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September 28th 2010 Thousand attend 'Back to Church Sunday' as Archbishop preaches: 'Come and see'The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams visited two churches near Ashford on Sunday to celebrate 'Back to Church Sunday', a national campaign led by the Church of England, which encourages church members to offer a personal invitation to a friend. During the service at St Mary's Church, Great Chart, the Archbishop urged people to: "Come and see and have your eyes opened to the love of God". Dr Williams also called on people to change their heart and vision and "do that little bit more to make a difference in the world". He said: "Learn to see people differently and maybe we will be a little less likely to pass by on the other side. Maybe we will be opened up that little bit more to making a difference in the world. That's what God wants of us." After the service at Great Chart, the Archbishop also preached at St Mary's Singleton, a church which serves a new estate in South West of Ashford. In the lead up to 'Back to Church Sunday', as well as receiving personal invitations, people in Kent were invited back to church through a radio advertising campaign that ran on Heart FM. The Bishop of Dover, The Right Reverend Trevor Willmott also personally invited people to church when he took to the streets of Margate on Monday 20th and handed out sticks of rock that said 'come back to church'. Over 220 parishes in Kent took part in Back to Church Sunday and early indications suggest around 2,000 additional people came back to church on Sunday. Ends Photos attached show: The Archbishop's sermon at Great Chart St Mary's can be heard: http://www.box.net/shared/3t929hma7b Further info from: |