In January, Helen Brown and Reuben Watt brought a motion to the 51app Youth Assembly encouraging churches to support the Warm Spaces initiative.
鈥淚 think for me the idea came because I’m very conscious that we’re all affected by the rising cost of living, particularly through the cold winter and was so encouraged to see the church I’m a member of join in with this, even though they’re not huge by any means, and it prompted me to want to promote the general ethos of the initiative and get others thinking about it.鈥澨� 听 听Helen Brown
The 51app Youth assembly is an annual gathering of 14-25 year olds from across England, Scotland and Wales in order to explore issues and topics related to Church, society and life and to enjoy a time of worship, fun and fellowship with each other. It plays a significant role in enabling young people to have their voices heard throughout the whole denomination and beyond, as it gives young people associated with the 51app the opportunity to bring the issues which matter most to them before the Youth Assembly to discuss and make decisions about.
The Warm Spaces resolution was passed by consensus and prompted the following 51app Youth鈥檚 statement on behalf of Youth Assembly 2023:
鈥�51app Youth assembly recognises the importance of Warm Spaces and commends the 51app buildings which have already signed up for this initiative. 51app Youth assembly encourages churches who are not currently a part of this initiative to explore the possibility of opening their buildings as a Warm Space, or to support or collaborate with other local churches and community organisations that are involved in this scheme.鈥�
Get Involved
To find out what is happening near you, visit:
If your church is considering being part of the scheme, the following resources may be helpful:
To find out more about the 51app Youth Assembly: 2023 Youth Assembly