In an exciting new development, The Church of England in Lancashire (Blackburn Diocese) has launched a brand-new discipleship app – ‘Fruitful’ – available to download NOW from Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

The Fruitful app will support people of all backgrounds and all ages in our Diocese to grow in confidence in their faith through providing a digital space available 24/7 to read the Bible; inspire prayer and encourage response in worship.

The new app has been hailed as a great new innovation today by the Bishop of Blackburn, Rt Rev. Philip North who is also delighted that, to coincide with the launch, his brand new five week video-based Lent Course ‘Journey to Freedom’ will also be available to watch directly on the app.

The launch of the app and Lent Course are being promoted widely – including a Tik Tok video debut for Bishop Philip and in this Lent Course preview video on YouTube.

The app can be downloaded using its full name ‘Fruitful: The Diocese of Blackburn’ (further instructions at end of story if you need them); or use the QR code (also below) to go straight to it.

As well as being on the app, the Bishop’s Lent Course is also available in full (all five parts) here on the Diocesan YouTube channel.

Bishop Philip said today: “Digital technology is having a wonderful impact in deepening the faith of many Christians. I am delighted our Diocese is playing such an integral part in this with our new Fruitful app. My hope and prayer is that many will come to meet with Jesus and deepen their relationship with him through the diverse resources that it makes available.”

The Ven Mark Ireland, Archdeacon of Blackburn, commented, “The app will give people in churches across the County a new way to help them grow in their faith as disciples of Jesus Christ. It is a sign of the vitality in our parishes that we are able to produce high-quality home-grown content relevant to being a follower of Jesus in Lancashire, rather than having to point people to online resources produced for very different contexts.

“While it is designed for all ages, we hope Fruitful will particularly appeal to a younger demographic and those who prefer to access information digitally rather than on paper. Using less paper will also help us meet our carbon net zero targets as we move forward.

“All the resources will still be available to access via a related website for the app – for people who prefer to engage online that way. We will also be promoting the content through our main Diocesan website; our Parish Update ebulletin and on our social channels.”

The Fruitful app, which has been developed by the Making Disciples Team, will support the main aims of our collective work for our Diocesan ‘Vision 2026 Healthy Churches Transforming Communities’. Seasonal resources, all helping people to …

• Know the scriptures better and be equipped to be confident Christian disciples
• Pray with greater depth and urgency for the Kingdom of God to come
• Offer worship in spirit and truth through the ministry of Word and Sacrament*

The app is limited to offering worship though the ministry of the word only via viewing online services.

As well as Bishop Philip’s Lent Course at launch the app features …

• 2024 Lent Daily Devotions (watch, read or listen to this year’s Lent Devotionals based on this year’s Lent Devotional booklet for the Diocese)
• Events and retreats; at Whalley Abbey, Blackburn Cathedral and more
• A lectionary (Bible passages)
• An audio Bible
• Other links to wider content such as the national Church of England’s Daily Prayer site and weekly online service
• Recommended podcasts

Publicity for the launch of both the app and Bishop Philip’s Lent Course also begins in earnest this week via media coverage; on the Diocesan website; via internal ebulletins to parishes and on our social channels; the latter including the Tik Tok account run by the Diocesan Board of Education where Bishop Philip makes his Tik Tok debut in a fast-moving summary of his Lent Course and where it can be engaged with  including via the Fruitful app of course!

Downloading the app

The Fruitful app is free to download and has no in-app purchases. You can download it today from Apple and Google Play. Simply follow the instructions below:

1. Open Google Play or App Store
2. Search for ‘Fruitful: Diocese of Blackburn’ or use the following links:

• Apple
• Google

QR Code: scan the code at right

1. Click install
2. Open the app
3. (Optional) To enjoy the full capabilities of the app and keep up to date with our newest releases, click on the person icon in the top right hand corner of the app and:

• Sign up
• Turn on notifications

Ronnie Semley, February 2024