when we remain in Christ, we bear fruit.

Our church has been through a season of significant transition over the last 18 months, and there is still more to come. Other people are yet to join the ministry team and we are making some significant changes, all with the purpose of strengthening and building our church community for mission.

So, what’s new?

Worship

We are delighted that Tracey Jones has joined us recently as our worship leader. She is in the process of building a team around strong values and a variety of expressions of worship and creativity.

Welcoming Sarah Clarke

Sarah Clarke, our curate, will be ordained on the 28^th of June, please pray for her, her husband Ian and daughter Ivy as they too transition into a new home, church and ministry.

10 am Sunday Service and a mid-week communion service

If you were able to be there for our joyous Easter celebration you will understand the desire and requests for us as a church to worship together in one service. We believe the time is right to make the move to a single Sunday morning service at 10am. Whether you have been part of the earlier or the later congregation until now – the truth is we need each other and we will be stronger united. This service will include Holy Communion on the 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of the month, and during all other weeks there will be a short midday, said communion service at 12.30pm on Mondays during café opening hours, with an open invitation to anyone who may like to join.

Home or House groups

Between now and September we will identify and train house group leaders – if you are interested to either lead or host a group, please come and see me. We can be flexible about format and content, but clear lines of accountability are important to ensure everyone is safe and can flourish. If you are already part of an existing group, you can nominate one from among you to become the designated house group leader. Only those groups with trained and commissioned leaders will be called St Stephen’s house groups. You can of course continue with any present arrangements of friendship groups, however they would exist independently of St Stephen’s.

Bible Course

While we get the new house groups organised, we will be running the Bible Society’s Bible Course for 8 weeks at St Stephen’s on Tuesday evenings, 7pm-8.30/9pm starting on 2^nd of June 2026. To take part please book a place via the church office. There is a voluntary contribution of £5 towards the course book. This is an excellent course, with opportunity to grow, learn, make friends and as a springboard for forming house groups in autumn.

Church of Sanctuary

Following the vision morning in September we have been steadily working towards becoming a community which welcomes the stranger. We are building relationships with other groups in the city, and the refurbishment of the library has meant that support and language groups are reaching out to us for support. We are also looking into the process of becoming officially a Church of Sanctuary, and we are dedicating a preaching series to this topic over the summer.

Changes can be uncomfortable, once familiar and valued routines are interrupted, friends have left, and it is indeed possible to feel like a stranger in a church that once felt like home. If this is your experience, please be encouraged. The feeling will pass, and the church will become a familiar place again, but more than that, it will equip each one of us to understand strangers better when God brings them to us.

When we love God all these changes can work together for good, so that the St Stephen’s church community can be a powerful, prophetic sign in our increasingly divided and polarised world by keeping our doors, hands and hearts wide open to any who are in need of welcome and long to find a home, by being unified in love rather than seeking agreement, and by displaying God’s manifold wisdom to the world together.