When St Matthew’s Yiewsley first began shaping its “Way of Life” in 2023, the church adopted the image of a tree – its deep roots in scripture and prayer feeding a strong trunk of worship, diversity, nurture and belonging, and sending out fruitful branches in compassionate community care and growing young people. A year later, that image is proving to be more than symbolic. It is becoming the lived reality of a church that is discovering how deep roots can sustain vibrant ministry, even through change.
The journey began when Revd Urmila Kurkalang, already steeped in contemplative prayer practices from her ordination training, found common vision with her then-incumbent, Revd Richard Young. After engaging with diocesan Discipleship Enabler Mirjam Ngoy-Verhage, the PCC and leadership team began to map out a shared Way of Life in spring and autumn 2023. By July 2024, the whole church had made a public act of commitment during a confirmation service, receiving small crosses as a sign of that shared calling – an act renewed again this summer.
Not long afterwards, St Matthew’s entered a vacancy. Rather than stepping away, Urmila discerned God’s call to stay and lead the church into its next chapter. The decision came after months of seeing how the Way of Life was not just surviving but taking deeper hold, shaping decisions, priorities, and relationships. In fact, when the parish profile was written to guide the search for a new incumbent, the Way of Life appeared at the heart of what the community wanted to grow and develop – testimony to how deeply it had been embraced.
Over the past year, the Way of Life has moved from paper to practice. Dwelling in the Word, daily morning and evening prayer, and Listening Groups have become regular features, not only in PCC and leadership meetings but in youth leadership gatherings, traditional services, and home groups. The Lent 2024 Listening Groups proved so popular they were incorporated into monthly home group rhythms and offered at the church for those not in small groups. What’s more, this has opened space for new voices in preaching: four teenagers, a young adult, and an older member of the congregation have stepped up to preach for the first time, with more to follow. Urmila sees this as a direct result of being attentive to God’s stirrings and inviting people to step into new spaces of ministry.
The Way of Life has also been a catalyst for deeper engagement beyond the church doors. Intentional relationship-building with local schools is beginning to bear fruit, including a providential connection through the wife of an assistant headteacher at a nearby secondary school where there is a need to support young people facing significant challenges. Similar bridge-building has happened with the local pub, once considered an unlikely setting for ministry. Through casual visits, meals, and conversations – often in her clerical collar – Urmila and others have built trust with regulars. This has led to two extended families joining the church, and from those families, ten baptisms and three confirmations this year. Many of those newly confirmed had little previous church background – some unable to name a single Bible story – yet Urmila likens their welcome to the way Jesus embraced those on the margins, beginning faith journeys that may look different but are no less real.
For Urmila, these encounters show that growth does not always appear where you expect. “When you stop and notice what God is doing, you can’t help but respond,” she reflects. “It’s been beautiful to see fruit, flowers, and new branches appearing.” The church is also feeling a fresh stirring to reach out to those still on the “outside,” including young people involved in antisocial behaviour who have not yet engaged with church life. Conversations with the local MP about community safety and youth support may open new doors for ministry in the coming year.
Looking ahead, St Matthew’s is exploring how to deepen its spiritual rhythms even further. Urmila and Mirjam are in conversation about developing a toolkit to help others begin their own Way of Life journey. Locally, there is interest in launching Saturday gatherings for silence, contemplation, Dwelling in the Word, and shared fellowship – an idea that surfaced both in planning conversations and in chance remarks from church members. Larger gatherings like New Wine are also helping individuals and the community to “press in deeper” together.
As Urmila steps fully into the role of incumbent, she sees the Way of Life not as a finished product but as a trellis – something stable yet flexible, allowing organic growth to climb and flourish. “It’s about being rooted in God and attentive to where the Spirit is moving,” she says. “The roots feed the trunk, the trunk supports the branches, and the branches bear fruit. And sometimes, that fruit appears in places you never expected.”