MORE people are worshipping in Anglican churches in south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight than before.

Young people from Church of the Good Shepherd, Crookhorn, listen to Bible studies via podcasts

New figures reveal that 15,200 people went to Church of England churches in Portsmouth diocese each week during 2006. That figure was three per cent higher than the average weekly attendance the previous year.

Much of the rise was down to the growth in the number of children and young people attending, which rose by 19 per cent between 2005 and 2006. There are now 2,700 under-16s regularly attending Anglican services across the Portsmouth diocese.

The figures also reveal that more than 50,000 people went to church across the diocese on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day 2006. This figure was 11 per cent higher than in 2005. The pattern was similar at Easter 2006, when attendance was 23,100 – six per cent up on 2005.

The statistics were compiled from a survey of church attendance each week during October 2006, with additional counts at Christmas and Easter. The figures have now been collated and released by the national Church of England. Portsmouth’s Anglican diocese was one of 13 dioceses in the country that saw increases in weekly attendance figures.

Ben Mizen, diocesan youth and children’s adviser said: “It doesn’t surprise me that more children and young people are coming to church, as many of our parishes are alive to their spiritual needs.

“There have been all sorts of innovations across the diocese, including Messy Church – an after-school church group based on art and craft – and the introduction of Godly Play – the telling of interactive, visual stories that fire children’s imaginations. For young people, Church of the Good Shepherd in Crookhorn offers Bible studies via weekly podcasts and Holy Rood Church in Stubbington runs a youth congregation for 11 to 18-year-olds each month.

“But there is also the less high profile, but essential work of building relationships with individual children and young people, helping them to engage with God and seeing them grow and develop in their faith.”

Nationally, attendance at Church of England services is also rising at Christmas and Easter. There were seven per cent more people in Anglican churches on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2006 – in total, almost three million people attended a Church of England service. These figures didn’t include the large numbers that attended carol services earlier in December. And attendance at Easter 2006 was up by five per cent to almost 1.5 million nationwide.

This pattern was also reflected in local attendances at services over Christmas 2007. Official diocesan-wide figures are not yet available, but Portsmouth’s Anglican Cathedral laid on three identical carol services to cope with the demand. Its figures showed that Christmas congregations there are now five times the size of congregations in 1997. Many other churches reported packed pews.

Overall weekly attendance in the Church of England was down by one per cent. But the trend for people to come to church services during the week, rather than on Sundays, continued. For every 50 worshippers there each Sunday, nine more come during the week, and another 36 come each month.