In Focus:
Focus
The Proximity Principle
While you might expect those in positions of power to have a long-distance relat…
Devotional
Mark's gospel devotional
Think, pray, and live Mark’s Gospel over thirty quick sessions. Scripture come…
Video
Around the houses
Rev Ben Woodfield believes door knocking is still one of the best ways to share…
Our Mission
Proximity is the brand-new urban mission resource hub equipping churches, leaders and those on the ground through online content and in-person community.
By raising awareness of the disconnect between the church and those living in low-income communities Proximity will call the church to focus its missional efforts towards those on the edges of society.
Through our online hub and in person community, Proximity will resource and support Christians living and ministering in urban contexts.
By sharing the stories of those involved in urban ministry we will highlight best practice and share key learning, celebrating how God is moving in estates.
Partnering with Christians living and ministering long term in low-income communities, Proximity will develop innovative resources to serve and equip the urban church across the U.K.
Recognising urban ministry can be a lonely and isolating experiencing for those involved, Proximity will draw together a community of urban missionaries for equipping, encouraging and mutual support.
Proximity will create opportunities for those involved in urban mission to reflect upon their practice, providing a platform to share learning and experience with others involved in estates ministry.
Mission and Vision
What is Proximity?
Knowing there are other followers of Jesus doing similar things around the country is reassuring! The burdens of other people’s suffering and mess can be heavy at times. Being encouraged to keep going, keep praying, keep coming back to Jesus is precious. Thank you.
Church Leader
It was very heartening to listen to the talks and to meet other people encountering challenges I can relate to.
Just wanted to say that the proximity stuff is so good! It is so encouraging to read posts that actually feel relevant to our church experience/where we live. So needed.
I have been using the Mission Mapping resource with our women’s group. So far we discovered that no one knew who their local councillors were so this week I invited one of our councillors to the group. This was a fantastic session and the women now feel empowered to contact the council with local issues.
We met you guys in Bristol and felt such a relief that we could be equipped by Proximity Hub. Such a timely relational connection and resource.
Stay up to date
Blog
Learn More
There are plenty of ways to bring a little light into these long and dark winter days. This January could even turn out to be a little brighter than we expect. Abi Thomas of the Hopeful Activist Podcast shares her top tips with us…
Spotlight
Is the church in the UK run by middle-class people for middle-class people? Gary Jenkins is Dean of Estates Ministry in the Diocese of Southwark offers an affectionate but not uncritical view of the people from whom he comes.
Writer and Actor, Matt Britton revisits 'The Magnificat' in this contemporary spoken word for Christmas.
Audio
In this second episode of our brilliant collaboration with The Hopeful Activist Podcast, Abi Thomas explores how to keep going for the long-haul when you are living and working for justice in urban estates and beyond.
Tool
William Carey said, “To know the will of God, we need an open bible and an open map.” Now you can get to know your community better and plan how to impact it with our free Mission Mapping resource.
The first in an exciting new series in collaboration with The Hopeful Activists podcast. In this episode we discover the joys and challenges of following Jesus on an urban estate.
Christmas is on the way, and there’s no better time to show our communities the joy of a life with Jesus! Abi Thomas shares 8 top tips...
Bishop Philip North believes we need a strong urban church to renew the wider church, as well as the entire nation…
Simple prayers to help you face some of the common challenges in Urban Ministry.
Think, pray, and live Mark’s Gospel over thirty quick sessions. Scripture comes to life with these filmed dramatic readings, plus daily devotional content.
Days 11 - 20 of Mark's gospel devotional.
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Podcast
What is the benefit of being planted in our community for the long haul? How can our lives display the Lord’s splendour even in our failings? Join Sam Ward and Natalie Williams, as they finish exploring the Jesus manifesto in th…
In this episode of the Proximity podcast Sam and Nat explore the great exchange that we can experience in Christ, the importance of clothing ourselves in praise and how we can bring transformation to places that experience despair…
Sam and Nat are back for episode 6 of the Proximity podcast and their series exploring Jesus’ manifesto. In this episode, they talk about the significance of God’s willingness to enter into our grief, our role in sharing in th…
For our first season, Sam Ward from The Message Trust and Natalie Williams of Jubilee+ are going to be unpacking Jesus’ manifesto for his ministry that we find in Luke 4, asking the question, how can Christians be good news to t…
Prayer
Proximity presents a short filmed prayer for the Urban Church. Pray with us!
Declare God's destiny and dreams for your neighbourhood with this short film.
Pray this filmed prayer alongside us, as we seek God's destiny for our estates.
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Do you need some fresh ways to share the bible with oral learners? How about cooking your way through an overview of the bible or unpacking the biblical story of Jacob using the film Billy Elliot! The charity Unlock have developed…
Have you ever wondered how your church can best support those leaving the UK prison system? Tim Mycock has worked with prison leavers for over 20 years and offers some valuable practical and spiritual tips.
Finding a book that speaks to the heart of weariness feels like a breath of fresh air. Proximity recommends Dai Hankey's 'Hopeward.'
Story
How to do community outreach on a budget of zilch, Rev Ben Woodfield shares.
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Teaching
Krish Kandiah joined us at our conference in 2024 to teach on the power of proximity. By looking at the biblical story of Ruth, Krish shows us how God calls us to draw close to those who are on the margins of society.
In an 'anti-mercy' society, Natalie Williams believes there's a unique opportunity for Christians to be counter-cultural. Live teaching inspired by her latest book, "'Tis Mercy All."
Dai Hankey shares wisdom from his many years of experience of planting the gospel in Cardiff. He explores the mandate, ministry and mission of Christ to encourage us in the work God has called us to do in our communities.
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What does Hollywood and your estate have in common? Vision. Somewhere in an LA Studio right now there’s a screenwriter pitching a vision for an unmade movie. They hope to secure the money to write a first draft. The pitching pro…
Many called to work in full-time paid ministry cover all or part of their salary and ministry expenses through an approach commonly referred to as raising ‘personal support.’ The missionary meets with friends, family, churches…
So, you’d much rather be watching a movie than writing a fundraising letter, right? Not so fast with the popcorn because sustaining urban mission long-term is going to require funds. But who says you can’t do both. Let’s cra…
Katy Hollamby is a writer and illustrator, who enjoys learning about the important things in life from children. She reminds us of the importance of living with awe and wonder in our urban neighbourhoods.
In this short film, UK CEO of The Message Trust, shares a thought around the first ever Christmas Carol.
In this piece of filmed poetry, Matt Britton imagines the prophet Ezekiel taking a walk through our estates dreaming of a hope-filled world.
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