York, Bishopthorpe Road Parishes

Nicola Bray

nicola.bishopthorperoadparishes@gmail.com

In January 2023 Nicola Bray was appointed as the Multiply Pioneer Worker for the Bishopthorpe Road Parishes in York. Here she introduces herself and her hopes for the future!

Please introduce and tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m Nicola Bray and I love exploring the past and it’s connections to the present. I’ve done this professionally with a background in archaeology, Heritage Consultancy and working in museums, but I also love exploring it in the context of Christianity, faith and church too. I moved with my husband and 2 sons to South Bank in York when my husband was appointed to lead a new group of 3 churches here, and I have been working for York Schools and Youth Trust (YoYo) bringing the Christian faith alive in schools across York. I also love reading, walking, playing the bassoon and eating biscuits!

What attracted you to this role and multiply?

Since deciding to follow Jesus when I was 16 I have always found people at similar ages and stages of life in these churches. Now God has led my husband and I to join three churches where there are very few people in their 20-40s. I love an intergenerational worshipping community, but I hadn’t realised how much I took finding a similar aged community for granted in church for me and my teenage children! So, when our churches were exploring appointing a multiply leader God nudged me towards applying…and I got the job!

How have you experienced your first couple of months?

I’ve discovered that you get a very different experience of church when you work for them! It has been a joy working alongside my husband, and a joy chatting about faith and life and church with lots of different people who are currently part of our churches. And with 3 different church communities across 3 church buildings, located in areas surrounded by people in their 20s-40s in all sorts of stages and situations in life I have found launching into the role a little overwhelming! There are so many opportunities for new worshiping communities, and I look forward to experiencing our new worshipping community that God is leading me and our churches to set up.

What are your hopes for the future with this role?

I am currently working towards setting up a new baby and toddler stay-and-play group in a church in our benefice and am coordinating some Easter activities for families across our 3 churches. These activities will all be led by our church families, and we are planning active ways to facilitate conversations about faith and God and who people think Jesus is as part of these events. A big focus for me is providing comfortable space for people to explore Christianity without feeling any pressure to believe anything or like they must come to a church service. My hope for our benefice is that we can gather a new inter-generational worshipping community for people of all ages come together to worship God and share faith and life together, and where people of all ages run back to their families to tell them about what Jesus has done for them!