Portsmouth churches boosted by £122k cash injection

The national Church of England has pumped in the extra cash to the Anglican dioceses of Portsmouth.

It’s hoped the money will go towards helping boost congregation numbers, as well as paying for a buildings development officer to support churches’ growth in the area.

The Archdeacon of Portsdown, the Ven Joanne Grenfell, said: ‘This funding is very timely, as we want to expand what we’re doing. Our experience so far is that when Christians can show the real difference that faith makes to their lives, others are curious to get involved and find out more.’

This is the second such tranche of strategic funding from the Church of England. The first £929,000, which was awarded in 2016, went towards the creation of Harbour Church in Portsmouth, and a network of pioneer ministers to help reach those who don’t normally go to church.

Since the cash boost, congregation numbers have swelled to 250 every Sunday.