St Mary the Virgin, Fawley, launched the Friday prayer group in the first week of lockdown in March 2020.
Led by a local congregant, Julia Ogilvy, the group has seen around 50 people regularly attend in the churchyard with more than 100 people joining at Christmas.
Julia explained: “The usual congregation for our fortnightly Sunday service is around eight people whereas we have at least 50 regulars who like to attend Friday prayers whenever they can.”
The informal nature of the outdoor setting also helped congregants feel safer during the pandemic.
Beautiful sunsets need cloudy skies #sunset #sunsetphotography pic.twitter.com/ffUk8582zj
— Mystic Mel (@Melshenny1) November 3, 2021