Norwich church leaders urged to stay alert

Sam Cousins of Proclaimers Church in Norwich spoke about the ‘quiet revival’ taking place amongst young people and exhorted the leaders present to be ready.

Christian leaders from across the region gathered at “The Space” in Norwich, home of Proclaimers Church, for the latest Connect Norwich meeting. Sam Cousins, Assistant Pastor at Proclaimers, hosted the meeting, and urged the leaders of churches and charities who were gathered not to be caught sleeping as a ‘quiet revival’ takes place amongst the nation’s young people.

Citing recent findings from the Bible Society and other reports, Sam noted a 50% increase in church attendance over the past six years and a fourfold rise in monthly Gen Z attendance since 2018.

 “There is an awakening happening in this nation, that people are coming back to God and it's being led by young people” reported Sam. “We're seeing an increase, not just in numbers of young adults coming to church, but an increase in hunger for the things of God.  The young people that we've got coming in, students, youth, they want to live their life for Christ. They want authenticity. They want an encounter with God.”

Referencing Pete Greig’s recent message at an Assemblies of God conference, attendees were urged by Sam not to be “caught sleeping” as this revival amongst young people takes place.

Sam also outlined some of the work of Proclaimers Church in the community: “We’re passionate about serving our city...Our vision is to reach people, influence culture, and build the future.” He went on to describe how this is lived out through initiatives such as community events, Christmas hampers and a new work amongst families with neurodiverse children.

At the end of the meeting, Tom Rawls, Lead Pastor at Proclaimers Church announced that he was soon to retire and would pass on the role of Lead Pastor to Sam.

Upcoming meetings of Connect Norwich:
July 9, Teen Challenge
September 24, Chapel Field Road Methodist Church (please note change of date)

Details of how to support the work of Connect Norwich can be found here: /Articles/687486/Network_Norwich_and_Norfolk/Partners/Connect_Norwich/Your_chance_to_support_the_work_of.aspx