The Rural Mission Project is a project covering rural Monmouthshire and South Herefordshire.

The county of Monmouthshire has a population of about 91,000, with approximately 23,000 living in its rural areas. Although much of Monmouthshire’s countryside is farmland, possibly only about 1000 of these are actively engaged in commercial farming; the rest are: 

• retired, 
• commute to work in the towns and cities, 
• work locally, 
• or run businesses from home.

Many of the congregations of the 12 Baptist chapels participating in the project are dwindling and ageing. They are aware that the traditional types of service no longer attract those outside the church. 

Our aim is, therefore, to find effective ways to do this, both from within and outside of the frameworks of the local churches.

As believers we can often have reasons as to why things cannot change – we’re too old, or numbers are too small to name but two. Stories such as the Widow’s Oil in the 2nd book of Kings Chapter 4, and the Feeding of the Five Thousand in the New Testament gospels, show us that God takes the young and old, those who are weak and may think they have little to offer, but in putting our life into His hands miracles take place.

We are hoping to encourage one another and pray that once again God will do something new among us.