New Lubbesthorpe is a housing and community development being built in West Leicester.  Sue Steer is the Pioneer Community Worker for the development, appointed by Churches Together in Leicester and Leicestershire.

Email from Sue Steer July 2021

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well and enjoying the sun?   Attached is an Annual Review of Lubbesthorpe Alive and the work we have done over the past 15 months of our new existence as a not-for-profit community interest company.   It's a publication aimed at all the residents who live here along with the many partners we work with.   As it is not aimed at churches, it doesn't include prayer pointers so I'd thought I would update you a little further on our face based activities and ask you to pray into specifics.

Our Heart & Soul Christian Community has remained steady throughout Covid meeting via Zoom and recently returning to The Hub where we have had others join us.   Since Christmas we have spent time working through a book called Followers of The Way by Ray Simpson as a basis for deciding what our values are and what our purpose is here in Lubbesthorpe.   This has really come to fruition as we have begun to meet back together face to face and I would ask you to pray as we discern a way forward.  Questions like' what is church' and 'how do we share our faith with our neighbours in this multi-cultural and multi-faith setting' are pertinent for us at the moment.  Being an ecumenical set up this is not without its challenges but they are not insurmountable.

Mossy Church has met on and off throughout the pandemic and as things have opened up we are beginning to find a rhythm once again.  Some can't wait to be back, others are busy seeing friends and family, new families are finding us.  It feels quite fragile as a group but we have recognised not to be too worried about this as people begin to return  to something like 'normal'.  Giving space to people to work out their path is important at the moment I feel.

My contract finishes with Churches Together next year in August  (6 years!), we are developing other income streams to continue the work so I hope to continue under the employment of Lubbesthorpe Alive.   Pioneering work is slow (especially when you start and no-one lives where you are pioneering!) and generally takes 7 -10 years to ensure it is long term sustainable and you can pass it onto a successor.  I feel we are on track for that and we have employed a Community Organiser via Lubbesthorpe Alive, funded by the Developer, who is picking up the general community development work, this is freeing me up to develop the Community Ministry side.  Over the next year we will see the village square being built which will include the Doctors Surgery and a care home so we hope our success with partnering with other local organisations will flow into working with new ones.  Please pray for this transitional period over the next year.

Thank you all for your ongoing support and prayers.   God bless you in your own journeys of faith and I do hope you will find some rest during this holiday period.  

Please feel free to forward this on to anyone who might be interested.

Grace and peace,

Rev Sue Steer
Pioneer Community Worker
Lubbesthorpe Alive CIC in association with Churches Together in Leicestershire
Tel 07847 362965

www.lubbesthorpealive.org.uk

Our newsletter: A look back at what has been happening, a look forward at what is to come and an opportunity to pray and give thanks.

Annual Review 2020-2021

Pioneering through Prayer in Lubbesthorpe August 2019 (pdf)

Pioneering and Praying in Lubbesthorpe January 2018 (pdf)

Pioneering and Praying in Lubbesthorpe 18th May edition (pdf)

If you want to follow this story please contact Vic Allsop the County Ecumenical Development Officer by emailing cedo.ctil@fsmail.net

The Enabling Group – Churches Together in Leicester and Leicestershire. April 2016