A man who has dedicated eight years to youth work in Durham Diocese has announced that he will retire at the end of August.
Andy Harris (pictured) has served as Leader of Youth Mission and Ministry since 2016 and is a key member of the Children and Youth Team, working alongside Sharon Pritchard (Children’s Ministry Adviser, pictured below left) and Catherine Simpson (School Chaplaincy Development and Growing Faith Adviser).
Engaging with young people and their families is a main priority for the diocese. Andy has overseen numerous successful activities and projects.
“I’ve had a fantastic time,” said Andy. “I will take a huge number of amazing memories with me and I’d love to see the work that we’ve done as a team and as a diocese continue and grow.
“Work with children and young people only happens in our churches because of the commitment and passion of youth leaders, who do this week in week out and mostly in a voluntary capacity.
“Looking forward, churches need to continue to prioritise this in whatever ways they can, and to pray to see young people grow in faith and discipleship.”
Andy brought much experience to the role, having previously served as an RE and history teacher for 28 years, at Greenfield Community College in Newton Aycliffe.
He quickly established that many churches had very small numbers of young people within their congregations, who needed a central meeting place where they could socialise and grow their faith, confidence and skills together.
Among the highlights have been the Pulse youth events – termly gatherings enabling young people to join together in larger groups, providing an opportunity to have fun, explore faith in a variety of different ways and worship God together.
With Durham Cathedral providing an inspirational venue, Pulse gatherings have included inspirational speakers, young people leading worship and prayer activities and a local Gospel choir. Themes have included the Climate Emergency, the Persecuted Church, Prayer and human trafficking. Activities have included a silent disco, escape rooms, a magician, a juggler and even a gladiator night!
On the road, Pulse has included memorable pilgrimages to Holy Island, as well as the Archdeaconry Games at Brancepeth Castle, featuring egg and spoon races among other fun activities with a focus on worship.
Another highlight, the Growing Young Leaders course, enables participants to develop their skills by leading on projects within their church communities.
“This has been a great success,” said Andy. “We’ve had 75 young people in five cohorts through the six-month course, both before and after the coronavirus pandemic. Some of them have gone on to secure bigger leadership roles and it has been great to see them develop their skills.”
Another significant area of work has been the Bishop’s Certificate in Youth Ministry, run a dozen times in person and online, training over 100 volunteers and others as youth leaders within their own parish contexts.
Other key initiatives have included working with our five Church of England secondary schools, focusing on prayer spaces in schools, working with the 50 or 60 Year 10 pupils who support the Year 6 Leavers’ Services in the Cathedral each year, and taking groups of students together to Holy Island for a day of pilgrimage.
Prior to Covid, the Youth Council was established, providing a voice for young people in the diocese and enabling them to work with Environment Champions and other specialists, as well as visiting churches to lead worship, and producing videos for Pentecost and Advent.
Andy said: “The pandemic was certainly a challenge but there was a creative element with many things switching to online. The Youth Council was a huge success and hopefully it has the potential to grow again.”
In retirement, Andy will also step back from his role as a member of the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel, and Board of Education.
However, he plans to remain active within the diocese. His wife, the Revd Carol Harris, is vicar at St John’s Shildon, where Andy serves as a Reader.
He will be continuing his role as Governor in the local Church of England Primary school and to start volunteering at Shildon Alive, a St John’s Church Project, which recently received the prestigious King’s Award for Voluntary Service, and provides a whole range of support for families facing challenging circumstances.
We thank Andy for all his has contributed to the life of our diocese and wish him well in his retirement.