Church leavers to be offered support

Mrs McIntosh said: "People often have a lot of questions and not all churches are very good at connecting with people. It's more acceptable and easier for a lot of people not to stay in churches rather than go through this process and it is misunderstood. When someone leaves a church people are not always good at keeping in touch and it can be quite a lonely process."
She added: "I am not saying I am a big guru with all of the answers but we hope to give support, encouragement and the resources so they might find they are not alone on the journey by any means and there are other people experiencing some of the same things."
Mrs McIntosh founded the organization with fellow New Zealander Alan Jamieson in 1999 after he had conducted a PHD study into why people stop attending church.
The organisation issues a monthly newsletter featuring stories of personal journeys, poetry, book reviews and even cartoons, to support people, she added.
Reverend Alan Crawley, assistant curate at the church, said: "I am delighted that we are welcoming Jenny to St Michael's. We aim to be a place of welcome and acceptance for all on a journey to God and we are here for the whole parish. However, we recognise that many struggle with faith and church, and if Jenny can provide something which speaks to and helps them with their struggle then that is great."
The talk takes place on November 2 at 7.45pm.