Parish Visiting

Since 2010 a scheme of Parish Visitors has been operating at St Anne's Church. A number of the congregation attended training sessions aimed at developing their listening skills. The aim is to use these skills to increase the amount of people who can be visited by the church. It is impossible for any vicar to visit personally everyone who wants or needs a visit. And in fact, such visiting is not just the job of the clergy, but is the responsibility of the whole church. So these Visitors do their work on behalf of and in the name of St Anne's Church.

Visitors are asked by the Vicar to visit a wide range of people. Some may be housebound or elderly; some may be sick or in hospital. Visitors may also visit the bereaved or families who have recently had children baptised at St Anne's.

These Visitors are there primarily to listen and to offer a friendly face. They are not counsellors; nor are they social workers going to a home to sort out somebody's problems. It is also important to stress that they are not going to be peddling a heavy religious hard-sell, either. They are first and foremost listeners. That may not sound much, but the ability to listen well is a skill quite rare and highly valuable.