Vision and Priorities

1. Deepening the prayer and spiritual life of individuals and the church:

• For myself, I need to keep a daily discipline of contemplative prayer and reflection. Monthly quiet day, retreat once a year, otherwise I will dry up.
• For church too – we need not to get caught up in activism and busyness for the sake of it. Spiritual life comes from God. I will want to offer opportunities for prayer, silence, quiet days, retreats. Morning and evening prayer.
• Perhaps starting a lectio divina group/contemplative prayer group.
• Teaching sessions on spiritual writers and spiritual disciplines (or book club?)
• Personal spiritual guidance/spiritual direction.

2. Strengthening faith and discipleship:

• Offering Bible study and other study courses.
• Occasionally offering a sermon series on a particular theme.
• Home groups? Learning from one another; encouraging faith and holiness of life.
• Looking at particular issues, eg the environment. Supporting the new environment group and becoming an Eco-church. Also other faiths (perhaps David could offer some teaching sessions)

3. Emphasising our unity in Christ:

• Bringing people of different traditions together; encouraging a willingness to listen to one another with respect. (No room for cliques, suspicion, gossip and backbiting.)
• Seeking the best balance of different traditions (music etc) in worship.

4. Building a caring community:

• Organising occasions to join together, share our meals and our lives, and learn from different nationalities and cultures. Cultural evenings and events, walks etc.
• Offering good pastoral care and support, through the pastoral care group and in other ways.
• Community which is open to all, but which also knows it is called to transformation and obedience to Christ.
• Always reminding ourselves that our unity is based on Christ – not a club.
• Reflect on solitude and community (my recent booklet). Prayerful solitude builds real community and vice versa. Christ stands between us.

5. Children and young people:

• To encourage the Junior Church leaders and children. Organise a time for Junior Church teachers to get together and provide some teaching, space for them to be fed themselves.
• Build up the youth work and invest time in that.

6. Outreach and service

• Support charities, not only financially but also in practical ways. International, national and local charities. Inviting speakers and supporting projects.
• Possible outreach to the embassies, students within the city?
• Other needs within the city? Working with other churches?

Helen Marshall, March 2019