Here's what our church vision looks like.
Christmas Live
Christmas Live is a live re-telling of the Nativity story, using live animals, actors, volunteers from the crowd, music from the salvation army, a secret choir, and special guest appearances. It returns this Christmas (12/12/24 - a very pleasing date indeed), and here's the link to sign up to volunteer or to get your free tickets.
Here's how we do faith together
Living Keeills.
The word Keeill is an ancient Manx word, meaning place of worship, or sacred place.
Anyone who wants to be part of the Pioneer extended community is free to come and go through any of the ways we meet together. You can come as a visitor, come occasionally, or come to everything all the time. They're designed, however, so that you might find one or two ways that you feel really grow your faith, and you end up settling there.
Our firm belief is that anyone who opens themselves up to God becomes a mobile place of worship, and that in coming together, we somehow intensify that reality. Here are the Keeills currently in operation, and more expressions are on their way.
They're designed to last as long as there is a need for them.
You can join the WhatsApp 'community' for announcements about everything, and where you can find many of the church whatsapp chat groups too. Hit here to do that.
Saturday SOUL Keeill
Fortnightly saturday nights
child-free!
Saturday evenings, with tea and toast, gathered around a table. We natter about life, involve music, look at the Bible, laugh and pray with each other. SOUL keeill meets in a local Douglas Cafe.
Generations
Weekly inter-generational immersive faith.
Everyone bundles in - all ages are welcome and needed. Fun, laughter, indoors and out, thinking about the Bible with active learning for everyone and time to pray. From the youngest to the oldest, everyone takes part.
Youth
Fortnightly, building community and faith among young people.
Our young people join an inter-church group called "NXGEN" , as well as a larger methodist youth conference even though we're Anglicans (crazy huh!).
We also link them into the excellent schools work, beach mission, and residential work of SUMT.
Question Space
Monthly safe space to ask BIG questions.
Come for 6pm to buy yourself a pub meal, or turn up for 7pm where we break into small groups for 30 mins of chat, where you bring the questions, and then 30 mins to hear from other groups.
If money is an issue, we can help.
To join this WhatsApp group for all the info and dates, click here.
Breathe
Ad hoc space to create,
breathe, and be.
A community of creatives who gather together whenever. Music, art, reflection space, and delicious food make this a special, slow place to breathe again.
Adventure Keeill
A building-free zone!
Ask most people where they meet God easily, and they say in the wild. Adventure Keeill explores Christian spirituality the way the ancients did - out, all weathers, up hills, in rivers, building walls, planting trees and more.
Short Courses
Limited time courses to explore, deepen or grow faith.
Life is hectic, and our needs are all so different. So Pioneer run short courses as and when we need them. Some (like Alpha) are opportunities to explore faith. Others are ways to engage with the Bible. Others, practical courses about experiencing faith together. Sign up as and when.
Because music connects.
A Facebook group open to anyone. Here as a community (mainly online) we post songs, hymns, spiritual songs that draw us closer to God, and we talk about music that might be happening around us too. Christian ethos essential. Sometimes we will also meet up in venues and make music together. Find the Music Room group here.
Book club
Temporary groups to read through a book together.
A group designed for people who want to explore or grow faith through reading a book at the same time.
We sign up to the group to read one book. Read a part at home, chat about it online, and meet to chat if we want to.
More to come
The only limit is our creativity.
There are no limits on the amount of creativity we can pour in to how we grow as modern disciples together. We're currently exploring a walking group, a traditional and contemplative group, and more.
Watch this space, or send us ideas!
Want to get involved?
We're really low-pressure, but deeply committed.
If you're interested in either exploring faith with us for the first time, or reconnecting through one of our communities, the first step is to meet one of us (probably Rev Alex, but not necessarily) for a coffee, a snack and a natter. Please do get in touch, even if its just another excuse for Alex to eat something!
Never done this before.
Feel like you're searching, but have no church experience.
You're far from alone, in fact if you're under 35, you're probably in the majority on the Isle of Man right now. Use the contact form at the bottom of this page, and meet Rev Alex for a coffee somewhere. We'll be able to talk together about your search, your questions, what you feel God may be doing in you, and what we (or someone else) could do that might help you grow towards God. It'll all be at your own pace, and in ways you can easily access.
Have done this before.
Feeling drawn back to church after a gap.
For a few people, the safe space of our small communities has been exactly what they needed to feel their way back to faith after a sad experience, or a bad experience. Sometimes church has been the problem, but not always. Let us be a healing space for you to come back in at your own pace, and then either stay with us, or move to a more traditional form of church that will suit you better.
Wanting inspiration.
Part of a church, but wanting inspiration.
We would want you to stay in the church you're currently part of, but you're welcome to watch what we do, even come and visit, as long as the goal is to get fired up, inspired, and to take that back to your home church community. We would love it if what we did brought extra life and energy. We have been tasked to be a church that truly builds in to others, no questions asked, no hidden agenda. We are all God's church - one church, one body, one Spirit. We want to live that way.
Commissioning Event
After four years of experimenting, praying, and gently growing, Pioneer were officially 'commissioned' by Bishop Peter.
A lot's changed since then, but here are some of the photos from our event (20 Feb 2022).
Pioneer Giving Details
If you'd like to give to Pioneer Church, here are the giving details.
Please make sure you get the reference correct, so that your donation goes to the right part of that account.
Anything you can give, from one-off donations to regular amounts are welcome, just make sure you can afford what you give. :)
