What is A Season of Listening?
A season of listening is an opportunity for everyone in our community to share their views and ideas about who and what we need to be for this community, the London Borough of Sutton, in a rapidly changing society.

Why are we having A Season of Listening?
The world has changed a lot in the last few years. Some of us refer to this change as a post-pandemic society, where shifts in people’s priorities and behaviours are impacting many aspects of day-to-day life. Some of us may refer to the changes in society as shifts in politics, or the economy, the impact of a cost-of-living crisis or the impact of war.

Some of us may link the changes with the impact of being in the 4th industrial revolution, where advances in technology and artificial intelligence collide with our everyday lives. And so, businesses, organisations, the public sector, communities and faith groups are all having to think about how they respond to these changes in society.

Sutton Salvation Army is in A Season of Listening to seek God’s voice and plan for our community, to help us understand how we respond to the changing needs, challenges and opportunities that exist, within the community we’re here to serve.

How long will A Season of Listening last?
A Season of Listening launches on May 19^th, but this isn’t about one day, it’s about a Season. We will continue to listen until we feel we’ve been able to include and enable the voices of everyone who connects with us as a church community as well as the wider community of the borough.

 We will take an iterative and agile approach, as we learn, we’ll adapt.  If there are gaps in our listening, we’ll try a different approach. We will keep seeking God’s wisdom and voice in helping us navigate this Season of Listening, to know and discern when to continue and when it should end.

We want you to have your say! We welcome your thoughts and ideas through our survey via the link below and as part of the various conversations throughout this season.