Mission Survey

Community

• Links with local school,
• trying with outreach
• Links with local charities – foodbank/Christian Care
• compassion

Finance

• Responsible,
• organised,
• stable
• regular and committed fundraising
• charitable giving

Interregnum and new arrangements

• Retired priest in congregation
• Supportive local clergy for Thursday services
• Looking forward to going forward
• Visiting priests – experiencing different styles/teaching

Location

• on main road by bus stop,
• with parking

Respect

• children active participants; felt “safe” speaking at Patronal service
• freedom to speak without fear of being laughed at or being “stupid”
• being “allowed to be” and not being nagged to be something different to “fit in”
• inclusivity – included and encouraged, but freedom to join in or not if preferred

Social

• Hospitality,
• social events,
• welcoming/helpful/friendly group
• camaraderie
• inclusivity and witness; chance to get to know us without pressure
• fellowship – after service coffee. Meet and talk about anything – religious/service or general/personal interest.
• Warmth of people
• Welcomers – helpful and welcoming
• Talking and conversation
• Good “in-house” communication

Support

• compassion and support for each other
• sensitivity for others’ needs
• made to feel wanted and welcome
• part of the community of the church – missed if not there
• feeling of Christian love
• brothers and sisters in Christ, in joy and sadness

Talent Pool

• Wide range of skills
• Generosity of time
• willingness to use skills
• opportunities to contribute and use gifts
• lay led events – Advent/Lent groups, Family Services, opening and closing of chapel, home communions

• organisational skills

Worship

• Dignity, choir and servers move during the services in a dignified way. Dignified rhythm to services.
• good music and choir, supporting and leading worship
• Traditional/Catholic nature of liturgy; ritual – “if that’s what you’ve been brought up to, it’s what you want when you come back”. Includes incense, bells, servers
• inclusive worship
• “get something” out of it,
• Walsingham and Wychcroft
• Family Service
• Reverence
• Members of congregation reading, praying and administering the sacrament
• All Age Eucharist – bringing all together, and moving children on to Eucharistic worship
• Teaching – in sermons, Lent and Advent groups, Family Service notice board
• Blessed Sacrament reserved in the chapel and available for home communions
• Thursday Eucharist
• Silences – to absorb and reflect what has happened/been said
• Monthly healing service

Building and grounds

• Ineffective/aging/outdated heating – always cold in winter,
• Poor heating in hall worse than that in church – “only an hour and you can keep your coat on”
• not “obviously” a church, if you don’t know
• poor access to altar rail – steps to chancel and lack of altar rail across the middle section

Committed Congregation

• Ageing/dwindling,
• not attracting new people,
• gap between congregations,
• church happens on a Sunday” only
• limited local visiting and (obvious) concern for ill/“absent” members
• lack of volunteers for during services
• few families
• children not genuine part of serving team – on rota and treated as adults

Communication

• poor use of IT – facebook, website, twitter, blog etc
• newsheet brief
• info only on newsheet once – if you are away that week you’ve missed it
• many people don’t use (either at all, or well) the existing technology we’ve got – sound system, microphones etc,
• often “grapevine” and rumour

Community

• No affiliated groups,
• poor “marketing/advertising”,
• low personal (door to door) contact with community
• don’t have practical ways of outreach
• poor witness to others

Interregnum and new arrangements

• Anxiety and low morale in congregation

Location

• No “centre” to community
• Many other churches nearby

Social

• Few people invite newcomers into coffee and sit with them and introduce to others.
• Difficult to get to know/remember names
• Tendency to greet the same people
• Newcomers not always welcomed

Talent Pool

• not always using talents appropriately,
• offers of help/suggestions not taken up
• relatively small proportion of regular congregation,
• no obvious replacements to leaving people – in choir and other “posts”,
• not full knowledge for fully effective use of IT – hall listings, website, facebook, twitter etc
• lack of information about what jobs entail

Worship

• Few services
• Few opportunities for prayer/testimony/bible groups
• Difficult access to altar rail for those with disabilities
• Few opportunities for personal witness
• No regular bible study; evenings often difficult for people and nothing during the day.
• No silent prayer/meditation groups or services
• No house groups (except at Advent)
• Too noisy before services – limited chance for silent prayer and reflection

Buildings and grounds

• Groups to use church on Sunday pms and weekdays.
• A sign outside the church, to say the chapel is open for prayer and quiet time.
• Fix the heating

Committed congregation

• chance to involve and engage congregation to keep what we have.
• carry on what we are doing eg rotas, coffee, flowers, readings etc and support each other, and to encourage others to participate to be more effective
• to deepen our hearts and lives after the Lent groups, by meeting together
• as we are an ageing congregation, there is a lot of experience, maybe we could meet in each other’s houses, so their prayer and living the Christian life can be shared.

Community

• get hall used by more groups – “timed” timetable
• build on links with JHP, after all the work Jonathan has done, and other schools
• speakers from different walks of life within the community, to give talks about their work
• coffee mornings to be held in various houses within the parish; leaflet a road, to invite your neighbours to come and meet your neighbours.
• welcome to new neighbours” pack, with local details including of what we offer.

Finance

• new parish share system will enable us to tie money into goals, budget for change, and balance giving to others against our needs, rather than prioritising our “Fairer Shares” payment as in the past
• No priest, therefore now self-sufficient.

Interregnum and new arrangements

• Integrate more with other churches – get to know each other
• Support other’s outreach and fellowship
• Forge links with St Mary’s
• Diversify worship
• What would be involved if we joined up with the Methodists?
• Possible part time priest living in the vicarage
• Freedom to take the initiative, now we are without a priest.
• Felt a living strength has come out of the (Lent) group. We will flourish!
• Holy Spirit will prompt us through prayer

Location

• Many other churches nearby for liaison, help and working together
• Be seen as a force for good

Talent pool

• take up those offers of time and talents not done so already
• use talents from elsewhere eg students looking to set up websites, blogs etc.

Worship

• Tap into thirst for spirituality
• A notice about the prayer requests, can be put on the notice board, to say that they will be prayed for within the church
• Different types of worship and music, to attract a younger group, maybe on a Sunday evening, or once a month, to have a more relaxed type of service without communion.