Key Contact:

Canon Susie Mapledoram

Director of Children and Young People

Encounter provides specialist teams to enable parishes to support children and young people at all stages in their discipleship journey. This will start with Bolton, Salford & Leigh, and Bury, and be rolled out across the diocese from 2029.

The objectives of Encounter are to:

• develop discipleship pathways to support children and young people in their faith journey at church, school and home;
• build strong links between our CE and community schools, and parishes and mission communities to encourage children, young people and their families to join their local church;
• increase the number of intentionally Christian toddler, children’s and youth groups in parishes;
• ensure that the worship experience of children, young people and their families is positive and inspiring;
• develop the confidence and skills of the lay and ordained leaders supporting children, young people and their families.