Ayrshire church hosts training to help churches reach out to dads
Published on 5 April 2019
A special two-hour evening session, aimed at helping churches offer support to father figures in the community, will be held at Newton Wallacetown Church of Scotland in Ayr on Thursday 2 May at 7:30pm.
Ministry to Fathers will look to equip church congregations with the ‘nuts and bolts' of establishing regular groups for fathers, carers and their children, as well as encouraging and supporting those already running groups.
Run by the charity Who Let The Dads Out?, events have been hosted throughout the UK this year for church leaders, staff and volunteers in family ministry to help them get to grips with why and how to connect with local father figures – wherever they are on their journey of fatherhood and faith.
John Hutchinson, one of the local event organisers at Newton Wallacetown Church of Scotland, said:
"I used to live in Chester and was part of the team who ran a Who Let The Dads Out? group there. When I returned to Scotland, I spoke to our minister, Rev Dr Abi Ngunga, about the possibility of starting a group in Ayr.
"Being part of the group is a great way of reaching out to dads who may or may not normally attend church. The dads get to spend time with their kids and it's a way of the church becoming relevant to families."
Tony Sharp, Who Let The Dads Out? project coordinator, said:
"When I met with Rev Dr Abi Ngunga, minister of Newton Wallacetown Church of Scotland, at a training day in Glasgow in 2018, he was really keen to get us over to Ayr to explain the benefits of intentional and specific ministry to fathers to church leaders, workers and volunteers there.
"So, when we were planning the upcoming Who Let The Dads Out? Nuts and Bolts tour for 2019, it was obvious to us that we needed to include Ayr on the schedule.
"I'm delighted that we can offer this two-hour training session on running a group for dads and other father figures and their children at the church in May as we look to reach out and support families across the UK."
Mark Chester, the founder of Who Let The Dads Out?, will be running the training event. He is a writer and speaker, with a ministry to turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.
Register to attend
The two-hour evening training session led by the Who Let The Dads Out? team will be held at Newton Wallacetown Church of Scotland in Ayr on Thursday 2 May at 7:30pm.
Tickets cost £10 per person.
Book your place on the Care For The Family website.
Please see the event flyer with full details here.