News & Stories

Most people can appreciate a beautiful garden, some love the precision of a neatly clipped lawn with sculpted borders while others, prefer something a bit wilder filled with insects and other wildlife.

Team member Margaret visited some of the Renew spaces in Northamptonshire in Feb 2026 - you can read about her trip by clicking the link below.

It has been an exciting journey to seeing Renew @ The Gatehouse launched in Tunbridge Wells last September (2025) and now becoming established.

An update from Sheila Feb 2026. Setting up a Renew Wellbeing space under the governance of a university chaplaincy supported by a local church was going to be a pioneer experience.

Partnership is about recognising what is already good in community and embracing it; signposting to, and partnering with, other churches, local charities, professional providers (e.g. NHS).

A Wonderful Place to Be

"A wonderful place to be, lots to do, and lots of people you might know. If not, then everybody here will make you feel warm and welcome when you come/arrive. It is great fun!

I enjoy coming every Thursday it is on. I got to know some people I did not know and some I did know."

What is a Renew Wellbeing HUB?

Some churches already running a Renew space may be able to offer more as a Renew Hub - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. us for more information.

A RENEW HUB church:

is a resourcing church with its own experience of running a Renew space for at least a year.
has the capacity to receive interested visitors to see their Renew space from time to time.
is a centre for support, encouragement and prayer locally for a network of Renew spaces.
offers training to other local churches annually and holds open an open day annually for those interested in Renew Wellbeing.

Our team members have put together some thoughts and research in a series of blogs. Click the Read more button for the list of other blogs.

THE THEOLOGY OF WELLBEING (some thoughts and reflections)

John says: "As we continue to reflect on the theological underpinnings of wellbeing, it was very helpful to be at a conference in November 2025 in Edinburgh, where John Swinton was speaking. This was organised by the Maclellan Foundation who hold an annual event under the heading of Transforming Scotland. This last conference was on Mental Health and Wellbeing.

John is so clear that wellbeing is theological by its very nature and I love a phrase that I have heard him use before “FIRST, there was creation and THEN there was psychiatry” – not because John dismisses anything about psychiatry but because we are also to be clear that we are made fully human by God and he knows us."

A regular says: "I have been going along to The Safe Place, Renew Wellbeing space in Magheralin, Northern Ireland from when it opened and I have found it so helpful to my Wellbeing.

I was asked along at a time when I was feeling extremely fragile and vulnerable. Thankfully my mental health has stayed fairly stable since then."

A regular says: "As a Ukrainian refugee who has found sanctuary in this community, I cannot overstate the impact this church has had on my life and the lives of my family.

When the war in Ukraine forced us to flee our homeland, we were lost and in desperate need of support. Aylesham Baptist Church, particularly through the kindness of its members, provided us with not only a place to live but also a lifeline during our darkest days."

Quotes from our regulars:

it’s a lifeline
amazing
brilliant
brings people together
it’s a safe place
I feel people understand you
we are supported by prayer
the Lord brought me here
being open during the holidays is a lifeline as everything else closes

Renew Wellbeing works with many Christian denominations and we are delighted to now be partnering with the Church of England to bring Renew spaces into many more parishes. Click here for more information.

Diocesan Wellbeing Project