St. Paul’s Church, Chippenham

Last July, the PCC (Parochial Church Council) discussed various options for altering our buildings so that we can be more effective in serving God both in and outside the church At this time it was felt that we needed to clarify the mission and vision of the church before we could move forward.

The PCC therefore set up the “Mission & Vision Group” to consider a number of key issues relating to aspects of church life which in turn would help the church be strong enough in terms of relationships, commitment and unity to develop a future growth strategy, where all could have a role to play.

A key aspect of the group’s remit was to investigate the way we function as a church, especially in terms of our priorities, commitment and resources and to find a way that would help us be more effective as Christians where ever we are called to be. The Group was seeking to find a strong foundation for St Paul’s on which the church could build its future plans.

Early on it was recognised that the Diocesan Mission Statement reflected exactly the feelings about the future direction of St Paul’s - ‘Building Communities of Wholeness with Christ at the Centre’ and adopted this as the Mission of our church. The question then was how do we as a church develop a “Vision” (or way forward) that serves and embraces this Mission enabling: all to participate, all to feel valued, all to understand and engage fully with the life and community that is our church. How do we develop a Vision That will build us up and sustain us over the coming months and years, whilst honouring all that has gone before? Clearly this is a challenge that needs much thought and prayer.

Our church community is gifted in many ways; it has many talented people, and those with a passion to make change need to be given the opportunity to exercise those gifts for the building of God’s Kingdom both in and outside the church. We need to honour these gifts and enable them to be utilised in the ways that builds the body of the church so all grow spiritually.

The Mission and Vision Group has met many times over the last 6 months as it has sought God’s guidance for a way forward. We now feel we have a way forward that will act as “scaffolding” for St Paul’s to build its Vision so we can more effectively carry out our Mission and, which we hope, in time, will enable us to move forward with the reordering of our buildings.

Making changes undoubtedly includes some discomfort, as the Holy Spirit leads us forward. What will that mean in practice? Well, we would like to share our vision for a new structure with you so that you can see where you might fit into that structure as it forms, develops and takes shape. The structure we are suggesting gives pointers to the way forward but all of us will need to get involved as the Vision is built and will need to contribute prayerfully to its construction so that it becomes a firm foundation for growth.

To move forward we need to be unhindered by the past, so we may all need to reflect on these words from Colossians 3:13-14 : “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And above all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

St Paul’s has a visible and established place in its locality. As a church, it has long been our desire that it should once again be seen as the centre-piece of the community – a resource that is open and welcoming, flexible and multi-purpose; above all, that reflects Kingdom values.

Whilst this may, in the future, involve radical physical change and re-equipping, we believe that new teams and new methods of working are key to moving forward now that St Paul’s has grown to the size it is. Our desire remains for a church that is outward looking, both meeting the needs of the worshipping community and also opening its doors to the world outside.

We believe our vision for mission will continue to extend far beyond the confines of the church building as we seek to ‘Make disciples, to baptise and to teach’, and to show the love of Christ in a fallen, needy world.

The key element in all the change that is envisaged is that it will be integrated and inclusive. Each church member matters and should have a role to play. We believe that in time the firm foundations we envisage will enable us to pull together in God’s work, in a way that has hardly been possible up to now. The criterion of our success will be the extent to which we create a ‘Community of Wholeness, with Christ at the Centre’. We ask for your prayers and some of your time to show you how the new St Paul’s could look in the months and years to come.

There will be a Consultation Meeting on 10^th March 2008

7.30- 9.30pm at St Paul’s Church

Agenda

1. Opening prayers

2. Introduction: putting the past behind us and looking to the future

3. Why do we need to change?

4. Mission & Vision Group: work to date

5. Foundation for Growth: a future structure for St Paul’s

6. Building for Growth: growing vision and moving forward in the future

7. Going for Growth?: small group discussion facilitated by members of the Mission & Vision Group

8. Next steps & Future dates: PCC AGM 23^rd April 7.30pm

Please join us for the Consultation Meeting on 10^th March

We look forward to sharing our thoughts with you

and ask that you keep the Firm Foundations Project in your prayers