The 95 percenters!

such as sports centres and town halls for meetings and parties, but for the rest of the country, a Church building is often the main community centre.

One example is Wycliffe Church in east Reading. Their weekly diary is packed with everything from ‘chairobics’ (aerobics on a chair… obviously) to mens’ lunch clubs to the Boys’ Brigade. Every day there’s four or five groups, clubs, and events being run.

Or take Lower Earley Church. While being a smaller congregation, they have daily prayer meetings and ‘small group’ sessions, with ladies evenings and toddler groups regularly – all open to the public.

Sixty per cent of young people (church-goers and non) say that community with other young people is “extremely important”.

Young people often don’t have safe community facilities available, aside from their local church building, where they can feel protected and confident. They value the opportunity to meet with others their own age: 58% say that small group settings give “them advice from individuals with similar experiences”.

Young parents and families also value the youth clubs, messy activities, and trips away that churches can run, as they involve cheap, but reliable, entertainment and friendship for both parents and children.

A lot is made over the elderly in their cold houses, with nothing to do, but churches have more for the elderly than any other age group: almost all churches will have a coffee morning, and most will run or host social events and outings for retired folk, who can socialise with friends and try different experiences.

And why do they organise all this stuff for such a range of ages? They believe that Jesus loves us all, no matter who we are, or where we come from. So they try to extend that love to their local community for free.

They want us to be able to eat, talk, travel, listen, and meet with those around us, brought together because God believes in having fun. I would go so far to say now that the Church is the community.