St Euny

Bells historic building, open light, camaraderie

Star points: Carn Brea brings us all closer to God. The people and the animals mean that we are living in God’s earth. The great flat lode offers great walking and cycling opportunities and is within walking distance of the Rectory.

What makes St. Euny distinctive: The sacred space dedicated to the message of Christ was established by Saint Euny in the sixth century. This ancient parish church of Redruth is still here today, and is open to all. Since the shift of population during the mining boom of the 1800s, the church finds itself situated on the edge of the main town and there is a rural feel about it. This can convey a somewhat sleepy air, which disguises the past of having been at the centre of enormous industrial activity, innovation, development and change. The church has adapted to change and remains as a gateway to the exploration of what it means to be close to God as we continue to grow our congregation. This church, being on the edge, goes out of its way to offer a welcome to those who find themselves also ‘on the edge’ in whatever way that represents itself, and we never forget that as we grow in faith we are all on the edge of something wonderful. With this in mind we work towards living God’s abundant life in a responsive and people led fashion. This approach would appear to be bearing fruit as we welcome a variety of new people to the church during our Wednesday Open Café afternoons, in a no strings offer of tea, cake, laughter and conversation. Our patient approach towards this activity has seen members exploring their own attitudes to faith at their own pace, and there is a happy blend of people who have been part of the weekly worshipping community alongside those who only come along for the fellowship. With faith and hope we aspire to offer love and friendship to all who come here, and to demonstrate the care of Christ in our lives. We truly feel that God is working in this place, and that our growing range of activities provide support and succour for the people of this parish, as well as the many visitors that we welcome every year as they explore the mining heritage of this area. 

We are blessed with a beautiful building which lends itself to community activity. There are shortcomings (limited car parking, no separate church hall), but the interior space is flexible and friendly. People are drawn to this place for quiet and reflection, and we are a popular venue for celebrating marriage and baptisms, as well as funerals, often reflecting long held family association with this place. Many of the people who come here are not comfortable with the routines of traditional worship, so our church community is actually higher than the electoral roll of 31 might lead one to believe. We have a Sunday service of Holy communion at 11.15am on the first Sunday of each month, and a lay led service of the word at 11.15am on the second Sunday. The third Sunday sees an alternative service of Holy communion at 11.15am, and we are the only church in the benefice to offer a Sung Evensong at 6pm every fourth Sunday. With the benefit of having an active Licensed Reader as part of our congregation, as well as a local worship leader/Godly play leader, we are able to offer thoughtful lay led services as well as the traditional.

The Tudor bell tower has a ring of eight bells, and is unique to the benefice. It is managed by members of the bellringing community.  We regularly welcome visiting groups of ringers to ring quarter, half, and full peals. There will be need for fundraising towards the ongoing needs of the belltower in the next few years.  Our mining heritage attracts several interest groups to visit us for guided tours (e.g. Methodist pilgrimages and local history groups). We continue to hold social activities that reach out. Our Christmas tree festival, wreath making, and craft afternoons were popular, and we are pleased to welcome the Cornish speaking community for their annual service each new year. Our annual St. Euny feast, Easter craft, Summer BBQ and Mining Festival are all part of the church year, along with a Pet service and Harvest supper, and we are pleased that these events are supported by the whole benefice. We are also providing space for whole benefice growth, hosting Bible study, Alpha course and Confirmation classes, and we are open to other events as the spirit leads us.  The church is open daily throughout the summer months and is a participant int the ‘Celtic quiet spaces’ initiative. We would like to introduce a wild church in the future as this is something that the beautiful churchyard would really lend itself to.

Here are some comments from people when asked ‘what do you like about St. Euny Church‘:

Friendly ,  inclusive,  welcoming, so helpful, interesting people, friendship,  peaceful and special, and surrounded by nature.  We love the drama in services (particularly the pyrotechnics before Palm Sunday!), it’s great that animals are included. It’s so nice to see a person like us.  Like Jesus said, you love one another as he loved you.

