Building Brighter Futures for Brentwood Youth

An article published in the Brentwood Gazette 4 Sep 2024 DRCC YOUTH

More than 1,600 young people from Brentwood are enjoying brighter futures thanks to a grant to Doddinghurst Road Community Church Youth (DRCC Youth) from the Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit (VVU).

With support from the 2023/24 VVU Community Grant, DRCC Youth reached more than five times the number of young people expected through diverse community engagement efforts with work out on the streets, in schools and a church.

There was one-to-one mentoring, lunchtime playground support, a range of fun activities and other targeted work. Young people were also supported during the school holidays.
Aaron Watts, Doddinghurst Road Community Church Youth said: “Thanks to the VVU grants we have been able to push to where we are now. The help with providing a dedicated youth worker and volunteers has enabled us to build stronger relationships with young people and guide them through the complexities of adolescence and struggling circumstances”

DRCC Youth was just one of 17 community groups who in 2023/24 helped support more than 7000 young people across the county with a wide range of interactive projects.
In a recent survey that asked about the impact of the project, 82 per cent of participants agreed the project they attended has helped them to make positive choices around keeping safe and had a positive impact on their mental health.

Roger Hirst, chair of the Violence and Vulnerability Partnership and Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, thanked DRCC Youth for supporting young people in Brentwood.

Mr Hirst said: “We must never underestimate the fantastic work being delivered by local organisations in communities right across the county. “The projects, embedded in their local area, understand the needs of the young people they are working with and can provide the support needed to address risk factors such as violence, lack of engagement in education, isolation and poor mental health.

“So many young people have been helped thanks to the 23/24 VVUCGS...” Five new team members, including volunteers, were trained for this project and with the mix of youth work in schools, drop-in centres and one-to-one mentoring, many young people felt empowered to take positive steps towards a brighter future.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10.30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after the service which is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access and a disabled toilet in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10.30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our worship team. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then sing a final worship song and finish by sharing news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

Church

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 5 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Sunday School (5- 10 years)
Youth (11-15 years) Every other week.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome and songs. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the songs, someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups.

The children and young people group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, praying, music, craft and fun games.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group who would be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help either on Sundays or any other time of the week, please do get in contact.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Men's Ministries
Women's Ministries
Youth Work
Toddler Group(s) (Tots Aloud)
Foodbank

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you. Contact Us

What happens next? We will contact you to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Lead Pastor Peter Graham		Youth and Community Pastor Aaron Watts
Intro - Coming Soon		Intro - Coming Soon

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

The DRCC Team