What we believe and plan to do
Our Mission Statement
"To know Christ and Lovingly to make Him known"
Our desire is to glorify God by:
a. Knowing Christ which involves coming to a living faith in Him and then growing in that faith through discipleship, spiritual growth, prayer and biblical teaching.
b. Lovingly making Him Known by how we love and care for each other within the church and by reaching out with the good news of Jesus to those outside the church.
Our Values
We believe:
o In the power of the gospel to transform lives and communities.
o That our lives should be shaped through God's word by the Holy Spirit.
o In the power and necessity of prayer, knowing that "without Him we can do nothing".
o That this congregation has been here and is here for God's purpose- He has intentions and plans for us.
o That we exist to glorify God and to show the world what Jesus is like.
o That our worship of God should be authentic, filled with the Holy Spirit and relevant and reflected in all that we do.
o In unity and diversity within the congregation.
o In valuing, encouraging and enjoying the fellowship of each other
o In the value of using the gifts which God has given to us.
o In being open, welcoming and encouraging of all and outward looking
o That giving generously in faith is a grace that pleases God and releases His Kingdom
In order to live out these values we encourage every member of the congregation to:
o Participate regularly in corporate worship
o Grow spiritually through regular teaching and be of a bible study and prayer group
o Be actively involved in serving God in practical ways
o Enjoy and promote fellowship with each other
Reviewing Our Plan
Over the next five years (2023 - 2028) we seek to:
1. Continue to develop our Sunday services in ways that encourage both our worship of God and our unity and fellowship with each other.
2. Nurture the active participation of all members of the church in worship e.g. by using their skills in music, prayer, reading, speaking and leading.
3. Continue to share our worship through our webcast as a form of outreach and to develop our social media to promote the life and work of the congregation
4. Encourage all in our congregation in knowing God and extending His will in prayer (prayer begets prayer)
5. Invest in the Prayer Ministry team by providing ongoing training and embedding prayer ministry into church life.
6. Encourage and embed prayer within the life and work of the congregation, for all ministerial and pastoral work and within the organisations
7. Revitalise our small group ministry so that opportunities are created for more people to be involved.
8. Promote spiritual growth e.g. through planned programmes of Bible study and teaching and also the promotion of an ethos of discipleship for all ages.
9. Be more intentional in identifying potential leaders and in the provision of appropriate regular training and support for all leaders.
10. Provide supportive links for organisations through representative elders within Session's guidelines.
11. Further develop visitation teams to work within the congregation and also in the community. These teams would be involved both in building relationships with those in our community and would assist with on-going evangelism.
12. Reach out, in relevant ways, to 3 distinct groups:
a. families directly involved in church life,
b. children involved in youth organisations
c. in the church
d. those with no affiliation to any church activities (including newcomer families)
13. Run, on a regular basis, evangelistic courses, for example Alpha, Christianity Explored, and other courses, both in the church premises and also in community venues
14. Build on existing relationships with local churches, organisations and agencies, and seek to develop new relationships.
15. Build on our existing involvement with "global" mission.