Published on: 22/04/2026
The benefits of crossover services are being highlighted in the Diocese of Sheffield, along with the importance of intercultural gatherings to hear different perspectives among congregations. Although the structure of some crossover services can vary, they usually take place towards the end of the year, such as on New Year’s Eve, where Christians gather together and thank God for what He has done.
Wachira Maina, Assistant Curate at St John’s Park in Sheffield, is from Kenya and served there as a minister for several years. He explains that looking at how God has been with us through the year can be deeply spiritually uplifting:
‘It is a moment to thank Him and to say thank you for what He has done. He has seen us through the challenges we have experienced throughout the year. Some who have been sick have been healed by God; some had various challenges – God came through for them.
‘This is also an opportunity and a time to pray for New Year resolutions. Sometimes we used to invite guest speakers who would come and share with us God’s word. A word of encouragement and helping us be in tune with that atmosphere of thanking God for what He has done.’
Wachira adds that having a moment to be reflective is helpful when heading into a new year:
‘These services gave me a chance to express myself to God. During the evening there would be space for every one of us to go and stand, sit or kneel and thank God. He has been able to carry me through despite all the challenges that I had gone through.’
Wachira suggests to other churches in the Diocese thinking about setting up a crossover service to pause at other points in the year. Although lots of services take place on New Year’s Eve, Wachira suggests putting a ‘comma’ at some point in the year to take stock:
‘I used to tell my parishioners that sometimes it’s good to look behind and see what God has done in our lives. You can forget to do that because within the year we can be busy with other things, so we tend to focus on what we want God to do for us and forget what He has already done in our lives.
‘Most of the time we go into the new year with some plans and ambitions, and so it’s good to call upon the Lord to guide us over the new year, because we don’t know what may happen. Challenges never cease to be there in our lives, so we need God to carry us through’.
Intercultural network meetings have been taking place every few months across the Diocese, giving people the opportunity to hear viewpoints from churches across different contexts and traditions . The conversations include testimonies from people on efforts made to be more inclusive and to raise awareness.
In Wachira’s context, he has been part of the St John’s Park community for six months and says the church has made him feel at home. The friendship fostered by the church family has helped to make it an accommodating place. Connecting with the intercultural church network also nurtures this, as he explains:
‘These meetings are very important because they challenge us to acknowledge people from different backgrounds and to celebrate that diversity and one another.
‘We are all created in God’s image, and so we need to come together and appreciate one another positively. We are all God’s children, and that’s the beauty of diversity.’