 Evangelism and Social Action, Development Group - Draft Plan Context The percentage of children in Sunday School in the UK has fallen steadily since 1900: It is not the Church of God that has a mission in the world, but the God of mission who has a Church in the world. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Do not try to call them back to where they were, and do not try to call them to where you are, beautiful as that place may seem to you.
You must have the courage to go with them to a place that neither you nor they have ever been before. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of
him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Some principles Evangelism and social action are not opposites; they are both parts of our God given mission to the community around us. The new building gives us great opportunities to "invite people in" but we should not lose sight of the need also to "go out to where people are". Using the building Suggestions still to be explored include: - A regular Film Club has been suggested a la the recent showing of The Lord of the Rings. Checks indicate that we CAN legally show a film, but only advertise the title internally. Presumably, it could be mentioned on the website, though not promoted (a fine line!?) The availability of the building should be made known within the community and suitable groups allowed to make use of the facilities (e.g. Friends of Abney Hall). The building will need a management group and a designated manager - the former to develop policy on bookings and oversee use and the latter to take bookings and be responsible for day to day operation. This is being tackled via the systems review. Going out Door to door visiting is under review though opinion is divided as to its value The "Fun Day" concept is being revisited with a fixed cost (£500) option under discussion prior to the next planning meeting Carol services for the community and other similar services should be developed - not always in "church" but in the schools or the pubs as well. Last years pub carol services worked well. We need to co-ordinate Christmas in September. A welcome pack should be developed for incomers to the "Parish" and a neighbourhood scheme established to ensure they are delivered to new people. No action on this as yet, though a wide range of literature is available in church. Contacts with the local community e.g. Edinburgh Close need to be further developed. An Easter service has been introduced to compliment Songs of Praise in the summer and the Christmas Carol concert. Outreach activity needs to be regularly reviewed to assess its effectiveness. Infrastructure and culture A training programme needs to be developed on an ongoing basis to give all members of the Church greater confidence in "gossiping the gospel". More specific training (perhaps through the Diocese) should be available for those who have a specific call to evangelism or to some form of social action (e.g. counselling skills). Someone to fulfil the role of Parish Evangelist and / or Evangelism team leader needs to be urgently sought. We need to develop a culture which encourages "prayerful risk-taking" and is not afraid of putting the building to work. The web site should be further developed - but we then need the resources to ensure enquiries are responded to. Is this a role for the Church Office? The new building should contain a bookstall and extensive notice board. The gardens should be redeveloped to be a showcase in the area. Thought should also be given to the external notice boards and notices (currently under review) Other Successes and initiatives, new and old, need to be celebrated Hope 08 and other initiatives e.g. Back to Church Sunday are to be welcomed, but should be seen as 'good servants, but bad masters'. |