St Euny – Redruth

§  Open Café

§  Christmas tree festival (with St Andrews),

§  wreath making,

§  craft afternoons

§  Annual Cornish Language service

§  Host to Methodist pilgrimages and local history groups

§  St. Euny feast,

§  Easter craft,

§  Summer BBQ and

§  Mining Festival

 Open
Café was launched in September 2017. The initial idea was to attract people
from the local area who stated a love and affiliation for St. Euny, yet would
never choose to visit.

A
week day was chosen to fit in with an outreach worker who was employed by us
for a short time. 

The
beginning of the project was largely supported by one group of friends of the
then churchwarden, who did not fit the demographic,  yet who enthusiastically
grasped the idea of forming a ukulele group, while a smaller group of more
vulnerable people embraced adult colouring and crafts.

Over
time it became clear that the two groups were not a comfortable fit inside the
church building,  and the departure of the outreach worker led to the
ukulele group finding a more suitable home elsewhere with their new tutor.

Six
months later, we went into lock down.  

As
soon as restrictions allowed,  we reopened Open Cafe as a support group
for vulnerable people who were at risk of isolation,  and the decision was
made to combine the day in which we held our weekly service of Holy Communion
with the Open Café. So we settled into the current Wednesday routine of 1.30pm
HC, followed immediately by OC. We have been fortunate to have the continuity
offered by Father Peter Fellows being our regular officiant. 

Since
that time, we have seen an extraordinary growth.  It would seem that since
lockdown there has been a shifting of attitudes,  both of the traditional
Sunday congregation and the communities within the five churches, who have all
been willing to embrace the ethos of friendliness and plenty of tea. Where once
there were unspoken church boundaries,  now there are new bonds being
formed. 

We
don’t charge, yet contributions mean that the OC pays for itself now. 

We
regularly welcome around 14 people to the HC service,  then over 20 people
will stay for the rest of the afternoon.  And a group of leaders are
emerging who are enabling the group to run independently.  

Some
people have been encouraged to join through having been bereaved,  and we
have a group of around 5 or 6 men who have naturally gravitated towards each
other. There is a recognition within the community that the church is open, and
many people will know that they can pop in and ask questions and look
around. 

We
include the group members in preparation for church events, with an open
invitation for everything that we do, but no sense of pressure, and people who
attend the Open Cafe these days, are very aware that they are in a church
setting and are receptive of that, which has created some meaningful
conversations and a willingness from some people to explore their own
faith. 

The
clergy do pop in and out, and their presence is very welcome and important, 
but it is very much a community led project, rather than relying on one
charismatic leader, which lessens the chance of the group developing an
emotional reliance on one person which is not sustainable. 

We
now have an eclectic blend of church community members, alongside people who
only attend Open Cafe, and a growing number of people from the local area, who
were the people at whom the cafe was first aimed.

We
try to listen to the needs of the people who attend and react sensitively and
responsively.

On a
personal level my involvement in setting up, running,  and adapting the
Open Café over the past six years has directly influenced my own growth on a
personal and spiritual level. I have worked with a number of people who have
had differing advice and input into how the group is run and what it is that we
offer. 

At
first, I found it difficult to voice my own views and opinions, but as my
confidence has grown, I have been pleased to build up a small core of leaders
who share my instinct to create a Christ led community group who are mutually
supportive, respectful and friendly towards each other. Together,  we have
understood what is required to maintain a project, how not to be afraid to let
things go, and to have patience and faith when sometimes it has seemed that we
didn’t seem to know where we were going. 

From
September I will no longer be attending on a regular basis as I change my
priorities towards my pioneering training,  and it is important to enable
the leadership team to run the
group successfully without reliance on my experience. 

We
aim to be responsive and listen to the needs of individuals.  Which seems
to be a well-received strategy which builds up trust and a sense of community
ownership. 

Looking
to the future,  it seems to be time to start asking the group what else
they might want to do, and to grow that sense of ownership in a way that puts
the responsibility of running any further projects within themselves. 
However,  it will always be borne in mind that this is a
church outreach project,  and any potential leaders will be encouraged to
adhere to the ethos of the Church and will look towards church leaders for
support and guidance in any new projects.