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<p>This year the Church of England surveyed its 16,000 parish churches about their
involvement in social action and local community projects. Of the 13,000 churches
that responded the survey revealed that 80% were involved in providing services for
the benefit of their local communities, either standalone or in partnership with others.
These 33,000 projects included debt counselling, lunch clubs, language classes, food
banks, children’s clubs, community cafes, holiday and breakfast clubs and night shelters.</p><p>There
are many good examples of work in the Rochester Diocese, 11 of the 12 Church of England
churches within the Gillingham deanery (which covers the Gillingham and Rainham constituency)
are involved in providing on average at least 4 different projects to support the
wider local community.</p><p>The areas in which the churches in Gillingham deanery
are engaging is as follows:</p><ul><li>10 churches provide or support a Foodbank</li><li>8
churches operate a parent/carer and toddler group</li><li>7 churches operate a night
shelter or other homeless provision</li><li>6 churches provide pastoral provision
for wider community through operating street pastors groups, counselling/support,
tackling loneliness projects</li><li>5 churches operate Youth projects (for the wider
community)</li><li>4 churches provide a Lunch club or drop in service.</li></ul>
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